Page 7 of Fated to the Hunter
Holly cleared her throat, then came over to our booth. She looked first to me, then at Bael’k, then at me again. Oh! She wanted an introduction. Perfect timing. She could keep the unsuitable alien suitor off my back.
“This is Holly,” I said, sidling over to her booth. “Holly, this is Bael’k.”
My Xarc’n hopeful friend stuck out her hand, and when he didn’t immediately take it, she took his instead. “Nice to meet you! Thank you so much for saving us earlier!”
I took the opportunity to slip out from behind the counter. I sent Melissa a grateful look as I squeezed my way past them, and she replied with a thumbs-up.
Scanning the market, I noticed the small group of Xarc’n fangirls huddling nearby, all eyes on Bael’k. I made a beeline for them.
“I think that one’s looking for a mate,” I said conspiratorially.
All their eyes lit up, and they started toward the booth.
Ha! Good luck getting out of that!
Chapter 4: Kiera
The market was alive with a steady thrum of activity, and I couldn’t help but smile at every piece of conversation and laughter I overheard as I made my way through the stalls looking for the bearers of the mythical map. For the first time in a very long time, it almost felt like those horrible space bugs never landed.
The sounds of happy people combined with the mouthwatering aroma of roasting meats and deep-fried foods were enough to make me believe I was at a state fair. I just had to close my eyes and shut out all flashes of purple skin and silver shuttles.
I wove between neighbors and newcomers alike. Everywhere I looked, someone was bartering or haggling. At one stall, a pair of women appraised jars of preserves. Next to it, a group of mothers was clustered around a table stacked with child-sized hand-knitted beanies and mittens. The children? They were gathered around a table, handing out samples of Canadian maple syrup candies.
My heart swelled. The first-ever Trader’s Market was turning out to be a total success, and I’d helped put it together! I was helping bring a piece of pre-collapse society back!
But as much as I wanted to stop at every stall and peruse the goods, I knew I couldn’t. Not yet. Not until I had my hands on that map!
My search for Jordan took me to the edge of the market and past a line for the outhouse where someone joked about surviving the hostile bug-filled only to be defeated by a lack of TP. I was just looping around, ever vigilant for hyperprotective, purple hunters, when I saw two cowboy hats disappearing into the community center.
Aha! Found them!
I hurried toward the door and was almost there when a loud klaxon sounded from the speakers above. That meant a centicreep had been spotted and was heading our way. Great! So much for the illusion that this was just another pre-bug fair. I’d forgotten that all it would take was one deadly scourge attack to ruin weeks of planning.
Of all the space bugs, the centicreeps were the worst. And the ironic thing was that it had evolved, mutated, right here on Earth, using centipedes as their genetic blueprint. Long and sinuous with a set of sharp, rear-facing blades on each of its many body segments, the creatures were a thing of nightmares.
Unlike the other ground scourge, centicreeps could climb right over our walls. The only saving grace was that they were expensive for the nest to produce, and so were not as common. I hadn’t seen one since the destruction of the Franklin nest last summer.
Welp, that was the hunter’s problem now. I slipped through the slowly closing door and into the community center.
I found the Ainsley brothers in front of a sign listing out all the workshops available for the day.
“Hey, Jordan!” I called out, hurrying over.
He turned, then flashed me a smile of recognition, before patting the messenger bag that had been around his body before. “We went back to our room to pick up the map.”
They must be staying in our one and only inn. Many of the vendors and participants had gotten in yesterday evening, knowing that the surrounding areas would become dangerous for travel once neighboring nests caught scent of the market.
“Glad you freed yourself from that warrior. You know, they get kind of possessive if you let them,” Jeff said.
“Oh, I… we aren’t a thing. I met him like ten minutes before. Not sure why he’s acting like that. I sent a few fangirls his way to keep him busy, and the centicreep siren just went off as I was coming in.”
“Yeah, we heard it,” Jeff said.
“How are you guys planning on dealing with those things?” Jordan asked.
“There’s the early warning system. Any and all food is being covered, and everyone is heading in for cover until the security deals with the bug. That’s why it’s getting crowded in here.”
Jordan eyed the snack stall and the seats still available in front of it. “It is. Want to go over the map while we grab a drink? Not quite a dinner date.” He hesitated. “Not a date at all. I saw the way that Xarc’n warrior was looking at you, and I kind of value my hide. No offense.”
