With the Martian nowhere to be found, I wandered through a new system of tunnels, getting more nervous with every uncertain step that I took. I couldn’t go back the way I came. There were Alaki swarming the area, so I had to find a new way up to the surface.

Every time a new path looked to ascend, I took it. After a few hours of wandering about, I began to feel like I was trapped in a labyrinth. But instead of the Minotaur, I had to face the Alaki. I shuddered. The Alaki would eat the pathetic Minotaur for breakfast.

My mind kept replaying on repeat the memories of Andrew and Captain Clark getting viciously devoured alive. I had done my best to snuff out Andrew’s horrible screams, but Captain Clark’s pleading couldn’t be forgotten. The transition from curiosity to confusion to painful dismay was horrific to relive. Then, there was the baying for help. Instead of trying to help him, Andrew and I had turned and hightailed it out of there. I knew there was nothing we could do to save the man, but guilt still ate at me.

Andrew’s death had been seriously unlucky. The bastard was trying to outrun me on purpose and it totally backfired on him. The question of meeting aliens had come up between the three of us on our flight to Mars. This discussion had given way to another one of Andrew’s jokes that he enjoyed repeating ad nauseam: “You don’t have to run faster than the bear. You just have to run faster than the person next to you.”

Unfortunately, they weren’t around when I met the big hulking humanoid alien. I shook my head. I didn’t even know his name. I didn’t even know if his people had names. Regardless, my fellow astronauts would’ve wanted to meet him. It would have been as momentous a moment in their life as it was in mine. I’m sure there would’ve been plenty of penis lover jokes, considering the log the Martian warrior was swinging between his legs.

I wove my way into another cave chamber, but this one was drastically different than the others I had stumbled into. Instead of the familiar turquoise and aqua glow that the moss and water emitted, this one was shrouded in a glowing red. Large bushes with glowing red berries lined the walls. And there were bushels and bushels of the fruit. It looked like a small feast just waiting for me.

My stomach gurgled after seeing all of the plump fruit hanging there, ripe for the taking. I hadn’t eaten since the night before. If that was even a night. Being below the surface really messed with my ability to keep track of time. A day on Mars was only approximately forty minutes longer than earth, so in theory, it shouldn’t really affect my circadian rhythm, but this damn never-ending tunnel system completely threw me off. I had no way of knowing how long I had been down here. I had slept once, and that’s what I had counted as a day.

I put down my helmet, reached out and groped a glowing red berry. It was about the size of one of the Martian’s balls. I couldn’t eat it all in one bite, but I was going to take my time to savor it. I was ravenous and couldn’t wait to sink my teeth in.

With a gentle tug, I plucked it from the bush and smiled as the glowing faded to a dull red. “Let’s hope this tastes as good as that spiky thing,” I muttered to myself before opening my mouth to take a bite.

Sssssssshhhhooom.

A stone knife came flying out of the darkness and struck the berry out of my hand. I screamed as it sailed past me and pinned the red fruit to the rock wall with a thung.

Who the hell just threw a dagger at me?

I whipped my head around and hiding in plain sight was my Martian. His skin blended in perfectly with the stone wall until he pushed away. I stared at his massive outline as he walked toward me.

“Are you trying to kill me?” I asked him, staring in stunned surprise.

He shook his head. “That fruit you were about to eat is poisonous.”

“How did you find me?” I had been walking for hours and hadn’t heard or seen him once. “Have you been following me this entire time?”

“I told you once before. I’m a warrior and you are under my protection.” The way he said it with such authority made a warm shiver ripple through me.

“My own personal guardian angel watching over my shoulder,” I mumbled to myself.

“A what?” He cocked his head.

“Nothing.” It would be too difficult to explain. “Thank you for saving my life once again.”

He was making a habit out of this, constantly rescuing me where my ignorance would sooner leave me dead. Maybe it was time to swallow my pride and accept that I needed help. I had built so much of my identity around my independence, but this situation was different. I was in a new environment on a new planet and had no way of protecting myself nor the knowledge of how to do so. It was foolish to think I could just walk out of here on my own without any trouble.

“Does your offer still stand? Are you still willing to take me back to your village?” It was my safest option, and maybe once I was there I would be able to find somebody that would be willing to take me to the surface. There must be someone there who’s not as cautious as my Martian protector. Or, perhaps they had a safer route. Another way to the surface that avoided Alaki territory.

“Yes. I will take you now.” His dark stare seemed to lighten.

I stashed my big ass helmet under one of the red plants and hoped that I’d be able to find it again. It was getting heavy and my sore shoulders were thrilled to be rid of that empty fishbowl that I’d been lugging around.

“Ready?” he asked, watching me closely.

I gulped. “As I’ll ever be.”

