Science Fiction and Fantasy Box Set 1: The Squishies Series

by Claire Chilton

  She sank back into her plump armchair and stared at the wall of her apartment. Her home was small, cozy, and most importantly hers—for now anyway, but she had no idea how she was going to pay her rent this month. She loved her little apartment, but with no job and no income coming in now, there was no way she was going to be able to keep on top of the high rents in this part of town.

  But it was more than that. She was restless, bored and fed up. Life was supposed to be an adventure, not a chore!

  She put her feet up on the old cherry-wood coffee table and sank back in her chair, deep in thought.

  She’d been glowing with triumph when she’d quit her job, but by the time she got home she realized that she had no way of paying her rent anymore, and the moment of triumph had evaporated into a feeling of dread.

  She stared into her hot chocolate, looking for the answers because there had to be some way to fix all of her problems. Alas, the hot chocolate didn’t seem to know anything either.

  She nearly dropped the mug when her cell phone ringtone blared out of the bag at her feet.

  “I’ll never get used to that bloody noise,” she mumbled to herself as she picked up her bag and began the endless search for the phone. The ringtone blared louder, and the bag shook with its vibrations. Panic bubbled up in her throat. Why can’t I find the bloody thing?

  She finally felt the smooth plastic shape of her phone and snatched it out of her bag, just as it stopped ringing and the words ‘Missed Call’ flashed on the small screen.

  “Crap!” It happened every time she tried to answer her phone. Calls ended up going to the answering machine before she found the bloody thing. She glared at her phone when ‘New Message’ popped up on the screen. It was as if it did it on purpose.

  She angrily hit the speed dial button for her answering service and listened to the call. There was a lot of a static and a woman shouting her name. Next, there was a loud smashing sound, making her pull the phone away from her ear. Then the call ended.

  Carla frowned at the phone when it asked her if she wanted to replay or delete the message. She pressed two to replay it.

  She knew that voice. It was hoarse-sounding, but…

  “Holy crap, it’s Isabella!” Carla listened more intently. Isabella was crying and shouting her name. Then it sounded as if something big was coming towards her. Then there was a loud smacking noise.

  Carla frowned and worriedly called back the number. The call went straight to the answering machine.

  “Lady Foam—er, Isabella, if you get this, call me back, please. It’s Carla.”

  Isabella Foamy lay on the cliff top staring down at the waters below. The waves thundered against the rocks, as if swallowing Bob had given them indigestion.

  Her throat was raw from screaming his name. He’d just dropped into water and had disappeared forever. She kept hoping he’d appear in the sea below gasping for air, but he never did.

  She rolled over onto her back and stared up at the sky. The sun was bright and hurt her eyes. Her mind refused to function. She didn’t know what to do, and she was lost and alone out here.

  He can’t be gone! She stood up and searched the top of the cliff. There had to be a way to get down there and look for him. But it was a wild and untouched area of the jungle, and the cliff dropped straight into the waters below.

  Desperate and scared, she grabbed her dusty rucksack and looked in the front pocket for her phone. When she couldn’t find it, she knelt on the ground beside the bag and began to search frantically for it. Where is it?

  The earth beneath her trembled under the impact of heavy hooves, and she could hear the thunder as they drew closer. No!

  Her fingers curled around the hard phone. She snatched it out of the rucksack and speed dialed the first number on it, Carla’s number.

  Come on, come on. Pick up! A band of bounty hunters on horseback broke through the trees. One of the hunters dismounted and made his way over to her. Isabella heard the phone click as her call was accepted.

  “Carla…” She broke off when a bounty hunter grabbed her around the waist and tried to drag her back to his horse. She dropped the phone and struggled against him.

  He pushed her onto the ground, and she landed on her back. He bent over her, grinning. His skin was dark orange and weathered. One of his teeth was broken at the front, and his eyes were fiery amber.

