Dragon Aflame

by Leela Ash

  “Eli,” she panted as she tried to get her breath back. “Oh my God. You have no idea how good that was.”

  She was a tangle of pleasure and exhaustion. Whatever he was doing to her, she never wanted it to end.

  “No,” he said. “You have no idea how good that was. I can’t believe what I’ve been missing.”

  Chantel looked up at him and into his eyes and as they lay together in their perfect room, in the center of the universe, she couldn’t help but think that all of it must have been meant to be. Eli was such an amazing man and he was like no one she had ever met. Now they were there together, against all the odds of time and space, and they had a real connection, something undeniable was pulsing between them.

  “I never realized it would be so good,” he said once he could speak properly again. “We were always led to believe that we weren’t missing out, but the second I saw you, I knew that couldn’t be true.”

  Chantel smiled and kissed him again.

  “Your body,” he said as he took hold of her in his arms and pressed their naked flesh together. “I’ve never held anyone like this before, and it feels so amazing.”

  Chantel ran her hands through his hair and smiled. Even though she had been to bed with other men, she knew exactly what he meant. Nothing quite compared to this. It wasn’t the fact that he hadn’t experienced physical love before, because he certainly knew what he was doing, it was because their bodies seemed made for one another. They fit together perfectly in every way possible, even just lying there felt as if they were finally slotting back into a place that they were always meant to be.

  “I know this is crazy,” she whispered. “But I never want to leave here.”

  Eli smiled and pulled her in close. “I never want you to either,” he admitted.

  As they held each other tightly and Chantel listened to the beat of his heart her mind raced with thoughts and possibilities of how she could keep him without having to sacrifice the rest of her life.

  If only there was a way they could make it work.

  9.

  When Eli reluctantly rose from the bed and Chantel lazed back and watched him walk across the room naked, before he gathered up a robe and wrapped it around himself, she realized she had no idea how long she had been away from home.

  Would people have noticed she was missing?

  Would Sarah have alerted the police?

  Would her family be looking for her?

  Would they think she was dead?

  Her mind began to race and she felt the dread creeping up inside of her again. She knew that she couldn’t stay there. She couldn’t give up her life in order to roam around space with her hot alien lover, no matter how much she may want to.

  Eli turned to her with a sad smile as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

  “I’ll be reluctant to take you home,” he said. “But I know it wouldn’t be fair to keep you here.”

  Chantel wiped a lone tear from the corner of her eye. The last thing she wanted to do was say goodbye.

  “You must think about what I said,” Eli said with a smile. “How you respond to all of this once you return home. Remember, I said that you have been given a unique opportunity and set of information.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, growing frustrated with how cryptically he spoke.

  “I mean, you have seen things no one of earth has ever seen, and you have knowledge of the universe that not many know. If you wanted to, you could help me, in the future.”

  He said it hopefully and raised his eyebrows and Chantel felt a rush of excitement.

  “I could help you?” she asked with glee.

  “Yes,” he smiled. “Now you know what to look for in the beings of X-11 and of how they try to organize large groups of women together when they are off their guard. Maybe, you could be like a watcher for your planet. I could certainly do with the help.” Eli walked back over to her and took her hand.

  “Oh my, Eli.” she gasped. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Please, just say yes,” he said as he leaned over and kissed her softly on the forehead. “I couldn’t bear the thought of taking you back to your planet and never seeing you again.”

  “And if I become a watcher?” she asked.

  “Then you will have one of these,” he reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out a watch similar to the one he had been wearing when he rescued her. “And you’ll be able to contact me whenever you need me.”

  He held her hand and looked deep into her eyes. Chantel wasn’t sure if she could handle the responsibility of having to watch over her entire planet, but she knew she didn’t want to lose Eli. Maybe they could have secret space rendezvous and travel together again. Maybe he would show her other planets and tell her much more about the universe. It was sure to blow her mind, but she knew that it was something she was willing to explore and open up to.

  “Of course I will,” she smiled as she wrapped her arms around him. “I’d be honored to help you Eli.”

  They kissed and she stared into his eyes again. He really was an incredible being, whether he was a man, or an advanced version, he certainly had all of the qualities she wanted and loved and she knew she had found someone special.

  “I think it’s time,” he said sadly as he got to his feet and held out his hands.

  Chantel stood up beside him and gathered her clothes. As she dressed Eli watched her and she knew what he was thinking because she was thinking the exact same thing. Out of an entire universe, they had been brought together and had shared an amazing, life changing experience. She would love him forever and she would never forget him.

  Eli wrapped his arms around her and slipped the watch around her wrist. He fastened it in place and Chantel looked down at it. On first glance it just looked like a plain circular face, but when she looked closer she could see the intricate system of stars glinting within in.

  “When you need me,” he whispered. “Just ask.”

  He leaned forward and kissed her again.

