Chapter 21
Dawn was walking alongside a river, one she couldn’t remember ever seeing. Pausing to wipe the sweat off her brow, she took in the three suns that were sitting at varying heights in the sky.
What am I doing here?I don’t remember.
There was a cluster of boulders a few meters down the path. Dawn set out toward them, feeling suddenly tired. She’d been walking for… well, for as long as she could remember.
Why can’t I remember?Taking a seat on one of the boulders close to the rushing water, she pulled her knees in tightly, encircling them with her arms and resting her chin on her knees. The river was a blur. At first, she assumed it was due to the speed at which it was flowing past, but it was more than that. She reached up to remove her glasses, then let out a gasp.
Her glasses were gone completely. But she could still see. Everything but the river was crystal clear, wasn’t it? She glanced around, making certain.
Behind her was a forest, but one that did not resemble the few remaining forests on Territh. It was filled with trees that had orange and yellow trunks. Their branches sagged under the weight of heavy pods that grew in the place of leaves. Turning her gaze across the river, she was surprised to see a plain dotted with a few red bushes and triple suns blazing in the sky.
Where the heck am I?
The landscape was alien, but she saw it all without the benefit of glasses. And yet, the river remained blurry.
Dawn racked her brain to remember how she’d gotten there. After several minutes, the only thing she’d managed to recall was the night she’d spent in Z’s arm. She could remember nothing that came after the hours she’d spent entangled with the handsome male, accepting him into herself and reaching peaks of pleasure never before climbed to such heights.
“Maybe I’m dreaming,” she said idly, picking up a small stone and tossing it into the river. She was expecting ripples maybe or for the stone to disappear in the rushing torrent. Instead, it bounced.
It bounced like it had hit a solid surface. Three bounces and then it skittered its way across the river and landed on the other side.
Dawn stood suddenly, unable to understand what was happening. She carefully picked her way among the boulders until she was close enough to reach out a foot to touch the river. Tapping it gingerly, she discovered that it was solid.
Moments away from attempting to put more weight on the river’s surface, she was distracted when she noticed something beneath the river’s blur. It was moving toward her, hidden beneath the foamy white tops of the rushing current. As it began to pass her, she realized suddenly what it was.
Light purple skin surrounded by darker hair, delicate features, and a supple body. The creature from the crystal!
The alien woman floated beneath the surface, eyes closed, unmoving, just as she had in the lab. She stood out, one clear element in the blur that was the river. Dawn moved closer, wondering if she could break through the surface to get at the woman below. With a deep breath, she walked out onto the river.
The surface held her weight, and she began to jog after the woman, looking around for a rock or stick to try and penetrate the river’s surface. Nothing was at hand, so she dropped to her knees and knocked against it, attempting to determine its density.
When she knocked, the creature’s eyes suddenly flew open. Dawn gasped when the woman’s silver eyes met hers. Suddenly, the world around them began to shake.
The river’s surface began to crack, splits shooting out toward Dawn, making her scramble backward toward the bank. She couldn’t move fast enough, though, the surface suddenly becoming too slippery to make any progress. Without being able to move, Dawn was forced to watch as a large crack came her way, tearing open the surface beneath her.
Without warning, from a few paces down the river, she heard a terrible roar. Up from the breaking surface rose what could only be described as a monster. Its skin looked charred, the black flesh burst with blood-red fractures. Its maw was a horrible slathering mess, crooked, razor-sharp teeth in row after row. Glowing yellow eyes affixed with laser-like focus on her.
Dawn screamed, then fell into the crack and tumbled into darkness.
