Page 27 of Kryxis

Beyond was a lobby, spacious and large, with a welcome desk and elevators on one end and a spiral stair behind it. As the monster moved past the desk, she caught sight of a sign that said WELLNESS CENTER.

She tensed, gaping at the sign.

They were in the medical sector.

The creature bounded up the stairs, two at a time, before moving down a hallway. The doors at the end were half broken in, but the creature slid through them without issue. She saw a sign that said Marityne Hospital and another that said ICU medibay. The creature moved onward until they turned for a set of glass doors and into what she could only guess was a surgery room. A large pod sat in the center and on another side was a metal slab with an ominous looking surgery-bot hovering above it.

Her kidnapper set her down on the metal table. She cowered from it as soon as it released her, jolting back and almost falling. It glared down at her, but she refused to look back at it, afraid she might faint. It watched her for a moment, then it hissed something, making her flinch.

To her surprise, it stalked away. She blinked and it was gone.

She searched the dark and didn’t see it. Now was the time. She needed to go. Take this moment and run.

She slid off the table and moved for the exit then yelped, jumping back in surprise when it appeared again.

“Hesha, sivari,” it growled.

She whimpered, stumbling back into the table. It pointed its long talon and hissed at her again. It reached for her, and she blurted something between “no!” and “stop!” before it grabbed her waist and set her back on the table.

What the hell?

This time out of anger, she tried sliding off as it turned away again. But it whirled right back around and stopped her.

“Sivari, nisha ves.”

She stilled. Was it just her or did it seem exasperated?

It watched her again, its red eyes narrowing suspiciously before it swiftly disappeared yet again.

Dani gripped the table, craning her neck to see where it went. She was about to hop off and make a break for it when she noticed a wet warmth sticking to her suit. She looked down and pulled up her arm to see blood soaking her sleeve.

Damn.

She pressed her hand against her arm. She felt the pain in her ankle and knees, too, and the sting of the cut on her lip from biting it. She was starting to feel the soreness all over her body now that the adrenaline was beginning to wane.

Shakily, she slipped from the table and started for the doors. Somewhere there had to be a supply unit. Limping her way out,she turned down a hallway, looking back behind her to see if her red-eyed monster was there following.

The hall opened into a waiting area with a wide window looking out toward the city. Dani slowed as she gazed across the city center. She couldn’t see her ship nor the bridge they had taken. Her mouth trembled thinking of her crew, remembering how she had seen several of them fall.

She should have had them turn back. It was all her fault.

Tears stung her eyes. But now wasn’t the time. She blinked them away and crept around a set of lounge chairs toward another hallway. She turned off the lights on her helmet, leaving only one light on her arm for navigating, and moved as quickly as she could.

She found a supply closet at the end of the hall. With shaky hands, she rifled around and found a medikit on the top shelf. As she slid it off, several other boxes of supplies fell.

No way that monster didn’t hear.

Cursing, she slipped out of the closet, looking back toward the lounge. As she turned to sneak the other direction, she almost collided with a massive body. She cried out, falling back and dropping her kit as the monster stood there as if waiting for her the whole time.

Instinctually, her hand went for her stunner, forgetting it hadn’t worked the first two times. Then she froze. In its hand it carried…another medikit.

She frowned, staring at it. The monster moved, transferring the medikit to one blue hand before coming toward her. She tried to scramble away and was embarrassed at how little it mattered. The creature picked her up with ease, even as she swung her arm at it, kicking her feet. The more she fought, the sharper the pain was that shot up her arm and legs.

“Let me go!” she snapped.

Stalking back down the way they had come, it returned her to the surgery room, plopping her right back on the table.

She swiped at it, practically growling with her teeth bared, and felt her face heat up when she caught the odd amusement in its gaze. Of course, it wasn’t afraid of her at all. Why should it be?

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