  She kicked out with her foot as hard as she could and connected with his chest, sending him falling backwards. She scrambled back to her feet as two more hunters got off their horses and walked towards her. There was nowhere to run. She was already on the edge of the cliff.

  She screamed when one of the hunters grabbed her by the hair and dragged her over to his horse. She wildly kicked out, trying to escape his grip. The hard, dusty ground scraped against her back, and her scalp burned in pain.

  The hunter dragged her across the ground to his horse and then roughly grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to kneel.

  She faced the man she’d kicked over earlier as he got up off the ground. He came towards her and held her wrists together while he tied a rope around them, binding them tightly in front of her.

  The man behind her held her shoulders down so she couldn’t move her legs or arms. She couldn’t stand or do anything. Panic bubbled in her throat as she realized she was totally defenseless. All she could do was kneel on the ground.

  The hunter with broken teeth rubbed his chest and looked angry. He slapped her hard across the face and lifted his hand to do it again.

  “Carla!” Isabella screamed in the direction of her fallen phone. “Help m—”

  A large gloved hand covered her mouth and pulled her head back, so that she was looking up at the hunter who was standing behind her.

  “Shut up. You’re pissing me off. Stop screaming or I’ll let my friend do what he wants with you,” the hunter said, nodding at the second man with the broken teeth. Then he lowered his face so it was close to hers, and she was caught in the icy stare of a pair of emotionless golden eyes.

  “You’re my captive until we reach Kaens, and I’m claiming the bounty. If you do as I say, nothing will happen to you between here and there.”

  He must be the leader, she realized, hearing the command in his voice.

  “If you disobey me, I will collect the bounty on your corpse instead. Do you understand?”

  She nodded her head. Tears streaked down her face, sinking into the gloved hand that was covering her mouth.

  “You will not make a noise, and you will not try to escape. If you hurt my men, they will hurt you back ten times worse.” He intently stared at her. “Do you agree?”

  She nodded again, shaking with fear.

  “Good.” He took his hand away from her mouth and nodded at the hunter with a broken tooth.

  She peered up at the second hunter with a frown. He punched her in the stomach, and the force of the punch knocked her onto her back, making her gasp for air. Still dazed from the blow, she felt the leader pull on the long end of the rope that was tied around her wrists. She glanced up to see him tether it to his horse’s saddle.

  “Stand up. You will walk from here.” He tugged the rope, and she struggled to her feet.

  She stood beside the horse, her legs shaking.

  He mounted his horse, and it began a slow trot back into the jungle with her tied to the side of its saddle.

  She helplessly stumbled after it. I’m going to die here.

  The sun burned down onto her shoulders through the trees. Her skin was on fire with scratches and sunburn. Her throat was dry, and her stomach grumbled with hunger. She hadn’t eaten anything for days.

  The ground was uneven, causing her to trip and stumble as the jungle around her spun and blurred. Her body finally gave in. She stumbled over a rock and fell to her knees.

  The horse dragged her forward, pulling her face-first into the dirt. It dragged her along the trail for a short distance before it finally stopped.

  Rough hand
s grabbed her, and she was lifted off the trail. She fought to focus as the world blurred around her.

  Her breath whooshed out as she was thrown over the leader’s horse like a sack of potatoes, and he mounted the horse, sitting behind her.

  He held her down with one hand while holding the reins with the other, and they began moving down the trail again.

  She felt the horse’s muscles moving under her belly, hearing its hooves pounding the earth. It was the last thing she was aware of before the darkness took her, and she passed out.

  Carla hunched her shoulders as she ran towards the gangplank. Her wheeled suitcase made a loud and obnoxious drumming sound as it rolled over the concrete at high speed. Her rucksack bounced on her back, jolting her forward.

  “Wait! Don’t shut the doors!” She shouted to the uniformed crew member, who was about to close up the ship for sailing.

  He must have heard her because he turned to face her. She waved her ticket in an attempt to communicate that she needed to get on that boat.

  He waved her towards him as if to indicate she should hurry.

