Chapter 18
Ani
Getting stuck in a tree on a completely different planet should’ve been my first sign that I had completely terrible luck.
But truly believing that I was out of the woods, metaphorically of course, and safe, was honestly hopeful wishing on my part.
Not only am I a liability, but I’m also the reason Szhe’ka was shot and is losing blood as we speak.
With blood still gushing from his shoulder and my head devoid of any sort of first aid techniques to help save him, he’s still trying to defend me. His body still stands between me and the hunter in a pathetic attempt to defend me. Honestly, his unselfishness would be the death of both of us.
I can’t do anything, but I cannot just watch him die.
The alien continues to speak as I am attempting to hold on to Szhe’ka. Even though I can clearly understand his disgusting, blubbery language, I ignore him and focus on Szhe’ka instead.
I look at the bullet hole in his shoulder, the skin and feathers around it soaked in his bright green blood. He is still actively bleeding, and I reach out my hand to try to apply pressure to it but I can see it hurts him too much. I don’t want him bleeding out; I don’t want him dead at all.
The tears are blurring my eyes and I rub my hands harshly against my eyes in an attempt to wipe the tears away.
“You think you are safe with this glorified bird? Wait till he gets hungry,” he says, an obnoxious honking following.
Hungry? Szhe’ka is definitely the size a predatory bird would need to be to eat a human, but he wouldn’t keep me this long just to eat me. He’s had plenty of opportunities to. If he’s just suppressing his urge to, then he’s a far better person than I am, even if he’s not, you know, a person.
Besides, being eaten by Szhe’ka is a far better fate than ending up captured again by these monsters. They’ve already modified my body. I don’t want to find out why if I get caught. However, it’s definitely more difficult to travel with an injured giant bird person. I need a distraction.
Focus, Ani, I chide my stupid brain.
“That bird is going to die. Just move so I can shoot it again without risking you doing something stupid. Come here, human.”
“No,” I gurgle in its disgusting language, moving myself so I block as much of Szhe’ka’s trembling body as possible.
The alien must be a terrible shot considering how small I am, a terrible shield even with Szhe’ka slumped against the tree.
“You cannot refuse. You cannot even leave. I have no patience for this.”
“I don’t care much for your patience,” I hiss back. “Just shoot me and be done with it.”
He can’t shoot me, I know that much. I must be valuable cargo, even if the idea itself is revolting. Killing us would’ve been faster than capturing us alive, which means a lot to me. There’s still a chance for us to escape if we aren’t getting killed. But how?
If I can’t figure it out, I’ll just have to keep him talking. Villains always reveal their plans if they keep talking.
This isn’t a script, stupid bitch, jeers the ugly voice.
His eyes dart to Szhe’ka and his face shifts to something even more grotesque. He lowers his weapon and assumes a relaxed stance. I bet they’ve spent the last few days chasing us, so I know it’ll be a dream to outrun them with an injured Szhe’ka.
“He kept you as prey without even touching you, didn’t he? Stupid savage not even making use of a whore.”
“The savage here is you. Modifying the bodies of others without consent,”
“Others? You think you are equal to us? For such a race that is barely able to speak and walk, you must consider yourselves intelligent.”
He suddenly moves forward and a strangled scream leaves my throat, barely piercing the air. A disgusting sound ripples from his throat, resembling a laugh. This creature… is just playing with me.
“Your mouth and your cunt are all you have. You have no power or wisdom. We might as well make the best of crashing here. I like to savor the hunt. So, run, human.”
My fists clench so tightly, I almost draw blood. Not only does he want me to abandon Szhe’ka, he wants me to behave like prey. Prey worth hunting. That’s all I am to this creature.
“I’m not leaving.”
“I’m not asking,” he gurgles, raising the gun to Szhe’ka’s head and I move to get in the way. Szhe’ka’s eyes flutter open in this moment and he struggles to look at me. I hold on to him, taking my stance.
“I’m not going to run away,” I tell him, even as my heart hammers and my mind urges me to flee. “If you want to shoot him, you will have to shoot me.”
The alien eyes me up and down, a glint that I definitely recognize in his eyes.
“There are other ways to subdue you and this bird without killing you. You will come with me or I will kill him.”