  “I’ll be watching over you Chantel,” he smiled. “And I’ll be back for you soon.”

  Chantel kissed him and tried to cling to him as the whole expanse of space around them seemed to begin to disappear. She felt her body jolt and her mind begin to spin. She could see stars. Millions of stars. Shooting past her and swirling, gaining momentum and forming a spiral.

  With a crack she was in darkness and when she opened her eyes she realized she was back in her own bed. She sat upright and in the other corner she could see the mound of Sarah’s body, breathing softly beneath her duvet and snoring ever so slightly.

  “Sarah?” she croaked.

  Sarah groaned and rolled over, rubbing her eyes and peeking out at Chantel through the dark.

  “What?” she said sleepily.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “What do you mean?” Sarah leaned up with irritation. “You bailed and left me at the party so I had to come home. You were passed out drunk here.” She rolled her eyes and flopped back down on the bed.

  For a moment, Chantel really did think she had imagined it all. Could it have all been a dream? But the small watch that was still strapped tightly to her wrist told her otherwise. She had been somewhere else that night, somewhere she could never, and would never tell anyone about.

  She lay back down in bed and turned towards the window. The stars above her twinkled brightly in the night sky and she smiled. For the first time ever, she had a very special secret and it felt good. Now every time she looked up at the heavens she would only think of one person. Because now she knew what was out there, and she couldn’t wait to experience it again.

  THE END

  Love and Survival in the Time After

  Leela Ash

  Copyright ©2016 by Leela Ash. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written
permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Chapter 1

  Layne's heart was in her throat as the footsteps behind her receded. It had been a long time since she'd had a confrontation with one of the tribes. This time she'd gone to the wrong watering source. She thought that the public pool would be safe, for some reason. Although most of them were dried up, you could usually find at least a supply of sunscreen to protect you from the harsh sunlight, or if you were really lucky, there would be enough clean water left to quench your thirst and fill your bottle.

  She'd been due for a refill for a while now and although it was reckless, she had been desperate enough to get herself into danger. She had a bottle of beer left from the last batch she'd brewed, but that was strong enough to dull her senses and get her into trouble. Besides, it would just dehydrate her more. She would have to remember that this area was ruled by the Jackals – the name for the small gang of people who had claimed this turf. After the virus hit and wiped out most of the population, leaving only a few lucky survivors in every city, the tribes had been a way to find peace and security amongst other people who were dealing with the same crisis. There had been safety in numbers, or so they told themselves. While many had been afraid to wander the deserted world alone, moving forward with others didn't seem that bad.

  She herself had been part of a group in those first few chaotic years. Being a talented chemist, she'd aligned herself with a team of doctors claiming to seek a cure to the problem, but as it turned out most of them were frauds and civilians, delusional with a self-important mission they weren't educated enough to accomplish. Everybody was hoping for a miracle and she'd been lured in by their pretense. Ultimately, the group split due to bruising of egos and no real direction and she'd been on her own ever since then, trying to make sense of how things had gotten so far out of hand.

  As a scientist, she had to trace the line of cause and effect. A pharmaceutical company had ordered vaccinations against what they claimed was an alien virus from space – which was absurd, but everybody was so desperate for answers that they accepted the explanation. Now everybody knew that the first guess had been way off, but back then that was the government's grounds for getting as many people as possible under the needle for a miraculous vaccine that they had commissioned the company, Grow Inc, to develop. In a sad, ironic twist of fate, the virus they thought came from a meteorite that had landed in St. Petersburg, had actually been the result of lax safety precautions, as a team of scientists experimented with a cure for the common cold. They'd flown the team to Russia to try and evade SFT (Safety in Future Technology) safety standards, and the end result had been disastrous.

  The antivirus had been promising, and they had been convinced that by pushing the envelope, it would be successful. In initial experiments it had a 100% success ratio, though it hadn't been tested over the long term. After the meteorite crashed into the yard outside the Russian facility where the American scientists had been mentoring a group of people who were working together to rid the world of disease, that was when the results of the virus began to be seen, and how the SFT had gotten involved, claiming that the virus, because it was so difficult to contain and treat, had extraterrestrial origins.

  If they had checked more closely, they would have seen that the people that they had injected with the initial strain of vaccination had become carriers of the malicious virus, infecting everybody they came into contact with without even knowing it. A few cases had been reported in America shortly after the scientists returned, and before long half of St. Petersburg was in chaos. People were coughing up blood and begging for release from a pain that nobody could pinpoint, but everybody could agree was the worst they had ever felt. It seemed to move throughout the body, inflaming certain parts for a small amount of time before retreating and coming back with double the force.

