Turin growls. There’s only so much I can do to hold him back.
“Listen, Captain. Do you want to keep your life? Turn around and pretend you never found this place. Tell the others that Naomi is dead,” he says.
The captain looks at the entrance, breathing too fast for me to watch. “I can’t go back out there. He’ll find me again. It’ll be night in less than an hour,” he says.
Turin groans. “Not our problem. If you die, that’s more time for us to escape.”
“But—“
“You still got a gun?” Turin asks.
“Yes, but I only have three bullets left,” he says.
I glance back at my alien and sigh. Taking the captain’s side, I say, “Nothing will happen to you because you’re staying with us.”
Turin’s wide-eyed glare of dissatisfaction is to be expected. He can’t always have me to himself.
“What are you doing?” Turin whispers. “He will get us killed. What we have made, our child, will die.”
Our baby. I look at my stomach. I feel the weight of the universe coming at me, a million light years a minute.
I know he’s just trying to protect me. After all, if the captain stays, it complicates our safety. But I can’t let down one of my own like that. I’m not like Fassbender. I follow a code.
I try to ease Turin’s anxiety. “Look, I know he looks weak, but he’s more than meets the eye,” I say. “Up there, on the flight deck, he’s the best captain there is. I need you to trust me on this.”
I’ve never taken control. I’ve accomplished many things, but I prefer to hang in the wings, watching for the moment things go wrong. Or right – though, that rarely ever happens.
It’s probably a coping mechanism, but frequently it has saved my life. This time, I need to take action.
Turin inhales. “Fine,” he says. “I’ll trust you. I have to, right?”
“I’m not like the men who made you,” I say.
He nods, but I can tell there’s still that fear inside him.
He just needs to trust me.
“Halloway, are you cool with this? With us, together?” I ask.
The captain nods, but he scrunches his head and neck like a caught rat. “Do we have to bring him back?”
I drag my molars together. “Yes,” I say.
“But how will that work?” he asks.
I bend my neck and try to stay calm. “It doesn’t matter how it will work. We’re doing it, and that’s final.”
We don’t know what Earth will be like when we get back. For all we know, Earth might not even exist anymore. Plenty of civilizations have wiped themselves out. Are we that special?
The odds are stacked against us, but that’s what makes us strong. We keep pushing, no matter what the cost.
That’s love.
Turin steps forward. “We don’t know, yet. But it’s a gamble we’re willing to bet on.”
I can’t use his protection as a crutch forever. Soon, very fucking soon, I’ll have to take matters into my own hands. Fully.
I’ll have to be the one to get us off this rock. I’ll be the one to bear and rear our child. For someone who never wanted to be a driver of the ship, I’ve really jumped headfirst into this whole thing.
“I’m sorry,” Halloway apologizes. “I’m just worried.”
Turn laughs anxiously. “You’re worried? Zakar could be right around the corner.”
“Impossible,” Halloway says, eyes beaming. “I shot him. Three times in the head, and he went down. I even felt his pulse.”
For a moment, Turin just stares at him. Then, after going over everything in his head, he looks at the hallway leading to the cargo hold.
Something’s wrong.
“What is it?” I ask.
He throws a finger to his lips. “Shh.”
Cautiously, he looks around the rusted corridors, sniffing gently. When he comes back, he looks worse off than before.
“You’ve led him here,” Turin says, chest rising.
“I’ve done no such thing,” Halloway argues.
Turin takes my hand. “You’ve brought him here to kill us,” he says.
The captain swallows and looks erratic, but not necessarily guilty. He backs against the console as Turin steps toward him.
“No,” he says. “That’s not what—“
“You idiot. He cannot die,” Turin states. “Zakar is playing with you. He will have followed you here.”
Halloway catches his breath, looking inward. “What have I done?”
We should leave this place. Logically, he could be anywhere. This starship was built to house a lot more crew members. It’s massive.
“We have to get out of here,” Turin says.
Of course he’s right, but my stubbornness for control is too much for me to hold back. We need the fuel, and the cargo bay is just a few corridors away.
“No. I’m not leaving without that fuel,” I say.
Turin steps in front of me and lays his hand around my ribs. I pull away. “We’re not going to keep running,” I say. “We’ve risked our lives for a lot less. We’re getting that fuel whether you like it or not.”
“The barrels are big,” he argues.
I smirk. “Well, it’s a good thing you have strong arms.”
He can groan all he wants. In less than twenty-four hours, he’ll be thanking me for this.
As we stand and argue, I eventually notice that the captain is missing. “Wait,” I say, holding off the dispute. “Where did he go?”
Turin clenches his fists, skin turning a deep shade of red. I’ve never seen him like this before, furious to the point of breaking into a panic.
“Don’t,” I say. “He’s a good man.”
“He will betray us,” he cries.
“Look, we’ll just check out the cargo hold. He’s probably near the fuel barrels,” I reason.
The truth is that his appearance does worry me, but all of this worries me. I don’t believe the captain has it in him to betray his crew. He doesn’t have the wits, for one. Two, he’s just on that kind of a guy.
“Come on. We’ll check it out,” I say, taking hold of Turin’s large index finger.
