Sophia shook her head to sweep the bad thoughts away. “You can't think like, Sophia. Rescue is coming. You just need to believe.”
She fumbled some of the firewood on the way back to ship and dropped them into a pile near the entrance. She didn't want to try and light a fire yet. Sophia knew she'd fail. So she put it off by gathering more and more firewood until the sun began to set.
The temperature began to plummet dramatically. She brought in the firewood and closed the manual doors. But that didn't keep out the cold. Sophia huddled in the ship as far from McCready's lifeless body as she could.
She'd have to deal with that tomorrow.
“I really wish I didn't put out that fire right about now.” Sophia looked around the ship for anything that could start a fire. She took two pieces of wreckage and tried striking them together. They barely made a spark.
Moving around was the only thing keeping her warm. “There must be some tools around here.” Sophia searched the entire cabin and came up empty-handed. The only place left to look was the control panel that McCready was humped over.
The thought of even touching the corpse made Sophia gag. She approached him cautiously, scared to death that he'd come back as a zombie.
Sophia reached out with her fingertips. “Please don't be a zombie. Please don't be a zombie.” She touched the dead body and it didn't feel much different from a live one. Except that it was cold like a fish.
Sophia shut her eyes and pulled McCready off the control panel, laying the body gently onto the floor. She opened her eyes and immediately regretted it. The body was very badly burned. McCready's face was almost unrecognizable. A deathly smile was his last expression.
She returned to the control panel and search around. Underneath Sophia found a compartment that housed various tools. “Finally, something useful.” She pulled out a small looking gun and pulled the trigger. A small blue flame shot out.
Sophia piled the firewood together and applied the laser gun. The wood ignited instantly. Her eyes grew. “Fuck yes! You got this, Sophia.” She put her hands up and absorbed the heat. That was the first moment that Sophia felt a little relaxed.
But her stomach didn't let her rest. “When was the last time I ate?” She remembered vaguely eating something a day ago. “What the hell am I supposed to eat on the this damn planet? Better worry about it tomorrow.”
Sophia closed her eyes and rested uncomfortably next to the fire. She had no idea how exhausted she was.
–
Sophia awoke the next morning and found the fire had died. She pumped the manual lever again and opened the doors. The sun was blinding but warm. It was odd that she heard no signs of life. No birds singing. No rabbits scurrying around.
“What is a girl supposed to eat and drink on this planet?” Sophia started out on her search, always keeping The Breach in sight. No animals of any sort but she did find some dark purple things that could be berries.
She gathered a few handfuls but knew that many earth berries were poisonous. What would alien berries be like? She wasn't hungry enough to test them yet but she kept them for when it became necessary.
Sophia looked around for any signs of water but found none. Even if there was a river or lake nearby, she might need to travel far from the ship and the possibility of rescue.
Sophia returned to the ship with an empty stomach and an incredible thirst. “I guess I should give McCready a proper burial.”
McCready was heavier than she thought but she was able to drag his body off the ship. It took two hours for her to dig a hole deep enough. Sophia barely had any energy left. The alien berries were looking better and better.
Sophia rolled McCready's body into the hole. “I'm sorry,” she said.
Sophia wiped all the dirt back into the hole until the body was completely covered. “I guess I should say something since this is your funeral. I didn't know much about you but I enjoyed our late night conversations. I just wanted to thank you for saving my life. Even if it doesn't last much longer.”
Sophia returned to the ship and passed out next to the pile of burned up firewood. A dry mouth woke her up only a couple hours later. She tried to produce saliva in her mouth but nothing would come.
She knew that she needed water to survive. It would only be a matter of days if she didn't find any soon.
She brought out a handful of berries. “In the meantime, I might as well try these.” She popped a few in her mouth and almost spit them out from the intense sour taste. It took a lot of effort to swallow them but she got them down.
Sophia braced for her stomach to explode but nothing happened. “Maybe these are safe to eat after all. But better not eat anymore just in case.”
–
The next day, Sophia set out on her first big mission of exploring for water. She knew that she'd have to travel far away from the ship. She kept a bag of ash from the fire and rubbed it on trees as she passed them. “All I have to do is follow the white marks back home.”
Saying home out loud, almost made Sophia cry. The thought of never getting off this planet was unbearable. But she pushed on, roaming the forest in search of life-saving liquid.
After a couple hours of walking in the same direction, Sophia had found nothing but more trees. The forest seemed to almost cover the entire planet. Or at least the area she was in. She returned back to the ship in even dire shape.
Sophia wouldn't make it much longer without water.
