Veronica started to sweat, she felt like her entire body was crying, yet her eyes remained still and focused.
“Grear!” one of the Doradans yelled, “You know why we’re here. We want the machine!”
“Never!” Grear said, standing in front of Veronica, protecting her.
“You have no choice, you are out matched in every way,” the Doradan snickered.
One of the Doradan soldiers grabbed his metal war staff; it started to glow in a bright orange light. He swiped it in front of Grear sending him hurtling into the wall of the spaceship, knocking him unconscious.
“You!” he said to Veronica, “You are coming with us.”
Veronica felt the fear kick into warp drive as she attempted to maintain calm. The Doradan warrior twirled his intergalactic boomstick in his hands and waved it across the other Ghoma standing next to her; they too hurtled into the wall and fell to the floor unconscious.
“Come with us willingly and we let them live; refuse and they die.” It was a raw deal.
Veronica was left with an impossible choice. She stared at Grear who remained motionless.
“What’s it going to be, machine? Life or death for your new friends?”
“LIFE!” she yelled.
“That is what I thought.”
He grabbed her hair and turned his wrist, pulling her hair tight as he forced her to her feet. In an instant a bright glow of light surrounded them.
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Excerpts from my other stories
In the Trees: Galactic Group Breeders
The Camping Trip of a Lifetime
“Here we go ladies!” I said, my white-knuckled hands gripping the steering wheel as we turned into the campgrounds at The Lone Pines in central Arizona. It was a gorgeous location. Pine trees were scattered for miles around, a rugged, un-kept dirt road had led up to it; it was truly in the middle of nowhere. I rolled down the windows letting the crisp mountain air inside the car. I could smell the pine needles and hear a light wind meandering through the trees; the sound of my tires grinding into the gravel brought me back to childhood road trips with my dad. As far as I was concerned, this was heaven on Earth. I lived for the outdoors and couldn’t wait to set up shop.
My friends looked scared, or at the very least apprehensive; I was hesitant to even ask them on this trip. I thought it was a little weird to be scared of nature, but I guess some people get so accustomed to their own internal and local worlds they fear venturing out. Eva and Lindsey were definitely victims of modern society, and I thought getting out into the wild would be a good experience for them, helping them grow out of their electronic solitudes. I had sold them hard on this trip and I was delighted when they agreed to come.
I wanted a girls-only weekend. I could have easily asked my husband, but I doubted he would want to come, and I knew my girls and I would have more fun together anyways. That is just how things went with us. We’d grown up together, watched men come and go, as each of us were married, and even through Eva’s divorce we stayed friends. Relationships like that you keep; relationships like that you nurture. I had felt troubled as we had all steadily grown more distant from one another over the last year, like tree roots spreading outward in opposite directions. Sooner or later, we’d no longer be close. Above all else, I wanted this trip to bring us back together, although this wasn’t something I’d advertised to my friends.
Eva spent the entire four hour ride checking her makeup and Lindsey kept complaining that her Facebook wouldn’t connect; she’d snapped a whole album of selfies that beckoned to be uploaded, her poor ego needing a warm stroking from the internet. I share no such fascination with myself; my eyes were on the scenery, not some electronic distraction I was hopelessly addicted to. “Turn it off Linds!” I said, “What is so important on Facebook? Look around you, it is beautiful out here!”
“Hmm, yea, I guess. I can always just look at Google images.” she said, her face and fingers quickly returning to her iPhone to show me pictures of trees, and then to her front facing camera for another ego feeding selfie.
Eva looked over at her annoyed, even she was tired of the small LED light blinding everybody every five minutes. “Lindsey, put it away yea?” she said.
Finally Lindsey succumbed to peer pressure, putting her phone in her purse, becoming visibly agitated in its absence, a sign of true addiction.
I finally made it through the bumpy road and toward the check-in at The Lone Pines.
“Alright you guys, we’re here. Sit tight, I’m going to check in.” I pulled the car up to a small parking area, it was deserted, strangely so. As I opened the door I realized no one was in the small check-in booth, the wood looked old; there were cobwebs and pine needles that looked like they hadn’t been swept out in months. I had made reservations on the website recently, and we made it in time. Someone should have been here. The entrance to the park was closed off with a large, thick chain. Attached to it was metal sign that read: “NO TRESSPASSING!”
As I walked back to the car, I noticed Eva and Lindsey were annoyed, they could tell something wasn’t right.
“What the fuck, Jennie?” Eva said, “Didn’t you make reservations?”
I leaned into the car from the open window, “I did. I don’t know what the hell is going on.”
