by Sonia Nova
She looked at him for a moment in horror. His fingers were on the gun, and his eyes were trained on the two Krezlians approaching – although he no doubt was listening to the three other ones too. They had also started their approach.
But the determination in his eyes… Naomi realized there was no talking him out of this one. And really, what else were they going to do?
So, with a determination of her own, she turned back toward the cells and ran down the corridor.
When she found the cell she thought held the women, she started banging on the door, yelling to them. She hoped they would answer, but no sounds emerged from the other side. The door was too thick to let in any sound – for the human ears at least. Shit.
She stared at the door, desperately trying to figure out how to get the women out of there. She didn’t think the gun was powerful enough to blast through the door, and she wasn’t too keen to try it either, worried the plasma shot might instead bounce off the door and into her. After all, Arez had blasted off the lock to the side, instead of shooting the actual door. But there was no way Naomi was going to be able to push the door aside as Arez had done, when it had required all his strength too.
Naomi banged the door a few more times, slowly falling to the floor in desperation. Crap… What now? How could she ever get her people out?
She heard the sounds of ongoing battle behind her. It seemed it was more of a fist fight than anything else.
Arez shouted, obviously in pain, and Naomi’s breath caught in panic.
Shit… She couldn’t help the girls, couldn’t get them out. But she could help Arez and damn her if she let him die because of her, because of her desperate plan to rescue the others.
With a last look to the door, she whispered, “I’ll be back for you later.”
With a newfound courage, she turned toward the entrance of the cell block. Gripping the gun tightly in her hands, with her heart beating a frantic rhythm in her chest, she dashed toward the door.
CHAPTER 23
AREZ
Fists and plasma shots were flying around in the corridor. Arez jumped as one of the fiery blasts headed his way, avoiding it by an inch. It seemed the bastard lizards were giving him all they had, and Arez knew he was in trouble.
Every once in a while, the ground shook beneath his feet from the explosions taking place outside the ship. Already, his injured leg was killing him because of the hit he’d taken earlier, and the constant shaking wasn’t making things any better. Fortunately, the Krezlians were just as affected by the moving ground and, with their slow reflexes, Arez was at an advantage.
But he knew he couldn’t afford any more injuries.
In the last minute since Naomi had disappeared into the cellblock, four more Krezlians had joined the fight. Although Arez had managed to incapacitate three of the bastards so far, there were still six left, and no doubt more on the way.
He would have to do something, and quick, if he wanted to get Naomi out of here. Coming for the other humans had been a mistake. He knew Naomi had wanted to save them, that as an Ambassador, she considered them her responsibility. But now… He was risking Naomi with this too, and that was the last thing he wanted.
Of course, he’d realized too late that without him, she likely couldn’t even free the human women from their cell. He hoped she would at least stay behind the half-closed cellblock door, at a safe distance from the ongoing fight, until he figured out a solution to their current situation.
If he figured out a solution.
The ground shook again, and Arez cursed in his mind as one of the Krezlian guards charged toward him. The Krezlians seemed to prefer using their fists in the fight – although they didn’t exactly hold back trying to shoot him in the legs either. But all the shots were clearly meant to injure, not kill, and it was obvious they wanted to capture him alive.
Arez would’ve been a fool to grant them the same courtesy. Aiming his gun, he shot the approaching bastard straight through his stomach, feeling the warmth of his blood as it splattered all over him.
Four down. Five more to go.
He grabbed the dead Krezlian from the ground, pulling the man’s body close to his own to use it as a shield. Rushing to the end of the corridor, he shot at the other guards, who weren’t saving their plasma anymore either. He threw the body of the dead Krezlian forward, hoping to distract the group of guards so he could take at least one of them out.
But just then, another guard jumped him from behind.
With the blast of plasma shots and the Krezlians yelling commands at each other, he hadn’t heard the man approaching at all. Arez’s eyes widened as he was taken by surprise. The guard’s green arms wrapped around his neck, and quickly tightened into a chokehold, gripping onto him with a deathly force.
