Page 14 of Slavic

“Inthis case, it will simply drive you mad.However,Iunderstand andIsuppose you have a right to know what is coming.TheVelgriddixthat brought you in here is the leader of this ship and the main breeder.That’swhy only a few are taken at once.Hecan only produce so many eggs within a certain span of time.”

“Areyou saying that fucking thing is going to have sex with me/us?”

“Notin the sense you are thinking, you are nothing to them but a live incubator.Apiece of meat that his young can thrive within until they hatch, then eat their way out.Theonly positive thing about the situation is that you won’t be conscious after the first egg is ingested.Theyuse the venom in their tails to paralyze our bodies so that when ingested, you cannot damage the eggs.Momentsafter he is done, your body will die.”

“Hell’sfucking fire.DoIeven wanna know how it gets the eggs inside our bodies?”

“Theirmandibles open, the sex organ elongates and then forces its way down the throats of its victim, uncurling it into their stomach cavity.Thereit impregnates you with as many eggs as your body can sustain.”

“Idid ask, didn’tI?”

“Iwarned you.”

“Lord,God,”Iwhisper out, falling back against the back of this round, nest-like thingI’mlying in.Myfirst thoughts are how amIgoing to get us out of here?ThenIlook down at my body.Mywrist is broken on one arm, the other shoulder won’t move, and my leg is numb.Icouldn’t fight my way out of a wet paper sack right now.Inall the nightmares you could come up with,Inever dreamed up this one, and the fact thatRowanis going to experience the same thing makes my heart hurt.

“How’veyou found a way to accept this?”Iask the voiceIcan’t see on the other side.

“Icried,Ifought, thenIdecided to pray.Notfor this life, but for my next one.Iwould advise you to find some sort of peace with what’s to come because miracles are far and few between.”

“What’syour name?I’mRuby.”

“Kallen, princess ofRukuhks.”

BeforeIcan say another word, the door slides open and in walks the bug.Becauseof the way this thing is shaped,Ican barely see it walk past me, since it’s likeI’mlying inside of a bowl.Clickingnoises and a whimper reach my ears asIstruggle to pick myself up off the floor.

Pushingas hard asIcan,Ifinally dig my way up this smelly, leaf-covered nest.Peekingover the side,Iwatch as the bug walks from girl to girl, or shouldIsay bowl to bowl, stopping at each for a second.Glancingover to whereKallanwould be, she motions for me to be quiet.

Iknow my eyes are huge when they land on her.Longblack hair lays messily all around her very large, green shoulders.Brightamber eyes stare back at me, imploring me not to make a noise as my eyes devour her otherworldly appearance.Sheis nothing like any of the rest of us.She’sbig, not like fat, but big all around with a muscle mass that would only be seen on a guy back home.Themost frightening of all her features are the tusks.

Whena loud click comes from across the room,Iturn my head slowly, trying not to gain the bug’s attention.ButIhave to put my hand over my mouth when it grabs the girl within its multiple arms that the snake guy had bitten.Shemoans and whimpers some, but other than that simply lays limp as it maneuvers her in front of him.

Ipush my fist against my mouth to keep from screaming out, andIstill must have made some sort of noise when it forces the girl’s mouth open, becauseKallenputs her hand on my arm, shaking me slightly.

Seeingit pry the girl’s mouth open;Iclose my eyes and sink back down into the nest.Thenoise it’s making has me gagging asIput my hands over my ears, singing a song in my head and trying to tune everything else out.

Rockingback and forth,I’mcompletely consumed in this living hell, when suddenlyIfeel the entire ship shudder all around us and the lights flicker off.Thedoor slides open, and the room fills with the sound of those things chittering and then silence as they leave the room.

BeforeIcan askKallenif she knows what’s going on, we’re all thrown forward.Thechain attached to my leg is the only thing that keeps me from flying across the room.Sirensgo off all around us, and red lights start flashing.

“Kallen, what’s happening?”,Iscream out over all the noise.

“Hope.”

Chapter Eleven

SLAVIC

Prowlingaround the helm,IcatchBikarglancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

“Whathas you so riled up this rising,Slavic?”

“Somethingfeels off.Ican’t pinpoint it, but my spines have been aching sinceIarose, and the walls feel like they are closing in on me this rising.Wehave been sitting around brooding far too long.Iam in need of some excitement.”

Heswings around in his chair. “Well, this might put you in a better mood.Whileyou were slumbering away last darkness, dreaming about the naughtiness we experienced on that lastPleasureplanet,Ihave been looking for our next victim.Ourcargo bay is starting to get bare, and we need extra credits to get fuel on theNavale.

Asmall ship popped up on my monitors earlier.Ididn’t say anything originally becauseIsoon realized it was aVelgriddixship.Iwas simply going to maneuver us out of their range, but something told me to hold off a moment.Sincethen,Ihave been keeping a close eye on them just in case their swarm shipsfollowed, but it looks like luck may be on our side this rising.Theyare having thruster issues and if my scanners are correct, they have a full cargo hold.”

“Canyou tell how many of the abominations are on board?”

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