Page 23 of Alien Abduction for Professionals
Okay then. This evening was becoming weirder and weirder. My food had been seasoned with smoke and tiny metal fragments. Normal. Totally normal.
My stomach growled, and I decided it was time to push all my questions aside. While the stew didn't look as appetising as I'd hoped, it smelled delicious.
And it tasted divine. My tongue may have had an orgasm after I swallowed the first spoonful.
Flavours exploded in my mouth, so full of depth that I was sure I'd never tasted anything this amazing before. Layers upon layers of taste overwhelmed my senses, but not too much so that I couldn't wolf down the stew.
We ate in silence, all of us completely occupied with our food. I even forgot that I'd wanted to try the guys' dishes. By the time I'd emptied my bowl, I was stuffed to the top and wouldn't have been able to even squeeze in a single scoop of ice cream. Which was almost unheard of. 'There's always space for ice cream because it melts and runs into all the little gaps', my grandma used to say. Alien stew had proven her wrong for the very first time.
I leaned back, sated and a little sleepy.
"Would anyone like dessert?" the waiter suddenly asked. I was in such a food coma that I hadn't even noticed them approach.
"No," we said as one.
Havel groaned a little. He had three empty bowls in front of him - no idea how he'd managed to eat all that.
"Do you require a private space to ruminate?" they asked.
I stared at them. "Ruminate? Like a cow?"
"Some species do that," Matar whispered. "Others will expel the food they've just eaten just so they can try more of the dishes on offer."
Like in Ancient Rome. Disgusting. And such a waste of food.
"Just the bill, please," Xil said with a wry smile. "And could you order us a shuttle?"
A strange pain suddenly erupted in my stomach, like I was being stabbed from within. I clutched my belly but tried not to let the guys notice.
"Where's the loo?" I asked the waiter and got to my feet.
"Follow me," they said, but as soon as I'd taken the first step, the pain exploded into agony and I collapsed to the floor, unable to even break my fall.
"Trish!"
"What's wrong?"
The pain was making it hard to breathe, hard to think. Blackness teetered at the edges of my vision as I curled into a ball, praying that this would be over soon.
Xil
My mate was writhing in agony. Her face was deathly pale, the only colour her red-rimmed eyes. Tears ran down her cheeks as she screamed in pain.
"I'm not feeling too well," Havel suddenly groaned and then he went down, too. Klat, he was our medic, the male supposed to help Trish. Now he was on the floor, clutching his belly, clearly unable to help anyone, least of all himself.
"I'll get help," the waiter shouted and ran off.
I kneeled by Trish's side while Matar checked on Havel.
"It's going to be alright, love," I whispered and lay my hand on her hot forehead. She was burning up. "Help is coming. You'll be back to normal in no time. Just hold on, little human, hold on."
I didn't know what to say or do. I was helpless. It was the worst feeling in the universe. Trish was in pain, and there was no way I could make her better. If I could have taken her pain, I would have without hesitation. I was prepared to feel the burning whip of the Great A'Ta on my back if it meant Trish wasn't suffering. And I didn't even believe in A'Ta.
"He's running a fever," Matar reported. "His fangs are extended. Not sure what that means."
Trish didn't have fangs I could check to see if it was a shared symptom.
It took the waiter an eternity to return with four other beings, two of them wearing the same loincloth while the others' white suits identified them as medics.
