Chapter 55
Alanna
It felt like she was tuning in and out of reality.
Like her consciousness was a dial on a radio, sliding through the waves of existence, struggling to catch its signal.
The bobbing of the boat, the rushing of the waves, the constant wind hitting her face were all sensations that threatened to completely suck her out of the present.
But then there was Survii.
He was the only stable point in the entire world. Anchoring her back into reality. Keeping her mind from floating off into the abyss.
Where the boat rocked, he remained steady. Where the sea roared, his heart beat strong and true. The winds buffeted her around, but his steady breathing kept her grounded.
The last few hours were trying to creep up and attack her brain. The quiet moment while the boat moved was just an opportunity for the horrors to claw at her mind. To drive her insane. And it was easier to dissociate than to let it happen.
But Survii was there. His arm around her shoulders and his thumb stroking along her clavicle, the constant motion something to focus on besides her tumultuous mind. His eyes were forward, his other hand on the wheel, focused on piloting the boat.
No, focused on getting her safe.
He was her protector. Her mate. Her domin. And he could not rest until he knew that she was once again secure.
And that knowledge helped steady her. To properly tune her brain into the proper channel. She couldn’t afford to lose track of herself right now. Not yet. He would get her to safety first, then give her the time she needed to dissociate.
Until then, she clung to him. She stared forward. She tried not to think of all the horrors they left behind.
The island that served as sort of a home base to the many, smaller, privately owned islands around it was not really a tourist destination. The people there pretty much just serviced the islands and their owners to feed their economy, and it showed.
The docks were open all night, though the island itself wouldn’t need it. The kind of people that bought private islands also demanded immediate service and convenience. To that end, the docks were brightly lit and there was already someone there when they began to pull in.
The man had already moored them to the docks and was turning for his tip when he finally spotted the two of them.
More specifically, the alien.
The man’s eyes widened. Though he must know Survii was in the area, he hadn’t been one of those that had been working when they initially stopped through. It was his first time meeting an alien, and he was handling it with mute shock.
Survii climbed from the boat, then turned back and lifted her out after him. He kept her close to his side instead of letting her go.
“Male,” Survii greeted him harshly in Standard. “I require assistance. My mate and I have been attacked and we would appreciate your aid.”
Alanna translated but took some of the bite from his tone and added a soft, ‘please’.
“Er, yeah,” he muttered, looking between them with a frown. The shock of seeing an alien for the first time faded as he realized what a bad state they were in. “What, er, do you need?”
Alanna gave him the address of the rented house that their two-man security team was staying at, and the guy offered to drive them there. He had a car since he lived on the other side of the island, and he was happy to help them out.
Alanna thanked him profusely and promised to repay him when they had a chance. He waved the words away as he led them down the dock.
He told the dock master that he was leaving for the night. Prompting outrage only until the older man emerged and saw the two of them. Unlike the first guy, he had been there the day they passed through this island. He quickly gave his permission and asked if they needed anything else.
Survii thanked him but declined and, within minutes, they were inside the first guy’s car, and he was tossing a towel to Alanna in the backseat so she could clean Survii’s chest. The wounds had already clotted shut, but he was covered in dried blood – both his and their enemies’.
Cleaning him off also helped stabilize her mind for a bit longer. At least, it was a chore that was easy to focus on and didn’t require any thought.
The small house that their security team had rented was little more than a box on a foundation. It had one room and a fold out couch in the living room/kitchen combo. They had offered to get the two men better accommodations, but they declined.
Alanna, upon leaving the car, asked for the driver’s information, which he gave hastily scrawled on a piece of paper. He asked if they needed anything else.
“No,” Survii said, putting the paper in his pocket. “You don’t want to be anywhere near here. Leave now before you are put in danger.”
The man frowned, confused, but didn’t argue. Alanna waved him off before following Survii to the front door.
He stopped her, however.
“Stand there,” he said, gesturing to the small area beside the steps, off the foundation. It wasn’t exactly a hidey hole, but it was out of view of the doorway.
She wasn’t sure why she needed to move there, but she did so. Crouching out of sight and earning a single nod of approval before Survii climbed the last few steps.
He didn’t bother knocking. He kicked the door down and ran inside.
Twin cries of shock were quickly followed by rapid thuds and grunts. Something clattered to the ground with a metallic bang. Something else shattered. It cumulated in one last thud and grunt before it all went silent.
