Faith

I woke feeling strange when it was time for my watch. Like always, Rylan tried to urge me to go back to sleep, but I didn’t need it. I actually felt…rested. And no, it wasn’t the earth-shattering sex that did it. It was the absence of nightmares.

I hate to admit it, but I think I was able to sleep so soundly because I trust Rylan. I don’t know what’s going to happen between us. I don’t know that we will always be safe. But I do trust him with the space between us. I know I’m safe when it comes to him.

That being said… I’m dreading having to talk about our encounter last night.

But the morning passes uneventfully and it’s midafternoon when we reach a place where the trees begin to thin. Our goal is to make it to an overlook on the top of a hill. I’m acutely aware of the fact that Rylan is being more cautious than normal and I wonder if those alien ears of his are picking up things I’m not. Regardless, I follow suit and play things extra safe.

We tread lightly, taking our time. Rylan scans the trees and their canopies and I do the same, scouring them for anything that might be a danger to us, whether it be guards or surveillance systems.

I can’t help but notice traveling today has been quiet, with neither of us talking much. At first I worried Rylan’s distance was a result of what happened between us last night, but I watch his serious expression as he cautiously climbs the hill and come to believe that his attentions are simply intent on rescuing us right now.

As we near the top, we crouch low to the ground and eventually Rylan signals that we should army crawl on our bellies the rest of the way. Once atop the small summit we have a view of a wide meadow followed by a private airfield. Looming in the distance is the glass dome, the only civilization on this planet and a beacon of pure evil.

Rylan and I study the area for a long time. When I look over at him, his expression looks troubled and I think I see the problem. For some reason, there are no guards. You’d think there would be, but the place looks utterly deserted.

“Where is everyone?” I whisper. Rylan just shakes his head.

We stay like that for an hour or more, monitoring the airfields, but no one comes. It isn’t a lunch break or changing of the guards then. There simply seems to be no one there.

“There were many on watch the night of my arrival,” Rylan whispers to me.

“Well, no one’s there now,” I point out. “Look, Rylan, I want to be cautious too, but we might be missing our opportunity here.”

He nods his head solemnly as he continues to study the area below. “I have been thinking the same thing,” he admits.

Together we make our way back down the hill a bit and crouch behind a stone outcropping. “What’s the plan?” I ask.

“We leave our bags behind, we will not need them on a ship and I do not want them encumbering us if we need to run…or fight. We take only our chargers.”

“Sounds good,” I agree, even though it’s a little scary to me to leave our rations behind.

“We go fast but cautious in the meadow, staying below the grasses. That is the most dangerous part of this last leg. If someone spots us, they might not hesitate to take us out from a distance.”

“And once we get to the docks?” I ask.

“We will keep our eyes out for guards.” He shrugs, seemingly still troubled that there is no one watching over the ships. “Beyond that, I saw a few vessels that are good candidates for our escape. This isn’t like a busy space station, I doubt the ships will even have their lockout mechanisms running.”

“Okay.” I nod. “Are you ready?”

“We need to cover one last thing, Faith,” he tells me, his eyes burning.

Here it is, I think to myself. We’re going to have to talk about last night’s sex. My stomach feels uneasy and my hands begin to fidget.

“You made a promise to me and if there was ever a time to keep it, it will be down there on those docks,” he says sternly.

“Huh?”

“When I offered to help you escape I had but one condition, that you would follow any instruction I give you. If something happens down there, I will cover you, but you must go straight to a ship and leave this place. Head back to Nydor. There is a male that works the docking station, his name is Derson. He can help you find my sisters on Aragran, you must go to them and tell them to head for the Iredescan colonies.”

“Rylan!” I exclaim. “This isn’t a suicide mission!”

“I am not saying that it is. Somewhere along the way I will catch up to you, but I do not want to waste any time if I am held back. You must agree to this, Faith, for my sisters. I need to know that they will be safe if something happens. That you will all be safe.”

