Page 7 of Aura Awakened

Based on the pods everywhere, it seems all the victims here are in some kind of stasis. So why is he awake? Is he an ally of the spider-lobsters? Or is he like me, a prisoner who managed to wake up? But if so, how?

He bares his teeth, clearly annoyed. “I’m Fillian, and I’m trying to save your life. There, now you know me. If I meant you harm, I wouldn’t have taken you out of your pod. Come on.”

I shake my head stubbornly—it hurts less this time, which is progress—and clamber to my feet, all the better to run…somewhere. There has to be an exit. The minute I’m standing, though, intense nausea washes over me. I bend over, retching.

“We gotta go!” he shouts.

“Are you kidding?” I mumble, still spilling my guts. I wobble upright and glare at him, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. I glance down in dismay—I got vomit on my cute plaid shirt. Dammit. Disgusted, I yank it off, leaving me in jeans and a plain black tank top, which is no match for the intense cold of the room.

I throw the offending shirt on the floor and frown at the mountain. “I’m in no condition to go anywhere. Especially with you!”

“You wanna stay here with them?” He gestures behind me and I turn, seeing a swarm of the awful insectoid beings—the Malifects, I guess—racing our way, roach-like wings extending from some of their backs as they prepare to take flight.

They can fly?

Another swell of nausea roils my gut. I hate roaches. And the flying palmetto bug ones? Those are even worse.

The Malifects in the front raise ugly black instruments that must be weapons. Sure enough, a stream of…something…comes pouring out of one. I don’t know if they’re firing lasers, phasers, or electrified razors, but I do know that I don’t want that vicious stream of light to touch me.

The giant at my side shoves me, taking the hit on his shoulder, but he doesn’t break stride.

“Time to go. Now.”

“Wait, where ar—" My words die in my throat as he grabs me around the waist with an arm of steel, temporarily cutting off my air supply. He slings me over his shoulder and I bang my fists against his back, getting shredded by those freaking thorns, but it’s no use.

He’s not putting me down, and this is not a democracy.

I’m being kidnapped. By an alien. Again.

“What are you doing?” I yell.

“I’m rescuing you!” he shouts through gritted teeth.

He rounds the corner of a long black corridor and gives me a light swat on the backs of my thighs.

“Stop struggling! You’re slowing me down!”

“Then put me down before I barf on you!”

I wonder if the thorns that cover his body are lightly electrified, because little jolts of energy are zapping me everywhere our skin is in contact.

He ignores my demand and keeps running, picking up speed as he goes. So far, our pursuers aren’t in sight, but there’s no doubt they’re still behind us.

Suddenly, the thorny man swerves, veering through a doorway that’s barely visible. We enter another huge, dark room, not unlike the one I just woke up in. He plows down another row of pods filled with more sleeping beings—creepy as hell—before setting me down in a dark corner.

“Finally,” I say, rubbing my unhappy stomach to try to calm it down. I glance up at the still face of the nearest pod’s occupant. The individual—I can’t tell whether it’s male or female—is covered in brick-red scales. Large horns arc from its temples, and an endless fall of lime green hair flows down its body.

Definitely not human. A quick scan of some of the other pods reveals a handful of human faces—I think—and many more that aren’t.

I turn back to my companion. “Why did you stop here? Someone else you need to wake up?”

He glances at me, obviously distracted. “What? No. Just you.”

Sure, that’s not weird at all. Goosebumps pop up on my arms and I edge away slightly. “Um, thanks, I guess. But I got this. Nice meeting you and all.” I don’t know what he wants with me, but the idea that out of a thousand sleeping prisoners, he randomly chose to wake me? Just me? That is extremely unsettling. And now that he’s gotten us out of immediate danger, there’s no need to be partnered up. I can find an exit from this warehouse of horrors all by myself.

He carries on as if he didn’t hear me. “I’m not sure exactly where to go and I don’t think running around wildly is the best course of action. Besides, I can’t keep carrying you. I need to think.”

I frown. I definitely didn’t want him to carry me, but damn. “I’m notthatheavy,” I point out.

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