Lara
Every day or so, the yellow aliens added more beings to the cell.
Everyone stood or sat shoulder to shoulder; we all stank of body odor, sweaty feet, and shit. If only I could stuff some clean-smelling cotton balls up my nose.
Sitting with my head braced against the wall, my eyes drifted closed.
I opened my mind and let the words flow.
Is anyone out there?
Who is this? And how are you speaking with me this way? a male voice replied angrily.
I sat up straight, shocked; I had never believed it would actually work!
You can hear me? Oh, my God! You can hear me! Please, you have to help us!
Who is this?
I’m trapped, held prisoner by some big ugly yellow beasts.
Where?
Dammit! How was I supposed to know where I was?
I’m on a space ship, but that’s all I know!
I am sorry. I cannot help you.
My hope deflated, but still, I reached out to him.
Hello? Are you there? Hello?
I still felt hopeful. If he could hear me, then surely someone else could also.
After a few more tries, I finally gave up; but it was a start.
Mother had always claimed to have psychic abilities and that she was a descendant of Gypsies. Of course, I never believed in such things. But in desperate times, I’d try anything. And holy moly Batman, it worked!
After spending all my time wallowing in self-pity, it was time to pull my shit together. Getting out of here was paramount, now that I knew that someone might possibly help. Not him, but if I could reach someone else….
Pushing up from the floor, I dusted off my backside and took a good look around. Several sets of eyes turned my direction. Oval red eyes, glowing snake eyes, each set different and each strange. I averted my own gaze and tried not to bump into anyone.
Aliens existed. I needed to get used to the idea. It didn’t mean they were bad, just…different. Gaging each one, I would guess they were all females. Maybe the Suntae had a museum of exotic species. I snorted at my own pathetic thought. In reality, aliens or no, there would only be a handful of reasons someone had caged a bunch of females, and I didn’t want to think about why or what might happen.
Noticing that I was now standing, Nonya ambled over. She glanced around nervously, then tilted her head toward me and whispered, “I was worried about you.”
Of all the females here, she was the only one who tried to talk to me daily. I admired her tenacity.
Threading my hand through dirty, tangled hair, I flashed a quick smile. “Sorry for the pity party.” My eyes quickly flicked around the cell before landing back on her. “I’ve got to find a way out of here.”
She crossed her arms and huffed. “My brother will show up any minute, I just know it.”
Great for her, but I didn’t have a brother who would save the day. I had to figure this out on my own.
When the guards disarmed the forcefield, I would escape, or die trying. Either way was better than this existence. The smell alone would drive a person insane.
You would think they would let us bathe and clean out the cell every once in a while, something to make it more pleasant for themselves. Every week or so, they changed the pee foam, but it didn’t curtail the smell, and it had to drift down the corridor. How could it not? Instead, we were treated like useless animals.
I glanced around, smiling at a few of the aliens who stared. I felt like the shiny new toy that everyone wanted to look at. Yaundy—the rock girl—pushed her way through until she was standing in front of us. “I am glad you are feeling better.”
Assessing her build, I cocked my head to the side. “Thanks.” I knew everyone stared at me, but Yaundy looked downright fascinating. I briefly imagined what her planet might look like.
Suddenly the ship rocked violently. My hands shot out and braced against the wall to keep from falling. “Is someone shooting at us?”
My eyes bounced continuously around at everyone. No one answered.
Adrenaline surged and hope flared in my chest. All I needed to do was keep a sharp eye on the forcefield. The moment it dropped, I would tackle the yellow guy, hopefully knock him out of the way, and make my great escape.
But when the guards stood in front of the forcefield, all my plans were crushed. There were too many of them. I counted at least ten, but there could have been more just out of sight.
The forcefield dropped and they herded us out like cattle, prodding with sticks to keep us moving. I bumped into Isa, the slick purple girl.
“Sorry,” I said, stumbling as I tried to get my balance. With someone bumping me from behind, it was hard not to fall into her again.
Shuffling down the dimly lit corridor, I trembled. The fear tasted bitter on my tongue as I walked like a lamb to the slaughter. At least that’s how it felt.
Taking small steps, I followed Nonya down the groaning metal ramp, onto a loading area of some sort. One of the other female aliens broke loose and darted away, snagging the attention of the guard standing next to us.
Nonya grabbed my hand and jerked me out of line. We ran as if our lives depended on it.
I heard the guard yell, heard his heavy steps as he chased after us. My heart raced wildly as I pumped my arms and ran faster.
“This way!” she yelled, changing directions. Just as I thought we had escaped, a hand struck, grabbing Nonya. She screamed a shrill, ear-piercing scream. I glanced over my shoulder and watched a clawed hand cover her mouth.
She thrashed, trying to get lose while I kept running. Guilt settled into my gut, but she had said her brother was coming for her. I didn’t have anyone.
Searching wildly for someone to help, my eyes snapped to a large red alien with ebony eyes like some black bottomless pit. Dressed in a crisp white shirt and black form-fitting pants, he stared, our eyes locked. Both sexy and scary, I knew better than to mess with him, let alone scream for his help. But I couldn’t tear my gaze away.
Warmth filled my body as everything around me tilted. All the momentum drained away, and it took all of my strength not to pass out.
When my mind cleared and I focused on the red alien again, his face twisted in rage, and he shoved others out of the way, stalking toward me with determined steps.
Fear zipped through my body. Before he took three steps, another red alien caught his arm. Slowly, he tore his gaze from mine and spoke to the other guy.
It’s now or never!
I spun, then took off running in a different direction, needing to get away.
Down an almost empty, mostly unused passageway, the overhead lights flickered once, and trash littered both sides of the hall. It really could use a good cleaning. I searched for somewhere to hide. Finding a small dark opening much like an air vent, I crawled inside.
“Ew!” My hand landed in something wet and sticky. I didn’t even want to think about what it could be. Turning over, I sat with my knees drawn to my chest. The space was tight and I barely fit, but at least I felt safe for now.
“Who’s there?” A high-pitched voice asked from further inside the vent.
Startled, I jumped a little and slowly peered deeper into the shadows.
“Sorry, is this your area?” It sounded stupid to ask if someone laid claim on this small empty space, but I didn’t know what else to say. No reply.
Squinting, I saw the outline of a head, but not much more. Then the sound of someone crawling on metal, and then nothing. “Are you still there?”
Silence.
Okay, then. I guess they left.
Inhaling deeply, trying to catch my breath, the air smelled like dirty socks, and some other stink I couldn’t identify. But I just had to wait it out, give the yellow aliens time to leave.
Guilt settled deep, and right now, I didn’t like myself very much. I never thought I’d be the one to leave friends behind, but here I was, taking care of numeral uno. It’s not a pleasant feeling to realize that you are capable of such a thing. However, in my defense, Nonya had someone looking for her and the others probably did too. At least, that’s what I planned to tell myself going forward.