She hugged Jack closer to her. “We’re not safe anywhere, Esme. All I’m saying is that they don’t like being out of a pod’s reach. They’ll search this area, but they won’t stay long.”
“So this is where you’ve been hiding these last few days?” Esme grunted. “We’ve been out there in the heat, walking for hours and hours at a time with no clear destination in sight.”
Payton gave Esme a thoughtful look. “It’s about surviving, right?”
Esme nodded. Her chin hit against her knees as she did.
“I’ve been sticking close to the area. I try to stay out of sight during the day when they’re active. At night I search for possible hiding places, never going to the same place twice. If you want to survive, you have to be smarter than this game and smarter than them. Use the rules to your favor.”
Esme let out a sigh. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. You just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”
Hard footsteps stomped on the roof of the cave. Payton and Esme both shut their mouths.
On the spur of the moment, it had seemed like a good idea to hide here. Now, with the aliens roaming above her head, it didn’t feel like it. There’d been another cave, a little bigger than this one and it had two entrances. The only problem was that it was farther away. If she was smarter, she would’ve tried to make it.
Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
Nope. She would not let self-doubt worm its way into her head. They would’ve been caught before they reached it.
Not today, Satan! She had way too much shit going on to get caught up in self-deprecating thoughts. One way she could prove that she was smart was by winning The Hunt. And for right now, winning meant being quiet until the alarm rang. She didn’t have to worry about Esme trying to strike up another conversation. Esme’s eyelids were getting heavier and heavier by the minute.
Boy did they make a pair. Payton was sure she looked just as bad as Esme did. While it appeared Esme had taken care of her hair, combing and braiding it, there were still tendrils of curls that had escaped and framed her face. Payton, on the other hand, hadn’t bothered to do anything to hers. As long as the hair tie stayed in place, she was good with keeping it in a ponytail. Esme was darker than she was when they’d parted ways a few days ago, and so was Payton. They both were sunburned and red. Esme cheeks were peeled, and so were Payton’s shoulders. Clothes wise? They both looked a hot, rumpled, dirty mess.
It was clear by appearance alone they both were going through some terrible shit.
Payton pulled her gaze from Esme and watched the entrance. She did that and listened for the lizards until she’d lost track of time. When the alarm blared, hardly noticeable, she finally let out a relieved breath. They’d survived another day.
“Ben, here,” he sounded strained. “Esme? Are you out there?”
Payton pressed the communication icon on her comlink. “This is Payton. Esme is with me.”
Ben let out a sigh of relief. “Where is she? Let me speak to her.”
“We’re holed up in a cave. I wish I could tell you where, but I have no clue. She’s sleep. I’m watching her snore. Do you want me to wake her up for you?”
“No, no. We had a harrowing day. Some of those aliens set a trap for us, and I got hurt.” Ben grunted in pain. “My ankle is sliced up really bad here.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah, eventually. I called for a first aid pod-thingie, and I’ve got my ankle wrapped. I found a hollowed out tree. I think I’ll stay here a while to recover.”
“I’m sorry, Ben,” it was Miranda who spoke. “If I was there, maybe I could’ve helped you.”
“Miranda?” Ben let out a strangled sound. “We were so worried about you. The kids?”
“They’re fine,” Miranda said.
Ben sniffled. “Good. I’m glad you guys weren’t here. There wasn’t anything you could’ve done. I’m happy you and the kids are safe. How about everyone else?”
“Min? Yesenia?” Danny asked in a tight voice.
“Here,” Min said.
“Here,” Yesinia said, choking out a cry.
“Where’s Kaylin?” Ben asked.
“She’s...she’s gone,” Danny said in a pained breath. “They set a trap for us too. She stepped into some kind of netting, and we couldn’t get her out. We...left her.”
Payton inhaled sharply. “What?!”
“We should’ve tried harder to save her!” Yesenia wailed.
Payton pulled her knees to her chest and listened to Min and Yesenia’s crying.
