Page 2 of Bred by the Alien Prince

“Fast as light in a pod? That’ll knock me out!”

“But you’ll get there in a day or two. But you won’t be awake for it. Good luck.”

“Derek, I have Gloria with me. She’s passed out and hurt really bad.”

“Caspian, the sectors won’t stay open for long. You have less than five minutes and at least four different sectors to cross to reach the pods, including taking the service ladder to sector nineteen, where the pods are. You won’t be able to do that with a passed-out person. You gotta drop her.”

“Derek! How can you be so callous?!” I yelled, fearing his words might be true.

“The timer is on; I can only do so much to help you right now. I have my own pod to catch.”

“Wait, are we all abandoning ship?”

“Yeah, there are… shit! Listen, go down the hall to your right, hit the first left, straight through the doors, and go up the stairs of that fancy dining hall with the balloons to celebrate our arrival. Go through the main doors there and straight down. Once past the doors ahead, hit the right service ladder. From there, it's a straight shot through the sectors until you reach nineteen. You’ll see a sign pointing to the escape pods. Just follow it! I can’t--!”

His voice cut off, and a rough tongue was spoken in a deep guttural tone.

What the hell was going on?!

I laid Gloria on the carpet and heard her moan. The first sign of life I got from her besides a heartbeat came at the most heart-wrenching moment.

The timer ticked off in my mind. Derek was right, as much as I didn’t wish to admit it. I wasn’t going to make it with her.

“I’m so sorry!” Tears fell as she mumbled something incoherently while her head shifted about. I couldn’t bring myself to leave her behind.

“Please…” She muttered. “Tell my son, I---I---” She opened her bloodshot eyes and gasped before it was over.

“Gloria?”

Her eyes remained open, locked in a vacant stare. She was… gone.

Turning away from her, I couldn’t watch another moment.

I stood up straight, my body feeling like a pin cushion, and I limped for the doors, leaving Gloria’s body behind.

When I reached the large dining hall with its massive, windowed view of the observation deck, I recognized the state of the ship and what was responsible. I pressed my hand to the windowed material, looking out into the vastness of space. Half the ship hung on by torn and twisted metal.

Beds, sheets, plants, toys…. and the victims floated helplessly in the vacuum.

Another ship arrived, a dark, jagged, and sharp-looking thing, almost like the shape of a beetle.

What the hell is that? I exclaimed in my head. Was that a ship from the colony? I had no time to stand around and wait. The docking tube to my sector was floating with the rest of the space debris. My only sure chance of getting out of here alive was getting to the pod. I pushed off the glass and limped for the main doors.

“I’m almost there, almost there!” Again, I heard a scream in the next room and that guttural tone.

When I reached for the ladder, I had to will myself to climb it, even if I had to drag my body along.

The sign was posted on the wall, just as Derek said, and I followed the flashing red arrows through the dark, flickering hall. I felt exposed for some reason, as if something in the dark would come out and snatch me up, but there was nothing I could do but keep running until I reached the pod station.

CHAPTER 1

The Year 2105

One year before the attack on the SS Ignis.

Caspian

The sound of the thick piece of gum hit the trash bin with a bing. The last thing I wanted was to look like I had no tact at all, and sitting here smacking on gum like a damn camel was not the first impression I wanted to make. My hands shook, but thankfully, I could hide them from the camera. I took a deep breath sucking in the warm air and then exhaling again, and then I did it again. Okay, I’m freaking nervous, maybe the most nervous I’ve ever been. I daydreamed about my acceptance and how it would launch some sort of grand career among the stars. I snapped back to the reality of my tiny bedroom and turned on the camera to begin.

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