I huff out a long sigh, not liking this one bit. But I ruined Rylan’s life…and his sisters’ too. The least I can do is keep this promise. If I do, maybe it can help redeem me.

“Alright. I know I’ve made a mess of your life Rylan—”

“Faith—”

“No, let me finish. I owe you this. If anything bad happens, you have my word. I’ll make sure your sisters are safe.”

“Thank you,” he tells me gravely. I nod my head fiercely, feeling a little overwhelmed by the emotions swirling inside of me. Tears well in my eyes, and when Rylan reaches for me I try to blink them away. His talons lovingly graze my cheek and just as I start to lean into him, Rylan wrenches himself away and jumps to his feet.

“Rylan, what the—?” I say, startled, but a second later everything makes sense when a hunter descends from the trees.

His feet land heavily on the ground. He’s the same one from before. The one that Rylan hit over the head on our first day together here. A sickening smile spreads across his face. He looks between Rylan and me knowingly, making my skin crawl with the unspoken insinuation he wields in his eyes.

At the same moment Rylan and I raise our chargers at the guy, but the hunter has a weapon of his own. With his supercharged blaster gone, it looks like he’s found a replacement. It’s some type of electric whip and I hear it crackling as he snaps it toward Rylan, knocking the charger out of his hand. I fire on the guy without reservation, but the bursts of energy that shoot from my weapon connect with a chest plate, and instead of harming him they seem to simply be absorbed by his armor.

“Run!” Rylan commands me, but I brace myself and keep on firing, aiming now for the hunter’s face. The whip cracks in my direction, but Rylan grabs the lighted rope before it can reach me and he screams out in pain as the hunter rips it away again. His eyes meet mine and he commands me again, “Run.”

I hesitate only for a second, my heart torn between my promise and my love for Rylan. I know for him, my promise trumps all. So, I turn away from the fight and I run.

“Don’t run too far!” I hear the hunter calling after me and my stomach turns in disgust. Still, I head for the docks.  

At the bottom of the hill the trees fade away and I reach the meadow. Sprinting forward, I’m enveloped in the tall grasses, the dry and yellowing plant-life rustles and pokes at me as I go. It is nearly too tall for me to even see through and I worry about being spotted by some unseen guard and shot before ever knowing I was in danger. Now and then I get a view of the dome and it reassures me I’m still running in the right direction.

I run and suck down air, complying with Rylan’s request, but inside me a war is waging. I hate leaving him behind. I hate not knowing if he will meet me at the dock. Do I do exactly as he asked or should I wait for him, if only for just a couple of minutes? What if he needs my help?

Help, I think loathingly. Does nobody want my help? We’ve been a team, Rylan and I. Partners, when I thought I would be doomed to spend the rest of my life alone. He shouldn’t make me leave him like this. He needs me! My brain screams in revolt at the increasing distance between Rylan and me.

But ahead I see a metal staircase leading up to the docks and, true to my word, I keep moving forward. That is, until an unnerving sight makes me stop dead in my tracks. There, at the base of the stairs, is a crumpled mass that I know could only be one thing. A body.

I stop and crouch low to the ground, sucking in my breath, my heart pounding from adrenaline and exertion. Slowly, I inch my way forward, looking all around for signs of a predator. When I reach the body, I can tell by the uniform that it’s a guard. I reach down and touch his cheek. He’s not quite cold, but not quite warm either. It couldn’t have happened too long before Rylan and I set up our watch.

I eye the gun slung around the guard’s chest. It’s big and dangerous looking, but I remember how important it was to Rylan to not kill anyone and I still have my charger, so I leave the gun behind without much regret.

There might be danger ahead, but I know for a fact that there is danger behind me, so I press onward. With my charger drawn, I make it to the top of the steps and scan for enemies. From this vantage point I can see down the perimeter of the docks. Every 50 feet or so I see a downed guard and the hair on the back of my neck stands on end. Ahead of me, towards the ships, I hear the groan of metal and I flinch, aiming my charger in that direction. I train my ears for even the slightest sound, but it’s something in the opposite direction that catches my attention.

