Chapter 8 Noelle
NOELLE
A sharp screech split the air—metal grinding on metal, awful and jagged, like claws being dragged down the side of a steel drum. Noelle winced and grabbed the back of the nearest seat for balance as the floor beneath her feet vibrated.
“Dios—what the hell is that?” she gasped.
“They’re cutting their way in.” Bright’s voice was grim.
“Whatever happens, don’t let them take us without a fight,” Burn growled.
“I’m with you,” Bright agreed, but his tone was tense and his normally smiling face was tight.
“Good—fuckers won’t know what hit them.” Burn’s voice was a low snarl, vibrating with deadly intent.
Noelle stared at the two huge warriors. Both of them held sleek silver pistols—Kindred blasters, she'd heard them called—lethal weapons that emitted deadly beams of burning light.
Bright held his with careful precision, his stance steady but controlled.
Burn looked like a loaded cannon about to go off, his big body thrumming with rage.
Her stomach clenched and cold washed over her. She couldn’t see what was happening—their broad shoulders and towering frames blocked her view. She felt helpless, small, and completely out of her depth.
Dios mío…who’s coming for us? Can Burn and Bright really stop them?
The screeching rose to a fever pitch and then—
“Watch out—the fuckers are coming in!” Burn barked.
He crouched lower, and Bright did the same, taking up defensive stances with expert fluidity. And just like that, the view opened up between them.
Noelle looked—she couldn’t help herself. As terrifying as it was, not knowing what was coming felt even worse. But the moment her gaze landed on the thing coming through the hole in the hull, her stomach dropped and a sick wave of nausea rolled over her.
The creature was huge—even bigger than Burn. It had leathery gray skin like dried clay and it wore long, tattered black robes that billowed like smoke. A heavy, dull silver helm covered its head, leaving only the bottom part of its face exposed.
The visible mouth was a grotesque horror—a gaping, lipless grin filled with long, finger-length teeth, stained with dark grime that oozed between its blackened gums.
Its mouth opened, and it smiled at her.
Madre de Dios…what is that thing?
The sight rooted her to the spot, terror blooming in her chest like a thousand icy needles. She wanted to run…scream…vomit. But she couldn’t do any of that—she was frozen in place—so scared she could barely even breathe as she stared at the thing that looked like a demon out of a nightmare.
“Get the fuck out of our ship!” Burn growled and fired.
A beam of searing green light blasted from the muzzle of his blaster and Noelle saw it was a direct hit, right in the center of the demon-thing’s chest.
But the deadly blast did nothing.
The light bent—literally bounced—off the creature’s chest, angling away and slicing into the wall behind it with a hiss of melting metal.
“What the—?” Burn snarled and shot again. This time, the ray came dangerously close, slicing only a few inches over all their heads before cracking the viewscreen.
“Wait!” Bright shouted, his voice sharp. “Don’t shoot again—I think it’s wearing a personal shielding device!”
Burn hesitated, blaster still aimed.
“What the fuck? But those things are almost impossible to get!”
“Well, I think the Skow has got one,” Bright snapped back.
As he spoke, the creature stepped fully into the room.
“Your companion is correct, warrior,” it rasped. Its voice was thin and creaking, like an old wooden door swinging open in a haunted house. “I am wearing a Polydraxic Reflective Barrier. Therefore, shooting at me is useless… and ultimately detrimental only to your own health and wellbeing.”
The thing—whatever it was—loomed over them. Even Burn, who was a massive wall of muscle, looked almost small by comparison.
This can’t be happening… I’m dreaming. Or hallucinating. Or already dead. Noelle clung to the edge of the seat, her knuckles white.
“Fuck the blaster then,” Burn growled.
He launched himself at the demon thing like a missile, but before he could make contact, the creature raised a single hand.
An invisible blast of force exploded outward, slamming Burn backward. He flew through the air and hit the floor hard on his back, a dull thud echoing through the ship.
“Burn!” Noelle cried.
But he was already getting up, his eyes red with fury.
“You fucker—I’ll fucking kill you!” he roared.
“Easy, Burn. Take it easy!” Bright stepped in front of him, hand on his chest, holding him back—barely. “Going into Rage right now won’t help,” he said in a low, tense voice. “We’re not getting out of this with physical force.”
“Indeed, you will not. In fact, you will not get out of this situation at all.”
Another figure stepped through the jagged hole.
It had similar robes, but the helm was bronze instead of silver.
The second Skow's grotesque grin was just as horrifying—actually more so, since the gums between its finger-length teeth were oozing bright red instead of black.
It looked like fresh blood to Noelle—like the creature had just been feasting on something raw and bleeding.
