Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
The smell of burnt rubber stings inside my nose. When I try to open my eyes the smoke that fills them makes me cry out. My head is throbbing and I have the worst headache I’ve ever experienced. I must have failed landing the shuttle safely. But I can’t remember what happened. I can’t …
I hear screams. Screams of pain. Screams of fear. Right outside. I must leave this destroyed shuttle, I must leave it now.
Under extreme pain I drag myself out of the wreckage. I can feel my wings bleeding. They keep getting stuck which hurts even more. And then, I finally manage to leave the tiny shuttle behind.
I look around. I am … inside? My shuttle must have crashed into a building! It looks like a tiny observatory.
The cries from outside startle me. It sounds like they are fighting. My hand reaches for the button that opens the door but then, I stop.
”Just stay in here”, a voice whispers in my head. ”Just hide. They won’t find you. They will think everybody in here is dead. You can survive this. You’re just a scientist, you were never meant to fight. Just hide.”
I want to follow that voice. My survival instinct, I suppose. If I go out there, I will very likely die a horrible death. In here, I have a chance.
But would I be able to live with myself after today? Knowing that I might have saved someone, anyone?
”You will just get yourself killed.”
True. But if I don’t at least try, if I don’t go out there now and at least try to help, I’m not better than those humans. Those humans who made allied out of these monsters, who aligned themselves with the Splerions.
I would be just as bad as Rick who pretended to be my friend, knowing that he would sell me out very soon.
I swallow my fear and press the button. The scene that presents itself makes my heart race and I can barely breathe.
Splerions. They’ve descended to the planet’s surface. And they’re everywhere now.
I can see Mystacinidans trying to flee and fly away but the Splerions, being almost more than twice their size, just grab them with their awful claws and pull them back to the ground. One of the Mystacinidans seems to have forgotten how to fly and just stands there, terrified watching the death of the others.
It’s a massacre.
I look down at my empty hands. At my long, thin fingers. A scientist’s fingers, not a fighter’s. But even if I was a trained soldier, I don’t have any weapons. The Splerions, they don’t need weapons. Their shell is so hard that even particle weapons can’t do much damage. It has been rumored that they found a way to embed diamonds into it to make it even more impenetrable.
I realize that there isn’t anything I can do to help.
A big shadow catches my attention and I look up, just to see a huge ship move towards me. It belongs to the Splerions, of course. I doubt that there is much of a planetary defense left.
My wings still hurt but there is no other way. I spread them out and lift myself up into the air, flying away as fast as I can.
The sound of insect wings follows me. They noticed that I am trying to leave and decided to follow me. I try to fly faster, faster. Faster! But I am tired and the Splerion is well rested and significantly bigger than me. He catches up with ease, grabs my leg and pulls me to the ground.
I hit the floor so hard that it presses all air out of my lungs.
” ፨ You ፨ tried ፨ to ፨ flee ፨”, the Splerion says. Their translation devices are really bad, it’s a miracle I can even understand him. ”You ፨ did ፨ not ፨ fight. ፨ You ፨ are ፨ a ፨ scientist? ፨”
”Yes”, I say between clenched teeth.
” ፨ The ፨ one ፨ from ፨ earth? ፨”
*”How … how do you know that?”
” ፨ So ፨ yes. ፨ Good. ፨”
The Splerion puts his one claw around me and lifts me from the ground, then spreads his wings and takes off, carrying me with me.
How did he know I had been on earth? Had he been looking for me? Did Rick tell him about me?
I’m starting to feel very, very sick.
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