“We tried our hardest to get her out,” Danny finally said. “If we hadn’t left when we had, we would’ve been caught too.”
“Danny’s right,” Min said as she sniffled. “They almost got me too, but I was able to fight one off and poke him through the eye with a sharp stick.” She sniffled again. “I had to call a pod. And even then, I was dumped in front of a hunter and couldn’t call for another pod to escape.”
“Oh, God, Min,” Yesenia said.
“I’m fine. Luckily he didn’t want me. He just wrestled with me for a few minutes then stopped abruptly and basically told me that I did nothing for him and he wouldn’t claim me.”
“Listen.” Payton interjected. “I know you guys like grouping up, but you can’t do that anymore. When they saw the four of you together, they probably thought it was a smorgasbord of prey. Remember what Esme’s alien said? We have to survive. That’s all we have to do. They only gave us a means to escape and food so we could make this hunt more interesting for them. We weren’t meant to win it. We know the aliens leave when the alarm sounds in the evening and they come back in the morning. So you know what we should do?”
“Hide during the day and only come out for food and other necessities at night,” Ben said.
“Exactly!” Payton confirmed. “For the past two nights, I’ve been out scouting for different hiding places, calling for food pods, getting everything I need. Then, during the day, I sleep. I only ran into Esme because I was thirsty and had wandered too far from my rocks.”
“Your rocks?” Min asked.
“The pods can’t get through the rocks, so I’ve been sticking close to rocky terrain. If the aliens are caught here when the evening alarm goes off, they get a terrible shock. They don’t like it.”
“In the state I’m in, I won’t be wandering anywhere anytime soon,” Ben said.
“That’s smart, Payton,” Yesenia said through sniffles. “I’m going to look for a hiding spot. Right now I’m out in the open.”
“I’m going to do the same,” Min confirmed.
“While you’re out, stock up on food and water,” Payton added.
“Thanks, Payton,” Danny said.
After they signed off, Payton and Jack went out in search of new hiding places. The lizards hadn’t seen where she’d hidden, but leaving the general vicinity was a good idea. She didn’t want to get captured by them. The looks on their faces and their eyes told her these were the hunters who weren’t as nice as Themba.
“Ah, but if I leave you alone, another will come, and he may not be as nice as I am.”
There wouldn’t be any banter, playful smiles or tussling with those two. She didn’t want to think about the lizards, thinking about them made her want to pee her pants. She could think about Themba instead.
No. She shouldn’t be thinking about Themba either. He was hunting her. Hunting. Her.
Themba was firmly pushed from her head.
An hour after searching, rain began falling. Large fat drops poured down. It was like the sky had opened, and a bucket was poured on top of her.
I should get back and try again later.
She trudged through the muddy ground. Her shoes sloshed and sunk in deep. Each step was a struggle. Jack didn’t like the mud caking his legs. His gait was stilted because he lifted his feet higher than normal. It took them longer getting back than she’d anticipated and the trek had drained all her
energy.
When Payton only had a short distance to go, she took a few minutes to rest. “Almost there,” she said to Jack. He whimpered and stared at her with puppy dog eyes. He was miserable and so very cute at the same time.
Payton took three steps and slipped and fell, hitting her butt hard on a rock. Jack didn’t have the trouble she did. With a throbbing tailbone and bruised pride, Payton flipped to her hands and knees and crawled her way back.
As painful as the rocks were on her knees, it hurt more to slam her butt on the ground. She used her short nails to dig into the grooves and pull herself up the steeper inclines. It occurred to her more than once that she could turn around, slide down the rocks and go back to the other hiding spot she’d found. When she’d tried to call Esme to tell her the plan, Esme was met with silence.
Payton didn’t need to tell Esme she was leaving. Esme knew they couldn’t stay together long. But each time she thought about doing just that, guilt hounded her. The least she could do was wake Esme and let her know they were parting ways and suggest she find another hiding spot as well.
