Page 82 of Homebound
Gemma remembered little of opening the door and entering the prison. She was frisked, surely, got her stun stick back, and they crossed the lobby somehow, and she summoned the elevator - nothing registered. But once they were enclosed inside the smelly rickety cabin going up, she unraveled.
She didn’t cry, for strangely she had no tears. For some time the only sound in the dimly lit cabin was her labored, uneven breathing.
“Why are you upset?” he asked with curiosity.
He truly didn’t understand.
“I was scared.”
“Of the Perali?”
“Blood. Fighting. I was scared of those things.”
“Blood and fighting?” From his tone, it was evident he struggled to grasp her problem.
“I was scared for you when you fought them,” she explained. “And I didn’t expect that much blood.”
“What did you expect?”
She blew out a breath. “I don’t like seeing people hurt. Even bad people.”
He was silent for a few seconds and then said with quiet conviction, “You are scared of me.”
She hung her head. The newly found dichotomy between Simon she had been caring for and Simon who ripped heads off because it was the most effective way to incapacitate an enemy had thrown Gemma off balance.
“You humans are fragile in every way,” he sounded frustrated. “Why am I bothering with you?”
The elevator arrived. Gemma raised her dry eyes to his.
“Why are you, Simon?”
Chapter 20
Perali bodies were discovered in due course and the news of the aliens killed within sight of the prison, of all places, spread around the City like wildfire, generating a buzz and adding to the general sense of unrest.
“They say it was one brutal mess,” Ruby whispered to Gemma the next day. “I spoke with Marigold, and she’s heard there were twenty dead Perali, laid out in a cross pattern, all missing their private parts, and with their large intestines draped around their necks like scarves. She says it’s a sacrifice to appease alien gods. But that’s Marigold. I think someone is giving alien scum on Earth a warning.”
The same news quickly permeated the prison, never mind the complete lack of communication devices on the premises. Here on the third floor, it was met with a marked absence of the usual loud discussion and crude jokes about the incident. The mood among the aliens was subdued.
And prison life went on like it always did.
If Arlo or Ruby had some inkling about hers and Simon’s involvement in yesterday’s events, - several times Gemma caught them looking at her speculatively - they never asked. Just in case, she stayed away from Simon’s cell to avoid fanning their curiosity.
If asked, she’d have a real hard time explaining how Simon, a supposed dumb cripple, tore apart - literally - four strong males while on his wheelchair outing. It would prompt some looking into. At best, their outings would stop. At worst, the word would get out to Dr. Delano about a Rix held within the prison walls, and that Gemma couldn't allow.
At the end of the day, Gemma was tired and emotionally exhausted. Nevertheless, she dreaded going home to the McKinleys. Even prison appeared more hospitable than her tiny cold room.
But she couldn't stay in prison overnight.
Her path home lay by the spot where she and Simon had encountered the Perali. She hurried on past, walking as fast as she could without breaking into a run.
The boys were at home, playing, and paid little attention to her arrival. Herise wasn’t due back yet. Drexel’s bedroom door was firmly closed discouraging interaction. Gemma was fine with that.
Leena bustled about the kitchen.
“I’ll help,” Gema volunteered. “Let me put my things down.”
“You aren’t needed,” Leena responded smugly. “Mother has started teaching me how to cook. You know, so I make a good wife to a nice wealthy man.”
