Page 61 of Master
“What’s the plan?”
Clara strode to my side, hands resting at my waist as I bound my hair into the ususal bun at the nape of my neck. I loved the easy way she touched me, as though something magnetic between us made touch as necessary as breathing. I couldn't stop bending over and capturing her lips in a kiss. Her soft moan turned into a mournful sign as I pulled away, but if I didn't stop kissing her, we'd never get out of here.
"Darlin’, listen to me," I said, pulling the comm bracelet from my wrist and affixing it to hers. "I think it will be safe, but if anything goes wrong… if I exhibit the slightest hint that the mumje affects me, I want you to seal yourself in the basement and stay here until the Bardaga arrives. You should be able to pick them up on the comm when they enter Tau Ceti's orbit."The unit wasn't fixed, but I'd fiddled with it enough I felt sure we'd hear the Bardaga's orbiting beacon.
"No." Clara huffed, attempting to pull the comm from her wrist. "If you're not sure, we will both stay inside."
"We need to help the villagers," I captured her hands in mine. "You know we do."
“I know,” she admitted in a rush of breath. “But if anything happens to you...”
The face she turned up to me held concern, violet eyes shimmering with moisture. Clara worried about me... I shouldn't have enjoyed that minor revelation so much. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I lifted her so our faces were even. The only answer I had for her was a kiss.
Clara moaned as my tongue slicked against hers, wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. Holy Valana, I couldn't recall anything feeling as perfect as holding her. It's like there's a small part of myself that never quite felt filled, now overflowed.
“Ready?” I murmured, pressing a last kiss to the tip of her nose.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Clara huffed, playfully scowling as I sat her down and moved toward the door.
With the press of a button, the vacuum seal released with a whoosh, chains groaning as the metal panel lifted.
With a long last look at my female, I grabbed the doorknob, pulling the door open just enough to aid escape. The thud of the door closing behind me, separating me from Clara, caused a near physical pain.
The scents of burning grass and rubber remained thick and acrid. My eyes glazed in the hazy sunlight, catching minuscule particles suspended in the air. I realized too late that the rain wouldn't affect the mumje inside the house. Saying a prayer for Clara’s safety, I accepted my fate.
A long minute and one good deep cough later, what I perceived as mumje proved only to be dust particles.
Thank Valana!
I took the stairs three at a time, closing the upper basement door behind me before moving to survey the outside. A steady trickle of rain kept the surroundings gray and wet but clear.
"Clara, it's safe," I called, wondering momentarily if her tiny human ears could hear me through two closed doors. The flurry of footsteps rushing up the stairs said yes.
We stood together in the doorway, surveying the outside gloom.
“Do you think whoever did this...” she trailed off, small white teeth sinking into her lower lip.
She didn't have to ask. Her thoughts were the same as mine. Was whoever did this on Tau Ceti, in the village… nearby?
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly.
We moved into the garden, huddling together under a contraption Clara called an umbrella. It was a hideous thing, bright pink with lime green dots, but it spread widely enough to keep the brunt of the rain off us. As we moved onto the street, I watched each step, steering clear of the congealed white globs dotting the landscape.
The lights from the village square flickered as we drew near.
It was as though the village existed frozen in time. The villagers stood like mannequins, the rain only adding a touch of creepiness to vacant expressions. Tabletops held remnants of the market day potluck—now unappetizing globs of drenched food and mumje.
"There's still so much mumje on the ground." Clara pressed close, afraid an accidental touch might turn her into a zombie.
I slid my arm around her shoulders, rubbing my knuckles up and down her spine.
“Touching the drug can’t infect you, darlin', only inhaling the particles."
“Good to know.” She offered a weak smile as her eyes darted about.
"Oh, my God. Mei!"
Clark jerked away, running a few feet toward a couple standing beside the remnants of the dessert table.