He doesn’t move. His eyes share the deep inner workings of his mind. “Wait,” he says.
“I thought you said we don’t have time,” I say.
“We have time for this,” he says.
Turin reveals a photograph. It’s the one I dropped.
I open my mouth, but I’m stunned. “I don’t know what to say,” I whisper.
“Take it. You don’t need to forget these memories,” he says.
I grab the edges, half afraid I might drop it again. Usually, when I look at this photograph, I feel a deep pain resonate through my heart. This time, however, it’s almost like I can feel them watching me.
If they were still alive, they’d be proud of her. If her sister was by her side, maybe things would be different.
But that’s how life works. The unbelievable happens, and you’re sent on a trajectory through space and time.
These events shaped who I am today, and they led me to Avalon and Turin. I can’t be one hundred percent certain that it’s a good thing, but I have to believe that things will go my way.
“They were good people,” I say. “Decent people. People you could depend on.”
Turin holds her. “You are lucky to have had them.”
I might’ve once resented a comment like that, but it’s true. I was lucky. I am lucky.
“You know, Earth isn’t what you think it is,” she says. “The good outweighs the bad. Maybe it doesn’t seem that way to you, but the good is everywhere.”
“I want to believe,” he says.
I lean against him, knowing that we have limited time. I make it quick. “Our days here are much longer than those on Earth, and to get here, we had to travel part of the way at the speed of light. When we get to Earth, it’ll be a different decade, a different time period altogether. Maybe
it’ll be even better. Maybe Earth Federation will have failed.”
“I hope so,” he says. “Because without you, life is not worth living.”
“I won’t let them hurt you,” she says.
He laughs, muscles bulging. “You’ll protect me?”
My face heats, and there’s a major part of me that just wants to be alone. I can’t explain the emotions that I’m feeling. Love conquers all, but sometimes, it feels hard to breathe.
From the corner of my eye, I see the captain hobble back from the inner corridor. He stands in the shadow, breathing in huge, loud gulps of air.
He starts to weep.
“Captain?” I ask. “Where did you go?”
Without a word, he stumbles into the starship’s hazy blue interior light. He’s shaking, dripping with a luminescent slime. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but—“
He gulps and vomits on the floor.
I try to run to his aid, but Turin grabs me. “Don’t touch him,” he roars.
I struggle against his tight hold. “Captain, what happened to you?”
Halloway stands and takes two steps toward them. Turin growls, “Stay back.”
“The fuel is gone,” he says. “The barrels were empty. I thought I could find more, deeper in the cargo hold, but something struck at me. It was an alien. He opened his jaw. I thought he might bite right through me, but he sprayed me with this… this goo.”
Turin whips around. “Zakar. He’s here.”
I clench my mouth shut. Suddenly, I’m trying to move away from the captain. I search for a second exit, but I’m not familiar with this particular starship model.
Turin’s body glows red like hot magma. “Leave the starship, Naomi,” he says. “Do as I say. Now.”
Is he crazy? He wants me to leave and end up alone in the jungle? Hell no. I’m staying.
“I’m not leaving you,” I say.
I hear wild and tapping footsteps. They’re coming from above, and within seconds, the sound has nearly caught up to our position.
It’s Zakar, and his hurried, screeching reverberates throughout the starship. Suddenly, I’m thinking Turin might be right.
I should leave.
The brutal alien drops from the ceiling, landing right in front of me. As soon as he opens his mouth, I can smell his rotting, putrid breath. Up close, his teeth are horrifying, but his eyes are even worse to look at.
“Pretty pet,” he whispers, sniffing near my neck.
I take one step back, but he just follows my lead. “Pretty, pretty cunt,” he says, voice growing louder.
I keep walking back until I sense a wall. I’m stuck. “Pretty, pretty worthless princess,” he shouts.
I may be a lot of things, but I am not worthless, nor am I a princess.
I shut my eyes, trembling. I can feel the tears betray my outward strength.
His face is so near mine, I can almost feel his lips against my cheek. “I will rut and kill you, worthless whore.”
Okay, so now I’m a whore. Noted.
I open my eyes. Turin is standing right behind him.
“Don’t touch me,” I say.
Zakar takes my chin and squeezes, forcing me closer. Rolling his tongue out, he licks my face upward.
I lean all my strength away from him, but his sharp talon-like nails dig into my kidneys.
I twist and fall into his grasp.
I lose all the control I once had.
“You are not his,” he says. “You are mine. Everything on this planet is mine.”
“Not Turin,” I mutter.
Zakar slaps and throws me to the floor. “Turin is my bitch, too.”
Turin’s red glow grows strong, illuminating the entire room. He roars so loudly that the entire jungle echoes. “This is your time to die,” he screams.
Notified of his presence, Zakar turns to fight, but it’s too late for him to act. Turin tackles him through a panel in the wall. Amidst the thick mass of cables, they roll.
Turin gets his leg around Zakar’s waist, subduing the evil beast. Using this moment of weakness to his advantage, he hammers his fist across his face, shattering his nose.
Instantly, his nose reshapes. The blood dries and disappears.