A moment later, Survii poked his head out.
“Come on, vi Vitralai. Watch the glass.”
She climbed directly onto the porch without bothering to go around to the stairs and rushed in. The small room was a wreck. The two security guards, both dressed for bed, had clearly been caught unaware.
They were both now tied up in the center of the room with what appeared to be the cord from the old-style TV that had fallen and broken against the floor.
“What the hell are you doing?” One of them demanded to know, blood leaking from his forehead.
Alanna translated, looking to Survii.
But he wasn’t paying the humans any mind.
He was going to the desk in the corner where they had laid out their equipment for the duration of their stay.
There was a satellite radio, a laptop, a gun that had been left out, thankfully not close enough to grab when Survii attacked, and stacks of papers.
There was also a two-way radio that Survii picked up with a snarl.
“What is it?” She asked, shutting the front door.
“I saw one of the males from the island speaking into one of these,” he said, tossing it onto the ground in front of the two men who glared from it up to him. “It’s a communication device, is it not? But our island was supposed to be beyond communication.”
“It was. Beyond phone signal, at least. Those are radios. They don’t need satellites or Wi-Fi in order to connect. They don’t have a huge range though.”
“Can it be long enough to reach between the islands?”
“Yeah. They can.” She turned to the two security guys, betrayal burning in her chest. “You sold us out? You hired those guys to hurt us?”
“Hired?” One of them sneered, his normally affable expression melting into one of disgust. “We’re on the same team, you dumb alien slut!”
Survii snarled, the dangerous sound rumbling like an engine in the small room. He might not know what they were saying, but he understood the tone.
“But why?” She asked, shaking, as Survii went through the room. He grabbed one of the men’s suitcases and upended it, spilling its contents onto the ground. “You… Wait, were you part of the entire thing? The others…?”
“We’re doing what’s best for humanity,” the other said, his voice ice cold, but just as disgusted.
“You and the women like you are nothing but beast fuckers. They’re practically animals!
They aren’t human. Telling us how to control our government.
How to rule ourselves. Like they have any right to dictate what we do! ”
“That’s not…” Alanna shook her head. Survii wasn’t even pretending to listen. He was throwing things inside the suitcase – including the laptop and papers and satellite phone. “They just came to make a deal. They’re not requiring us to do anything.”
“Their deal,” one of them spat, “involves taking our women, turning them into alien whores, and stealing them from Earth!”
“You’re wrong!” She snapped, tears falling quickly down her cheeks. Disturbed by the hatred she was suddenly being faced with. “How could you even say that?!”
“Alanna. Here.” Survii approached her with a backpack. He had stuffed it with water bottles and whatever food he could get from the kitchen. “Want pants or anything?”
She shook her head, clutching the bag to her chest. Still looking at the human men that glared at the interaction like they had just done something vile right before their eyes.
“Are the others… Are they okay?” She asked, voice weak.
The angry one laughed at her. “Those alien freaks are going to be killed when they’re caught.
And you and the other women like you are going to be shot.
Right in the fucking belly. Taking out any spawn they might have fucked into you.
Earth is for humans! Women are for humans! Their kind aren’t welcome here!”
Survii had the packed suitcase by the door. The last things he grabbed were the men’s wallets. He pulled out a sickening amount of cash. It made Alanna shiver, because she only saw people walk around with money like that when they were up to no good. Money, after all, wasn’t traceable.
Survii added the cash to the pockets of his stolen pants and returned to her side. He gently stroked her cheek.
“Forget them, Alanna. They’re nothing to you. Do you want me to give you their blood?”
She shook her head. “No. I just want to go. Thank you, though.”
Survii turned from her. Scowling at the men. “You are lucky my mate is forgiving. But if you ever come near her again, I will tear out your arteries and let you bleed on her feet in offering.”
Alanna didn’t bother to translate, but it seemed the threat didn’t need it. One of the men swallowed convulsively while the other paled. Both staring at the blood-stained claws he lifted and brandished at their faces.
Turning, Survii took Alanna by the hand and pulled her out the door, dragging the suitcase.
To her surprise, the guy that had driven them was still there. Waiting just down the street. When he saw them emerge, he drove forward and asked if they needed a ride. Survii pushed her into the car and asked the male to take them to the island’s tiny airstrip.
Alanna clutched the food and water close. Terrified for the others. For them.
For the world and what the hatred of the loud few might mean for their future.