We walked in silence for at least an hour. I had spent that time trying to figure him out. He was so fascinating to me, seemingly caveman-like and highly intelligent in the same breath. He had the physical stature of a brute but was gentle and kind with a protective nature. The dichotomy played with my thoughts. The scientist inside of me so desperately wanted to label and compartmentalize him, but I couldn’t. I would just have to file him away under the “Big Dick” category and reassess his file at a later date.

“Do you have a name?” I asked.

“Are we exchanging names now? Is that how comfortable you are with me?”

“Huh? It’s just a name.”

“It is, and it isn’t. Giving someone your name is a sign of trust within the Subcotan. Do you trust me?”

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be following you back to your village.” Not to mention, he had saved my life twice now. If that wasn’t a trustworthy action, I didn’t know what was.

“Will you tell me your name?”

“Mia Morgan,” I answered. “Now, will you tell me yours?”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mia Morgan,” he said. After a moment of hesitation, he continued, “My name is Erotan.”

“So, does this mean you trust me then?” I asked with a grin.

“I’m beginning to, Mia Morgan.” He glanced at me with his black eyes and gave me a slight smile.

“Just Mia,” I said.

“Okay, Just Mia.”

I laughed and he tilted his head, looking at me with confusion.

“We’ll figure it out,” I said, smiling.

He wasn’t such a bad guy when he wasn’t dragging me by the arm or ignoring my selfish demands. “Have you always lived in these tunnels, Erotan?”

“My people were born in these tunnels,” he said with a nod. “That’s why we can’t survive on the surface. We are not made to live there. It is within the ground where we have thrived. This has happened for many generations.”

“What about the Alaki? They’re not on the surface. If you just ventured out there, you would be able to live a life without them.”

“It is only recently that they have begun to give us any trouble. Before, they stayed away. But things are changing.”

“What is changing?”

“They’re spreading wider and growing larger due to a new Queen in their area. The reason my post is so far away from the village is because I’ve been tasked to fight them and push them back. Otherwise, we fear they might overrun the village and kill all of my people.”

“That’s horrible,” I say, cringing. “Wait… You alone have been tasked with trying to kill these things?”

“No, not just me. There are many brave warriors fighting. I am only one of them.”

Wow, the Subcotan were not an individualistic people at all, but one that really valued community. He was risking his life to save everyone else, including me. “How come you followed me?”

“You are weak with no survival skills, Just Mia.” He said it like it was a fact. Okay, it’s pretty much a fact.

“Mia,” I answered. “Only say, Mia. And thanks.” I rolled my eyes.

“You are small and weak, Mia,” he went on, like I didn’t get it the first time. Jeez. “The Alaki were sure to eat you.”

“And you wanted me to be safe?” I exhaled hard, thinking that was so sweet.

He looked at me and nodded. “You are too beautiful a creature to let die.”

I started to blush as he looked over my shoulder. His brow furrowed as he spotted something up ahead. I turned and looked in the direction and saw something white laying on the path.

He took a step and then quickened his pace away from me as he approached the gleaming white shape. It was long and large, and when we came within a few feet of it, I stopped dead in my tracks. I gasped, forgetting all about our awkward conversation and immediately covered my mouth with a hand. It was a skeleton.

The bones looked human but were larger and thicker. It must have been one of his warrior buddies. Apparently, these guys weren’t as indestructible as I had hoped.

“Death by Alaki saliva,” he said before sucking in a deep breath. He knelt down and lifted a black stone sword that lay beside the bones. He brought it close to his eyes and squinted, reading something off the blade. Then, without saying a word he dropped it and buried his face in his big hands.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered as I placed a hand on his warm shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“I know this warrior.” His voice caught, choked by the revelation.

“How can you tell who it is?”

“His sword. His name is on his sword. We all get our names etched onto our swords when we cross over from a youngen to a Subcotan.” He reached for it once again, taking the weapon in his hands. “We need to bury him. He deserves a proper warrior’s death.”

“Are you sure it’s safe?” I asked, feeling an empty pit in my stomach when I remembered what the Alaki’s saliva did to Captain Clark’s suit. “If there is any saliva still left on his bones, we could get hurt.”

I wanted to help him, but I was kind of attached to my hands. Literally and figuratively.

He turned to me with a sad look on his face that broke my heart. “I’d rather risk burned hands than leave my friend’s skeleton out in these empty tunnels as though he means nothing to us. To me.”

I nodded, feeling a twinge of guilt. “Okay. I will help you prepare a proper burial for him. ”

This was a new side to Erotan. Not intelligent or brutish, but simply emotional. And judging by his hunched shoulders and sniffling, his capacity to feel was rather deep. Given what he had just shared, I was sure the loss would be felt by the whole village as well. Whether or not they were blood-related, this was his brother.

There was more to this alien people than I had initially thought.

And I yearned to learn more.