by Zara Zenia
At last, the rope eased free a little.
"Just a second more..."
One more tug and it would be loose, but before I could pull the last sliver of rope, the door slammed open. The blindfold was ripped from my face and once again, I was blinded by the light. The guard pushed a bottle of water in my face with his blue hand glistening beneath the strip of light. It dawned on me that's what Ethan must look like. Looking up to his face, I saw he was indigo with his eyes large like an animal's, cunning and discerning.
"Drink."
"No."
I turned my head away.
"Drink or you'll be sick from dehydration. Palzu has insisted we keep you alive and well."
I let him press the lip of the bottle to my lips and took a few sips. Behind me, the rope was falling loose. Any second now it would tumble to the floor and he'd know what I was doing. I gripped onto it as tight as I could.
Just go... Oh, my God, please just go.
I took another few sips and once satisfied, he replaced the blindfold and walked away. Waiting until his footsteps disappeared down the hall, I let the rope fall to the ground. The blood rushed back into my arms in a flood of pins and needles. A split second later, a klaxon sounded. I ripped the blindfold off and saw the emergency red lights swirling around me.
Did I do this? Do they know I tried to escape?
The siren pierced through my head and with nothing else to do, I leaned forward and clapped my hands to my ears.
Outside the door, there was a scuffle and the sound of someone jangling keys.
"Shit!"
I bunched the rope up behind me and wound it around my wrists. By the time the door flew open, I looked just like I always did, weak and helpless.
"Hello there, Demi," Palzu said as he entered, his voice as sneering as always. "Glad to see you're still here with us."
Unlike before, he was alone.
There was something about the way he spoke that was so sickeningly insincere.
A wide smile was spread across his face and there was something else about him too, something that made him even more arrogant than usual. I noticed the way his chest was puffed up with pride and how his eyes were dancing with glee.
"I've come to bring you the good news," he laughed and stood in front of me.
Bending down so his face was close to mine, his breath tickled my top lip and I faced away from him, repulsed by his smell. He laughed harder and straightened himself back up.
"Well it seems your boyfriend is as dumb as I thought he was," he spat. "He and his friends were lured into my trap like animals."
I looked up.
"What are you talking about?"
He chortled to himself and held out his fingers in front of him as though he was examining his fingernails. I should have known he was so vain.
"That's right. They fell for it all, came right here to me."
"He's here!" I gasped.
The smile faded from his lips.
"He's here," he confirmed. "And he's mine now."
He stepped in closer until his legs were pressed up against mine. I hoped to God he didn't lean over and see how feebly I was holding the rope.
"You know... I don't know what Ethazol saw in you," he sneered.
Leaning forward, he sniffed my hair and grimaced.
"You're not as special as you think you are."
Enraged, I felt myself begin to shake, not just from being insulted, but from being held hostage, for all the things he'd done to Ethan's home planet, for all that he was doing now. I'd never been madder and I couldn’t take it anymore.
I dropped the rope and lunged at him. For a second, there was a flash of fear in his eyes and I fed off his terror, leaping onto him and punching him to the ground. We fell into a pile of tangled limbs as he tried to fight me but I was strengthened by the thought of seeing Ethan and of doing the right thing. I needed to kill Palzu. I couldn't let him continue his tyrannical rule.
Punching him hard, his blood spurted up the walls. I'd never felt this way before and for a second I was terrified of myself. I'd never hit anyone in my life but here I was, battering a grown man into the ground. I hit him again, grinding my knuckles into the side of his head. There was the crack of bone and the sound of his lungs wheezing as I sat on them.
"Bastard!" I screamed. "You need to die for what you've done!"
Holding his head in my hands, I cracked it on the floor, a pool of viscous blood flowing out from under him. A great sadness sagged his body and he looked up to me, his eyes filled with regret.
"You don't know what you've done," he croaked as he attempted to raise a hand to my face. "Who will rule Orba now?"
The light dissolved from his eyes as I cradled his head, then I let him sink to the floor, his body quickly turning cold as I wiped the blood from my face.
Chapter 19
Ethazol
I looked into his eyes and saw nothing but an empty threat. The soldier was just as afraid as I was, I could see the fear in his eyes and the way his fingers trembled as they clutched onto his gun.
"Don't move!" he yelled with his voice quivering.
I met his gaze and held it. Locked in a mental stand-off, we stared into each other's hate filled eyes as the siren reverberated in our heads.
Lifting an arm, I reached for his leg.
"I said don't move!"
Afraid, he took a step back and I took my chance. Kicking him square in the kneecap, I jumped up and shouldered him into the wall. His rifle clattered to the ground and as he jumped for it, I punched him in the gut, my bruised knuckles connecting with his lower ribs. He cried out like a wounded animal and fell to his knees but I had no time to waste in surveying his condition. My friends needed me.
Jarick's cries came from behind me and I spun round to see him on the floor. The soldier had his boot pressed into his cheek and a pistol aimed at his head.
