by Andrew Gates
We destroyed their city, he thought. We were monsters.
Zozak wondered what would happen to those evolved-ones that still lived, if there even were any survivors at all. The Kholvari would no doubt look unfavorably upon them. Every remaining evolved-one would now be a target.
He shivered at the thought. He hoped, if any still lived, that someone would be able to protect them.
Captain Kal Tyko said a few more words. The remaining speech must have lasted several minutes, though Zozak's mind wandered through much of it. When she was finished, the room was quiet and still. Zozak felt like even a slight jostle would disturb the silence of it all.
"You are now dismissed," the captain finally said.
Zozak calmly nodded and stood up from his seat. Others were slowly making their way out the door. He took a deep breath and decided to sit back down, allowing the crowd to thin out a bit first before proceeding. He closed his eyes as bodies moved around him.
He saw an evolved-one standing in an open plain. His arms were raised high, as if trying to shield off some threat. A ship flew overhead and a hatch opened up. An armored Kholvari promptly dropped down from the vessel, grasping a spear in hand. Without a single moment of hesitation, the Kholvari brought the weapon down, piercing the evolved-one straight through the chest. The creature desperately gasped for breath, but no air came. The Kholvari laughed and removed his helmet.
It was Zozak.
Upon seeing this horrid vision of himself, Zozak opened his eyes and gasped. He jumped to his feet, almost colliding with the captain.
"Kho Zozak, what is the matter?" Tyko asked, eyeing him up.
"I... I..." Zozak could not think of the words. "Nothing," he eventually said. "I must get back to work."
Before the captain could even respond, Zozak turned and made his way out of the room. He needed to be alone right now.
Zozak stared at the numbers on screen. Though the world outside may have been turned upside-down, here in the small confines of his office, work was just as tedious as it always was. Somethings just never changed.
Repairs were already in progress for the steam generators that had been damaged by debris. Most of these processes were automated. Zozak was simply there to make sure things were not going awry. In other words, he cycled between pages of data, making sure the numbers looked proper. He could not imagine a more tedious endeavor.
His mind began to drift as the numbers on screen continued to add up. Zozak could hardly keep track of what he was seeing anymore. He tapped his claws against his shell and turned his gaze away from the monitors. He could feel his legs bouncing restlessly. He took a deep breath.
No matter how hard he tried, Zozak could not ignore the haunting vision from earlier.
I found the evolved-ones. If they are hurt, I am responsible for their fate.
Zozak could not work anymore. To focus on anything was impossible. He wiped his face, then stood up from his seat. He pushed the door open and ran through the halls at full speed.
Tyko passed by as he sprinted through the halls. She stared at him with a curious gaze.
"Kho Zozak, where are you off to?"
He stopped before her and caught his breath. He could not help but feel embarrassed.
"I apologize for this strangeness, Captain. I know I have not been myself today."
"This is a difficult day for us all. I understand."
"No," Zozak challenged, "I do not believe the others are plagued by the same worries as I."
"Still," the captain continued. She placed her right claw on his shoulder, reassuringly. "Whatever thoughts are worrying you, they shall pass with time."
Zozak glanced down to his pointed feet. He sighed, then rejoined Tyko's eyes.
"I must leave. I cannot do my duties any longer," he declared.
"Your words are both bold and hasty. That is just the shock talking. Give it time," Tyko replied.
"I cannot." Zozak shook his head. "I fear I will be overcome by worry and torment should I linger here. I am of no use anyway. I find myself too distracted to accomplish my tasks."
"Did you lose someone?"
"That is not what worries me."
"Then what?"
Zozak paused for a few moments, trying to think of the right words, though nothing came to him.
"I cannot say," he simply replied. As far as he was concerned, it was better to say nothing than to lie. "But I feel I must go."
"Where will you go, Kho Zozak?" she asked.
"I know not the answer. Shore, perhaps. I think I just need distance from this world."
"It is nighttime, Kho Zozak, I urge you to sleep on these thoughts before acting so hastily."
"You will not try to stop me?" Zozak was surprised that the captain did not outright order him to stay.
Tyko shook her head and looked down to her own feet.
"It is impossible to stop someone with a determined mind." She looked up at him again. "I hope logic will compel you to stay, though I will not fight to keep you here, should you choose that path."
"Thank you, Captain Kal Tyko," Zozak said. He bowed to her. Somehow her words made him feel a lot calmer. "I shall heed your advice and wait through the night before acting. In the meantime, I suppose you want me to return to my duties."
"Take the rest of the night off," the captain said. "I can tell you are distracted. More than anything, you must rest. The generators can handle themselves for a night."
For a night. Zozak repeated the words in his mind. She expects me to stay tomorrow morning. She is sure of it.
Zozak bowed and slowly turned away from the captain. He had to admit, he felt slightly better already.
One night, he thought as he walked to his quarters. Then, in the morning, I shall make my decision.
The sun gleamed on the eastern horizon. Zozak held his claws before his eyes as he gazed upon the view. Wind blew against his abdomen, prompting him to lower his arms across his body and shiver.
It was early in the morning, too early for most to be awake at this hour. Most of the crew was certainly still asleep, including the captain.
