by Zara Zenia
Draygus leaned over and saw the name.
"Your girl?" he asked.
"Yeah. She's terrified I won't make it back home."
Draygus' eyed widened.
"You mean you told her you'd be fighting."
"Well, yeah. Of course, I did."
"How could you! What if she reported us to the government?”
Enraged, he turned to the rest of the table.
"Anybody else tell their sweethearts what we're doing?"
Everyone but Victorinth nodded.
"Of course," Benzen said. "How could I hide such a thing from Alison?"
Draygus slapped his hand against his forehead.
"Promise me guys, that you won't say another word."
"Promise," we all mumbled.
But I wondered how easy that was going to be.
Chapter 13
Demi
I regretted telling Ethan that I was going to be okay on my own. Right now, I felt as though I was falling apart and sat trembling on the couch as I tried to focus on the television. I wasn't even sure what I was watching, but I just liked having the voices with me to feel as though I had some company.
Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't alone. I crowded the cushions around me and held one to my chest before pulling the covers up to my chin.
"Idiot," I said to myself "I should have begged him to take me with him. I might die of fright in here."
Reminding myself that this… Palzu, whoever that was, was after Ethan and his crew, only brought me a small amount of comfort. I knew there was no way he could know who I was, but if these Orbans could make their way to Earth from the other side of the galaxy, then surely, they were advanced enough to find me. What if they held me hostage to gain leverage on the situation with Ethan?
It was too scary to think about. Right now, if I just focused on getting through the night then hopefully it would all seem less frightening in the morning.
Laying my head down, I tried to focus on the TV. There was a show on about making over houses and although it was boring, it was cheerful. I felt myself begin to relax.
Then something tapped the window.
I shot up off the sofa and clutched my pillow to my chest.
Hoping I'd imagined it, I stood still for a second in suspended animation.
It was nothing, I thought. Just my imagination.
Then it came again.
I didn't know whether to call the police, run, or grab a weapon. I decided to look out the window instead, in the hope that I could put my overactive mind at ease.
Tentatively, I tiptoed over and slowly peeled back the curtain with bated breath. Just as I had suspected, there was nothing but a pigeon on the lawn. I watched it for a moment before it noticed me and flew away.
"You're imagining things," I whispered to myself and walked into the kitchen in search of something to calm me down.
Finding a bottle of vodka, I poured a couple of caps into the base of a tumbler and topped it up with cola. I pushed my lip into the cold liquid and felt it cool my nerves.
Placing the glass down on the counter, I moved to pour myself another but froze with the bottle clenched between my white-knuckled fingers.
The tapping had returned but this time it was coming from the dining room window at the back of the house. Its rhythm was unmistakable. It sounded like someone jauntily knocking on a door.
Still scared, but with the alcohol fortifying me, I picked up a steak knife and edged my way into the dining room. This time, I wasted no time looking outside. I ripped the curtains back and once again, saw there was nothing and nobody.
Maybe it was the television, I told myself, although deep down I knew it wasn't.
Returning the knife to the block, I curled back up on the sofa.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath.
"Relax," I breathed, holding one hand on my chest and another on my stomach.
My heart rate was slowing with each breath and at last, I could feel my tight muscles begin to loosen.
"Relax... You're worrying about nothing."
Feeling slightly better, I pulled the covers back over myself and lay down, snuggling down amongst the cushions. The television was still blaring and I watched the images float past without paying any real attention. Looking over at the clock, I noticed it was past midnight and my eyes were beginning to grow heavy. If I could just sleep through the next six hours I'd be okay.
"Just six hours," I said to myself as I began to fall asleep.
At first, I thought the crashing sound was in my dream. There was the sound of something splintering, the crunch of footsteps treading on broken glass. Even as I lay trembling with my eyes closed, I hoped to God it was just a nightmare but the cold wind whipping up my hair told me it was really happening. I opened my eyes and, standing at the end of the couch looking down at me, was a man dressed in black. A cap was pulled low over his eyes and a scarf wound tight over his face.
Too afraid to move, I stared in shock feeling as though my limbs couldn't move. Is this really happening? Is he really there? My heart was thumping like a jackhammer, my bowels feeling as though they'd drop at any second.
I looked at the clock and saw only a few minutes had passed, then I looked back to the man and saw his hand resting on something black and glossy attached to his hip. He was reaching for a gun.
Driven by animal instinct, I flung back the covers and ran into the kitchen. He caught up with me in a second, dragging me back by my hair until all I could was kick and scream as he lifted me up off the floor. I didn't need to see his face to know he was laughing at the sight of me struggling.
Meanwhile, I splayed my arms wildly, trying to reach something, anything that could save me. I was desperately trying to reach the knife block but, sensing my plan, he gripped me tighter.
"Any last words?" he growled.
He yanked me again until the knife block was too far away. Luckily, something else caught my eye. The frying pan I'd dumped into the sink was still lying in a pool of murky dishwater and I blessed myself for being so lazy. In an instant, I used all my strength to grab it as my scalp stung from the weight of my body. I was sobbing hard as I watched him pull out his gun, his leather gloved hand seemed the twice the size of mine.
