As I turned toward my bar countertop to tell the couple what we needed to do next to make it out safely, the fleet of ships launched another volley of green missiles, rocking our ship once more. My ears rang from the screams and loud noises from our ship being bombarded.
Thousands of people’s lives were now in jeopardy, and I needed to guide the guests to the escape pots.
Looking up at the ceiling, I prayed under my breath to every deity I could think of, hoping that it would be enough for one of them to get us out of this situation alive.
“What’s going on?” The bride screamed and grabbed my arm with both hands. Her skin was as white as her gown. Her pallor washed out her makeup completely. “Please tell me this is a simulation. An elaborate prank. That we’re not going to be blown to smithereens by aliens!”
“I’m in the same boat as you in terms of not knowing what the fuck is going on right now.” I snaked my arm around the bride’s waist, helping her maintain her balance as I peered at the groom over her head. “This is way above my pay grade, but I’m not going to stand here and do nothing.”
“We will no longer question you.” The groom gave the fleet a quick glance before kissing his bride on the forehead. “Get us out of here!”
“Assist her in taking off her heels. We’re not going to get out of here without spraining our ankles.” Releasing her, I quickly slipped mine off and tossed them beneath a nearby table, pleased to see the groom helping his bride with hers. “Follow me if you want to live.”
I dashed toward the bar flip-up countertop, lifted it to allow the couple through to the employee door, and scanned the banquet hall, frowning at how full it still was.
The guests were fighting with each other as they tried to get away. As everyone tried to get to the main exit, the crowd pushed and shoved each other as hard as they could. The elderly and better-dressed individuals stood in the back, waiting for their turn, knowing they had no chance against those in front of them.
“Soraya!” the bride screamed, somehow louder than others around us. “Soraya! Where are the others?”
A pretty woman with shoulder-length red hair and a short gold bridesmaids dress snapped her head our way.
Her eyes widened before narrowing as she scanned the room, looking like a super heroine on a mission, ready to kick whoever she needed to. Soraya yelled something incomprehensible to the crowd in the distance, then pointed in our direction.
Soraya dashed over, swerving through the frantic guests like a warrior on a mission. Her hair swayed with her fluid movements, highlighting the gold and emerald details in her accessories and jewelry.
Four additional bridesmaids, all dressed in golden bridesmaid dresses identical to Soraya’s, made their way to us by making their way through the cluster of people hanging in the back of the crowd.
“What’s going on?” Soraya shifted her gaze to the bride before snapping her head in my direction, her blue eyes locked on me. Her voice demanded answers. “Could you explain what’s going on?”
“My guess is as good as yours,” I grumbled, then cast a glance at the unfamiliar fleet outside our ship. “But, in case it wasn’t obvious, we are under attack. It’s most likely because my overreaching chain of command ignored the possibility of encountering other lifeforms when they decided to leave our solar system.”
“That wasn’t originally advertised as part of the itinerary…”
“No shit.” I surveyed the wedding party, taking in their worried expressions as they peered at me as if I knew all the answers. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to leave this place. Hopefully there are a few escape pods that haven’t been damaged by their shooting.”
“Wait.” The groom’s face scrunched in confusion as he scanned the crowd of women surrounding me. “Where are my groomsmen? We can’t leave them behind.”
“They abandoned us on the dance floor as soon as those ships started shooting,” Soraya growled, crossing her arms. “I guess it’s every man for himself, because our friend group means nothing to them if they don’t think twice about leaving us behind.”
“Then forget them,” I snapped, uninterested in their friend group drama. “Take off your heels and follow me.
“I’ve stayed behind for far too long, risking my life to try to help you guys, that I no longer care what your decision is. One thing is certain. I don’t want to stay here and see what those alien motherfuckers have in store for us.”
“Understood. Neither do I.” Soraya nodded to the others and leaned over to unhook her stilettos. She quickly removed them and gripped them by the bridge of their soles. “If I come across any, I’ll use my heels as a weapon. They’re in for a surprise if they think they can take me down without a fight. I didn’t take those defense courses for no reason—”
“I thought it was because you thought the teacher was hot.”
“I admire a confident man who knows what he’s doing.” Soraya smiled at the bride. “It appears that they are the only ones who can handle me.”
The ship shook as a loud metallic groan echoed through the walls.
“No one is going to handle any of us if we don’t get going.”
I dashed through the employee-only door, no longer waiting for them to decide what they should do or caring what happened to them. My patience and desire to help others had always gotten me into trouble in the past, and if I didn’t leave them to their own fate, mine would be cast alongside theirs.
I’d seen enough disaster documentaries to know that frantic people were unpredictable, and on several occasions, the person attempting to assist ended up being the one who needed to be saved—or worse, injured or killed.
Their cries to stop—to slow down—echoed behind me, but I refused to let them delay me any longer.