Lindsey sighed and reached for her phone. Neither of them tried to help me, but it is what I expected so I had no reason to be mad.
I walked up to the chain blocking the road and noticed that the link connecting it to one of the metal poles it hung on was loose. I removed the link and pulled the chain back and to the other side of the road, allowing entry into the campground. I darted back to the car, steam escaping from my breath as the cold air chilled my ears. I rested on the open window and looked inside at my friends. “OK guys,” I said, “I made reservations, and we’re getting what we paid for. I didn’t pack this damn car for nothing and I’m ready to do this. Who’s with me?”
Silence, the faces of women scorned looking back at me. Screw it. I opened the car door back up and drove to our site reservation. It didn’t take long there were only twenty spaces and we were reserved for space thirteen. It was a strange feeling though, the place was completely barren of life. I hadn’t seen anything yet. Not a squirrel, or a dear, or even a rabbit. It was just plain dead.
My friends were too occupied to notice the small details that most people take for granted, but I looked at it as my survival instinct being well honed; others had told me I had an anxiety disorder and I was paranoid. Maybe they were right.
The sun was still up as light filtered through the trees, I could see rays of light interspersed with shadows through the windshield. It was so serene, like a scene from a movie. I backed the car into our spot and popped the trunk. I was meticulous to pack all we would need for the three nights of our stay: a tent, stove, wood, chairs, food, sleeping bags, lanterns, you name it - the last thing I was going to be was unprepared, especially this deep into the forest.
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The Dunes: Galactic Group Breeders
New Age Religion
It was a hot summer morning on a road toward Sedona, AZ. Me and my two friends, Gwen, and Rose were on a quest of enlightenment. We had met in yoga a year ago. We were all dealing with the after effects of abusive men and punishing divorces, a common bond that brought us together. In hindsight we sought refuge in the comforting silence of yoga. It taught us to breathe, it taught us to let the toxicity of our emotions escape with our breath, and it taught us to live in the moment, something none of us were ever able to do until our first backbend.
We were driving in from Lancaster, CA and were just crossing the Mojave Desert. It was a barren wasteland of old mining towns and volcanic rock formations. Dead tumbleweeds blew over the land as the wind howled with hurricane force strength. Dust and gravel were kicked up in smal
l vortexes that ripped across the landscape like mini tornados. The road was hot and cut through the dirt like a black vein heading into oblivion.
“Kristy,” Gwen said, “You ever wonder what’s buried out here?”
“No, Gwen. And I’d rather not.”
“It just seems like the perfect place to hide things. Evidence, bodies, drugs. It makes me want to explore.”
“Well Gwen, I’ll let you out…” I said, “Let me know what you find when I pick your parched, sun-stroked body up a week from now on the way back.”
I wasn’t joking. This landscape scared me; but I knew Gwen was right, there were secrets in the desert, secrets better left buried as far as I was concerned. I could sense Gwen’s continued delight at torturing me with these questions.
“Kristy, pull over.” Rose said, “I gotta pee.”
“Can you hold it?” I said.
“Sorry babe, it can’t wait.”
I was unnerved but understood the urge. I pulled the car over into a sand embankment, the wheels dug in deep, a little too deep for my comfort and I hoped I would be able to get out. I kept telling myself not to get mad, not to get scared, but I couldn’t help the fear I felt inside. I hated unscheduled stops, especially ones in the middle of nowhere.
We all got out of the car to stretch our legs and take in the desolate, Joshua tree studded scenery. It felt like I had walked into a furnace; the heat took my breath away. “God dammit it’s hot out here.” I said. I got back in the car and clicked on the thermostat, the digital readout read 107 degrees. It almost seemed inhuman.
I exited the car again to take in the view of the sandy dunes. Soft sand rose upward and sloped downward, eventually vanishing into the horizon. It was an endless expanse of nature, unused and preserved for millennia; the only people brave enough to endure these conditions were the Native Americans. Sitting out here in this desperate heat I felt a newfound respect for their culture. This was their land, land that was stolen long ago and locked away by the United States government and the Bureau of Land Management.
Rose finished urinating and headed back to the car, I followed. As I looked back toward the road I saw large white sign with bold, black lettering that read, “NATIVE AMERICAN SWEAT LODGE, TURN OFF IN 2 MILES AND HEAD EAST TOWARD THE RISING SUN.”
Gwen’s adventurous eyes caught the sign; they lit up like firecrackers on the fourth of July. “You want to live a little?” she said, staring at me with mischievous eyes, eyes that I knew were up to no good.