“I see the tracking devices we paid to have installed on the Kindred long range shuttles have paid off handsomely,” he said in the same hideous creaking voice as the first Skow.
Noelle’s breath caught. A tracker? That’s how they found us? Her blood ran cold.
“Yes indeed, Commander,” the first one said respectfully. “We have quite the prize here—two Twin Kindred and their female mate.”
Noelle bit her lip—she wasn’t their mate, not really. And yet…the word stirred something hot and frightened deep inside her.
“Ahh… They’ll fetch a good price at auction once we reach the Flesh Bazaar,” the commander mused.
Flesh Bazaar. The words made Noelle’s skin crawl.
“But we have a few more traps to mine before then,” the bronze-helmed Skow who was the commander went on. “Take the three of them to the ship and throw them in the hold with the rest.”
“You fuckers—you’ll never take us alive!” Burn roared, crouching like he was going to launch himself again.
Bright was quicker.
“No, Burn. Let me talk.” He stepped forward, holding his blaster at his side. “They’ve got repulsion tech and personal shields. We can’t beat them physically,” he added in a low voice.
Burn snarled but held position, his red eyes glaring death.
Bright looked at the two invaders. “You want to take us alive,” he said. “But we won’t go unless you give us some assurances. I know the Skow are bound by their word—it’s part of your honor code.”
“You’ll get nothing from us!” the bronze-helmed commander snapped. “You are our prisoners—we give the orders.”
“Then you won’t take us alive.”
And with that, Bright lifted the blaster and placed the muzzle against his own temple.
Noelle’s heart stopped.
Dios, no. He can’t. He wouldn’t…would he?
Her body went cold again and her knees felt weak as she sent up a prayer to keep Bright from doing something foolish.
“Stop, stop!” the commander barked. “What is it you want?”
“Your word that we won’t be separated and our female won’t be taken from us,” Bright said evenly. “We must be sold as a unit to the same master or mistress—you can’t break the three of us up. We need to stay together.”
The Skow commander looked irritated—his finger-length teeth clenched and ground together for a moment, producing a sound like sandpaper rubbing metal. But finally, he nodded.
“Very well, you have my word as a Skow. The three of you will not be separated. You will be sold as a unit, to the same buyer. Now lower your weapon and disarm yourselves at once!”
“Very well. That’s acceptable.”
Bright lowered his blaster slowly and looked at Burn. The bigger warrior glared back at him, fury still radiating off him in waves.
“Come on, Burn,” he said softly. “You know it’s the only way.”
“I don’t fucking like this!” the Dark Twin growled and for a moment Noelle was sure he was going to launch himself at the Skow again. But after a long wordless moment, where dark blue eyes clashed with hazel green, he finally nodded.
“Fuck it. You’re right.”
He let his blaster fall to the floor with a metallic clunk and straightened up, though his big hands were still clenched into fists at his sides.
“Good.” Bright nodded and his broad shoulders seemed to relax. Clearly he’d been ready to fight to the death if he had to—if Burn couldn’t be talked down, Noelle thought. At least that dark fate had been taken off the table—though their future wasn’t exactly looking bright at the moment.
“I’ll hold back, but we keep Noelle between us at all times,” Burn growled.
“Agreed,” Bright said nodding, then he turned to the Skow. “We’re ready.”
The commander motioned. Two more creatures entered the ruined shuttle, holding heavy manacles. They looked like iron but pulsed with some kind of dull, green energy that made Noelle’s skin crawl just looking at them.
The Skow clamped them around Burn’s and Bright’s wrists. The cuffs hummed ominously, buzzing with restrained force.
Then one of the Skow gestured to her.
“And the female? Should we manacle her as well?”
“She is tiny and weak—she stays unbound,” the commander said. “For now. Get them moving!”
Noelle barely noticed the chill that crept over her as they were marched through the hole in the ship’s hull and down the long, accordion-like tunnel connecting the long-range shuttle to the Skow ship. Her thoughts were a dizzy mess, her body cold and numb.
Dios, this isn’t happening. I was supposed to be safe. I was supposed to be hiding from Branson… starting over. How did I end up as someone’s intergalactic property?
She risked a look back.
The long-range Kindred shuttle—their ship—was still there, battered and torn. It felt like she was leaving any sense of safety and control behind.
At least she still had Burn and Bright. The two huge warriors flanked her as they walked, and even bound, their massive bodies felt like living shields.
Noele swallowed past the lump in her throat.
Holy Virgin, please let this turn out okay. I don’t know what’s waiting for us on that ship, but if I have to face it… at least I’m not alone.
And then they reached the end of the accordion tunnel and the Skow ship swallowed them whole.