Chapter 19
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Lyra
I sensed a feeling of despair and dread surrounding me as I tried to awaken from a haunting nightmare. I was trapped in a cave, pinned to the wall as three bloodthirsty Mesothraxians ripped into my Zalantha. The reptile-like monsters, evil and sinister, battered my savior to a pulp as their leader watched, a foul smirk on his disgusting face.
”No, let me go,” I cried, tears streaming down my face.
”We”ll let you go when we”re ready,” said Mesothraxus. ”And then take you to your doom.”
Enduring such a violent act left me scarred and hurt. I”d never experienced such sorrow before.
Once they”d finished with Zalantha, they broke my chains free from the wall and lifted me, carrying me through the cave.
Outside, a spaceship waited, its form resembling a streamlined arrow, its sleek contours designed for swift navigation through the endless depths of space.
Mesothraxus ordered his slaves to take me on board. Panic exploded in my soul as I was taken from Earth, away from the world I had grown up in, away from my Zalantha. I couldn”t believe he got defeated, my superstar, my partner. But Mesothraxus was a beast of all beasts, especially with three vicious servants. They then strapped me into a chair, injected something into my neck, and sent me into a deep sleep.
”Wake up,” said a Mesothraxian, pinching my cheek. I fought against my tired state and forced my eyes open. ”Time to see your new home,” added the beast as he clicked his fingers.
As the hatch door swung down, I realized two Mesothraxians were holding me up. I pressed my feet on the floor, but my legs were weak.
The door opened, and dread pierced my heart. I stared across this new land, my heart racing at the sight of the lines of wheat and crops.
Then I saw the pods.
At first, I couldn”t believe my eyes. I blinked several times, shocked about what lay ahead. The alien landscape stretched out before me, a surreal tableau of unfamiliar sights and sounds. Rows upon rows of pods floated eerily above the lush crops, casting strange shadows in the purplish-blue light. It was a scene straight out of a sci-fi nightmare, a stark reminder of the otherworldly reality I now found myself trapped within.
”Where the fuck am I?”
”Mesoterra, of course,” said the taller Mesothraxian as he shifted me upwards. I glanced at his face and winced at the sight of his grotesque, bulging eyes.
”We thought you would have known after what your lover boy told you,” said the shorter one. He leaned closer, and I caught a whiff of his foul breath. God, he stank.
”I guess I didn”t want to believe him,” I muttered.
”Well, believe it, Lyra, because this is where you”ll spend the rest of your days,” said Bulging Eyes.
Pushing my feet firmer on the floor, I stood higher and scowled at him.
”You won”t be able to keep me here,” I said, clenching my teeth.
He let out a deep chuckle and smacked me around the head.
”The less lip from you, the better. Now, let”s give Lyra the guided tour.”
I tried to push my heels on the floor, but the guards just lifted me and carried me down the walkway. Shame ripped through me like a relentless tide. I felt so useless, so weak and unable to defend myself.
We departed from the craft, and the oppressive heat enveloped me, suffocating in its intensity. In the distance, looming like ancient sentinels, were jagged peaks, their forms ambiguous against the strange horizon - a landscape where mountains might as well have been volcanoes.
The sky above, an eerie purplish-blue canvas devoid of familiar clouds, added to the surreal atmosphere, intensifying the sense of displacement and alienation.
And then, amidst the alien vista, emerged a towering structure - a colossal skyscraper that seemed to defy gravity itself. I speculated it to be the dwelling of the Mesothraxians, a beacon of civilization in this bizarre realm.
I turned back, searching in vain for a glimpse of Mesothraxus, the enigmatic leader, but he remained elusive. I wondered when he was going to appear again.
”You”ll see him soon enough,” said Foul Breath, pushing me forward.
My body ached, and my head was dizzy after the abduction. My mouth was dry, and I needed a drink, but not that type of drink. Slowly, I was getting rid of that annoying alcohol-craving voice in my head. It was just as well because now, more than ever, I had to keep my wits about me.
”Time for a little trip down memory lane,” said Bulging Eyes as they dragged me down a path.
