Page 20 of Sawyer’s Mistake

The occupant bounded out of the room, as if afraid they’d lock her back in. She was taller than Saoirse, slim and long-limbed, somehow coltish in a way that was surprising for a grown woman. But her deep brown eyes were those of an adult and one who had seen too much. She held his gaze for an instant then looked away—but not before he got a glimpse of the woman’s despair.

Saoirse jumped off of his shoulders, and he struggled to get up from his sitting position. He’d been trying to keep his hands still, but the binding was restricting blood flow to his left hand. He tried to remember how long his hand could take such abuse before it was permanently damaged. Zander would be able to tell him, but Zander wasn’t here. It was hard to think of anything beyond the agony, but he had to force himself to think. He needed a clear head, needed to remember there was something much more important than his hand at stake.

#

Saoirse

There was a wildness in the young woman’s eyes that made Saoirse wonder what she’d been through. At first, when she’d seen her face through the window, it was hard to tell whether the face was male or female. Looking at her now, she wondered how she could have doubted it. The woman had a beautiful bone structure, with high cheekbones and a rich, full mouth. She was tall and small-boned, almost waiflike. Her clothes hung loose on her frame. Her brown hair had been shorn below her neck, a careless cut that should have looked dreadful but somehow suited her.

“Thank you,” the woman said softly. “Thank you for not leaving me.” Her voice was deep, or perhaps she was simply hoarse, unused to speaking. “My name is Alix,” she said.

“I’m Saoirse, and this is Jake.”

Behind her, Sawyer made a strangled sound. He was looking pale under his tan. “If you’re done with the introductions, we need to get out of here. Saoirse, check the switches, we need to get this door open.”

Alix shook her head.

“The switches won’t work. They use an implant on their arm to open that door, it won’t—”

The door clanged open, and a Remur strode in. He was huge, his legs thick as tree trunks. On his left shoulder he balanced an enormous stainless steel barrel. Something heavy, from the way it made him stoop. He stopped in his tracks as he noticed the humans in the corridor. His lipless mouth opened to show his large teeth. He dropped the barrel, which landed with an enormous clang and rolled to the corner.

The Remur looked at them appraisingly, as if deciding which one to attack first. His muscles bulged.

Saoirse shrank back, taking two steps backwards. She was hoping to bump into Sawyer’s body behind her then realized he had sidestepped and was already moving in front of them.

“Hey! You ugly bastard!” Sawyer shouted loudly. Then, more quietly to the women, he said, “Saoirse, get out now. Both of you, get out!”

The alien responded to Sawyer’s aggression with a loud grunt.

Sawyer raced towards the Remur, moving fast for a man whose hands were tied behind his back. His head went down at the last instant, head-butting the alien right in the midriff.

The Remur roared, doubling over and toppling onto his back. Sawyer rolled away. Even though he struggled to stand without using his hands, he was still infinitely more agile than the Remur and was upright before the alien had even managed to roll over.

Sawyer lunged at the Remur again but the alien moved to the side just in time, and Sawyer ended up on his ass. The Remur got to his feet and pulled Sawyer up easily by the hair, lifting him with only one hand. Sawyer roared in pain.

Saoirse suppressed a scream as the alien’s left claw scissored through the air towards Sawyer’s neck. Sawyer managed to lift his legs just in time, and his combat boots connected with the claw. There was a loud crack, and the Remur howled. The hand opened reflexively, and Sawyer fell to the ground. This time, he was slower to roll away.

Alix came up beside her and motioned her towards the door.

“Come on!” Alix said insistently, pulling on Saoirse’s wrist. “It’s what he asked us to do,” she begged. But Saoirse knew, if she left now, she’d be condemning Sawyer to death.

He wouldn’t have left me. I can’t leave him either.

She shook her wrist from Alix’s and pushed the woman towards the door.

“No! You go ahead, I’m staying.”

Alix shook her head and limped through the door the Remur had left wide open.

Saoirse wanted to cry. Sawyer and the Remur were circling each other, but even a blind man could tell the battle was uneven. The Remur was toying with Sawyer, the way a shark might with his food. Every other step, the Remur’s clawed feet made a scratching noise like nails on a chalkboard.

She looked around for something, anything, she might be able to use as a weapon. But there was nothing.

Then she noticed the shiny barrel lying in the corner. She raced towards it and stood behind the barrel, wrapping her arms around it. If she could only just push it, it might distract the Remur. She pushed and pushed, putting her full body weight behind it, but the barrel didn’t budge.

Suddenly, the door opened again and Alix raced back in.

“I found some friends of yours,” she said, smiling. She motioned to the four figures running behind her, all of them clad in black. Eva, Storme, Zander, and Prado.