Wide-eyed, Turin searches for a weapon. I toss him the first thing I can find, a big ratchet. He winds back and smashes Zakar’s teeth. He hits him so many times I have to look away.
I fell in love with the alien that opened up to me. Not this.
Bloodied, Zakar does not move. As Turin stands, breathing like a total maniac, he turns. “I’m sorry you had to see that. You’re safe now.”
Zakar rises, head reassembling. A sharp grin cuts across his face. “Safe? No one is safe.”
Zakar drives his arm forward. His hand digs into Turin’s flesh, subduing him.
Turin falls to his knees. “Naomi. GO!”
I don’t want to leave. Every second away from him would be spent wondering if he made it out alive. It would kill me.
Zakar throws Turin to the ground. “You have turned on your own kind?” he sneers.
“Fuck you, Zakar. We both knew this day would come.”
I make a split second decision. I turn to the captain, and I don’t cry. I take charge.
We run out of the starship, into the setting sun.
I have no sense of direction. All I know is that I’m running away from the alien I fell in love with, and I have no idea how to cope with that.
Everyone I’ve ever loved has been taken from me. Everyone.
He promised he wouldn’t leave.
Eleven
Naomi
I’m all twisted and turned upside down.
One of the many weird things about this place is that, at night, the stars are not visible. Everything is black.
So when we cross through the jungle, we really have no idea where we’re headed.
There’s no seeing through to the horizon. No north star to guide us as our compass. The canopy above our heads is thick, which causes our flashlights to only be of use a couple of feet away.
And, if I’m being honest, the captain isn’t the best person to be paired with.
“It itches,” he says, referring to the goo that has dried and solidified around his skin.
“We need to get the crap off you as soon as we can,” I say, angrily.
We keep walking. Every so often, Halloway tries to break the silence with some optimism, or a joke to keep the mood less serious.
None of it is effective. I’m pissed. I’m irritated I was lied to, and I’m angry that they couldn’t hire a captain with some balls.
But I guess that’s just what they wanted, right? They wanted to assemble a team of idiots. Yes, a team of dip-shits that could be manipulated into playing their silly little game.
Well, they were wrong about me. And the rest of the crew members, as weird as they might seem. They were wrong about them too.
They were wrong about all of us. Fassbender will be outsmarted. We may be at our darkest moment, but that doesn’t mean that hope doesn’t exist.
Finally, the captain steps in front of me. “Will you please just talk to me?”
“I find you completely pathetic,” I say. “In fact, every time I look at your face, I just want to smear more of that goo into your pores.”
“Thanks,” he says, hurt.
I swallow and remain indignant. Eventually, I just start to feel bad.
“Don’t listen to me. That’s not entirely true,” I admit, sighing. “Every time I look at you, I feel my heart sink and shatter into a million pieces. I see Turin suffering. I want to blame you, but I know you were only trying to survive.”
“Listen, I’m not weak. I will right these wrongs. You’ll see,” he says.
Now I feel even worse. “Halloway, it’s all right. You don’t have to do anything except look out for us from now on.”
“You have my word.”
Noble, but how can I sure he’s being truthful? As I get used to the i
dea that everything could fall apart at any second, we reach another clearing in the woods.
I recognize where we are. This is the spot we saw Fassbender with Hugh and Roy. This is the danger zone, and I’ve run right back into the heart of it.
“Shit,” I whisper, glancing at Halloway’s fearful eyes. “Just keep your voice low, okay? This place isn’t safe.”
“What do you mean it isn’t safe?” he asks.
“Fassbender,” I hiss.
Cautiously, I walk into the grounds. In the center, Hugh and Roy are still tied to a thick post. Sitting in chairs, they sleep.
They look terrible. Bruises, blood, and head wounds. Fassbender has really done a number on them, but he doesn’t look to be anywhere nearby.
I check out the half-constructed property, peering in each room with a thin flashlight. There’s nothing of importance.
I run toward Hugh and Roy, dropping to the soil as I make it to their knees. Immediately, I untie them.
Both startle as they wake.
“No, not again,” Hugh mutters.
Roy groans and rolls his head forward. Blood drips down to his thighs. “Naomi? That you?”
I try not to get emotional, but as much as they are Halloway’s crew, they’re also my crew. For a long and hellish year, they were my family.
“Yes, it’s me,” I whisper.
At first, Roy laughs, excitedly. But as soon as he’s free, he turns morose. “You shouldn’t have come back for us,” he says. “There’s no telling where Fassbender ran off to this time.”
I help Hugh into his chair. He seems to agree with Roy. “We don’t have much time. Did you find the fuel?” he asks.
I drop back and glare at Halloway. It’s not his fault, but my subconscious blames him.
“Not yet,” I say. “We’ll find it. Soon enough.”
Roy sighs and rubs a gash on his head. “I can’t believe you’re alive,” he says. “How’d you do it? How’d you kill the alien?”
I swallow and feel my cheeks turn hot. It’s one thing to tell Halloway, but the other guys… will they understand our love?
Will anyone, except for us?
“I need to tell you something, but I can’t take you two freaking out on me,” I say.
Hugh rolls toward the Captain. “Hey, Halloway, what in God’s name is all over you?”
Alien Breed: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance Page 9