  She finally reached the foot of the gangplank and panted at the crew member. “I’m booked on this boat. Sorry, my train was late.”

  “You only just made it,” he said with a smile. He quickly checked her ticket, and then ripped off the stub. After handing it back to her, he pointed her up the steps. “Head up there. The refreshments lounge is on the second deck, and your cabin should be on the third level.”

  “Thanks.” She gasped as she rushed up the gangplank and boarded the boat.

  She glanced around her new surroundings as she hurried up the stairs. It was a large ferry with little doors leading off to different levels and rooms. The carpet felt plush and soft under her feet after all the concrete she’d raced across recently. The boat looked as if it’d be fun to explore, but all she wanted to do right now was get the bag off her back and sit down.

  She studied at the large sign on the wall next to her, which was a map of the boat, trying to figure out how to find her cabin.

  The ‘you are here’ arrow showed she was on the lower deck, so she needed to go up past the first and second level to the third one. She glanced around, finding a lift beside to her. Perfect!

  She hurried into the open lift and examined the buttons. It only went up to level two. She shrugged and pressed two. When the lift arrived, she got off and glanced around. There was a wide corridor with cafés, bars and gambling rooms leading off it. She searched for a staircase or a map, finding another map sign on the wall beside her.

  The staircase to level three was at the other end of the ship. She sighed and dragged her bags down the endless passageway. She was so tired, and when the ship began moving, her stomach lurched with it. She felt as if she was walking sideways like a crab.

  “Oh, this is gonna be painful,” she muttered to herself.

  But worth it! A voice in the back of head reminded her.

  She smiled. Yes, it’ll be worth it.

  After debating what to do for most of last night, she’d finally figured it all out. The only solution to her problems seemed to be to blow her last wage on a trip to Zoola. She could find Parklon in person and ask him to help her with Isabella’s phone message, and maybe a job reference.

  The idea had come to her while she had been waiting for Isabella to call her back. Isabella hadn’t called, but—while waiting—Carla had seen the advertisement in her magazine for ferry trips to Zoola.

  The ad had caught her attention with the words:

  THE SECRET TO HAPPINESS IS THE JOURNEY, NOT THE DESTINATION.

  It had felt as it fate was calling out to her. What better way to solve all of her problems than to go on a wild adventure to Zoola. She could find her friends and change her life all at the same time.

  It was exciting. She didn’t know if she’d find Parklon, but she should be able to get a job in Zoola. No one had heard of her there, and blue skin was close enough to purple. Maybe she’d belong there.

  She had just enough money to rent a room for a short time if she used a ferry to get there. Her apartment in Derobmi was lost anyway, and why shouldn’t she just leave it and all her problems behind? She could start a new life for herself somewhere else. There was nothing keeping her in Derobmi. This was the first day of the rest of her life, and it was exciting.

  Of course, her main concern was Isabella, so she had to find Parklon. He might know where Isabella was. Carla couldn’t help her until she knew where she was, after all.

  It seemed to be a solution to both her problems, so she had moved her stuff out of her apartment and left it at her mom’s house, with a note to explain what she was doing.

  She’d packed for a trip to Zoola for a month. A month should be enough time to get settled, and if not, she could always come back. Then she’d jumped on the overnight train to the Borders Port, which was on the north-west tip of Derobmi and was the main port to the north.

  That’s where she was now, setting off on the second leg of her journey, across The Great Sea to Yelrab on the coast of Zoola.

  She shivered with excitement. It was an adventure, a journey to lands unknown.

  She reached the stairs for level three and began climbing. The boat had a nice salty smell, like the ocean. In comparison, the train journey earlier had been uncomfortable and smelt a bit like throw-up. There had been people talking loudly all night, so she hadn’t had any sleep. To make matters worse, the train had arrived late at the port.

  She reached the top of the stairs, located her cabin and opened the door. It was cramped but clean. It contained two bunk beds and a thin closet. She squeezed into the room, dropped her bags on the floor and sat on the bottom bunk with relief.

