Page 21 of Stolen By the Barbarian

"After we get them inside, we'll come back out and have a look," Drax says dropping into a crouch next to Mordox and motioning for the three other males to do the same. "He's huge. It'll take all four of us to lift and carry his heavy ass."

Tris leaps onto my shoulder as the four Ziarian's lift Mordox from the ground as one. My stomach clinches at seeing his powerful body limp and lifeless in their arms. He grunts in pain but doesn't wake, and that worries me the most.

A blue puddle is left on the ground where he laid. He's lost a lot of blood. The thought of losing him forever terrifies me. He's become important to me in such a short amount of time. If he doesn't survive, I know I'll never get over it.

"You can't take that wild creature inside the lab," Drax says, nodding his chin at Tris who cowers under my hair, using it like a curtain to hide behind.

"Have you seen what came out of that lab? What might still be inside? And I'm not talking about Gruxt," I hiss, holding my hands up like lobster claws. "I'm talking about those giant insect creatures with the huge front pinchers like the ones Mordox just fought. Like the one he killed."

"Gruxt?" Darcy wrinkles her nose at me while taking an interest in Tris on my shoulder.

"The green-haired Godzilla," I answer her.

"What is it that might still be inside the lab?" the male with blue-streaked hair sweeps me from head to toe with an alarmed gaze as we make our way toward the sunken steps, then looks back at Drax. "You think she's talking about that thing we saw on the dark side? The thing with the scrap of white material stuck in its claw that most likely came from her garment?"

"It did come from my dress." I pick at my tattered hem. "Mordox fought that one off about a day ago while we were running to get here."

"How do you know what came out of the lab, Zoe?" Darcy asks, carefully smoothing her fingertips over Tris's fuzzy head. The tiny plurshy stays where she's at, huddled in the crook of my neck, but doesn't recoil away from Darcy's touch.

"Mordox told me about the twenty miners who were experimented on in the lab. He said he saw Gruxt and nine insectoid creatures come out. He killed the seventh one about a day’s run from here, but there are two more on the loose and ten miners unaccounted for," I warn. "That's why he took me to his hideout, to protect me from those creatures while I healed."

"I've searched the lab, Zoe, there's nothing living down there except us," Drax assures me. "I can account for nine of the miners. They're dead and inside a holding room behind six inches of transparent shielding."

"Wait!" the male with blue-streaked hair exclaims. "When were you planning to tell us there're dead bodies down there?"

"They're contained, Slye." Rooke rolls bright, ruby eyes. "Drax showed me where they are. It's fine. Don't be a cunt."

"Contained inside a clear tomb down there with us!" the one named Slye bellows. "How is that in any way fine?"

"Well, that still leaves one," I say, ignoring Slye. Dead is not dangerous, so I'm not worried about them. "Where's he? Alive, hiding somewhere inside the lab?"

"She's right, Drax," the male with purple-streaked hair pipes up. "If Mordox speaks the truth, that leaves one. And what about the other lifers? Where are they?"

"I've found several remains of males throughout the forest but not all of them," Rooke says.

"Mordox said Gruxt killed eight of the twelve lifers before he lost their trails," I provide, as we reach the top of the sunken steps. "You sure you looked everywhere, Drax?"

"I'm sure," Drax promises. "I wouldn't leave Stacy down there if I wasn't sure it was safe."

The conversation takes a long pause as we make our way inside the lab. I'm apprehensive about going inside because of the unaccounted-for insect creature Mordox thinks could still be within, but these males and the girls have been down here a while.

Wouldn't they have seen something by now?

Drax uses a weird, boxy device to swipe over the keypad I thought was dead. It blinks once, and the door I pounded on earlier sweeps open. After a trip down some winding steps, through many doors and endless narrow hallways, it feels like we'll never reach an end when Drax scans another keypad, sweeping open a door to a much wider corridor.

"You guys back already? Holy shitballs!" I hear Tasha gasp as soon as we step through. "Is that Mordox?"

"Is Zoe with them?" Romy's heavily German-accented English is pitched high with hope. I push up on tiptoes, straining around the mountain of males carrying Mordox ahead of me, but they're blocking my view.

"Drax, what's going on?" I hear Stacy. Her tone is thick with concern.

"I'm here!" I sound off, trying to peer around the males.

Darcy curls an arm around my shoulders, and we skirt the procession of males carrying Mordox. The girls are all gathered outside an open doorway, their eyes wide with worry until they see me.

"Zoe! Oh my god," Stacy comes barreling toward me, snatching me up in a hug tight enough to squeeze the breath from my lungs. Tris lets loose a little squeak of surprise. "Oh! What's that? It looks like a mogwai from that old movieGremlins."

"Her name is Tris and she's a plurshy," I say, thrilled to finally see my friends again. "I'm so happy you all are okay. I was so worried."

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