“Let her go.” A man came from nowhere and pushed the glowing man onto the ground. Abigail tripped as his arms ripped away from her.  She hit the ground hard with her backside and scrambled away from the two who now tussled.

“Are you okay, miss?” A woman helped her up and dusted off her leggings. Well, what was left of the leggings, now torn and dirtied to barely recognizable rags. She stood and looked at this pretty younger woman. She had a long brown braid and a conservative dress. It seemed she was a human.

“Are you from Earth?” Abigail asked without thinking.

“Goodness, no. We’re from here.”

“Oh, sorry.  You just look like me.”

“No worries. Come on, let’s get you away from that glowing freak.” The woman put her arm around Abigail’s shoulder and guided her away from the men who were still fighting one another on the ground. “Our family is from Earth, but we call this place our home.”

Abigail felt relieved that they were human.

“Wait!” the glowing man yelled at her. “They aren’t what they seem! Don’t go with her!”

Abigail wondered why he would say something so strange. What did he mean by that? She turned to look at him, but the woman forced her to face forward.

The guy who’d attacked the glowing man landed a punch, and he went back to trying to fend him off. The woman continued to guide her. Up ahead Abigail saw small houses all in a row, and several people stood outside of them. Surely, with all the people here, they couldn’t be that bad.

“What’s your name?” Abigail asked.

“Cecilia, what’s yours?” The woman smiled.

“Abigail.” They’d made it to the houses and Abigail noticed a shortage of women standing outside the large rock buildings. They were all men. Now her stomach did a little twist and she thought back on what the glowing man had said.

“Come on in, Abigail.” The woman gave her a toothy grin and held open a door. “I’ll make you some tea.”

“Sounds great. Thank you, Cecilia.”

One by one, the men from outside walked into the house with them. They stood lined up against the back wall, staring. It unnerved her how no one said anything to her. They just kept their eyes focused on her. She felt the twisting in her stomach start to become roll.

“Sit down, I’ll get your tea.”

Abigail sat down and looked around the house. It seemed like a normal family home with furniture much like she would have seen on Earth. Cecilia was in a kitchen that had a sink, and some type of stove although it was different than what she was used to. Despite the bad feeling in her stomach, it was nice to have a little normalcy.

Watching Cecilia make her tea she saw her put a bright purple tea bag in. It could be any type of tea, knowing she wasn’t in a normal situation, and she hoped they didn’t enjoy hallucinogens or something like that. She took the tea from the kind woman and smiled. It smelled delicious and the first sip filled her with a warmth and comfort she’d not experienced since the abduction. She took another sip and felt another wave of comfort and happiness.

Something was wrong. Feeling a little light headed, Abigail placed the mug on the table. The steam, still curling from the purple liquid inside, was hypnotizing. Her hands trembled as she placed them on the strap of the purse slung across her body. Taking a deep breath, she tried to push the growing haze from her mind. Shaking her head, she worked on focusing. If she could just get her eyes to focus on one thing, her brain would clear.

Cecilia watched from the opposite side of the table. Abigail struggled to see her face through the fog. It looked like she was smiling at her.

“Are you feeling okay, dear?” The woman stood and was coming around the table towards her.

Abigail tried to speak but her tongue felt glued to the roof of her mouth. She swallowed against the knot that had formed in her throat, trying to force her vocal chords to work. The mild panic registering in the back of her mind became a loud siren. She needed to get her thoughts together.

“I’m just a little tired,” she said slowly. Her words echoed in her head, sounding if they were in some kind of slow motion. Trying to stand, her arms and legs turned to cement.

Cecilia only nodded, her grin spreading wider. “Yes, well, you’ve been through quite an ordeal. Would you like to lie down for a while? Maybe get a little rest.”

Every fiber of her being told Abigail she needed to get up and get moving. However, the message from her brain to her feet didn’t seem to make it all the way.  She tried desperately to lift one cement leg out of the chair, thinking if she could just get one part of her body to move, she'd gain momentum.

She lifted her gaze to the other woman’s face and it seemed to fade completely in and out of focus until she looked just like one of the aliens that had taken her. The walls surrounding them started to flex and bend. Faster and faster, her head began to swim.

Using every bit of energy she could muster, Abigail placed her palms on the table and sluggishly pushed to her feet. The floor tilted dangerously beneath her and she willed her balance to return.

“Thank you, but I should probably be going.” Her words didn't even sound like her. They felt sticky in her mouth.

The smile never left the woman’s face, though something more sinister shifted behind her eyes as she climbed to her feet. Abigail caught the change as her face zoomed back into focus and out again. “I don’t think you’re in any condition to go anywhere,” she said as she nodded her head at one of the men leaning against the wall behind Abigail.

Abigail tried to turn and walk but a strong hand closed around her upper arm. She didn’t struggle. Instead, she just looked over her shoulder at Cecilia. “No, really. I think I just need--”

“Take her to the back,” Cecilia said, promptly cutting off Abigail’s words.

Panic clutched Abigail’s throat but, try as she might, she couldn’t will her legs to move. She needed to get out of this house and away from these weird people. Something horrible was going to happen to her if she didn't get her legs to move.

“Let me go,” she said groggily as she pulled in vain against her captor.

“I’m afraid they can’t do that,” Cecilia said with a malicious grin. “Take her back.”

The big man clutching Abigail’s arm began to tug her toward the back of the room toward a dark blue door. Her heart slammed against her chest as she frantically tried to think of a way to escape, but her mind was muddled and her limbs seemed to hang uselessly from her body.

Just as they reached the blue door, the sharp sound of wood splintering filled the house. The walls seemed to vibrate ominously.

Chaos erupted as the man holding her abruptly let her go. When she turned, the only thing she could see were the eight men that had followed them inside the house. They formed a circle around something or someone in the middle.

