by Hope Hart
“Okay,” Tinker Bell says. “Let’s see how many of them they send in here at once. If it’s just one, maybe we can all attack if they open the cage door.”
We all nod, and determination hits me. We’re not going down without a fight.
The ship shudders, and I grab onto the bars of our cage as it jolts and lurches.
“What the fuck’s happening now?” Hand-Raiser shrieks.
The shuddering suddenly stops, and we’re all panting and pale as we look at each other, wide-eyed.
What’s worse than being abducted and trapped on an alien spaceship? Being abducted and trapped on an alien spaceship that looks like it’s seen better days. If this ship falls apart, we’re instantly dead.
“What did I do to end up here? What could I have done differently?”
Nevada sends me a sympathetic look, and I realize I’m mumbling aloud.
“Sometimes,” she says, “we do everything right, and life just plain sucks anyway.”
We try to get a few hours’ sleep, shivering and huddling together. There’s not much else to say. All of us are freezing and starving, and our alien captors don’t seem too concerned about giving us food or water.
Maybe that means that we’ll soon be wherever they’re taking us.
That’s not necessarily a good thing. But I’m so thirsty that when I manage to briefly fall asleep, I dream of streams and ponds, rivers and oceans. I almost cry when I wake up with a dry mouth and chapped lips. We’re all so dehydrated that none of us have needed to use the bucket in the corner of our cage yet.
A shriek leaves my throat as the ship shudders again. This time, it’s jolting from side to side violently, and I see stars as my head cracks against the bars of our cage. The woman who was kicked in the ribs screams in pain as she flies across the cage, hitting the wall.
An alarm begins to wail, a red light flashing as we all cover our ears at the piercing sound. I wish there was a window in here so I could see outside. Then again, if we’re all about to die, maybe it’s better not to know.
We’re left completely alone. None of the purple aliens come to check on us, but I can hear footsteps thumping above us. We cling together, a group of women who were strangers yesterday but may die together today.
The shrieking gets louder, and I huddle lower, pressing my hands harder against my ears as screams sound over the alarm.
And then everything goes black.
Chapter Two
Ellie
I cough, my mouth a desert as I suck in air, coughing on smoke. I’m trapped under something warm.
Someone warm. I crack my eyes open and manage to roll the firefighter off me, relief hitting me at her groan. At least one other woman is alive.
I sit up, hissing as I put pressure on my elbow. It’s either sprained or broken, and I cradle it as I take in our cage.
Tinker Bell’s lying against the back wall, not moving, her head covered in blood. Nevada is crouched over her, holding a piece of what used to be a T-shirt to her head.
I lean over and shake the firefighter, who opens her eyes, groaning again as she does so.
“Everyone alive?” Nevada asks.
A woman who introduced herself as Beth hisses as she sits up, clutching her side, and the firefighter groans again.
“Fuck,” she says. “This is the girls’ trip from hell.”
I snort at that, and suddenly we’re all laughing, most of us hysterically. She’s not wrong. I wipe away tears of laughter as Tinker Bell finally sits up, and we all stare at each other in shock.
Our situation has gone from bad to worse.
I hear no movement above us, but our cage door is still locked. Unless we can get it open, we’re destined to starve to death in here.
It’s a bad way to go.
We all freeze as something moves above us, and then we’re once again huddled together like frightened sheep. We’re all silent as we eye the stairs, listening as someone walks down them.
It’s a species of alien I’ve never seen before. And he looks as surprised to see us as we are to see him.
He’s about Lingerie’s height, with pale yellow skin similar to my grandmother’s when she had jaundice. He smiles at us, and I shudder at his teeth. They remind me of my roommate’s cat’s, perfectly ready to puncture the skin of his prey.
He calls up the stairs, and more of his friends appear, all wearing thin loincloths and not much else. His friends are all as shocked as him, but they instantly smile at us as he moves forward.
“My name is Karok,” he says. “We will find the key to your cage and take you back to our tribe for food and medical care.”
We all blow out sighs of relief, and he grins at us as he gestures at one of the other aliens, who nods and clomps his way back upstairs.
“How did you get here?”
Beth sniffs. “We were stolen from our beds and sold on a strange planet. Where are we now?”
Karok’s mouth drops open, his eyes wide. I guess you don’t hear stories like that every day.
“This planet is called Agron,” he says as his friend returns, holding a key. I almost cry in relief as he pushes it into the lock and the cage door swings open.
We file out of the cage, and Tinker Bell snarls at one of the aliens who can’t seem to keep his eyes off the blood pouring from her head. She needs a doctor.
We’re all hurt, my elbow sending blinding pain up my arm each time I move it. But head injuries are the worst, and they’re the most likely to kill you.
We slowly make our way upstairs, and my mouth drops open. All the purple aliens are dead, and not all of them from the crash. I eye Karok, who smiles at me again. I’m not an idiot. I watch CSI. And there has been one hell of a fight up here.
Lingerie growls at me to keep walking, and I take two steps out of the ship only to freeze, making her curse at me.
I can see the sky. The green sky.