"Please! I begged. "Let me go!"
He laughed as I swung the frying pan into the side of his face. It made a metallic clunking sound as it pushed him off balance and he dropped me as he stumbled backward. Taking my chance, I pushed past him to escape out the back door, but he was in quick pursuit, the blow to his head only momentarily distracting him.
"Come here you little bitch!"
He lunged at me and kicked me in the back of the leg with his heavy boot. I crumpled to the ground just in time to see the handle of his gun hit me square in the face, my vision disappearing at the edges as I lost consciousness.
Chapter 14
Ethazol
I could still smell the smoke from Draygus' cigarette as I sat alone on the hill. Darkness had fallen and all I could see were the tips of the treetops as they glistened softly in the moonlight. Looking down into the valley, I couldn't see a thing. I reached for my phone to try and find out if everyone had taken their places. Draygus answered on the first ring.
"You there?"
"Yep," he answered. "Just got here."
I coughed.
"What's up with you?" he asked.
"This car stinks," I moaned.
"Shut up," he laughed. "Living on Earth has made you soft. Anyway, can you see clearly up there?"
"I can't see shit. How am I supposed to be your backup if I don't know where you are?"
"Calm down!" he laughed again.
His voice and unwavering self-assurance were beginning to annoy me.
"Here, can you see this,” he asked.
Down in the shadows, I could make out his flashlight as he turned it on and off.
"Yeah, I see ya," I said. "And the other two?"
A moment later, I could see three torches flash three times each.
"Okay, great. Now, all we can do is wait. Where's Benzen?"
"He's ready," was all Draygus said then the line went dead.
My palms were sweaty as I gripped the steering wheel. There was a feeling in my gut, the sensation that something was about to go horribly wrong. The energy in the air sizzled with a dark and looming presence that made me feel as though we weren't alone. I'd heard about ghosts before, many humans believed in them but I'd dismissed them as nonsense. Now, deep within the untouched, virgin wood, I was starting to think that the land was alive with its own spirits and we weren't welcome.
Unable to sit and wait any longer, I climbed out the car and perched on the hood. Draygus had given me a high-powered rifle and it lay on my lap, heavy and solid. I never asked him where he got it and I didn't even want to know. All I knew was that my brothers were down there and they had them too. If only I wasn't stuck up here surveying the situation. From up here, I could see the sky clearly while the others remained in the deep woods at the meeting point. I was starting to think Draygus was crazy for having Palzu arrive here. Out here, so far away from the city, anything could happen.
I shivered and looked down at my rifle. Running my fingers along the barrel, I felt the cool steel. A few feet away, something rustled in the trees and I looked up, scared. Just an animal, I thought to myself. But then it came again along with the sound of footsteps.
"What the fuck?"
I jumped down off the hood and shouldered my rifle as I crept over to the bushes. The rustling continued for a second before stopping. The hairs on my back were tingling and there was the dreaded feeling that it wasn't an animal.
Through the darkness, I could just about make out the shape of something tall and dark.
Stop getting yourself worked up over some dumb bird, I thought to myself. But as I approached, my heart beat faster and my mouth turned dry. In front of me was no bird. There were dark boots and hands gripped around a gun bigger than mine. A face flashed in the dim light. There was the glint of amber eyes and the sight of a scarf pulled around someone's face.
As the eyes met mine, and I felt as though my insides were turning to liquid, it dawned on me. We thought we were trapping Palzu but he was the one trapping us. His troops were already here, surrounding us in the forest as we waited like prey.
Before I could hesitate, I pulled the trigger just as the soldier fired. His bullet flew past me, tearing through the air as it sped perilously close to my ear. In front of me, there was a grunt, a groan, and the sound of something falling. The soldier tumbled out of the undergrowth and fell at my feet, a stream of crimson blood pooling viscously around my feet.
I was too busy staring down at him in shock that I barely heard my phone ring. I answered it in a daze.
"Did you just fire? What the fuck was that?" Draygus was frantic.
I managed to swallow and croak out, "It's a trap, Dray. Get out of there."
"What?" he asked, incredulously.
"Get outta the-"
The line went dead.
Someone in the distance yelled.
Then gunfire rained out like firecrackers.
Fuck the plan, I thought and I tore down the hill with branches lashing my face and my shoes sticking in the mud as I failed to see where I was going. The gunfire continued. There was the sound of bullets hitting the trees and underneath that, someone shrieking in pain.
I ran headlong into the middle of the chaos firing at people I couldn't see. Stumbling into Voland, he looked relieved to see me and we both hit the ground together, firing side by side as Draygus flanked us to the right.
"Where's Jarick!" I yelled as I breathed in the fumes of the gunpowder.
No one heard and I couldn't see him anywhere.
"Where are they coming from!" Voland shouted.
There seemed to be a never-ending number of troops running at us, dark entities rushing toward us with only the light from the barrels of their guns illuminating their faces.
