Page 14 of Doom

While I tended to the people, Father Robert pulled Doom aside to discuss a potential evacuation of his flock. We ended up staying far longer than expected. As we prepared to depart, a lady called out to us. In her early nineties, she had diabetes, high blood pressure, and severe arthritis in pretty much every joint. At first, I thought she wanted me to give her more painkillers, but she had no interest in me. Doom held her complete attention.

She extended a shaky hand towards him. He took it with infinite care and crouched next to the small cot she was lying upon.

“Are you an angel?” she asked.

“I do not believe so,” Doom answered with a soft voice.

“But you came from the sky to protect us from the demons attacking us, didn’t you?” she insisted.

“Yes. My brothers and I came from the stars to defend you,” Doom conceded.

“Then you are angels,” the old lady said, an air of peace settling on her wizened face. “I can rest now. I’m not afraid anymore. Thank you.”

My throat tightened as she leaned back against the cushion which served as a makeshift pillow and closed her eyes. Doom gently caressed the thinning silver hair on her head then leaned forward to softly kiss her forehead. A contented smile played on the old woman’s lips as Doom straightened and placed her hand on her stomach.

He rose, everyone staring at him with the same hope shining in their eyes.

“Thank you,” Father Robert said as he escorted us upstairs. “You’ve saved us all.”

We certainly had. Even assuming the Kryptids hadn’t found them, they wouldn’t have survived more than a few more days, starving and dehydrated as they were.

“It was our pleasure and our duty,” Doom replied. “It will be at least an hour before the shuttles arrive. Do not be afraid. Some of our allies will look more alien to you than my brothers and I do.”

“We won’t. Thank you again,” Father Robert said. “Be safe.”

I passed Stran, patiently waiting just outside the front doors, and headed for the van. Doom followed me.

“There aren’t enough supplies left here to keep traveling with this vehicle,” Doom said. “We can put the essentials in the hoverbike’s storage.”

Dubious at first, when Doom lifted the seat of the bike, I was stunned by the amount of storage available despite some items already stored within. When I expressed concerns about heat potentially ruining the medicine, he reassured me the container was temperature controlled.

Doom sat on the bike and looked at me over his shoulder, waiting for me to get on behind him. My throat dried up while my hands turned clammy. I licked my lips nervously and climbed on. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven when my palms settled on his insanely muscular abs. Pressing my chest against his strong back, I struggled not to rub my face against the soft, dark curls of his shoulder-length black hair.

“Hang tight, Little Red. I don’t want to lose you,” Doom said in an odd tone.

Call it wishful thinking, but I got the distinct impression that his words had a deeper meaning than mere concern I’d fall off the bike. I didn’t press the issue, not wanting to embarrass myself.

Doom took off at an impressive—but not alarming—speed. Holding on tight, nothing mattered but the feel of him against me. I’d never considered myself a superficial woman, but this magnificent alien had turned me into a puddle of goo. Even his battle form had ceased to scare me. He was as graceful as he was lethal in combat. Doom made me feel safe, just as he had that old lady in the church. The kind way he had handled her and the sweet and respectful way he interacted with me were ticking a lot of my boxes.

Why was I even thinking about him in romantic terms? It’s not like anything would ever happen between us.

The eerie silence in the city eventually cut through my haze of enjoyment from the feel of Doom’s body. Andy and I hadn’t gone outside too often, but we always ran into a few people when we did, even if it was just a car in the distance, or scavengers sneaking in and out of houses. The unusually high number of house doors left wide open further increased my unease.

As if he’d sensed my discomfort, Doom placed a hand over mine resting on his stomach and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. Too soon, he let go. Moments later, less than a quarter mile from our destination, a shimmering dome closed around us with a barely perceptible crinkling sound. I gasped, my arms instinctively tightening around Doom.

“It’s okay, Red,” Doom said in a reassuring voice. “I activated a cloaking shield so that no one can see us. I’m not picking up any Kryptids on my scanner, but something seems off.”

“Right,” I said, relieved to learn it wasn’t something that the Kryptids had been firing at us. “Can they hear us, though?”

“If we’re loud, yes. But the cloak dampens sounds as well. As long as we speak in hushed tones, they’ll be none the wiser.”

I had counted on the approaching nightfall to give us additional cover, but this technology was far better. As we closed the distance to the makeshift hospital, Doom cursed under his breath, setting my teeth on edge.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“My scanner isn’t picking up any humans in the building you indicated or anywhere in that vicinity,” Doom said, his voice tense.

My stomach dropped, refusing to believe the worst.

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