  Because of the rapid spread in St. Petersburg, everybody assumed that was the origin of the virus, and the city was put under strict quarantine. Unfortunately, it was no use. It spread all over the world with startling speed. Nobody thought that the virus might be in the vaccination. Ironically, the claim was that because the first vaccination had been successful enough during the preliminary trials, it should be utilized now, in this time of crisis. The SFT felt they had no choice and allowed the vaccinations to reach the mainstream market. Every day, for weeks, hundreds of people lined up to receive their vaccine, thinking it would be the only thing that might save them.

  Carriers were being created left and right, but those whose immune systems weren't as strong, or whose bodies didn't contain an immunity in their genes, were left defenseless against it. Days after the vaccination, the coughing would begin, until finally people began to catch on that it wasn't an alien virus that was killing people – it was one being spread by the vaccine.

  But it was too late. Within a few years, almost everybody was gone. With the exception of a few green-tinged carriers who had made it through, a few genetically privileged people, and some who had managed to escape both the carriers and the vaccinations until the virus finally became dormant. Life as they knew it had crumbled. Layne had no family or friends left, and she had felt so lost and alone, crying on her doorstep when the small group of “scientific” people had wandered past. They saw that she lacked the green-tinge of the carriers and the paleness of the infected, and welcomed her into their group saying they were heading somewhere safe, somewhere far away from there, and they were going to find the cure. Would she help?

  She didn't want to leave, but she also knew that she couldn't stay. From that point forward, her survival would depend upon her ability to move on, and that's all she needed to know.

  Chapter 2

  Jax scooped a handful of water from the stream he was kneeling at, examining it closely. It was clean, he determined, and he drank deeply, wiping his mouth, allowing a few stray drops of water to drip off his chin. His dark, alert eyes scanned the trees. The wind moved boughs peacefully, but he wouldn't be fooled by the serenity. He thought he had heard a sound.

  He grabbed his backpack – the holder of all his worldly possessions and a single reminder of home, where he came from, and slung it over his shoulder. He had found it heavy at first, but now he'd become accustomed to its weight, feeling nearly naked without it resting warmly on his shoulder. It reminded him of a pet he once had, a lizard he had named Jenko. Jenko sat on him like his bag did, his body temperature cool until Jax's body heat warmed it up. It was nice to pretend that he wasn't alone.

  Alone was safer though, and the sound of others had brought his pulse to racing. He moved nimbly through the trees toward the sound, gripping a piece of glass tightly. He had been using it for a weapon for a few months, and had duct taped the edge so he could grip it firmly as he swiped it at whatever threat was looming. There were more wild dogs than ever now. After the humans had begun to die out, their pets grew feral and ran rampant around the cities and towns, meeting and breeding, populating the emptiness with their own pups. The same was true of cats, though their feral nature was already commonplace where he came from. Cats and their kittens roamed the streets without fear. He'd enjoyed it at first, feeling that finally it was time for man's supposed best friend to take his rightful place on the food chain. It seemed like poetic justice in a way.

  Now though, the savage creatures would show no mercy. They vaguely remembered humans, and didn't think very fondly of them on the whole. The result was that he now had to fear both man and beast. At night, he had to keep watch for the glowing eyes of feral cats who wouldn't hesitate to jump out of the foliage and grip whatever was moving with fierce claws and teeth. He missed the way things used to be, when they were simple and safe. He had been younger then, and the few people who survived had created a new, hellish world all their own – one he wanted no part of.

  The sound of heavy footfalls – a twig snapping loudly – brought him to attention. Somebody was running, heading toward the stream where he was
standing dumbly, staring off into the distance. He narrowed his eyes and focused on the sound. Somebody was probably being chased. Sure enough, a stampede of feet followed closely after the first person he had heard. The Jackals were apparently after new prey. He shifted, selfishly irritated that the person they were chasing might lead them to him. He had been so peaceful there, but now he would have to hide.

  He leapt up into a nearby tree, watching the action unfold. He wouldn't get involved; he would just stay out of sight long enough for the danger to pass and then go about his business. A woman burst through the bushes, her long, light brown hair framing her face. She gazed longingly at the water – he felt a pang of pity, as it was a look he knew well – but she was trapped and couldn't drink. She looked around helplessly, her beautiful oval face contorted in panic and fear. He groaned to himself and lowered himself to the ground, motioning her over to him. She didn't seem to be wearing any of the signature clothing styles of the tribes he was familiar with, and he had a fleeting, hopeful thought that maybe she was like him and didn't belong to any of them.

  That was unlikely though – the safety and food security in a gang was tempting to most people after the virus had hit, and he was sure that most others would have to be crazy to try to make it on their own.

  “Up there,” he hissed. “Go!”

  She looked at him in confusion before registering what he said. He didn't wait for her to respond before he hoisted her up, letting her step hard on his muscular forearm, and then took off running, throwing a large stone into the stream, hoping it would keep them off the trail, and dodging into a bush just as the three Jackals arrived, panting and swearing, their bare chests heaving as they gulped in air and looked into the stream.