"Don't be a hero," he said as he turned to me and hit at the gun in my hands.
I pulled the trigger with a slippery, sweaty finger and the bullet pierced his forehead, his blood spraying us all. Jarick, relieved, pulled himself up and rubbed his face.
"You save Dray. I'll get Voland!"
He plucked the pistol from the dead soldier's fingers and turned on his heel, running headlong down the hallway to where Voland was being wrestled to the ground.
"Draygus! I'm coming."
He was out of sight but his voice was echoing off the metal walls.
"Dray?"
I followed it, the sirens making me dizzy while the red lights disoriented me. Running my hands along the wall to steady myself, I turned the corner and his voice grew louder.
"Dray?"
At the end of the hall toward the exit, two figures emerged through the crimson haze. There was a gunshot, the smoke from the barrel obscuring my view. I ran toward it.
"Dray!"
There were screams of agony that I'd heard too many times before. It was the sound of someone dying and I blustered through the smoke desperate to know it wasn't him.
"Draygus!"
A hand slapped me on the back and as I looked over my shoulder, I saw him, his face spattered with blood and his mouth cut down the middle. He popped a cigarette between his bloody lips and sparked the end, his face briefly illuminated by the fire.
"Don't worry kid, I got him."
As the smoke cleared, I could make out the silhouette of a body slumped against the wall, his uniform now visible with Palzu's insignia emblazoned across his chest.
"But there are others," I said.
Draygus led me away down the corridor.
"I know," he said as he broke into a jog. "That's why we need to find the other two. Come on!"
We caught up with Voland and Jarick near the command quarters. Voland was pressing his hands into a cut on his cheek while Jarick looked into the magazine of his rifle. He shook his head angrily before snapping it back into place.
"Fuck. I've only got two bullets left. What
about you guys?"
Voland looked into his pistol and pursed his lips.
"Two as well. What about you Draygus?"
"Half full magazine," he smiled.
I checked my own.
"Shit I've only got one left."
"Shhhh...."
Voland waved his hand for me to be quiet.
"They're just in there."
Leaning around the corner, I saw the remainder of Palzu's troops getting prepared with steely expressions on their faces.
"Looks like they're getting ready for their last siege," Draygus said over my shoulder.
"Well, it's going to be a pretty short one judging by how much ammo we've got left."
I was putting on a brave face while holding back the terror that was rushing through my body. With only adrenaline propelling me forward, I gripped my gun and hoped its last bullet was a magic one. I opened my mouth to speak but my mouth was dry. As I stepped back toward the group, I felt the sweat pool inside my shirt.
"Guys, have any of you seen Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?"
They all stared at me.
"I take it that means no then," I answered myself. "It's a movie. There’s a scene in it that can help us."
Again, they all stared at me as though I was speaking Martian.
"Look, focus," Jarick stepped forward and huddle as all together. "Right now, we only have one plan of action. We give it all we've got. It's that or we die and... there's a chance we could all die anyway."
The door to the command quarters clicked open and I glanced over my shoulder to where an officer was standing in the doorway. He pulled his visor down over his face and lifted his gun.
"They're coming," I said. "We have to go."
Draygus and I shared one last look. This might be the last time I saw any of them again.
"For what it's worth... you're all the toughest guys I know. If only Benzen was here too."
"And Victorinth," Jarick replied with watery eyes.
Troops were gathering in the hallway, their boots stomping as they got into position.
"You have one last chance!" the commanding officer shouted. "You can surrender now and potentially live or you can fight us and die. You will die."
We all looked to one another and nodded.
"We'll never surrender!" Jarick shouted.
"Very well. Prepare to take your last breath."
I raised my gun and prepared for the end. There was no way this last bullet would protect me. I watched the red lights glint off the barrel of the gun and heard the klaxons whirring in my mind, echoing through my skull. I felt Voland's shoulder pressed into mine and as I took one last look into his face, I saw the sweat drip from his brow into his eyes.
Suddenly everything was so vivid knowing every sensation would be my last. These were my last few heartbeats. This could be my last breath. The sight of the commanding officer was the last person I'd ever see. Demi would be the last person I would remember. If only I was with her. If only I could die in her arms.
"On guard!" the commander shouted to his troops.
They marched forward and I could now see how many of them outnumbered us.
My tongue felt like sandpaper as I tried to swallow while my hands shook uncontrollably. My heart beat faster, then faster still as the officer opened his mouth to give the final command. There were stars twinkling at the sides of my eye as I struggled to catch my breath and the heat was intense.
Everything slowed down. The officer lunged forward as though moving underwater. I saw his mouth move but heard no sound. My finger was poised and ready on the trigger with my eyes wide open with terror.
Then silence.
The sirens stopped and the red lights dimmed. We were plummeted back to reality, looking around to see what was happening.
"Attention," a voice crackled through the overhead speakers. "Palzu is dead."
The troops dropped their guns. The officer recoiled and pulled off his helmet and visor, staring up at the speakers with his mouth hanging open.
"Repeat. Palzu is dead. His reign has ended."