Oh God. It really happened. We’re really on an alien planet. The sky isn’t a dark green, more of a turquoise, but it’s nothing I’ve ever seen on Earth.
“Well, at least we can breathe the air,” Nevada says, and my throat almost closes in panic at the thought of not being able to.
The aliens help us climb down from the wreckage until we’re all standing in front of the ship.
“If you will follow us,” Karok says, “we will be back at our camp by nightfall.
I grew up in the South, where a simple “bless your heart” can mean everything from “you’re an idiot” to “fuck you.” From the time I was a small child, my sister and mother would smile even as they hissed hurtful words and backhanded compliments. I quickly learned not to trust what people say.
Trust what they do instead.
These new aliens are all smiles, showcasing their sharp teeth. They haven’t touched us, other than to help us from the ship, but something about the way their eyes dart between us and the way they murmur to each other has the hair on the back of my neck standing up.
“Are you sure we should trust them?” I mutter to Nevada.
She raises her eyebrow in surprise, but it’s Lingerie who speaks up.
“Who else do you see around here helping us escape that awful ship? They promised us food, water, and doctors. What more do you want?”
The others are silent, no one jumping to my defense, and I shrug. Lingerie sends me an impatient look and turns, beaming at Karok. “We’re ready when you are.”
Firefighter moves closer to me. “Don’t worry, girl. We’re survivors. These aliens try anything, and we’ll make them beg for mercy.”
I like her attitude, but she’s greatly overestimating my ability to make anyone beg for anything.
“What’s your name?”
She smiles at me. “Ivy. You’re Ellie, right?”
We talk for a few minutes, but we’re mostly too stunned to pay attention to each other.
We’ve been walking for hours when I contemplate sitting down and just not getting back up. Everything h
urts. Tinker Bell’s head won’t stop bleeding, so we manage to tear most of one leg off my flannel pajama pants to use as a rough bandage. Ivy helps me make a sling for my arm with the other leg of my pajamas, and we’re a quiet group as we follow Karok and his friends.
The forest is just plain creepy. The huge trees have white trunks, the branches reaching toward us like bony fingers. We’re all jumpy, tensing at every sound even as we peer into the dark forest, keeping an eye out for beasties.
There are ten or twelve of the new aliens, but other than Karok, none of them introduce themselves to us. They mostly just talk amongst themselves in hushed voices. Within a couple of hours, my thighs are burning—both from the difficult terrain and the chafing as they rub together.
Tears prick my eyes, and I regret all the times I complained about my life in New York. If I had known that this is how I’d end up, abducted on an alien planet, my thighs rubbing together so much they’re practically starting a fire, I would’ve appreciated my quiet life.
“I need a break,” Tinker Bell finally says quietly. I glance at her, and my mouth drops open. I know head wounds bleed more than almost any other injury, but she looks like a zombie—bruised, so pale she’s almost gray, and covered in blood.
I wince as I step on a particularly sharp stone. None of us have shoes, and our feet are paying the price.
Karok frowns. “We must keep moving if we are to make it to our camp my nightfall.”
Nevada narrows her eyes at him. “Charlie isn’t feeling well. We can take ten minutes.”
Charlie. At least I can stop calling her Tinker Bell now. We all stop in solidarity, all of us needing a break. My mouth is so dry I’m attempting to collect my spit, and I glance at where Karok is huddled with two other aliens.
“Please,” I say, my voice hoarse. “Do you know where we can find some water?”
Karok smiles at us again, and I can’t explain why, but I see my death in that smile. He shakes his head, and I scowl at him.
We’re standing in a small clearing, surrounded by trees. Surely there has to be a lake or a river—or even a fucking pond—somewhere, right?
I glance around, planning my exit route, which is why I’m the first to see the warriors when they appear.
Terex
We have managed to track the Voildi to an area just beyond our territory. From the stink they left behind, they have once again crossed through our domain. They grow ever bolder.
I hear voices in a language I have not heard before. Thankfully, when our planet was discovered by visitors centuries ago, they carried translator chips, which are inserted deep within the ear canal. These chips allow all species on Agron to understand each other.
We all freeze, stunned as a voice sounds.
A female.
Another replies, her voice musical and soft, and something in my gut clenches. I must know the owner of that voice.
I glance at Deraz and Asroz, and they nod, moving to surround the Voildi. I don’t understand how they found these females and why the females are not screaming and crying at the thought of being taken by the Voildi.
I move closer and look through the trees, careful to stay out of sight. There are more than two females; in fact, I count eight at first glance. One of them is bleeding heavily and surrounded by three females. I nod, approving. We must ensure that they are kept together so that they will not be killed by the Voildi when we attack.
“Please,” a female says, and the rest of the world falls away as I watch her. This was the voice I heard earlier. “Do you know where we can find some water?”
I almost snort as one of the Voildi smiles at her and shakes his head. The Voildi could not care less if their prey is dying of thirst.
The female doesn’t look pleased at this response and narrows her eyes at him, glancing around as if she is considering leaving to find water herself.
She is small and shapely, her skin pale, although her cheeks are flushed. I scan her body, frowning. She holds her arm to her as if it pains her, and like the other females, she is covered in bruises.
