Page 28 of Found By the Alien Warrior

Aurik rose, positioning himself before me. But the guards converged, one thrusting a spear-tipped laser rifle into his shoulder. I screamed as blood bloomed on the pale fabric of his shirt.

“I’ll heal shortly,” he gritted out, pain etching his features as he tried to reassure me.

Korga tilted his head, enjoying watching Aurik suffer. “The poison might make it a tiny bit longer.”

I watched in horror as Aurik swayed on his feet. ”How much poison are we talking?”

“I’ll heal in an hour or less.”

I grabbed a stack of napkins to staunch the bleeding. Meanwhile, Korga’s laughter echoed off the walls. "You both provide good entertainment."

I silenced the retort bubbling up my throat. The guards closed in on us when Korga signaled.

"Get them out of here.”

As we were herded away from the mess hall, away from the eyes filled with a mix of pity and relief, I pondered what he had planned for us this time.

I moved beside Aurik, whose steps slowed considerably from the poison. Korga kept wearing us down bit by bit, whether it was in the ring for Aurik or finding little ways to keep me in a base level of distress daily.

All I knew was, I couldn’t take much more.

We traveled the corridor and took an elevator down to the ship’s lowest level. There, the darkness hung thick and heavy, ready to suffocate. The others must have had better vision than what my human eyes offered. I was the only one who stumbled as I walked, barely able to see. Aurik put a hand on my arm. I couldn’t see how his wound looked, if it had gotten worse.

Korga walked on ahead of us with a couple guards. I heard a faint click as motion sensors kicked on the lights. We were in a short hall. I blinked several times as metal bars on either side of us revealed empty cells.

“This is confinement,” Korga stated. “Where I can choose to keep those who are insubordinate.” He stretched his hand and ran a long, dirty nail along the bars, making them sing an eerie tune. "Like disobedient pets."

An unexpected sulphuric breeze touched my face. I looked around as my eyes adjusted and glanced at an open door a few yards ahead. The rugged landscape of Thermakon lay beyond it.

"Or you can try your luck outside." Korga gestured to the open door. "Who knows? Maybe your limited human survival abilities will surprise us all."

So he was toying with the idea of letting me leave the ship. What was he up to? “Maybe I will surprise you," I shot back, my voice steadier than I felt. I knew I was bluffing, but if there was even a sliver of a chance to turn the tables...

Aurik caught my eye. I learned that look already. It was his look, his silent call for reason, but I was done playing by Korga's twisted rules. I hated this feeling—the cold grip of powerlessness—but it was the kickstart for me to get a little courage under my belt. I took Aurik’s arm and gave it a tug, my one communication in this moment that I was sure he understood. I hoped he would come, too.

I bolted for the door.

The laughter that spilled from Korga was like acid, scorching and caustic, chasing me outside into the otherwordly terrain. The atmosphere of the planet seeped into my skin as I ran to the sound of my own ragged breaths and the howl of Thermakon's winds.

Chapter Twelve

SONYA

I was running, the uneven terrain of Thermakon jolting beneath my feet, when the ground shuddered a warning. I stumbled, but adrenaline pushed me on, past water geysers that erupted less than three feet away.

Each spout was a game of chance. Some mere trickles, others monstrous plumes shooting twelve feet into the darkened orange sky. I dodged left, then right, a shriek escaping my lips as a scalding mist grazed my arm. Behind me, Korga’s laughter boomed from his ship.

“I’ll give you thirty minutes' head start before I send someone to get you. You have to stay alive for three hours.”

Thirty minutes. They were nothing more than a taunt, a cat giving the mouse one last pretend chance before it pounced.

Suddenly, Aurik was there, his presence a force as the heat radiating off the geysers. He yanked me back just as a goliath of steam and water showered the space I occupied seconds earlier.

"Thanks for the save," I said, my pulse thundering as the reality of near injury sank in. I dug my feet into the gritty soil for stability as the ground let loose a mild tremor.

"Dammit, Sonya, what are you doing?" Aurik’s voice was both concern and reprimand, underscored by his heavy breathing.

“Surviving. What does it look like?"

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