Everyone stared at Jarick who was stunned into silence. Slowly, he lowered his gun to the ground and looked up at the officer.
“It’s over,” he said.
The officer nodded.
“We have no leader now.”
The troops gathered around him and began tearing the insignia from their uniforms.
“What does this mean?” I asked, still shocked and unable to comprehend the magnitude of the situation.
Despite knowing the battle was over, my heart refused to slow down and I found myself leaning against the wall. I ran a hand through my damp hair and let out a long exhale. I watched as the officer took a tentative step forward toward Jarick and took hold of his hand.
“Back on Orba you were our superior,” he said.
Jarick nodded, stunned.
One of the troops pushed his way to the front and dropped his insignia to the ground.
“It means we look to you for guidance.”
Jarick looked at each of us in turn. As his eyes met mine, he gave me a subtle nod.
“All I ask is that the fighting stops.”
“I agree,” said the officer.
“But first… I want to see Palzu’s body. I want to see the man who destroyed my home.”
The room was lit by a single strip of light which shed an iridescent glow along the stone floor. The first thing I saw was Palzu’s boots before I turned the corner and the rest of his body came into view, along with his killer.
Her auburn hair was like a halo of fire as she stood defiantly over his corpse. Her hands were bloodied and swollen, her face bruised and battered. Beside her, two guards stood with their guns pointed at her head. The officer waved them away and they shrank into the group of soldiers who were all craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the emperor’s body.
“Demi!”
I flung myself at her and scooped her up in my arms. She kissed me hard and wrapped her legs around my waist. For a long while, I held her tight and looked into her eyes.
“I thought I’d never see you again.”
“I thought you were dead,” she replied.
The world around us disappeared and there was nothing but the two of us. At least that’s what I thought until a cough interrupted the moment. I placed Demi back down and turned to see Draygus light a cigarette with an amused look in his eye.
“So, this is Demi,” he smiled. “It looks as though I owe you an apology, Ethazol. You have better taste in women than I realized.”
Epilogue
Demi
One Year Later
Victorinth was looking out the window onto the hotel forecourt.
"Your mother's on her way up and she has Ethan Junior. Looks like he's giving her a hard time."
I laughed and walked over to see. He'd been such a handful since he was born but there was never a dull moment since he came into our lives.
"Victo, are you sure you're going to go back to Orba?"
She sat me back down in front of the mirror and fixed my veil.
"Yeah. I got a sweet job in the linguistic department at the foreign relations office. They said I had great experience after living on Earth for so long."
I looked at myself in the mirror and couldn't believe the woman staring back. Today was the day I was going to become a wife and I'd been planning it since the moment we returned home from the hellhole that was Palzu's flagship.
"And your brother? Is he going back?"
"Only for a little while. He's planning on working at a species’ rights’ organization that campaigns for an end to interplanetary violence. It means he'll be traveling a lot but still live on Earth most of the time. He won't leave for good because he's planning on proposing to Madison, but you didn't hear it from me."
She giggled and bounced over to her seat where she began to put on her shoes. Looking at the heels as though they confused her, she slid them on anyway befo
re standing up and struggling to walk over to the mirror.
"I'm surprised he hadn't done it sooner," I said. "They're the perfect couple."
"Aren't they?" Victorinth beamed.
But as she looked at her reflection, her face fell and she slinked over to me, her peach bridesmaid's dress shimmering in the early morning sun.
"Do you think I'll find someone?"
"Of course!" I clutched her hand. "Why? What's the matter?"
She pouted and leaned in closer.
"It's just that everyone in the crew fell in love since we arrived on Earth. Everyone but me."
For a moment, I thought she was about to cry but then straightened herself out and smoothed the front of her dress down as she composed herself.
"You're still so young, Victo. You'll find someone soon."
Her eyes brightened.
"You look so beautiful," she said as she looked at my dress. "You're like those angels I've read about. They have bright hair and big, white dresses. Ethazol, sorry, I mean Ethan, will probably faint when he sees you."
I pressed my fingers to the pearls sewn into the silk. It was the biggest, glitziest dress my mother and I could find and she'd cried when she saw me step out of the dressing room.
"You look like a real-life Cinderella!" she'd sobbed and I'd given her a little twirl.
I gave my makeup one last touch up and reached for my glass of champagne to settle my nerves. Before I could finish it, a knock on the door sounded followed by the sound of my mom barging in with Ethan in her arms. He was gurgling and shrieking like he'd been told the best joke and he started yelling joyfully when he saw me. Mom gratefully handed him over and slumped into the armchair.
"I tell ya, Demi. He's a terror, an absolute terror."
Looking down at him, I kissed his chubby cheeks and tickled his tummy.
"Have you been tiring out your grandma?"
He laughed and clamped his tiny fingers around my nose. I pretended to bite them and he laughed harder.
"And he's so big, Demi," mom continued. "What in heaven's name are you feeding him? I mean nobody believes me when I tell him he's only three months old."