But it was morning nonetheless. After a sleepless night, it was time for Zozak to make his decision.
He took a deep breath as the boat rocked up and down on the waves.
"It's time," he said to himself aloud. "There is nothing left for me here."
Zozak made his way to the edge of the Golden and lowered the first lifeboat he could find. Once it reached the water, Zozak pulled his body up and over the edge of the boat and hung tightly onto the railing with both claws. He paused. This was it. After this, there was no going back. He looked down at the lifeboat one more time and released his grip on the Golden.
With a thud and rocking waves, Zozak steadied himself atop the lifeboat. After taking a few moments to get settled, he severed the line with his claws and pushed the small vessel away from the Golden. Once a few kotans away, he grabbed hold of the oars and began rowing westward.
Zozak was on his own now. As he rowed more and more, it occurred to him that he had never felt freer, nor more isolated. The feeling was not so much one of loneliness as it was a feeling of liberation. A smile grew across his face as the Golden faded from view.
It did not take long for Zozak to realize he had made the right decision. There was nothing left for him in his old job, his old life. After everything he had seen and been a part of, how could he ever stay behind a desk? He now craved adventure, freedom, the uncertain. It was all that drove him.
It is impossible to stop someone with a determined mind, he recalled. Those words certainly rang true. Zozak felt unstoppable, like a tidal wave breaking through a dam. He did not know where he was going, nor what he would do when he got there, but he knew leaving that ship was the best thing for him.
The evolved-ones, the Kholvari, all of them... they are dead because of my discovery, he reminded himself. I will not be part of this world any longer. I will not sit back and try to ignore what I have
done. I cannot. Such thoughts would destroy me.
After what felt like close to an hour, Zozak saw nothing but the color of water and sky behind him. The Golden, now far beyond his sight, was nothing more than a memory. He smiled, knowing that he was truly gone from that world now.
Several more hours passed before Zozak found himself growing weary. His stomach rumbled. His dry mandibles twitched. He felt himself slowing down. The sun felt so hot against his dark shell. He splashed some water onto his face, trying to stay focused.
That was when he finally saw it.
"Land," he said aloud as Kholvaria appeared on the horizon. The long stretch of continent had never looked so beautiful. The rolling dunes of sand were shielded from the sun by thick canopies of stunning green leaves. Smoldering rocks dotted the shore here and there, obvious remnants of the destroyed Behemoth.
Upon seeing this sight, Zozak felt a wave of reinvigoration rush through him. He gripped the oars tightly and rowed with all his might. He felt himself grunt with every motion. Each row lunged the boat forward with impressive force. At this rate, Zozak would reach the shore in no time.
The sun lingered directly above by the time the boat pressed into the sandy shore. Zozak practically fell out of the boat in excitement. Water splashed up everywhere, some into his mouth. He quickly spat it out and crawled up the beach. The land felt somehow both soft and sturdy beneath his feet at the same time. He welcomed this feeling as he dropped to the ground and took a deep breath of relief.
Zozak sat still on the sand for a few minutes before finding the strength to stand up and continue. Now that he had finally abandoned the Golden and reached land, his next priority was to find food. He scanned the area. There were certainly many birds around, along with an entire ocean of fish behind him.
A crab brushed against his foot as it scurried by. Zozak simply looked down at the small creature and let it pass. Crabs were too alike his own kind. He did not feel comfortable pursuing them for food, though he knew of others who had.
Zozak made his way westward into the trees. He stumbled a few times as he tried to adapt to the slope of the land, though it did not take him long to find his footing. Within seconds, he stood beneath the canopy of green.
More small animals scurried around him, though these were all too quick to catch.
"Curses! I am too slow!" he said to himself.
Suddenly he heard what sounded like voices. Zozak paused and scanned the area, wondering what may have caused the curious noise. He saw nothing but trees.
All this time with nothing to eat has filled your mind with delusions, he told himself. He took a deep breath and slapped his own face. There was no reason for any others to be out here.
But then he heard a rustling coming from a nearby bush. Whatever had caused it, it sounded large. Suddenly Zozak did not feel so crazy anymore.
"Who is there?" Zozak asked, spinning around. "Show yourself!"
Twigs snapped nearby.
"Show yourself!" Zozak shouted again. He could feel his heart beat faster. He feared a ruor would jump out at any second.
In an instant, four naked evolved-ones jumped down from the trees above, while two others emerged from bushes below. Each wielded spears made of sharpened branches. Zozak crouched down and shielded himself with his claws as the evolved-ones crawled on top of him. He felt their sharp spear tips pierce his skin and hands grab at his shell.
"Stop!" he shouted, knowing that these creatures could not understand a single word he said. "I mean you no harm!"
But the evolved-ones did not stop. They continued to attack him like dogs in a hunt. Not knowing what else to do, Zozak jumped up, knocking most of the evolved-ones off him. Only two still clung to his back as he desperately darted through the forest, away from his attackers.
More evolved-ones jumped out of the woods as he ran, but Zozak carefully dodged them all and continued along.