Halfway across the meadow, I see the grasses quaking. Someone is running through it. I duck behind a docking log station and stare intently out at the grass, hoping to see the green and black shades of Rylan rather than the blood red of the hunter.

A simple plan blossoms in my mind and I hope it isn’t a betrayal to Rylan. I will wait, hiding here to see who comes up the steps. If it is Rylan, then we’ll board a ship and escape together. If it’s the hunter, then I will let him pass and slip away silently. At least that way I’ll know, I tell myself. If Rylan doesn’t make it, I need to know. I can’t head to Aragran hoping the whole time that maybe one day he’ll catch up to me. I can’t face his sisters with no answers.

From my hiding place my view is obstructed in some ways, but as soon as the person passes me, I’ll know. I watch my slim view of the meadow until the movement there is outside my range and I take deep calming breaths as I try to hold my charger steady.

Alone with my thoughts, I can’t help but think how stupid this all is. Rylan shouldn’t be the one facing that killer back there. I earned my place on this planet by killing Jesek Lahan. Rylan is a good man, devoted to his family. He doesn’t deserve to be here, in a place like this.

Each second feels like an eternity until I hear cautious steps on the staircase. Whoever is ascending them has found the bodies. I peek around the cover of the docking log station and my heart soars when I see that it’s Rylan. He’s bleeding and his hair is wild, but it’s him and he’s alive.

Just as I’m about to call out to him a rumbling makes me stumble to the ground and clutch my ears. The sound is thundering and I look over at Rylan. His eyes go to a large ship rising in the air. I call to him, but my voice is drowned out by the engines. Feeling the sense of safety ease back into my body, I push myself up and head towards him. His gaze is locked on the ship and it dawns on me that he probably thinks he’s watching my escape. I hope he isn’t too mad when he finds out otherwise, I think wryly.

But, as I press forward, the last of my hope and happiness drains away as I see the hunter appear at the top of the stairs, not far behind Rylan. In his hands he no longer carries the electric whip. No…instead he’s holding the gun I chose to leave on the murdered guard and it’s now pointed at my lover’s back.

“RYLAN!” I scream. I scream so loud it feels like my throat rips in two, but no sound can be heard over the roaring engines. So, I point my charger at the hunter and fire mercilessly as I run toward them. Every blast gets absorbed, leaving no damage in its wake, but at least I’ve stolen the hunter’s attention.

My movement must have caught Rylan’s attention too, because in the last seconds he spins. His eyes go wide at the sight of me and realization washes over his face as he takes in the full picture. At the same time, the hunter shifts the weight of the gun in his hands… It’s a blaster, I notice absently as the tip lights up. Then there’s a flash and I feel the metal grate of the docks hard against my back before I sense the searing heat in my stomach.

Slowly, the sound of the engines fades away. But there’s a new thunder in my ears now, it’s the sound of Rylan’s bellow of rage.

My weapon is gone and I blindly search around me, but my hands come up empty. Must have lost it when I was shot.

Everything around me keeps moving, despite the fact that my brain feels like it’s operating in slow motion. Rylan, on the other hand, seems to be moving with super speed as I watch him stalk over to the hunter, who doesn’t look as vicious as he looks smug. But his pride melts from his face when Rylan grabs the barrel of his blaster. The weapon fires again, but the beam shoots off at nothing in the sky before Rylan rips it from his grasp and tosses it out into the grass.

Then his hands are on the hunter’s neck, lifting him up high off the ground. No words are spoken between the two, not like they were when it was Jesek Lahan and me. No, it’s different for Rylan when he kills the hunter, it’s quick. His talons pierce the alien’s flesh and then there’s a terrible cracking sound as Rylan rips out his throat and tosses the man aside. Then I feel the grate tremble with every stride it takes for Rylan to get to me.

I close my eyes, squeezing the tears away. I don’t want Rylan to see me crying, not this time.