Page 26 of Crash Landing
“Ok, I’m sorry.” Her voice cracked like she was about to cry again and she waved her hand in front of her face like she was swatting at a bug. “I really am happy to see you. I thought I was going to…” She stopped, swallowing hard. “I thought I was going to die.”
Agh, the soft spot I had for this woman and her damn tears. I was used to her biting tone and her feistiness, but this Sam was in need of comfort and security, and stars above, I wanted to give it. Instinct screamed at me to protect her.
“Sam,” I muttered. “You’re not going to die out here. They’ll be sending someone to get us soon.”
Her face lit up with hope. “Really?”
“Yes. I have a comlink. I just need to call for…” I trailed off when I reached behind me to pull the comms device off the back of my belt, but it had been smashed to bits when the kilor slammed me in the side. “Sjek,” I swore, holding up the device and turning it in my hand. I watched as little components spilled out of its bent frame onto the ground. “Well, Ihada comlink.”
“That’s the only one you have?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I shrugged. “They’ll come back no matter what. I just said I would call when I found you. Either way, we just have to wait. But we should find shelter. Night is going to bring out a lot more than one kilor.”
“Where do we find shelter?”
“We’re not far from that compound I mentioned. It’s mostly ruins, but there are a couple of buildings still intact.”
“Really? We’re close?” Pride slapped a big smile on her face. “That’s where I was going. I can’t believe I was going the right way.”
“I figured that’s where you were headed. I saw your markings on the trees.”
“You followed my markings? Hmm. Maybe I’m ok at this survival thing.”
I started walking, the corner of my mouth curling up. “You think so? Should I just go then?”
“No! I said I might be good at it. Doesn’t mean I like it. I ran through water so I can’t tell, but I’m pretty sure I pissed myself.”
I almost broke out laughing at her lack of modesty, but a few steps into our journey, I felt a little rush of dizziness sweep over me and I wavered on my feet.
“Saleuk?” Sam said, putting a hand on my back.
Quickly, I glanced back at the kilor corpse lying behind us and then took a quick look at my body. Sure enough, two tiny barbs were stuck in the side of my hip. I lifted my arm to look at them and heard Sam gasp at the sight. They were no longer than her fingers and no thicker than a needle, but they were there.
“How did you not feel that?”
“Because they’re tipped with a paralyzing agent,” I said with a groan. “Aww,sjek.” I dropped my pack from my shoulders and then unholstered my pistol, handing it to Sam. “See this? That’s the release. Flick it with your thumb when you want to fire. This is the trigger. It’s just a recharge pistol, so it fires slowly, but it hits hard enough. It’s UV beams, so there’s no kickback like your human guns have.”
“What the hell, Saleuk? Please don’t tell me you’re about to die on me.”
True terror flooded her face as she shakily took the pistol in her hand.
“No,” I slurred, feeling my limbs tingle and then fall numb, “I’m not dying. I’m just…”
Like a log, I fell backward, my ability to control my body completely gone. Sam reached out, doing her best to break my fall.
“Saleuk!” she screamed.
First paralysis, then unconsciousness. Kilor’s dismantled their prey while they were alive and lost interest in the feast as soon as the heart stopped. But that wouldn’t happen if I didn’t get eaten. Sam just had to keep us alive until the venom wore off. I wished I could say all that aloud and ease her mind a little. By her stressed whimpers, she was growing dangerously anxious. I showed up to save her and now I was on the ground losing consciousness and night was upon us.
Come on, geshi. I have faith in you.
11: Sam
“Saleuk!” I shouted, patting his cheeks.
When he finally wasn’t even opening his eyes, I gave him a good slap that would wake the dead.
Nothing.
