Page 68 of Stranded with the Alien

“Can I ask what she died of?”

“One of the very few diseases we have no treatment for on Vraxos. A condition that affected her nervous system. Extremely rare but always fatal.”

“It sounds like a type of motor neuron disease. We had something similar on Earth. We found a cure a decade ago.”

Vahn glanced at her in surprise.

“Really?”

“We’re not as backwards as you think, snake-boy.”

He nodded thoughtfully.

“Maybe there are things Vraxos can learn from you. It is a shame we cannot share our knowledge. Maybe one day.”

“Maybe. Perhaps when we’re rescued I can…”

“Shhh.” Vahn held up a hand. “I thought I heard something.”

They listened. Somewhere behind them came a faint scraping. Kara resisted the temptation to turn and look.

“Something’s following us.”

“Agreed. Give me your weapon. I will fall back and try to flank it.”

They rounded a scattering of boulders and Vahn tucked himself behind a small outcrop. Kara watched as his skin shaded from blue to brownish-grey, the exact hue of the rocks behind him.That’s a cool trick,she thought grudgingly.

He motioned her to carry on and she moved forward at a moderate pace, stopping every now and then to sip water. The minutes passed and she got further away from the outcrop. Maybe whatever was following them had got wise.

It was only when she heard a blood-curdling howl that she turned round and pelted back.

Vahn had something clutched in one of his serpetri, a creature with a whip-like tail and boned studs along its spine. At first Kara thought he’d caught some kind of large lizard. But as it thrashed in Vahn’s grip, she recognized the species.

One of the hellhound creatures that had nearly killed them in the desert.

Vahn pointed the blaster at the beast’s head, hoping it would stop moving long enough for him to get a clear shot. He didn’t want to waste hisarakon the foul beast.

“Stand back, Kara,” he warned. “I will dispatch it.”

“Wait.”

She’d spotted something. One of the animal’s hind legs was wrapped in a bit of cloth. The same cloth as her shirt.

At the sound of her voice, the beast twisted its head towards her in surprise. Or maybe it only looked surprised because of the scar over its right eye. Realization dawned.

“Vahn, let it go.”

“Are you jesting?”

“Don’t you recognize it? It’s the puppy we found with the broken leg.”

“Impossible. That was only a few days ago. This animal is much bigger.”

“Maybe they grow quicker out here. Let it go, you’re hurting him.”

Vahn’s eyebrows shot up.

“Iam hurtinghim?”

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