Page 20 of Einar

What.Is.That?

IfeelRuby’shead lift from where she had it pressed against the top of mine, soIknow she hears it too and it’s not just a figment of my imagination.Raisingmy head,Ipeer into the darkness, trying to see past the halo of light.Thesneaky snakes did leave one light on, but it’s directly in front of us.So, it’s the same concept as the stage lights.We’reblinded to whatever is making that sound as it approaches us.

Apprehensionfills me as the sound gets closer and closer.Thething that steps into the light makes me throw up in my mouth a bit.It’sa massive insect.Thisthing looks like a cross between a praying mantis and a scorpion.Asif the two species came together and made the most perfect, horrifying combination possible.Theupper limbs look like that of a praying mantis with the joints bending so that they fold down in front of the body while a freakishly huge tail ending in a stinger reaches over the back just like a scorpion.Atriangular shaped head boasts two black, multifaceted eyes and a disproportionately bulbous abdomen rounds out this thing’s physical appearance.

Thebig one in front approaches us first andRubykicks it, her heel hitting one of the bug's lower legs.Herkick must have hurt it or pissed it off because it lets out a piercing shriek before lowering its head and inhaling deeply as if it’s sniffing us out as it undulates closer.Abruptly, a vile-looking black tube extends out from where its mouth should be and extends toward me asItry to shrink away from it.Rubysmacks it away with the back of her hand.

Aviscous fluid dripping from its mandibles gets on the back of her hand andIwatch as the skin there just … melts off.Withoutwarning, the bug rears up and stabs one of its legs down intoRuby’sleg.Thepointed tip of the extremity pierces her flesh like a hot knife through butter.

Herscreams of agony fill the air as she holds onto me with everything she can.Rubyis violently torn from my arms, andIwatch as she’s flung into a cage, floating on some sort of hoverboard.Secondsafter she lands, she’s back up and gripping the bars, screaming my name.

“ROWAN!”

Inmy distraction,Ifailed to notice another bug approaching me.Itgrabs me and flings me into a second cage next to the oneRubyis in.Landingagainst the hard metal,Ican feel my bones rattle on impact and my head smacks the unforgiving metal.Forcingmyself to focus,Igrab the bars of the cage and pull myself to my feet and look over atRuby, my heart in throat.

“Ruby!Yourleg!”

Tomy dismay,Iwatch as she slides back down to the floor, her breath huffing in pain as she does so. “Shush.Thereisn’t anything we can do about it right now.Ithink we may have just gotten the shit end of the stick, sis.Thefact that we were left, and these things are what showed up to get us; it doesn’t say good things to me.”

Silentlywe watch as the other women and alien females are unceremoniously picked up and thrown into their individual cages as well.They’retreating us like pieces of meat, as if we don’t matter enough to warrant any kindness whatsoever.Thewoman the snake bit and then threw into a wall is also scooped up and pitched into a cage.It’snot necessarily the right thing to think, butIsure hope she’s dead.Atleast one of us would be spared whatever is coming our way.

Movementunder me pulls my attention fromRubyasIwatch while we’re transported from the arena of hell into a … well.Idon’t really know how to describe this.Itlooks sorta like the marinaRoberttook me to once that had massive yachts and ornate ships docked in various places.Thereare slots where what can only be described as spaceships are docked on either side of an extremely wide aisle, with the arena being the sole massive structure at the end of the walkway.

Itdoesn’t take long to notice that all the other beings around us are either shrinking away from our little procession or reacting overly aggressively.Glancingover atRuby,Ivocalize my observation.

“Doesit look like all the other creatures out there are warning these bug things away?”

“That’sexactly what it seems like to me.”

Weboth watch as something that looks like aHollywoodwerewolf snarls at the bugs as it pulls a smaller, softer looking version of itself behind the bulk of its body.Thelarger of the two bares massive looking sharp teeth at us as we pass, while curious yellow eyes peer out from behind it.Thelook on its face is one of … pity.

Grindingmetal groans out a protest as we stop in front of a docking station with a ship that looks like it’s held together by baling wire and super glue.Theships on either side aren’t necessarily larger but they are in much better condition than this one is.Totop it off,IthinkIcan see holes in the side of the ship.

Isn’tthat a thing onEarth?Don’tyou have to keep the cabin pressurized or something?

Severalof the woman next to us are screaming and begging any passerby for help.Toour dismay, not a single being even glances our way.

Somethings never change.It’seasier to look the other way than to do what’s right.

Abang jerks my attention back to the bugs in front of us.Theone closest to the rust bucket ship hit the side of said ship.Itmust be some sort of signal, because a hatch on the bottom squeaks as it opens.Oneby one the cages are transferred inside the ship.Rubyis up next and when the cage is tilted to the side, she slips in a puddle of her own blood and goes to grab one of the bars, only to scream in pain and instantly let go.

Iwatch as my precious sister slips and her delicate face makes contact with the unforgiving metal of the cage, busting her cheek open.Hereyes roll back in her head, and she loses consciousness asIscream out her name.

“RUBY!”

ChapterFifteen

ROWAN

Idon’t knowhow longI’vebeen sitting here, butI’mholding on to my sanity by a thread.Therepetitious motion of combingRuby’shair is the only thingIcan focus on right now.Movementcatches my attention asRuby’seyelids begin to flutter.Relieffills me when her eyes open and she looks up at me.

“Howlong wasIout?”

“Longenough to scare the shit out of me.”

Myvoice is raspy with disuse and the heavy weight pressing down on my chest.I’vebeen struggling to fill my lungs for a while, but there isn’t anythingIcan do about that right now … maybe not ever.

“DidImiss anything?”

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