Page 8 of Rescued

5

CAIMBRIE

I came to suddenly, and sat up with a shock. I was strapped to a chair, and all around me were blinking lights and noises I did not recognize. My breath was shaky as I blinked my eyes, trying to quell the fuzziness. As the bleariness receded, I noticed the alien man sitting beside me, hands gripping the control yoke of a ship, and I gasped in shock. Up close, his skin had a notable blue tinge just beneath the surface and with all the blinking lights around us, I could see the strange texture of his skin, reflecting the lights like some kind of scaly covering on his arms.

So, it hadn’t been a dream.

“Where are we?” I asked, fighting to be heard over the noise of the engines. Failing that, I leaned forward and tapped the man on the shoulder, breaking him out of his trance. “Hey, remember me?”

He groaned and rolled his eyes before answering.

“Just my luck,” he muttered.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I retorted.

“It means I was hoping you’d wake up in a better mood. How are you feeling?”

“Not great,” I mumbled, running my hand through my hair and rubbing at my temples.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” he offered. “Couldn’t get it out of your system fast enough, but I will admit it made you easier to carry.”

The look on his face said he wasn’t sorry at all. In fact, I kind of thought he enjoyed my confusion.

“What happened back there? Where are you taking me?”

“Well, my friends and I rescued you and the other ladies and dispatched a few of those revolting creatures in the process. That’s what happened. And as for where I’m taking you, I’m afraid I can’t say just yet. Just know that I’ll have you to Divoron as soon as I can so you can rejoin the rest of your friends.”

I shook my head, and my fingers wrapped tightly around the arms of my seat as I tried to steady myself.

“Divoron? I don’t know what that is. I want to go home.”

The man shrugged. “Not an option. Divoron is the best I can do.”

“Where are the others? Why didn’t I go with them? I don’t even know your name!” I exclaimed at last, realizing I was alone with a murderous rogue who had kidnapped me and was now refusing to take me home.

He sighed with exasperation and turned to face me.

“My name is Herod. I do not know exactly where the others are right now or what they are doing. I believe they are on their way to Divoron as we speak. And you didn’t go with them because you were too busy being a pain in my ass.” He paused for a moment. “I’d have thought you’d remember that last part,” he finished sarcastically.

“Well, excuse me! Sorry if I didn’t just fall right into your little plan, okay? When I woke up this morning, I expected to have a perfectly awful day dealing with General Lackey. I didn’t know I was going to be witness to half a dozen murders and then get whisked away by some hulking, blue-skinned monster.”

My voice rose with every word, and I fought to keep from breaking down. Tears welled in my eyes, and my lower lip quivered before I snapped my mouth shut and glared at him, crossed my arms over my chest and sat back in my seat.

“Monster?” he asked, feigning hurt. “You think I’m a monster, do you? Then what does that make those creeps who had you chained up?”

“They were monsters, too,” I retorted. “It looks like I got an even trade.”

.

Herod snorted and shook his head. “Believe what you will. You won’t have to deal with me much longer anyway. I have no interest in holding you captive. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Earth women, it’s that they always make more trouble than they’re worth.”

“Well, fine then. If you’re so eager to get rid of me, why don’t you just take me home already? Why do we have to go all the way to this Di-“ I faltered, forgetting the name he had given earlier.

“Divoron,” he supplied helpfully.

“Divoron. Yes. Why the detour?”

He didn’t answer immediately, instead tending to something on the control panel of his ship and ignoring me. I fell silent, too, retreating into my own mind as I sorted through the millions of possibilities laid out before me.

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