"Bastards!" Draygus shouted from behind us.
Soon, the number of troops started to dissipate and the gunfire became more sporadic.
I was left lying on my belly with sweat dripping into my eyes and my ears ringing. I pressed the palms of my hands to my head in a futile attempt to silence it. All around, the smell of death permeated the damp earth. As I pulled my hands away, I heard Benzen screaming. Voland shone his torch frantically between the trees over the bodies until we caught sight of him clutching his bloody leg. Jarick was beside him, tearing a strip of his shirt off and pulling it tight around his thigh.
"I've been shot!" he cried.
Draygus and Voland helped him to his feet while I fumbled for the car keys.
"It's a long climb up there," I warned them, but they weren't listening.
Sliding in the mixture of blood and mud, we ascended the hill with nothing but adrenaline pumping through our bodies.
Hurrying to place Benzen in the back seat of the car, we all piled in around him and stepped on the gas, speeding out onto the highway as we rushed back toward the city.
"What just happened?" Voland asked from the passenger seat. "Idiots. We're idiots! We should have seen that coming."
"It's a miracle we got outta there alive!" Jarick chimed in. "We should have known Palzu would have us surrounded."
Draygus was ominously silent in the back with Benzen spread out across his lap. He was pressing down on his wound with a grim expression on his face. My eyes met his in the rearview mirror and I knew not to say a word.
Chapter 15
Demi
I knew I was awake but I couldn't see a thing. My eyelashes scraped over the fabric covering my eyes and there was the smell of the material, putrid and unwashed. It was so bad I could almost taste it and gagged as I tried to take a breath in through my mouth.
In my head, there was a steady throbbing from where I'd been hit. My nose, my mouth, underneath my eyes, it all ached and as I ran my dehydrated tongue over my teeth, I could feel clotted blood and the shakiness of a tooth that had been knocked loose.
I tried to reach out to feel something, but my wrists were pressed together with rope and my skin burned as I struggled against it. Below me, I could feel the hardness of the chair, the only solid thing that let me know I wasn't floating in darkness.
Where am I?
My breathing began to quicken as I panicked.
What is he going to do with me?
The last thing I remembered was the man in my living room and the dangerous glint in his eye as he touched the handle of his gun.
Who is he? What does he want? Is he the man who's been following me these last few days?
I began to tremble until the seat beneath me rocked on the stone floor. When I felt as though my chest was about to explode and I was in fear of ceasing to breathe at all, a door creaked open.
A cool breeze drifted over me and calmed me for a second until footsteps approached. There was the sensation of fingers tugging at the hood around my head and then there was a bright light burning into my eyes. I blinked and tried to get my bearings while the light made my head hurt even more.
"Here, eat this."
Someone was holding a chunk of bread to my mouth but I didn't want it. I turned away and began to cry.
"Eat it," the voice commanded. "You may not get the chance to eat again."
Biting down into it, I tasted its staleness and swallowed it down while my eyes still struggled to adjust.
"Here."
A gloved hand pressed a bottle of water to my lips and I gulped it down until my stomach swelled and began to hurt.
"She's okay to talk," said a voice.
I looked up to see who my captor was but his face was eclipsed by the bright light above him.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"Be quiet," he replied. "You have a visitor."
Still dizzy, but with the bread and water strengthening me, I stared strai
ght ahead. Three figures stood in the doorway, the one in the front smaller than the other two.
"Hello, Demi."
He stepped into the room, his face emerging from the haze of my headache like a ghost escaping the ether.
"Who are you?" I croaked.
I narrowed my eyes to focus on his face. His cheekbones were high and sharp and his eyes dark and beady. There was a handsomeness to his features but it was impossible to say he was attractive. A deep and pervasive evil ran through him to the core, seeping out of his pores and infecting every word he said, every move he made.
"Don't be afraid," he said. "You're not seeing me in my natural form. That would be far too frightening for a primitive human like you. I am, of course, in disguise as are my lieutenants here."
He pointed his thumbs behind him at the two armed guards.
Who is this guy? Where the hell am I?
"I'm Palzu," he explained. "And you are being held captive deep within the Montgomery forest, which I believe is one of the densest in this land called America."
Startled, I flinched.
"How did you know what I was thinking?"
His lips spread into a wicked smile.
"I know everything..."
His eyes remained fixed on me, amused at my fear.
"I've heard about you," I said. "You're supposed to be a tyrannical dictator, an evil man who destroyed Orba!"
He laughed and clapped his hands together.
"Well, it certainly looks as though my reputation has preceded me. I suppose it was your alien allies who told you this?"
I glowered at him, trying my best to not look afraid even though I was shaking violently, terrified that I would be executed where I sat. My eyes shifted from the guns in the guards’ holsters to Palzu's hands that were folded below his chin as he thought.
"Did your friends really think I would be so stupid as to fall for their trap?"
He was laughing again, his voice echoing off the concrete walls.
"I-I don't know anything about their plan!" I insisted.