Arez growled, trying to shake the bastard loose. He shook his body from side to side, but the movement only allowed the guard better access to his neck. Fuck. His breath wheezed and he struggled to breathe, the tight hold of the Krezlian keeping him captive. Arez quickly rushed to the nearest wall and banged the guard against it in an attempt to break free.
But the fucker just wouldn’t let go.
Another Krezlian jumped into his field of vision, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Arez’s vision swam and he tried to order his oxygen-deprived brain to lift his arms and shoot the bastard, but before he could, the guard grabbed hold of his gun.
He tried to rip it out of Arez’s hands, tugging at it forcefully in an attempt to loosen Arez’s hold. But Arez wasn’t about to let his only weapon go. Because if he did… Well, he knew what would happen then.
Arez’s breath hitched and his vision swayed, but he held on to the gun with all his strength, all the while banging the guard at his back against the wall. Trying to get him loose.
The guard before him kicked him, gritting his yellowing teeth at Arez’s face as he tried to wring the gun from his hands. His foul breath filled Arez’s nostrils, but Arez fought back just as hard.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the other Krezlians rounding up around them, pointing their weapons at Arez. Fuck. He couldn’t see them clearly, his vision unfocused. But he knew he was surrounded. He was about to lose. The Krezlian pulling at his gun would have it any moment and then…
What would happen to Naomi…?
Suddenly, just as his body was about to lose its fight and give in to unconsciousness, a stream of plasma shots flew around him. But instead of piercing his skin and scorching his flesh like he expected, the blasts seemed to hit everything but him – as if they were aimed at the Krezlians instead.
What the… Were the bastards shooting at each other?
Fighting for consciousness, Arez could distantly hear the Krezlians yelling as they leaped around in the corridor, trying to avoid being hit by the burning missiles. Even the one wringing his neck finally loosened his grip – to the point that his arms simply slipped off Arez’s shoulders and the guard fell to the ground.
Arez gasped for breath, falling with him. His knees gave out under the Krezlian’s weight and he dropped down to the floor, the air burning his empty lungs as it entered his system. His vision was black and his eyes watered as he coughed, struggling to retain the air in his lungs. His ears rung, and although the air around him was filled with the scent of blood and death, it had never tasted sweeter.
Slowly, his vision started to return to him. Wiping his eyes, he looked up and noticed the guard that had been tugging at his gun was gone – and good thing too, because it looked like he had dropped the weapon at last. Fuck. He picked it up again from the floor, the smell of burning flesh and ash filling his nostrils.
What the hell had happened?
Standing up from his spot, Arez looked around, following the direction of the plasma shots. Krezlians were still dashing around the corridor, avoiding the ongoing stream of shots, and it seemed they were all too occupied with whoever was shooting them to pay him much attention.
And the guard that had
been trying to choke him…?
Dead on the ground. His right arm severed from his body by a high-voltage plasma shot.
Arez grimaced at the grisly sight. His gaze finally reached the source of the shots, and his eyes snapped wide in surprise at what he saw.
By the entrance of the cellblock crouched the small form of Naomi. Her sparkling red hair shone in the light emanating from the plasma shots, and her expression was fierce. She hid behind the half-closed door of the cellblock, hugging her gun close to her chest and shooting at the Krezlians with all her might.
At first, Arez was so shocked by the sight of her that he could hardly think. He wanted to yell at her to get back inside the block, to cover herself and stay in the safety of the corridor. But that’s when he realized that she was the one who had killed the Krezlian at his back – and two more in the process, it seemed, as he scanned the area.
Instead of telling her to hide, a strange sense of pride overtook him and a toothy, savage grin spread on his lips as he watched her work. Four Krezlians remained. Two more had appeared at the scene, but as it was, Naomi seemed to have the situation under control. The Krezlians were trying to get closer to her, even shooting in her direction, but the cellblock door covered her well, and their shots were far off target.
