“Thank you,” Margot said, following the woman’s lead to an indentation in the wall that was one of the bunks.
It looked as if they were an integral and seamless part of the ship’s hull, which was a marvel of design, but for a bunk, they only sported the thinnest of cushions inside. It was better than nothing, she supposed.
“I can’t thank you enough.”
Alida chuckled, a tiny ray of sunshine even here amid death, fear, and captivity. “Hey, we all look out for each other. It’s the only way, no matter what they might do to us. We can’t let them take our humanity.”
Olalla clucked out something in her shrill tongue, eliciting a laugh from Alida.
“Yes, of course,” she said. “Only two of us have humanity, if you want to be picky about it. But you get the idea.”
“I do,” Margot replied, and she really did. They supported each other no matter what. A survivor’s mentality. And that was what they needed to do here.
Survive.
Alida patted her on the shoulder as she curled into her new bunk. “Rest up. You’ll get your translation rune soon enough.”
Little did they know, that would not come to pass. Instead, the ship would be blown to pieces, its myriad compartments hurtling to the surface of an unknown alien world just a few hours later.
For Margot, having only just been abducted, she almost laughed at the situation. Somehow, terrible as her situation was, it was now going from bad to worse, and she’d only been conscious a few hours.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she grumbled to herself as she tried to clear her head, the exasperated lament her last coherent thought before being slammed hard into her bunk’s wall from an explosion rocking the ship and breaking the compartment loose. Her head hit the metal with a solid bang and Margot was knocked quite unconscious, soon to wake on a strange planet, bruised, confused, and very much alone.
CHAPTER THREE
Margot woke tucked away in her hastily sourced hiding place with a start, twigs and leaves stuck to her face.
It was still daylight, and relatively early from what she could tell. Of course, there was no way to know how long a day on this planet might be, but the feel of the air and brightness of the sky she managed to see through the thick canopy of leaves and branches told her it was nowhere near nightfall. Or so it seemed.
I actually nodded off, she marveled, wondering just how badly she’d actually hit her head during the crash if she was able to nap in the middle of a high-tension situation like this. Of course, she’d been forced to lie still a long time, but how long was anyone’s guess.
The sounds of the forest had returned to normal while she slept, she noted. It was funny, but when she’d heard the beast’s terrifying roar, that had captured all of her attention. Only when she had lay down to hide did she truly realize that not just some, but all of the ambient chirps and rustlings of wildlife had ceased entirely at once, as if every last living thing in the area was holding its breath, fearing for its life.
But now? Now the buzzing of nature was back in full force. It was that more than anything that put her at ease, an ancient part of her brain operating on pure instinct, just as her ancestors had, telling her that this was as safe as it was going to get.
With the greatest of care, she pushed her way out of her hiding spot. She was dirty but not sweaty at least. That was good. Sweat would give away her scent, while dirt would block it. Of course, if things went her way for a change, none of that would matter and she would make it out of this area without any further incidents. She almost laughed at the thought. Further incidents? She’d been abducted by aliens and nearly devoured by a monster, for crying out loud.
Which way?she wondered, stifling her gallows humor laugh.I guess that way?
It was as much a question as it was a statement.
Margot walked slower now, extra careful as she moved through the forest, making sure to stick to the clearer spaces and firm footing. There were no trails out here, no pathways. Just a few somewhat open areas where animals passed. If they were good enough for them, they were good enough for her. And, so far as she could tell, none of them had any of those primitive traps set on them. For whatever reason, whoever had dug that pit had placed it off the beaten trail. Most likely it was a potential route for escape, and the hunter could drive whatever game they sought right into it.
Doesn’t matter. I just need to get away from here. The others left for a reason. Unless they didn’t leave of their own volition. But whatever happened, I’m on my own.
With a little newfound fire in her belly, Margot stood up straighter and increased her pace. She was going to get through this, damn it, no matter what it took. It was a can-do attitude that she carried with her for a solid twenty minutes when any illusions of security vanished in an instant.
The words were undecipherable, but the sounds were clear as day.Raxxians!
There were voices, and several at that. She’d only just been abducted by the Raxxians and really didn’t know much about them, but the little she had learned was more than enough to make her blood run cold.
Margot knew she couldn’t just up and flee. They’d hear her crashing through the woods. She would have to be stealthy about it. Stealthy, and, if the universe was through screwing her over for at least a few hours, making her escape with a healthy serving of luck on her side.
She moved as fast as she dared, staying in the more shielded and dense parts of the trees and bushes, doing all she could to stay out of the Raxxians’ line of sight. They were visible now in glimpses caught through the trees, moving her way, but still at least fifty meters away. Much too close for comfort, and a distance they could cover in a flash if they realized she was there.
There were three of them, two moderately injured from the crash, though it looked like mostly scuffs and scrapes. Their scaly hides must have protected them from anything worse. Only one seemed in perfect condition, and he was the one carrying what looked like an alien rifle of some sort. Of course, it was only natural that they would be armed, and why wouldn’t their tech look different than Earth gear? Margot just hoped she wouldn’t wind up on the receiving end of the dangerous-looking weapon.
She kept moving, heading back the way she came, backtracking over the now familiar ground despite her instincts screaming at her that this was the wrong way. But with the Raxxians ahead of her, there was simply no way out of it. Lateral movement would get her caught, and she was sure as hell not about to try to rush past them head-on. And as for hiding, there hadn’t been anything that looked remotely like a good potentialhiding spot, and not for any lack of effort to find one on her part. The terrain simply didn’t lend itself to taking cover.