“I'll go out in another direction tomorrow,” she said, curling up to a fire and falling asleep.
The morning sun rose again to shine on the wreckage of The Breach. Sophia was too weak to move. She was slowly wasting away from the lack of food and water.
But she needed to go out and search for water. It was the only way to survive.
“I need to get out there.” Sophia lifted her head, expecting the rest of her body to follow.
She collapsed back onto the ground. The fire had died out but the inside of the ship was still warm. Sophia has no more energy left. She fell back asleep.
–
As day turned to night, Sophia finally willed herself to get up and go outside. Hunting in the dark wasn't ideal but this might be her last chance to find some sustenance.
She set out in the opposite direction of the previous day.
But she didn't have to go far before she heard a rustling in the leaves.
A blue humanoid man came waltzing through the forest. It had to be a mirage.
But it wasn't.
Sophia had seen nothing like him before. Built like a brick wall, this alien was humongous. Long black hair cascaded on his shoulders. His appearance was a shock but it somehow looked familiar. He wasn't that much different than the bodybuilders from earth except for the blue skin.
Sophia didn't know whether to run away or run into his arms.
“Hello,” she said.
Chapter Four
Tyrex didn't respond to Sophia's greetings. He'd never heard anything like it before. In fact, he'd never seen anything like her before.
Her blonde hair and blue eyes were alien to him. Nobody on Jeorn was like that.
Sophia laughed.“I bet you don't speak English.” She put up her finger in a wait-a-moment gesture.
Sophia went back in The Breach and searched around the tools until she found the necklace. She never had to use a universal translator but knew it would be handy on Space Station 7756. She clipped it tightly around her neck until it pressed against her throat.
Sophia ran back outside and the blue alien was still standing there, his mouth almost agape.
“Let's try this again. Hello! My name is Sophia Jordan”
Tyrex tilted his head to the side. He actually understood what she was saying. “Hello my name is Tyrex Luk'ta,” he replied back.
Sophia jumped up and down in excitement. “We made contact.”
“Who are you?” Tyrex asked.
“I don't even know where to start.” Sophia looked at the sky and
mimed a ship flying through the air and crashing.
Tyrex looked up at the blue sky too. “You can fly?”
“Well not me personally. But we can fly in ships. She pointed to the wreckage behind her.”
Tyrex looked at the remains and raised an eyebrow.
Sophia shook her head. “Well it didn't look like that before. We had a problem in space and I crashed landed here.”
Tyrex didn't exactly understand what she was talking about but that didn't matter. “Are you okay?”
Sophia smiled. Just knowing that she was rescued relieved her. “I'm not injured but I could use a drink of water and something to eat.”
“I can help with that. My village is not far. I can take you to my home if that is what you desire?”
Sophia nodded. “That would be wonderful.”
Tyrex turned and began walking back towards the village. Sophia caught up to him and took one last look at The Breach. “So long, McCready.”
“What did you say?” Tyrex asked.
“Oh nothing.” Sophia's stomach growled. “So how far is your village from here.”
“Like I said before, not far.”
“Sorry if I'm acting weird. It's just...I've never met an alien before.”
Tyrex smiled. “Guess what? I've never met one before either.”
“Doesn't your race of people have space travel.”
Tyrex took time to answer. “No we don't.”
Sophia felt a ball in her throat. The chance of getting off this planet was almost at zero. Rescue was her only option now. But at least she wasn't going to die any longer.
Tyrex led them both through the forest until they came to his small village. The area was more of a desert landscape than the lush forest Sophia has spent the last couple days in. Sbe was amazed at how close their huts resembled that of primitive earthlings.
“So this is where you live?” she asked.
“This is home. This is Ja'la,” Tyrex replied.
Ja'la wasn't translated with her necklace so Sophia knew that it meant the name of the place. “This place looks amazing.”
“And this here is the hut that my parents and I live in.” Tyrex showed her a clay hut built into a dirt hill.
Sophia was surprised to hear that Tyrex lived with his parents. “How old are you?” she asked.
“It has been twenty years since my birth.”
Sophia laughed. “Same as me.”
Tyrex pointed to a well next to the hut. “You may drink from that.”
Sophia almost pushed Tyrex out of the way to get to the water. The stone well was deep and the fresh water glistened brightly in the sun. Sophia immediately dunked her entire head in, swallowing as much as possible.
She came up for a quick breath and returned to drinking.
Tyrex watched with a fascination. Sophia whipped her head out and water sprayed from her blonde hair. Sophia wiped her mouth and smiled. This creature looked so much like him but she was very different.