Just as he picked up speed, a familiar evolved-one stepped out only a few kotans before him. The creature was confident and still.
Zozak stopped in place a mere breath from the evolved-one and paused.
"You!" Zozak said, pointing. Surprisingly, the creature did not move. Instead, the evolved-one stared back intently, interested in what Zozak had to say, almost like he understood. "I know you!"
"You know me?" the evolved-one replied in words Zozak could understand.
Zozak nodded.
"I do," he replied. "Though the last time we crossed paths, you were unconscious."
SARA SNAPPED THE CRUSTACEAN'S LEG in half, revealing the soft white meat inside. She quickly slurped it down and cast the bones aside, desperate for another bite.
If Allora had been here, she probably would have made a comment about cooking the meat instead of eating it raw. But she was not here and Sara was too hungry to sit around and wait for water to come to a boil.
Allora was gone. There had been no sign of her since Sara forced her out of her mind on the way to shore. But Allora's absence did not put Sara's mind at ease. The mental parasite had wormed its way into her head before. What was to stop it from happening again?
Sara quickly finished off the rest of the animal's meat and tossed the shell and bones aside on the sand. It felt good to eat. Her stomach yearned for even the slightest morsel. After all her time on the platform, she was now exposed to a world of new foods. Different types of trees and animals were ripe for exploration. It was like being a child in a toy store. Sara loved every moment of her culinary experimentation.
It had only been a day since Sara arrived on solid land, but she had tried so much in that time. She had not felt this adventurous, nor this safe, in months. Somehow just being on solid land made her feel more comfortable.
Without Allora's mental presence to keep her company, Sara found herself reminiscing on old times. Her mind often wandered to the past, of her days in the station below the sea. Her old life was an adventure of a very different sort. She certainly had her own share of challenges down below.
The first time Sara felt true pain was during her time in Navy boot camp. For years she had always envisioned boot camp as nothing but crawling below sharp wires while a bald man shouted orders. It came as a rude awakening when Sara discovered a brutal world of torture-resistance training. Electrocutions, knives, fists, long days forced to stay awake. These were the tools of her training. Now, starved and dehydrated on a solid continent, her training finally had a chance to demonstrate its worth.
A mysterious rustling sound caused Sara to suddenly forget about her memories. She stopped in place on the beach and stared at the line of trees to the west. She saw nothing. The crashing of waves along the sand was now all she heard.
Sara knew she had heard something. She was certain of it. For a brief time, she considered her options. She could call out for help and risk alerting unfortunate company to her whereabouts, or she could remain quiet and risk missing out on an opportunity for help. If Allora were here, she would tell me to remain quiet, Sara thought. So naturally, she did the opposite.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" the woman asked as she stared out into the line of trees.
For a moment, there was no response. Sara began to wonder if whatever was out there was more afraid of her than she was of it. But after a few seconds of silence, a tall shadowy figure appeared from behind the trees. Sara gasped at the sight and fell to the sand in fear.
I must be hallucinating, she thought. Allora must be back. She's playing a trick on me!
The figure had four legs. The front two bent backwards, not unlike human knees. The back legs bent forward, like nothing she had ever seen on a creature this size. The legs met at a shelled abdomen. Its body was slender. Two long arms protruded from its thin torso, ending in massive crab-like claws. Its head was like something out of a nightmarish fantasy. Sara could see pointed teeth inside its mandibles.
Sara closed her eyes for a moment, hoping that the monster would disappear when she opened them again. But when she reopened h
er eyes, the creature remained. Suddenly it hit her that this was no fantasy. It was real.
The frightened woman tried to stand, but lost her footing in an instant and stumbled back onto the sand.
"Don't hurt me!" she shouted. She held both hands out before her face.
Another monster suddenly appeared from the forest and joined its counterpart. This one was a bit shorter in height and its shell slightly lighter in color, though that did not make it any less terrifying.
Both monsters neared her. Sara felt her heart race. She could not believe this was real.
"Stay away!" she shouted, still finding herself unable to stand.
I'm going to die, she knew. Oh Lord Beyond Both Seas, this is it!
"Wait!" a human voice suddenly bellowed from the forest. Both monsters stood still right away, as if following orders.
What in the world is going on?
Suddenly a familiar figure emerged from the forest. Sara slapped her face in disbelief as she saw him. Now I must be dreaming, she thought as her muscles gave away and she fell to the sand, unconscious.
"Captain, are you okay?" the voice asked. "Sara, it's me. It's Damien."
Sara opened her eyes, not knowing how long she had been asleep. She guessed it must not have been long, as the sun had hardly shifted across the sea above.
The face of a dead man stood before her. He looked different than she remembered. His skin was darker and sweatier and his face was now covered in a thick layer of hair. But his eyes, his unmistakable eyes. Sara recognized them well. It was definitely him.
"How... how alive?" Sara asked. She breathed heavily.
"Sit up, Sara'" Damien responded, not bothering to answer her question.
Sara felt Damien's hand on her back as she adjusted herself and sat up. She was still on the beach, right where she remembered. The two monsters stood behind Damien, watching her with great interest. Other humans also stood beneath the trees, all of them naked.