My whole body runs cold, a single shiver climbing my spine. I can tell what he wants. He’s going to take it whether I prefer it or not. He’s going to break me to take me back. I cannot let that happen.
There’s a moment of silence that passes by us. He definitely has the advantage over me and I can tell he’s waiting for Szhe’ka to die before he takes his chance to reach for me. I’ll be right back on that ship.
Then it hits me.
I don’t know why I didn’t recognize him earlier, but he was the same one on the ship screaming at Ree that he would leave me to die while she was trying to comfort me. Seeing the disgusting alien makes the memory of waking up in that pod flash by, this time more accurately.
Ree was only trying to keep me alive, with these disgusting things yelling at her on one end and my disheveled, disorienting screams on the other. Slapping me and throwing me in the chamber was only to save my life.
She risked her life and freedom. She sent Szhe’ka to make sure I lived. I owe her. I think back to the other women I saw.
We probably all owe her.
“How many?” I ask, surprising myself. “How many have you captured and enslaved?”
“Choosing to talk instead of following orders? How very human.”
“I may be valuable but I’m not irreplaceable. You had other humans.”
“You’ll make us a lot of money. Your whole race is ripe for the taking.”
My race? These bastards are aiming for the whole planet. We don’t have the technology to compete. Who knows how long they’ve been abducting people without us being able to definitely prove its aliens. Even in the event I escape, there’s a chance there’ll be nothing to return to.
“If it were that easy, you would’ve invaded us ages ago. You either don’t have the resources and so, you resort to picking us up one by one, or there’s something else stopping you.”
He makes a wet sound that turns my stomach. “Humans are not hard to hunt, and they make fun prey when you catch them. Do you think there is someone who can save you?”
Of course I’m hoping for someone to save me. But I know there isn’t. Szhe’ka is all I have.
I want to spit in his face but I’m pretty sure that won’t help anything; it would probably just make him angrier and who knows what that would push this hateful thing to do?
Szhe’ka feels my movement because he tweets incoherently in response, and I can’t do anything but pat him without looking.
“He put up a fight, but your little game is over. He knows he’s going to die. There is no need to deceive him. You could have just come with me in silence but you just had to be a human,” he spits out threateningly, spraying spittle all around his ugly jowls.
Szhe’ka’s head starts to roll away from the tree he’s resting against, and I know that he is losing consciousness. I sink deeper into myself in angry tears and do my best to push back against him to keep him upright, barely managing to keep his huge bulk pressed against the tree.
It shouldn’t even be possible, but I push back against him in grim determination, not taking my eyes off of the disgusting blob in front of me.
The alien chortles, obviously finding humor in my display of grief.
“Nothing to say now? I knew we should have taken away your speech too. Those shriveled brains wouldn’t let me make any decisions.”
Losing my voice would be a far crueler punishment. Before I can think of speaking again, the hunter beats me to it.
“Listen, I have all day but I will not waste it on you. Get away from that thing or I will put a bullet through him. It would give me great pleasure.”
His flipper-like hand approaches what must be the trigger on the weapon and I can tell he is serious. I know he is not kidding because anger is blazing behind his beady eyes and his body is shaking and oozing more pink slime. It is truly a disgusting sight but I can’t let that stop me.
“No, you won’t.” I say, keeping my body angled to cover Szhe’ka’s vital areas. “You won’t take another thing from me. Let him live; it’s me you want so deal with me.”
I hope that isn’t enough to push him over the edge.
I can’t bear the thought of losing my protector due to my insolence but this is essentially a game of chicken; if I blink, he might just knock me out and drag me off against my will, leaving Szhe’ka to bleed to a slow death in this forest so far away from his home. Just the thought of it hurts my chest.
“It is you I want, yes,” is all the alien says, his gun only slightly lowered as he runs his tongue over his lips in a manner that almost makes me retch. “I will take as much from you as I want to and there is nothing you can do about it.”
I don’t know what else to say; my head is blank, and my mouth is opening and closing like a fish. I look at the hunter and then Szhe’ka. I cannot be the reason he gets killed.
Ree could have died because of my carelessness on the ship and my gentle giant guardian has nearly died dozens of times because I was still playing the Bitch. This may be my only chance to save his life.
I could really use a good idea right now.