“What do you mean?” I said.
“The sweat lodge, let’s go.”
“There is no way in hell am I getting involved with that. People die in those huts. Have you felt it outside? Why in the hell do you want to get hotter? Are you not uncomfortable enough already?”
“Come on Kristy, you seriously need to live a little. You’re too cooped up in your safe little world. I’ve heard the trance state achieved in sweat lodges can be a peaceful, mind expanding experience, transformative even. I want to go. Let’s put it to a vote.” Gwen looked at Rose, “I guess you’re the deciding vote. What’s it gunna be?”
“Umm... Umm. I’m not sure. Is it like a sauna?”
“Yes,” Gwen said, “exactly like a sauna.” My face grew more annoyed by the second, sensing the obvious manipulation and half-truth fed to Rose.
“Ok, Gwen. I’m in.” said Rose.
Gwen looked at me with a smirk on her face. “Get ready to sweat out your apprehension and grow a pair. Think you can hang?”
I didn’t want to be a pain in the ass so I went with it; they already called me Queen Buzzkill, shortened to “Buzz.” I couldn’t help wondering if Gwen was right, maybe it was time for some adventure.
Continuing up the road we past one more sign, this one read: “NATIVE AMERICAN SWEAT LODGE, NEXT RIGHT! -->”.
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The Spa: Galactic Group Breeders
A Floating Surprise
It had all the makings of a long, hard day at work. My fingers were sore from typing, my neck ached and there was an overall exhaustion constantly leaving me drained. Stress kept me tense in my leather chair as I watched emails come from my boss that sent pulses of anger and frustration through me. I wanted to scream; it was a tedious sensation which encompassed me daily and the realization that, yes, this was my future. I too easily let the negativity in, but this feeling of hopeless monotony was more than I could stand.
“Finance,” I said, “Why did I get involved in this?!” There were so many other options I could have chosen. Biology, chemistry, all had a ring to it, an allure. I bought the fantasy of money instead, thinking foolishly that if I had enough of it I could buy my freedom; instead I sold my future at the expense of a crippling, treatment resistant depression.
I put my head down and rested it in the palms of my hands, blocking out the glow of my three LCD monitors when I heard a knock at my door. It startled me.
“Helen,” Eva said, “Are you ok?”
I looked up toward Eva, my straightened hair a frazzled mess, “No. Not even close, not now, not ever.”
Eva walked into my office and sat down on a leather chair that was beginning to fall apart at the seams. She looked at me confused, her blue eyes concentrating on me, “I thought you loved this job babe?”
“Ha!” I said, laughing sarcastically. “I love it when I get to go home, sure.” I wasn’t sure if crawling into the fetal position and watching Netflix was something to look forward to, but after what I had been through in my personal life, it was all I had at this moment in time.
“Helen, come on now. We gotta get you out, this isn’t healthy, hun.” Eva said.
“Out? Ha!” I laughed again.
“No, I’m serious Helen!” she said. “Listen, I’ve got a surprise for you…”
“A surprise? For me? Why?” I said.
“Yes, for your birthday.”
Yes, my birthday, a day I cursed and scorned. I had purposely kept it quiet, even the thought of the horrific birthday song and its many variants made me cringe.
I paused before responding. “And… the surprise?”
Eva put her purse on the table, pulled out an envelope and opened it. “Here,” she said, as she laid three tickets down on my office desk.
I scooted my chair forward, and picked them up to look at them. I was shocked. It was an all-expenses paid spa weekend aboard the Luxurizer. It was a pleasure themed cruise ship whereby you were pampered all weekend, disconnected from the world and forced to relax.
“I… I don’t know what to say!” I had forgotten what it felt like to get excited, this sensation was foreign. I had been depressed for so long that it took something stupendous to make me smile; this didn’t just make me smile, it made me happy.
“Thank you!” I said, “Ok! I see three tickets here. You, me and who?”
“Debra from accounting,” she said. “You should see her, she looks worse than you, completely devoid of life.”
“The tickets don’t expire, but Debra and I want to go this weekend. In fact we are taking off tomorrow and Monday and making it a four day weekend. Can you make it?”
“I can. I have a date but I’ll break it. I’m not into the guy anyways.” I said
“Smart move,” Eva said. “Soon your body will be renewed.” She laughed, but she was serious.
“It’s something about these jobs that deal with numbers,” I said, “It’s like they just suck your soul right out of you. And then it’s the employees and their needs. Then it’s the boss’s needs, and it just never comes time to take care of ourselves. It’s miserable.”
Battle For The Womb Page 4
