Page 56 of Pandora: Alien Games

As I lifted my head and looked around, I saw the familiar environment of the space station. Where was I supposed to be? Why was I here? Am I home?

“Van, do I have a shift?”

“You killed me, Pandora!”

“But you’re not dead. You’re here talking to me.”

“You kill everything you touch, Pandora. I despise you. You’re not worth my time!”

How could Van be so mean to me? We had small fights over the years, and we teased each other, but he never talked this way to me.

“Van, please tell me what happened.” Pain scored my chest. It hurt so bad.

Van opened his jacked to expose his chest. Oh Gods, I barely contained my gag. The flesh was torn and tattered. Pieces were missing and fluid dripped from the wounds. The blood was already dark and congealed. I could see his lungs and heart.

“Van.”

“Don’t touch me! I never wanted you to touch me.”

My hand fell back against my body. Something was wrong. This felt strange and familiar at the same time.

“I… I’m sorry.” I couldn’t cry. The tears were stuck inside my ducts. I was unable to allow the moisture to drip down my cheeks.

“You killed us all. You’re the reason Ashok and Hassym area dead!”

I swallowed hard. He’s right. I am responsible for…. Wait.

“Van, how do you know about Ashok?”

His face became distorted. “Because you killed them!”

“No, I didn’t. And I didn’t kill you, either.” Memories flooded my mind. I remembered everything. The Anubis, the crash, the armor.

“Nephthys, where the frozen space rats are you?”

The creature in front of me disappeared. Van was gone. I was inside a clearing, my knees pulled close to my chest, hugging myself, fighting the need to vomit.

Nephthys finally spoke. “I was working at synthesizing an antidote for the poison. You ran right into their trap. The flowers… the sap created hallucinations.”

“Oh.”

“How did you break free?”

“I knew Van wasn’t right. Plus, he couldn’t know about the Anubis.”

“Pandora, I ran a scan and have bad news.”

“Hit me, girl.”

“Hassym is a prisoner inside the Caves. And he’s not alone. I read four other life signs that are also Anubis.”

My breath caught in my chest. The interior of the Pyramid looked like a forest. As I looked up, I even saw a form or sky, only it was a foreign sky that scared me.

“Why do I see sky above me?”

“We’re in another dimension, a dimension created by my love’s dreams and nightmares. Everything here is connected to him.”

“Oh.” The sound left my lips like a whisper.

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