The scent of wheat and crops hung heavily in the air, overpowering and pungent. My gaze shifted up to the pods, and I gasped in shock. Humans were suspended in the strange liquid, their expressions vacant and devoid of life. Tubes protruded from their wrists, wires snaking around them, hinting at a macabre symbiosis, feeding the crops with their essence, a grotesque cycle of sustenance in this alien landscape.
”Impressive, eh?” said Foul Breath.
”What the hell is going on?”
”It”s a complex system,” he said. ”The nectar from your alcoholic blood is like a god for our planet, fueling our crops to feed our army.”
”This is insane,” I whispered.
”Insane in the membrane,” said Bulging Eyes, laughing as we continued.
As the freaks pulled me along, dread formed in my throat. It seemed like an evil concentration camp, each human trapped in a suffocating capsule.
”Here, remember him?” said Bulging Eyes, pointing up.
My heart dropped like a stone in my chest. There, suspended in the eerie liquid, was Duncan, his once vibrant form now a mere shell of its former self. His body floated aimlessly, limbs limp and listless, his skin taking on an unnatural purple hue, a sickly pallor that spoke volumes of the horrors he had endured. It was as if life had been drained from him, leaving behind only a hollow vessel, a haunting reminder of the atrocities committed in this alien realm.
”He”s doing well, considering,” said Foul Breath.
”Yeah, he was riddled with alcohol, a great asset to our production line,” said Bulging Eyes. My heart dipped as he led me on. ”And this guy, remember him? Mr. Non-drinker.”
Bulging Eyes” voice pierced the air like a dagger, and I reluctantly shifted my gaze upward. My heart sank further into the depths of despair as I beheld Charlie”s bloated form, his once jovial demeanor replaced by a palpable heaviness. He floated in the liquid with an unsettling weightiness, his corpulent frame a bizarre sight in the surreal surroundings.
How had he concealed his addiction from me? The shock of betrayal mingled with a wave of nausea, leaving me grappling with the unsettling truth of his hidden struggles.
”And then, finally, someone you”ll enjoy seeing,” said Bulging Eyes, his words hanging heavy like a foreboding omen.
Tears were already burning my eyes as they ushered me towards her - my mom, suspended in the liquid with an unnerving smile etched upon her face. My heart shattered at the sight. I yearned to weep, to unleash the torrent of emotions raging within me, but I stifled the urge. I had to remain strong, to find a way to save them all and escape this nightmare, but the daunting question lingered - how could I accomplish such a feat without Zalantha by my side?
”Time for your bathing ceremony,” said Foul Breath.
They led me down the path towards the skyscraper. Outside was a set of Mesothraxians. They looked me up and down and smirked as if expecting me. Bulging Eyes ordered them to move out of the way and let me inside. I struggled, kicking and screaming, but they dragged me through the automatic doors.
Once inside the skyscraper, I couldn”t believe the sight before me. The place was bustling with aliens, a similar color to Zalantha. It was as if they were workers going about their daily chores. A few of them turned to look at me and smiled.
”What the hell?” I whispered.
”We know what you”re thinking,” said Foul Breath.
”These have already been transformed,” said Bulging Eyes. ”Just like your precious Zalantha.”
Panic hit hard. So that”s what was happening? Mesothraxus was abducting humans from Earth, placing them in pods to extract alcohol, and then turning them into purple aliens.
Is that what would happen to Charlie, Duncan, Mom, and me? The daunting truth hit me like a thunderbolt, and anger bubbled in my core. I shook my shoulders, trying to break free, but they held me closer.
”This tends to happen when humans realize their fate,” said Foul Breath.
”Get off me,” I shouted, wriggling hard and fast.
But it was useless. My efforts were tainted. Bulging Eyes and Foul Breath were too much for me. They barged through two wide doors, and we entered a long silver corridor with rows of purple doors.
We stopped outside the first one, and Bulging Eyes placed his face by a scanner. The door opened, revealing an empty room with white padded walls.
”Calm down a bit,” sneered Foul Breath, pushing me inside.
”Yeah, Mesothraxus will be with you soon,” said Bulging Eyes, slamming the door shut.
I was alone, a prisoner on Mesoterra, and it was only a matter of time before I”d join the masses. Fear took over, but I refused to give up hope. I was sure Zalantha would come to save me; he had to; he was my only hope.