Simia

by Paris Singer

  I clenched my teeth and reached for my leg. He kicked me in the ribs, and I heard a ‘clack’ sound. I screamed again, doubling over in pain.

  Again, Perusak extended his hand. “Give Perusak the ring.”

  I couldn’t fathom why he wanted it, and I didn’t care. “Never. I’ll never give it to you.”

  He scowled and closed his hand into a fist. “Then Perusak will crush your skull and take it from your corpse.”

  I knew that if his fist hit my head, the force of the impact would crush it. I also knew that I could do nothing to stop him. Perusak drew his fist back in line with his head, and with fierce velocity sent it hurtling down toward me. I closed my eyes and thought of Alana when a near-deafening sound caused me to open them again. Perusak stood leaning over me. His eyes open wide, he gazed at me as if in shock or fear, or both. Black blood streamed from the corner of his gaping mouth, down his thick chin. He groaned and narrowed his lips as if to speak, but collapsed dead on top of me before he could.

  My head spun as blinding pain coursed through me. The weight of Perusak’s body made it hard to breathe. With the last of my strength I moved him enough to take a deep, painful breath. I was light-headed; the room was growing darker. While standing next to the throne I thought I noticed One holding Perusak’s staff, wisps of smoke rising from its tip.

  “O… One…” I tried to lift my hand up to him, but I was unable to move. My brother watched me for a moment, and as he turned and walked out of sight, I thought I saw his lips curve into a grin. The room continued to become darker and darker around the edges of my sight, like a tunnel. Suddenly everything appeared to move. All I could see was Many’s face, several times over. I felt my body being carried. “A… Alana,” I breathed. I heard whistling and, as I turned my head, saw her body being carried away by yet more clones, while all around Morex guards continued trying to fight them off. I drifted in and out of consciousness. Iris’ voice echoed in my mind. “Hurry. More are coming. We need to go, now. What happened?” I felt someone lay me down, and heard thrusters as the ship left. Silence.

  ***

  “… We did it, Alana… We did it…” Iris’ soft, broken voice echoed in my mind. She wept.

  EPILOGUE

  Two weeks passed since Alana’s death. After Scrap turned off the Morex shields, Simian forces made short work of the attack ships that remained, though it wasn’t long before the entire fleet retreated, perhaps after word of Perusak’s demise spread. In the short time they had invaded, however, the Morex had caused enormous destruction. Many cities crumbled into clouds of dust and fire, along with their citizens. Those who survived fled to the sewers or the deserts. Sally, Milo and Sova had all escaped, but the search for Tanks and some other Sphere players was still active.

  We laid Alana to rest on the grounds of where the old Sphere gym had been destroyed, and since re-built. A memorial statue of her likeness was erected outside the main entrance. I’d laid her gauntlet at its base, where it remains to this day.

  “You’re really going to decline?” asked Pi, wiping the bar of his empty diner.

  “Already did,” I replied, blowing the steam from the cup of hot aco he’d just given me.

  “Whoa, I don’t know if I could just give up being ruler, dude. Think about it: you’d be able to sleep and eat all day long if you wanted to.” Pi gazed into the distance, his mouth agape.

  I looked down at the ring on my finger. The stone in the center shimmered like a pool of amber under the warm, dim light. I had gone back to visit the shopkeeper to ask about it, but found no sign of him. His shop had been empty, as if he’d never been there. Iris had insisted I reveal my lineage to Simian officials, as the planet would need leadership because Valeta, the last remaining member of the council, had vanished. Tests were conducted to determine the authenticity of my claim. Once the results returned positive, there was some polarizing opinions, but I was soon proclaimed the rightful ruler of Simia.

  “Being ruler of an entire planet is not as simple as that, Pi,” said Iris, sitting with her feet up on a table, leaning back on a comfortable booth as she cleaned one of her handguns. “It’d mean a lot of work—a lot more than you have now.”

  Pi blinked as if his bubble had burst and frowned. “Maybe it’s for the best, then.”