Arez couldn’t help but grin. It seemed the peaceful Ambassador was tougher than she looked.
Just as he was about to join the fight and give the female a helping hand, a pair of footsteps echoed in the other end of the corridor. The ground shook slightly from the force of yet another explosion, and Arez snapped around just in time to see two more Krezlians arrive at the scene. It looked like the bastards arrived in pairs.
Taking strength from Naomi’s appearance, Arez grinned at the guards madly, gripping his gun tightly as he started to dash straight toward them, the promise of death on his mind.
He gave the guards no time to take in the situation, and while they were still balancing themselves after the latest quake, Arez shot the nearest one on the spot.
Unfortunately, the second one was smarter, ducking as he saw his friend’s brain blow apart. Arez tried to shoot him too, but the man disappeared back around the corner, taking cover behind the wall and shooting around it.
Arez avoided his shots, zigzagging the corridor, all the while trying to get closer to the hiding guard. When he reached the corner, the ground shook again, this time harder than ever, the explosion closer than before. It seemed to take the guard by surprise, and for a moment, he stopped shooting.
That was all the distraction Arez needed.
Jumping around the corner, he thrust the end of his gun into the guard’s face, hitting him with all his strength. A crunching sound revealed he had broken the bastard’s nose – and perhaps more – and a satisfied grin spread on Arez’s face.
The guard faltered on his feet, taking a step back, and that’s when Arez reached out with his arm, wrapping it around the guard’s neck. With a forceful twist, he snapped the man’s neck, reveling in the sound of bones crunching beneath his skin.
But the sound brought him little relief as a feminine scream emerged behind him.
Arez’s heart jumped in his chest and he snapped toward the entrance of the cellblock. His eyes widened in horror as he saw a heavy steel beam falling down from the ceiling. It must have moved out of its place in the latest quake and now came crashing to the floor – and straight onto Naomi.
Time seemed to stop and all Arez could see was a patch of red hair as Naomi fell to the ground, her small body disappearing behind the beam. His body moved with pure instinct. He started a mad dash toward the cellblock, all the while waiting for Naomi to get up, to move, to show him that she was alright. Seconds trickled by and his heart pounded in his chest as he waited for her to rise.
But she didn’t.
The four remaining Krezlians approached her, at first slowly, but then the bastards seemed to realize she wasn’t about to get up and start shooting at them anymore. Arez could tell the moment the fuckers understood they had her.
One of the guards jumped, running straight toward her and into the cellblock. Arez increased his pace, trying to make it in time to help Naomi, but he was too far away.
“NAOMI!” He shouted her name at the top of his lungs.
But Naomi wouldn’t budge.
The ground shook beneath their feet again, and Arez bellowed in rage. The Krezlian reached out for Naomi and pulled her out from behind the steel beam. Grabbing hold of her small form, his scaly green hands wrapped around her body in a tight hold.
At that moment, Arez saw red.
He lunged at the remaining Krezlians, punching, kicking, and shooting at them with all his might. He was a whirlwind of rage as he moved across the corridor, from lizard to lizard, leaving a path of destruction in his wake. He killed the three idle guards in a matter of seconds before he moved onto the one holding Naomi.
She lay limp in the guard’s arms. A bleeding cut marred her right shoulder, and her forehead was scraped. But neither of the wounds seemed too deep, and although she was clearly unconscious, it seemed the steel beam hadn’t completely crushed her.
Arez heaved out a heavy breath. Even at a distance, he could hear the steady beat of her pulse and her calm breathing. The sound soothed him slightly.
She was alright. They still had a chance.
The Krezlian stared at Arez through his cold, yellow eyes. His gaze narrowed as he looked at Arez, and the man seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if not knowing what to do next. His gaze shifted from side to side in the corridor, clearly seeking an ally to help him.