By the time she made it back to the cave she was tired and worn out. To her surprise, Esme was standing at the entrance, waiting for her.
“Hey,” Payton said. “I was coming back to wake you up. I’m leaving, and if you’re smart, you will too. Find a place far from here, but if you can, stick to the rocks.”
Esme stood at the entrance, slack jaw, and unmoving.
“Esme?” Payton stepped closer. Esme’s eyes were closed. “Hey?”
Esme frowned, said something under her breath and tried to push past Payton. Payton stopped her with an arm across her chest.
It hit her. “For fuck’s sake.” Payton pressed her comlink. She needed confirmation. “Ben? Are you still up?”
“Up and counting the stars,” he replied.
“I think Esme is sleepwalking. Do you know anything about that?”
Ben sighed. “Sorry, with everything else going on I forgot to mention it. Just turn her around and put her back in her sleeping bag.”
Payton sighed. So much for trying to separate tonight. In good conscious, she couldn’t leave Esme alone right now. She took Esme by the arm and turned her around. “Come on, sleeping beauty. Let’s get you back to bed.”
Chapter Nine
Yup. They’re still humping.
Payton wanted to scrub her eyes with bleach. The two lizard-like aliens who had chased them yesterday were going to town on each other about thirty-feet from the cave’s entrance. After spending most of the night searching out new hiding places in the rain, then keeping an eye on Esme, she’d been exhausted by the time the morning alarm sounded.
She’d fallen back to sleep then awakened a little while later thinking she and Esme could make a break for the two hiding places she’d found. They would split up, but at least they wouldn’t be in the same area where the lizards had last seen them.
Her plans were shot to hell when she’d spotted the lizards, one bent over on all fours, clawing at the rock it clutched while the other pounded into its friend from behind.
That alone wouldn’t have been so bad, but the sounds coming from both did a number on her ears. It was a cross between screeching and howling.
She’d tried to forget what was going on outside by pushing her back into the corner farthest from the entrance and on a whim, she turned on her phone, thinking it would be great if she had bars.
What would she do? Call her mother? Her father? Her brother?
She wouldn’t have called anyone. Her mom and dad probably wouldn’t have answered anyway.
Then the notification had popped up. “Divorce court today, 9 a.m.”
Her heart fell to her stomach and breath caught as a lump in her throat.
How could she have forgotten about that?
Abduction. Alien Planet. Prey. Hunted. Oh, right.
It seemed forever ago that she’d been so nervous about finally facing off with Mike in court. That’s why she’d been out the night she was abducted. He’d contested the divorce, and because of it, she had to attend a court hearing. It was another way to make her suffer. He’d wanted to drag this out for as long as he possibly could. She’d granted him everything in the divorce, and since there weren’t any children, it should’ve been easy.
But now she knew there were other things to fear more than Mike.
She went from staring at the event reminder to checking the porn show outside. The lizards had been at it for a while now. Every few minutes she checked to see if it was safe to leave, but each time she did, they were in a new position.
Not only were she and Esme trapped, but she had to listen to that racket all morning while Esme snored.
Payton blew out her breath and activated her sleeping bag. She wasn’t going back to sleep. At the touch of a button, the bag folded to the size of an SD card. She picked it up and stored it in a slot in her comlink.
Jack laid down next to her and whined. He was hungry. Payton pulled a protein bar from her bra. She started to put it at his feet but thought better of it. How long would they be trapped? She didn’t know. She pinched off a piece and fed it to him and did the same for herself.
Esme rolled onto her back and threw an arm over her face. “Ugh.”
Payton choked on the piece of food in her throat. “Shhh.” Payton settled her gaze on the entrance and held her breath. Her heart slammed as she clutched Jack. Only when she was sure they weren’t about to get caught did she finally relax.