  “I’m not a ruler; not yet, anyway. There’s still a lot I have to learn first. I left the best person for the job in charge until I am though.”

  Pi shivered. “Man, I remember how scared Ms. Photuris used to make me. How she spoke right into your mind like that—she gave me the creeps.”

  “You made a wise decision, Seven,” said Iris. “Simia will recover well with her in charge. Speaking of Ms. Photuris, I heard Sphere is legal again. Funny, I wouldn’t have pictured Ms. Photuris being a fan.”

  “Oh, yeah, I heard about that, too,” I smiled awkwardly.

  “Pretty lucky for you, isn’t it?” winked Pi.

  “I guess she realized it was a dumb law and changed it.”

  Iris raised an eyebrow and grinned as she continued to clean her gun.

  “Oh, look, the sun is coming up,” I blurted, standing up and walking to the window. I took a sip of the hot aco.

  “Seven,” began Iris. “We need to talk about your brother.” I frowned. “I don’t like what you’ve told me about him. If he does have control of the Morex ‘cos he killed Perusak, he could be very dangerous. My sources tell me there’s no sign of the Morex—anywhere. That’s very unusual and makes me nervous. We should try to track them down, see what they’re up to. They might be regrouping, and with your brother at the helm who knows what that could mean. What do you think?”

  I closed my eyes. Pi had put one of his jazz records on the new jukebox. I breathed in the smell of aging wooden furniture mixed with hot oil and spices from the kitchen as the light of the rising sun kissed my face. I thought of One. Did he save me that day? I wanted to think so. Then again, as it had been suggested, perhaps he’d seen the chance to seize power for himself by killing Perusak. Could he really do something like that? I knew we’d meet again. But as brothers? Or enemies? One thing was certain: there was a long, arduous journey ahead of me if I was ever to take up my role as ruler. I needed to be ready to lead and fight against those who would seek to attack and destroy Simia. I owed it to all who had fallen to the Morex. To my mother. To Alana. Ms. Photuris had mentioned training.

  I opened my eyes and looked down at the carpet of mist that drifted past the mountain atop which Pi had hidden his diner. Amid the golden pink skies ahead, almost blotting out the light, a dark mass of vehicles driven by hungry patrons rose in the distance. I smiled.

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  Dear, reader;

  Thank you for reading Simia, which I hope you enjoyed. If you have any thoughts you’d like to share on it, I’d truly appreciate it if you could leave a review on Amazon.

  Being a relatively new author, it’s the kind of thing that greatly helps further my career.

  If you would like early notification of future Paris Singer novels you can join the newsletter. Click here to subscribe.

  Paris

  MORE GREAT READS FROM PARIS SINGER

  The Skull Collector (dark fantasy) In a world where dark magic is constantly at play, a little girl will go to any lengths to reunite with her lost ones.

  The Regulars (paranormal thriller) Intent on finding his killers, a man with no name sets off on a strange journey where the dead roam the world of the living.

  Alone with no memory of his past, he accompanies the Regulars: an unlikely group of restless spirits led by the imperious Louis.

  What begins as a quest to uncover a brutal murder soon unfolds into a race against dark forces where nothing is as it seems.

  Can the sinister Mr. Cage be stopped?

  Meeting The Regulars (paranormal horror) I guess I was nine or ten when I died. Yeah, so what? It's none of your business. Listen, I'm here to warn you. You have to run, you have to hide. They're
coming. Mr. Cage is coming. You don't want to be like me, do you? Though it's probably too late now...

  Meeting The Regulars follows Boy, the lonely, restless spirit of a child, as he joins a small band of spectres intent on scaring the living. Among them, however, is Mr. Cage: a sinister being with his own agenda.

  Coming Soon: Stories From The Sky Drifter: Hidden Jade

  Discover more about Paris Singer here:

  Facebook: https://facebook.com/ShadowsOfPerception

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/DakuKarasu

  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paris_singer

  Website: https://www.parissinger.com