  After she kicked the door shut from her place on the bed, she lay back on the bunk and sighed.

  She had no idea what she was doing, but it was about time she did something. Smiling, she dreamed of where her adventures might take her. She felt alive for the first time in a long time.

  Isabella groaned as she rolled over. Her throat felt like a desert, dry and grainy. She licked her cracked lips, trying to ignore the ache of her exhausted muscles and her burning sunburnt skin. Every part of her body ached, and the hard earth of the trail wasn’t helping to ease the pain.

  Her eyes were sore from crying. She sobbed silently most of the time now, so the hunters wouldn’t shout at her or throw things at her for it.

  Why is this happening to me?

  The trail was dusty and arid. Every night, they set up camp in a new place. The long journey back to the city seemed endless. Every day, they traveled further away from where Bob had fallen to his death.

  It had taken her a while to accept the truth, but she was sure he was dead. If he’d survived, he would have come to find her, she was certain of it.

  A bubble of panic rose in her throat. No one knew she was here. No one was coming to save her. She gritted her teeth to stop herself screaming. Suck it up. You survived a murderous husband. You can survive this!

  Her wrists were sore from being bound with thick rope. Her ankles were tied every night, but were less damaged by the rough ropes rubbing against her skin.

  She lay on the hard ground and stared up at the stars. The same scene had played through her mind over and over again—Bob’s face as he fell to his death. He’d looked so determined when he let go, so brave.

  She felt as if her insides were being ripped apart while she tried to think of ways he could have survived because she didn’t want to believe he was gone, but she knew he was. If he’d survived, he’d be here rescuing her right now.

  She peered up at the dusky sky. It would be morning soon, and the start of another day of stumbling down the trail and back toward the city, tethered to the hunter’s horses like the prisoner she was.

  And then what? She didn’t know.

  “You should sleep.” The deep voice of one of her captors whispered nearby. His accent was strange and foreign to her.
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br />   She knew he was right. She should sleep. Tomorrow was going to be another long journey through the dusty plains of Kalamar, but sleep seemed impossible when her mind was so active. She glanced at the orange-skinned hunter. His face had laugh lines on it. He couldn’t be all bad if he laughed sometimes, and his amber eyes seemed sympathetic.

  “I’m scared,” she whispered back. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to me.”

  It was true. She was scared, but she wanted his help too. She needed to find Bob’s body. One way or another, she had to get away from these hunters and go back to the cliffs.

  Maybe this hunter could help her or at least give her some information. Everything in Kalamar was a secret. She didn’t even understand why she had been arrested in the first place. Bob hadn’t told her much, and it had all started suddenly, just a few days ago.

  Bob had burst into their hotel room and told her that they had to run, so they did. Then they had been hunted, so they had run again. Now, Bob was gone, and she had been captured. She didn’t even know why. The bounty hunters wouldn’t tell her anything, not that it stopped her asking.

  “You should be scared,” the hunter said simply.

  Isabella froze in fear.

  Parklon stared at the computer screen as he scrolled through lines and lines of code on the monitor. His back ached, and his eyes were sore. He’d been searching through the data for days.

  He leaned back in his chair and sighed as he rubbed his eyes, trying to think of a faster way to do this. He stood up and paced the cheap motel room, stretching his arms and back to work out the aches and pains. He paused and stared at the whiteboard on one of the walls.

  The disease had come from Rhecknaw, but DalsonCorp had been the supplier. DalsonCorp was a massive multinational company with its hands in many different sectors: security, military weapons, medical science and energy sources. There wasn’t much they didn’t get into.

  Intelligence suggested that they were also involved in the illegal arms trade under sister companies. They had connections to Trell insurgents, Kalamarian secret service and were connected with the human trafficking in Etah. None of this was concrete, of course. The company profile was clean, but there was something dirty inside DalsonCorp.