But there was no one else out there. They were completely alone in the cellblock. Just him, Arez, and Naomi. And a pile of mangled Krezlian corpses behind them.
“More guards will come,” the guard hissed through his teeth, gripping Naomi tighter against his body.
His voice was a low threat, but it hid an uncertain undertone. Like he wasn’t sure more guards would come. Arez didn’t know whether the man was trying to distract, threaten, or simply stall him, but truthfully, he didn’t give a fuck. He grinned at the guard, revealing a row of sharp teeth in a savage smile.
“Good,” he answered, his voice cold as ice, as he slowly approached the male. “Then I shall kill them too… After I kill you.”
The guard’s eyes flashed, and he looked around himself in the corridor, seeming to realize he was trapped. Alarm shone in his ugly reptilian eyes, and Arez laughed. He continued to circle the male, like a predator stalking its prey. But just as Arez was about to strike, the bastard started to run.
He ran deeper into the cellblock, clearly trying to buy himself some time, because they both knew there was only one exit. Or perhaps he planned to lock himself and Naomi up in one of the cells to hide.
Either way, Arez wasn’t going to let him get anywhere.
He grabbed his gun, carefully aiming at the top of the guard’s head, as far from Naomi as possible. Steadying his arm, he counted to three – and pulled the trigger.
A split second later, the guard’s brain splattered on the walls of the corridor in an explosion of red, staining them with his blood. His body collapsed to the ground and Naomi was sent flying from his arms. She fell to the floor with a loud thud, and Arez grimaced as she moaned in pain.
But at least she was alive.
CHAPTER 24
NAOMI
Naomi came to with a start. Her head ached and her vision swam. Strong, muscular arms held her captive, and her heart jumped to her throat as she remembered where she was.
“Don’t. Touch. Me!” she hissed, kicking and pounding at the Krezlian guard who had her in his grasp. “You bastard!”
The Krezlian let go of her shoulders, gently.
Wait, what?
She blinked, the fog starting to clear from her mind. When her vision focused again, she realized it wasn’t a scaly lizard kneeling over her but Arez, with a concerned expression on his face. He frowned down at her, as if unsu
re whether she would try to attack him again, and Naomi’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment at her mistake.
“Can you walk?” Arez asked her carefully, holding his gun close by as he glanced down the corridor, clearly checking for any Krezlians who might want to try and surprise them.
Her cheeks flaming, Naomi got up to her elbows, grimacing at the way her shoulder stung as she moved. She looked down and noticed she had scraped it quite badly.
“What happened?” she asked, trying to recall the events that had led her to this point. “There was a crash, and then I remember a Krezlian had me…”
“You’re safe, for now,” Arez said shortly, glancing at the entrance of the cellblock again.
Naomi looked behind him, taking in the sight of the many Krezlian corpses on the floor, and she knew he was telling the truth. Relief flooded her, even if just for a moment.
Arez took his attention off the corridor and leaned toward her. His fingers passed over her shirt next to where her shoulder ached, across her hair, and over her forehead. Their gazes met and the heated glint in his eyes gave her strength.
“Can you walk?” he repeated, his voice surprisingly tender.
Naomi nodded, and pushed herself fully upright, using the shoulder that wasn’t hurt. Her head spun at the sudden movement, and a throbbing pain made itself known on her forehead, but she fought to remain focused. On the floor next to her laid her gun, and she grabbed it as she stood.
Looking toward the entrance of the cellblock, she took in the wreckage where the beam had fallen and nearly crushed her. Pieces of debris filled the half-open doorway, and Naomi now realized how lucky she had been that the column had only scraped her arm when it had come down. Had it fallen directly on top of her, the outcome could’ve been very different, and she shuddered at the thought.
“How long have I been out?”
“Just a minute,” Arez said, just as an explosion shook the corridor. “Come on, we need to move. The Krezlians seem busy keeping the Alliance out, but there’s no telling how long they’ll remain busy.”
