Page 89 of Pledged to the Alien

“No!” he wailed in a blood curdling scream. “Nooooooo!”

The sound of his cries spurred the Silverback into action.

With a roar, he launched himself at the creatures.

Every swing of his massive fist took out a monster, their forms dissipating into the mist.

His strength was unparalleled, and for a moment, it seemed like we had a fighting chance.

Surely in situations such as these, even enemies had the good sense to become allies?

But then, the ground trembled, and from the dense fog emerged a creature unlike any we had seen before — larger, more ferocious, with eyes that burned with a deeper shade of red.

This monster stood as tall as the trees, dwarfing even the Silverback.

A bone-chilling scream echoed as the two giants clashed.

The ground shook with every impact, the smell of ozone growing stronger with their fierce combat.

Even with his immense strength, Silverback was overpowered, his blows barely making an impact on the beast.

I could feel Lorik’s grip tightening around my hand, the realization dawning on both of us that we were outmatched.

And as the massive creature delivered its final, crushing blow to Silverback, a silence filled the air, broken only by our pounding hearts and heavy breathing.

The monstrous figure lunged towards us, its eyes locked on mine.

Every instinct in me froze, but Lorik pulled me behind him, ready to face the creature head-on.

“No!” Aznai’s voice rang out.

Without hesitation, he rushed forward, placing himself between the creature and us.

His bravery was unparalleled, but the creature was too powerful.

With a swift motion, it overpowered him, dragging him into the foggy abyss.

Lorik and I stood frozen, the weight of the losses sinking in.

Aznai’s sacrifice allowed us a momentary reprieve, but more monsters were closing in, their red eyes glowing ominously.

Overwhelmed by emotion, the world around me began to blur.

The cold touch of the fog against my skin, the distant roars of the monsters, the warm presence of Lorik beside me — all seemed to meld into one.

Our eyes met a silent understanding passing between us.

We had to keep moving, keep fighting, for Aznai’s, who had sacrificed so much for us.

Tears streamed down my face.

As we prepared to face the next wave of monsters, I held onto the hope that his sacrifice would not be in vain.

22

RURDRAX

He was gone…

---