Page 12 of A Darkside Interlude

What the fuck is he talking about? Jeff always rambled on about aliens and takeovers and conspiracy theories. He was convinced that control of Earth was going to be taken away from humans in the near future.

Apparently, the voices in his head had told him so.

Tall, Dark, and Brutal inclined his head, as if in agreement with Mad Jeff. Something dripped onto the polished concrete floor.

Blood.

The stranger pressed gloved fingers against his shoulder. When he took them away, they glistened.

Oh, hell no! Mad Jeff had shot her worst nightmare in the shoulder, and the man hadn’t even flinched.

Yep, he was a cyborg. Had to be. It was the only explanation for his preternatural strength and speed.

And if he’d been angry before, then now…

Another droplet hit the floor. Mari looked down and gasped.

Black blood.

“Y-you’re not human,” she blurted, dismay coloring her voice.

“No.” The stranger’s cold voice cut through the air like a knife. He didn’t offer any more information as he continued to stare at Mari through his dark lenses.

Freaking intimidating. That’s what he was, and all she could do was helplessly dangle the pendant—his property—in front of him as she tensed, waiting to see what he would do next. Immobility made her realize how damn sore her feet were. The soles of her feet burned. Even if she managed to run now, she would probably only be able to hobble out the door.

Paralyzing. That was the effect he had on her. She was caught in his glare like a rabbit in the headlights, helpless and afraid. Terrifying scenarios ran through her mind as she tried to remember the various alien species that had come to Earth in recent years. A number of them were humanoid, and of those, several were potentially dangerous, but which ones had black blood? She didn’t know anything about alien blood.

Who the hell obsessed over alien blood, anyway?

In the background, Mad Jeff moved sideways like a crab, his grey eyes darting toward a twin-barreled long metal gun which rested in the corner. It was propped up against an ancient green metal box that had “U.S. Military” printed on the side in faded white letters.

“If you move again, I’ll shoot you between the eyes,” the alien said, his nonchalance chilling her to the bone. A different weapon appeared in his hand; a very alien looking gun. It was sleek and black, and it probably shot out energy blasts of some sort. Mari had no doubt whatsoever that he would pull the trigger if provoked.

Jeff threw his hands up into the air. “Th-this old man is stayin’ right here.”

“That would be the wisest thing for you to do.” The stranger holstered his gun and walked toward Mari, his steps slow and steady despite the fact that he was dripping blood all over the place.

“Maribel’s a good girl,” Mad Jeff muttered, looking everywhere but in the direction of the stranger. “You should take no offense if she’s wronged you. Everyone in this place does wrong to get by. We got mouths to feed, rent to pay, existences to carve out. She’s just doing the same as any of us would.”

Since when was Jeff so damn… philosophical?

Mari blinked in surprise, but she didn’t dare move. Her hand trembled slightly as the pendant swayed in the air, its sharp edges glinting in the dim light. Strange, elegant characters were etched into its surface, forming a word in a language she’d never seen before.

The alien stopped just inches from her and stared down.

Mari’s breath caught in her throat. Her heart hammered. Despite the danger, part of her was intensely curious as to what lay behind those dark lenses.

She’d seen aliens on the street, but she’d never had a real-life encounter with one.

“Get up, human.” His voice rang with authority, and without thinking, Mari responded to his command. She had no choice.

At least, she tried.

As she rose, pain shot through her feet, and she stumbled and fell.

Now that the fear and adrenalin had worn off a little, her feet were really starting to hurt. The soles of her feet must have been torn to shreds as she pounded the rough streets.

Gloved fingers closed around her shoulder, steadying her. She stumbled again, and he hooked his arm under hers, forcing her to lean against him. Suddenly, there was blessed relief as he took most of her weight, even though he’d just been shot.

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