Page 61 of Stranded with the Alien

She feinted a punch. When he moved to avoid it, she pivoted gracefully and planted her foot squarely in his stomach.

He staggered back, surprised, and she grinned.

“Two-time SDF kickboxing champ, asshole.”

She launched a flurry of blows which he only just managed to block. When he flailed his serpetri towards her, trying to knock her off her feet, she moved inside the circle of their reach and drove an elbow into his chest.

She would have preferred his nose but she couldn’t reach.

He bent double as the air was driven from his lungs. Using his momentary distraction she punched him on the jaw, twisting herhips and putting her whole momentum into it. His head snapped backwards.

“Drek!”

He swore explosively. In the next second he hooked a leg behind her ankles and flipped her onto her back. Pinning her with his weight, he grabbed her wrists and pulled her arms into a crucifix position. His serpetri slammed angrily into the ground on either side of her face.

“You are testing my patience, human. Are we done?”

His yellow eyes blazed down at her.

Shit. He’s really pissed off.

She raised her chin defiantly.

“That depends. Did I hurt you? Even a little bit? Tell the truth.”

“Yes,” he ground out. “My jaw aches.”

“Then we’re done.”

He released her. Kara picked up her bag and silently they resumed their hike into the hills.

Later, it struck her that she’d picked a fight with a seven foot alien who could render her unconscious – or dead – with barely any effort.

She wondered why he’d let her hit him so many times.

Twenty Seven

They reached the foothills in the early afternoon. The path ahead began to wind upwards, gently at first, but gradually becoming steeper and more rocky as they climbed. When the rain started again in earnest a few hours later, they decided by mutual consent to stop for the night.

Vahn activated the tent and made a fire under the awning. But it wasn’t until he’d plucked the dead fowl and suspended it over the flames that the tension between them eased somewhat.

“We still do not know how this came to be lying outside the tent,” he mused.

“Who cares?” The smell of roasting meat was making Kara’s mouth water. “Let’s not look a gift bird in the mouth.”

“Humans have a curious way of phrasing things sometimes.”

“It’s dead and we’re hungry. That’s all I need to know.”

“Its neck was broken and its trachea crushed. That suggests it was caught by a predator with strong jaws.”

“Maybe the predator dropped it. Is it ready yet?”

“Patience, human. I want to ensure any parasites are thoroughly disposed of.”

Kara lapsed into silence and stared into the fire. The crackle of flames together with the patter of raindrops was bringing back poignant memories for her.

Her father used to take her camping when she was little. Bad weather had never bothered them, in fact it added to the adventure. Her father had made hot-dogs and s’mores, andthey’d shared them in the tent while he told her camp-fire stories.

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