Esme turned her head toward Payton, winced and sucked a breath through her teeth. Payton had felt the same when she’d awakened. Her muscles had been in hard knots. The sleeping bag hadn’t done anything to help against the hard ground. She wasn’t sure she could turn her head to the right again without the help of a good chiropractor.
Payton bit into her protein bar then pinched off another piece for Jack who ate it hungrily. She didn’t know what was in these things, but whatever it was had Jack hooked.
“Hey, how were you able to get food in here?” Esme whispered. “My stomach is eating itself.”
“I don’t know how much longer these aliens are going to be generous, so I’ve been stocking up.” She pulled one of the bars from her bra and tossed it at Esme. “Don’t eat it all at once. I’m not going to give you my entire stash.”
Esme caught it in the air. “Ew, gross.”
Payton cut her eyes at Esme. “Then give it back.”
“Never.” Esme bit into it, let out a soft moan then took another bite. “Thanks.”
“Survival of the fittest.”
“Mental note. Stock up on food and water.” Esme chewed and tapped the side of her head. Then she looked at Payton thoughtfully. “I thought you would be gone when I woke up,” she whispered.
Payton took another bite of her bar. “I thought about leaving you. You snore.”
Esme sat up and winced again. “Why didn’t you though?”
“You sleepwalk.”
Esme let out a soft groan. “Only when I’m stressed. Honestly, I don’t know why I haven’t been sleepwalking every night since we got here.”
“This would definitely count as a stressful situation.” Payton cocked her head to the side. Her neck muscles stretched and stung. “Maybe Ben has been looking out for you and keeping you in your sleeping bag.”
Esme seemed to think about that then, most likely coming to the same conclusion Payton had. “I don’t doubt it. Thanks for not letting me stray.”
Payton nodded toward the entrance. “If it hadn’t been for the monsoon out there last night, I would’ve tied your purse to you and let you walk out of my life. But lucky for you, I started feeling guilty. I didn’t want you to break a leg on your late night wandering. The rocks are slippery when they’re wet.”
Esme followed Payton’s line of vision. “Weather cleared.”
“Yeah, but now we have bigger problems. Go take a look,” Payton narrowed her eyes, “and by God be quiet about
it.” What they didn’t need was for the aliens to lose focus on their extracurricular activity and turn their attention to the cave.
Esme lifted an eyebrow, her interest piqued. She pushed her sleeping bag away then inched toward the entrance and peered through. Payton knew what she saw. The light bounced off the smooth grey and brown surfaces and made them gleam like glass. Sloping slabs jutted and angled in a different directions. Last night’s rain had left pools of water trapped between rocks, forming pockets of small lakes that shimmered as a result of the sunlight.
“Nothing much out here—” Esme’s eyes opened wide, and her mouth dropped.
There it is.
Esme watched for a few minutes more, then swallowed hard. Payton guessed Esme did what she’d done when she’d first spotted the duo; swallowed down vomit inching up the back of her throat.
Esme backed away, and Payton saw every emotion written across her face; panic, fear, and revulsion. She also knew exactly what was on Esme’s mind.
If we’re caught, it’ll be one of us bent over that rock.
Payton swallowed the lump in the back of her throat.
Esme sighed when her back hit the wall. “I guess we’re stuck in here until they finish.”
“They’ve been going at it for a while now,” Payton whispered back. “After it stopped raining this morning, I went out to plot an escape route. I came back to wake you up and let you know that I was taking off.”
Esme frowned. “The alarm? I didn’t hear it. Which is weird since it’s loud as hell and heart-stopping.”
Payton slapped the wall she leaned against. “This again. The rock buffered it. I almost slept through it too.”
“Huh, I don’t know if that’s a plus or a negative.”
Payton shrugged. It was probably both. If the walls buffered the alarm, it most likely buffered their whisperings and scent as well. That meant Payton didn’t have to worry about Themba finding her or anyone else getting a whiff of them.
Esme let out a deflating sigh. “How long have they been going at it?”
Hunted by the Alien Prince Page 9
