Page 61 of Uprooted
“What time do we need to get back to the dome?” I ask as he rubs up and down my back.
“It will be easiest to sneak back in after dark. You still worried about getting caught?” He wraps me up in his arms and holds me to him.
“I’m nervous. I don’t like feeling like I’m going to get in trouble,” I tell him, and for the first time the smell of him hits me. Maybe it’s from being in the dome all these months, because out here in the open, the smells are incredible. He smells like fresh air and clean linen, something I didn’t notice in the recycled air of the sterile muradome.
“Remember the whole ‘ask forgiveness not permission’? Plus, I hate to use the royalty card, but it is effective at getting me out of trouble,” he says and kisses down the side of my neck. I should argue the point that we need to get back as soon as possible, but why start being rational now?
43
Elowen
“We’re almost there,” Aro says softly, rousing me from sleep. I dozed off on our way back to the dome. I stretch my arms up and roll my neck. It’s dark outside and I can't tell exactly where we are.
“Back to reality,” I say through a yawn. The weight of our responsibilities crashes back down. We’ve enjoyed living in an alternate universe the last two days, both of us carefully avoiding reality. It’s becoming a common occurrence with Aro, something I’ll desperately miss when I have to leave.
“It’s not too late to turn around,” he says, trying to keep the mood light.
The dome’s sterile white glow reveals its location in the distance. The first time I saw the research dome, it was welcoming and full of promise. Now it’s cold and uninviting, a painful reminder that I’m a guest here. I swallow hard and force a smile over at Aro, unable to think of a reason to not take him up on his offer.
“I know you feel obligated to get back to Earth and finish up the research. I think you could consider… Maybe it’s possible that you…” Aro rambles and then abruptly cuts himself off.
“Aro, I wish I could stay. I love it here. But I still have a job to do.”
The porter slams to a stop while I’m looking over at him. My head jerks forward.
I turn to see what made Aro stop. I strain my eyes to focus. A horde of black creatures scramble down the hill behind the dome.
“What is that?” I ask.
“Atorum.”
A deafening screech pierces my ears. My hands do nothing to quiet the scream echoing in my head. Aro bangs his palm on the porter’s control panel. Immediately the emergency protocol alarms blare from the dome.
“No, no, no, no,” he mutters as they swarm the muradome from all angles and pile on top of each other trying to climb the sloping roof. The creatures tear giant holes, working their way in. The dome’s thin roof comes apart easily with their spear-like appendages.
The cargo bay opens and porters pour out. They race around the dome, some speeding away and others positioning themselves, ready to fight off the invaders.
“Get to the base. You’ll be safe there. I’ll come find you,” Aro says and slides the control panel over to me.
“Wait, Aro—no! I don’t know what to do,” I say and look helplessly at the panel in front of me.
“Don’t do anything. It will take you there.” He steps out and swipes his finger on the panel one last time, closing his door and sending me in the opposite direction. I bang on the plexi screaming his name as I get farther and farther from him. A giant ball of orange fire explodes, lighting Aro from behind.
He stands there, unmoving, and looks like a giant shadow. His black shape stretches and grows the father I get. The porter spins and self-corrects so I’m facing forward, ripping him from my view.
I look around the control panel. I have no idea how to operate this thing. I try swiping across the smooth surface. The panel stays blank. I’m helpless as the porter takes me farther away from Aro. Angrily, I wipe the tears streaming down my face. My throat raw from yelling for him.
Every instinct in my body tells me to turn around and go back, to help him. Rational thinking claws its way back to the surface. There is nothing I can do. He sent me to the base so he can focus on saving everyone else at the dome. My heart is pounding behind my ears and sweat trickles down my back. Aro is out there, with no protection, nothing.
“I just need to get to the base,” I repeat over and over trying to reassure myself. I scan around, looking for any sign of the Atorum. I don’t see anything and take a deep breath, trying to calm down. Panicking isthe worst thing I can do right now. I need to stay calm. I need to think. I rub my sweaty palms on my pants and look around clear-eyed.
The porter breaks free from the forest. If memory serves, I should be getting close to the base. An alarm blares through the porter, and a red light flashes. “WARNING WARNING WARNING” lights up across the curved plexi in front of me.
All calm is out the window and I frantically look around to see what could have set off the alert. Right when I’m convinced it was a false alarm a terrifying black shape lands on the porter, slamming it into the ground and to a halt.
Its cylindrical body turns unnaturally and its eye-less face angles down. Its round mouth with rows of sharp chainsaw teeth rotate towards me. Long spikes point out in every direction. Some bend, and others straighten out. The black scales covering its body flip back and forth in waves, making a sinister click with each shift. Unable to look away from the monstrosity above me, I reach for my harness.
I fumble with the buckle. My body weight pushing on the harness makes it impossible to release. The creature searches the porter’s slick surface. Its legs shift, some getting longer and some shorter as it rolls over the porter, looking for a way in.