“Oh my god, that is the best tasting water. I don't know if it's because it's alien water or because I was on death's door. But I don't think I'll ever get tired of drinking water again.”
Tyrex motioned to the entrance of the hut. “Now come inside, I will give you something to eat.”
Sophia was so hungry she was ready to eat anything, even a weird space slug.
The hut was sparsely furnished. A large red rug covered the dirt floor. There were a few table and chairs made out of stone.
“Please be quiet, my parents are asleep now.”
Sophia nodded as Tyrex left her to go into another room.
Sophia sat down on one of the stone chairs and couldn't get comfortable.
Tyrex returned with a basket. “Here is some Jeorn burloq.” The basket was filled with what looked like Earth bread except it was green colored.
Sophia thought it was moldy at first but as she inspected it further, the bread looked just like the bread from back home.
“What is Jeorn?”
“Our planet.”
The first bite into the bread was divine. It definitely didn't taste like bread from back home. It tasted more like steak and potatoes.
“Eat as much as you like.”
Sophia took another and stuffed her face. She wasn't worried about manners at this point. Her empty stomach had taken over her senses.
“I am sure you would like to go to sleep now.”
Sophia's mouth was stuffed full. She didn't even bother trying to speak and just nodded.
“I will go prepare your bed. Tomorrow you can meet my parents.”
Sophia swallowed a large lump of burloq. “I would like that very much. “Thank you, Tyrex.”
Sophia continued to eat as Tyrex made her bed in the next room. He was worried about how his parents would feel about an alien under the roof. They weren't the most understanding.
Tyrex returned to the living room to find the basket of burloq empty. That could feed a family of four for two days. “Earth women have huge appetites.”
Sophia blushed. “I'm sorry, I hadn't eaten in a long time. They were very delicious.”
Tyrex smiled. “My mother will be very pleased to hear that. “Your bed awaits, Sophia Jordan.”
“You can just call me Sophia.”
Tyrex bowed slightly. “Then Sophia, your bed is ready.”
Sophia was led into a small bedroom. A stone slab was centered in the middle with a light white sheet on it. No other amenities. “This is lovely. Much better than slipping in the wreckage of the ship. Thank you again, Tyrex. You saved my life.”
He shook his head. “Think nothing of it, Sophia. Sleep well.”
Sophia was alone again. She tried her best to dry off her hair and got into bed. The stone slab was just about as comfortable as the chair she sat on in the living room. She pulled the small sheet to her chin and stared at the clay ceiling.
“What the hell are you going to do?”
Sophia was more exhausted than she knew. It didn't take long for her to pass out on the cold bed.
Chapter Five
An hour after sunrise, Sophia was still asleep and Tyrex still hadn't told his parents what he was hiding in the spare bedroom. He couldn't wait much longer because they were awake and would find her eventually.
Tyrex approached the both of them in the living room. “Mother, Father, I have something to confess.”
“What is it, Tyrex?” his mother asked.
“I met someone last night.”
His father leaned forward in his stone chair. “I told you it wouldn't take long to find your Intended.”
Tyrex inhaled a deep breath. “Actually that's not what I meant. While I was walking through the forest last night. I came upon a strange creature.”
“Oh Tyrex, you didn't bring home a stray yuwil again did you?”
When Tyrex was six years old, he'd found a black yuwil wandering the forest. Yuwils were domesticated and were never let out to roam free. Tyrex felt sorry for the animal and carried him all the way home.
But his parents refused to let him keep it. “You're not responsible enough to take care of a pet, Tyrex,” his father had told him. In the end he had to give it to another family.
Tyrex couldn't help but laugh. “No, it's not exactly a yuwil.”
“Well, what is it?” his mother asked.
Sophia stumbled into the living room, rubbing her eyes. “Good morning.” She yawned.
Tyrex's parents were left speechless.
Tyrex walked to Sophia. “Mother. Father. This is Sophia. This is my father, Kitor and my mother, Lija.”
Sophia smiled. “Nice to meet you.”
“Is this a joke, Tyrex?” his father asked.
“No joke, Father. I found her last night in the forest.”
“But where did she come from?” his mother asked.
Sophia stepped forward. “I'm from Earth. A planet very far from here. My ship crashed landed in the forest. I thought I was going to die unt
il Tyrex saved my life.”
Tyrex's mother fell back onto the stone couch. “An alien?”
“I know it's a shock, Mother. I was surprised too.”
Devil's Hellions MC Complete Series Box Set Page 33