Her hair is light and falls down her back to her waist, knotted and tangled. I find myself wishing I could brush that glorious hair while she relaxes by my fire, and my gaze is immediately drawn to her plump ass and full breasts.
This female looks as if she was made to be tumbled.
Her shoulders slump as she glances at the other females, and I watch the exact moment she decides not to leave them.
I want to roar with rage. If we had not managed to track the Voildi, that decision would have cost the tiny female her life.
I force myself to look elsewhere, finding Asroz and Deraz in position. I signal to them, and they nod. The Voildi have become overconfident. If they were not so eager to get their prey back to their camp, they would have spread out around the clearing, guarding the females.
Their mistake.
We lunge into the clearing as one, roaring. The females begin screaming, jumping away from us—most of them moving further from the Voildi.
I meet the terrified eyes of the female with the incredible voice and growl at her fear. She was following the Voildi to certain death, and yet she bares her teeth at me and moves to protect the other females?
I force my attention away and draw my sword.
We’re immediately surrounded, and I laugh as the thrill of the battle hits me and the Voildi pull knives and smaller swords. While the Voildi are much smaller than us, they travel in larger packs, often falling on our warriors like rabid wolves. Their smaller size makes them fast, but they are no match for us this day.
I slash my sword and hear retching from the females as one of the Voildi’s heads falls to the ground. The next is not so quick to step into my path, but he falls just as quickly as the first.
“Help!”
Screams sound, and I turn, dodging a strike from a Voildi who has managed to sneak up behind me. The females are still separated, and more Voildi have appeared, taking advantage of the battle to take the females and run.
These Voildi are from another pack, with their skin a darker shade of yellow and an unusual style of dress—long pants and shirts instead of the more typical loincloths.
The Voildi we are fighting become incensed, growling at them even as we cut them down. The other pack of Voildi grin, each lifting a struggling female and disappearing through the trees.
Asroz snarls, attempting to go after them, but he’s surrounded, our enemies endeavoring to take his head.
The other females fight to get to their friends, but to cross the area where we are fighting the Voildi would be suicide.
Deraz roars, kicking out at a Voildi, driving him close to me where I slide my sword between his ribs before pulling it out as he slumps to his knees and beheading him in one stroke.
More retching from behind us.
Who are these females with their soft stomachs? Our females are used to seeing the realities of battle.
I grit my teeth as Deraz attempts to follow the stolen females, narrowly missing a knife to the gut.
“Focus,” I order him. “You are no use to the females if you’re dead.”
It takes time to dispatch the rest of the Voildi. Time we don’t have. Finally, though, all of them are dead, and I check on Deraz and Asroz before finally meeting the eyes of the tiny, light-haired female. She holds my gaze steadily before her eyes dart away to Deraz and Asroz as they move closer. I growl, needing her attention, and her eyes jump to mine again, even as an indignant voice sounds.
“Who the fuck are you guys, and why did you kill our rescuers?”
Chapter Three
Ellie
“My name is Terex, and this is Deraz and Asroz,” the giant alien growls. He’s huge, and his muscles flex as he takes a step forward. His hair falls to his shoulders, pulled away from his face in small plaits decorated with beads and pieces of leather. His shirt is ripped, and I can see what look like blue scales down one side of his shoulder.
In
short, he’s both incredibly sexy and completely terrifying.
“You think they’re overcompensating with those swords?” Hand-Raiser murmurs, and Nevada snorts.
“We are your rescuers,” he says. “Those creatures are Voildi, and they would have taken you back to their camp, slaughtered you, and eaten you over the next few days.”
I feel the blood drain from my face.
“No wonder Ellie was so popular,” Lingerie says. “She’d be a meal and a half.”
“What the fuck, Vivian?” Nevada snaps.
I blush, turning away as I feel Terex’s eyes on me. All it takes is one insult, and I’m eleven years old again, listening to my mother bemoan the fact that I can’t fit into Amelia’s old pageant dresses.
I blow out a breath. Vivian, huh? We all deal with trauma in different ways, and maybe Vivian deals with hers by being a giant bitch.
“I told you guys there was something weird about them,” I mutter.
Vivian turns from where she was checking out the aliens and narrows her eyes at me. “Then why didn’t you grow a spine and fight harder?”
“Enough, Vivian,” Nevada says. “You were the one who shot her down when she said she didn’t trust them.”
Vivian opens her mouth but snaps it shut as Nevada’s eyes narrow at her.
Nevada turns to Terex. “Some of those Voildi took Beth, Zoey, and Ivy,” she says. “We have to find them.”
Terex exchanges glances with the other warriors while I scan the clearing. “You guys. Charlie isn’t here either. Did you see who took her?”
Blank faces. Shit.
“At the very least, she had a concussion. We need to see if she wandered off somewhere,” I say firmly. “Maybe she decided to hide.”
Thankfully, everyone agrees with me, and we begin checking the trees beyond the clearing. I search with Hand-Raiser, who tells me her name is Alexis, and we look for places Charlie might have curled up, hoping to hide.