Suddenly a shimmering glow caught her attention, forcing her to blink. One by one the men leaped at the glowing man, doing their best to take him down. Her eyes widened as she watched as each man fell to a heap on the floor. Some were gasping for air while others lay unmoving, knocked out on the floor.

Abigail felt bile rise to the back of her throat as she stared at the men on the floor. Was this a rescue or someone who intended her harm as well? Once again, she tried to get up, the haze starting to lift slightly and leaving a dull ache in her head and body.

Strong hands reached for Abigail, fingernails carving little crescents into the skin on her arms. Pain spiked through her, chasing away the remaining fog that had gathered around her mind.

Spinning around, Abigail found Cecilia glaring at her angrily. Her eyes were glowing an angry red and her mouth was beginning to twist into a sinister grin. She watched in horror as razor sharp fangs began to elongate, protruding in every direction. They dripped with blood and seemed to move like a chainsaw. Surely, she was just seeing things. She closed her eyes and shook her head, but when she opened them the scene was still the same.

“You belong to us,” she screeched. The high pitched keening made Abigail flinch and cover her ears. The two women began to struggle and Abigail realized she was no match for this woman—alien--and before she knew what was happening, Cecilia had her pinned against the wall.

Her mouth was inching dangerously close to Abigail’s face when, suddenly, she stopped, the bright red fading from her eyes.

Cecilia fell to a heap at her feet, a large knife protruding from the back of her skull.

Standing in front of Abigail, covered in splotches of thick, black goo, the glowing man stared at her.

“Are you okay?” the man with the glowing skin asked. It wasn't as bright now, and he didn't have any splotches of anything on him.

"You hurt me, you mean bully," Cecilia said, slapping at the man.

Abigail saw that Cecilia had been forced to sit in a chair. She had no fangs or red eyes. She'd been hallucinating.

"I was seeing things, I think," Abigail said still unable to get the fear of Cecelia's monster transformation out of her head.

Reaching out, he gently cupped her face, turning her head this way and that. His large thumbs smoothed over her cheeks, checking for any harm. Her heart launched itself into her throat at his touch.

"They poisoned you, you were probably seeing all kinds of things. The plant they used doesn't last very long. It should be starting to work its way out of your system. Are you starting to feel better?"

Her mouth grew dry again. The sheer presence of this . . . man standing in front of her was causing her insides to warm and a flush to rise to her cheeks. “I-I th-think so,” she stammered.

“Good. We need to get out of here before more of them come.”

“W-what were they going to do to me?” she stammered as she stared at the bodies on the floor.

He just shook his head. “You don’t want to know.”

“I think I do,” she said.

He released an annoyed breath and sheathed his knife.  He looked at the table where her tea mug still sat. Picking it up, he took a whiff and grimaced as he placed it back down on the table.

“They were actually probably going to strap you down and give you another type of tea made by the lust flower. It would make you consent and at the moment think it was all your idea. It’s a strangely powerful and strong plant.”

Abigail felt her stomach turn and acid rising in her throat. She hated these men. “Make me consent? What exactly does that mean?”

He arched a brow at her. “What do you think it means?”

For a minute, she was confused, and then realization slammed into her with the force of a wrecking ball. “Oh.”

He nodded. “I know, don’t think about it, at least I got to you in time.”

Angry shouts sounded from outside the house. Reaching out, he took her by the hand. She was surprised that his touch was gentle. It was an odd contrast considering his size and the fact that he was glowing.

The man is freaking glowing! Her mind punctuated.

“Come on. We need to get out of here.”

Abigail allowed him to pull her through the house until they found a back door that led out into a garden.

“Hold your breath,” he said as he began to pull her through the rows. Not having any choice but to trust him, she took a deep breath and trudged behind him. They plunged into the ten-foot-tall rows of gray plants.

She noted, as they walked through the rows, that the plants resembled the corn stalks from earth. They were tall and the tops were tasseled with blood red plumes.

Abigail’s lungs began to burn and just as the edges of her vision began to blur, they emerged from the strange garden. Unfortunately, she didn't wait long enough to take a breath and a stench burned her nose and caused her to gag.

"What the hell?"

"The plants, onion stalks, they'll take your breath away."

“Where are we going?” Abigail asked as they crouched down behind some barrels.

“We were going into the forest over there,” he said pointing at the towering trees that seemed to be lively and bright.

“Were?”

He nodded grimly and pointed at the tree line. “See those creatures over there?”

She nodded eyeing the dozens of doglike creatures pacing in front of the forest.

“Those are Hawthorne hounds. They are specifically trained to track humans. Once they catch your scent, they will hunt until they find and catch you. There is no escaping them and it’s almost impossible to kill them. Their underbellies are covered with a thick shell that protects them. The fur on their backs is razor sharp and will slice anything that gets too close.”

There was no suppressing the shudder that covered her. She looked down, realizing that her hand was still being clutched tightly by the stranger. It felt protective. She liked it.

“So, what are we going to do?” she asked in a frantic whisper.

“We’re going over there,” he said as he pointed to a dark patch of trees. Some of the trees were tall and spindly while others looked to be at least a hundred feet around. Some of the trunks were covered in a tar-like substance, while others were covered in black vegetation. There were no leaves on the limbs of the trees, only thick black thorns that looked to be the size of her arms.

“In there?” she squeaked. His hand tightened reassuringly around hers.

He gave her a slow nod, not bothering to hide the grim look on his face.

“Come on, we need to go before they see us. Keep quiet and stay low.” His voice was low and gravely.

They waited until a group of men hurried past them. Once the coast was clear, they ran as fast and as hard as they could. It was only after they entered the forest that they stopped, hidden in the shadows.