Vomon Paradox

III

Frizz shrieked and lashed out at the dreaded visage, which was eerily human. It was a female.

As it fell to the ground, she took to her heels.

Pure desperation drove her into a stumbling run. Her heart pumped adrenaline into her veins while she wheezed loudly to keep up with the heightened exertion. Pain shot up her leg every time her injured foot made contact with the ground.

The world seemed to bob as Frizz hurtled down the lane, which wormed into the heart of the slum district. The stench was now mingled with urine. Small rodents fled into nooks and crannies at her approach. She didn't encounter a soul—she thanked the stars that the vomons took an interest in the ships. Her hands swatted away the weeping, grey fabric of a laundry line, and a second later, she found herself in a square with a stone fountain.

A gargoyle spurted water from its mouth, and dark red weeds peeked out of cracked stone, eager to absorb the meager light. Despite the dirt and slime, she was momentarily mesmerized by the sight.

Rooted to the spot, she panned her gaze up. Towering in the distance were skyscrapers, where hover cars whooshed along overpasses. Vac pods zipped through winding tubes—streaks of red amidst the overbearing black and grey. Drones buzzed overhead among the clouds, through which she could discern the disorienting sight of the Island opposite, its buildings hanging down like stalactites. Then her eyes followed the slope of the city to the colossal window stripe, through which red light filtered in and colored the haze.

Frizz shut her gaping mouth while tears slid down her face. The world outside the Pens was just imagery passed down by word of mouth. Seeing it for real was almost too much to take. She finally came to her senses and skirted the square, keeping to the shadows.

Suddenly, three vomons emerged from an alleyway up ahead. Her heart stuttered.

They were fledglings, judging by their size. Frizz jolted to a stop and inched through the iron gate to her side.

She found herself in a grubby eatery. Brushstrokes splattered the walls in violets, reds and blues, while black furniture cluttered the space. Candles flickered on mounds of wax that had hardened into drooping shapes. Then her eyes snapped to a frosty showcase, which displayed flesh items, minced or knitted into grotesque forms.

Biting back a horrified shriek, Frizz wheeled around in search of a place to hide. She jerked when her eyes locked onto a face that was far from human.

The vom stepped up to the counter, most likely alerted to her presence by a motion sensor.

Frizz clapped a hand to her mouth and bolted. Back outside, a spasm of pain from her ankle made her double over. Whimpering, she limped into a nearby alleyway.

She sank next to a dumpster and buried her face in her shaking arms.

Time slipped by. She knew she had to move, but pain and exhaustion dragged her down every time she tried to. Her feet were partially skinned, and her joints creaked.

A beep rose above the city noise. Then she spotted them.

Two voms in uniform were walking into the eatery she ran from. They'd been notified of a runaway human.

Frizz drew in a shuddering breath and lurched to her feet. She headed deeper into the alleyway, her panic mounting with each step. The tottering buildings on either side threatened to block out the sky.

A minute later, she knew she had made a mistake.

A dead end mocked her with a high stone wall topped with spikes.

The cold within crystallized into a dead weight in her gut. She knew it was a matter of time before they searched the alleyway. Ducking behind a garbage bin, she curled into a fetal position.

Soon afterwards, footsteps approached her. Every clack rocked her to the bone.

Paralyzed with fear, she braced herself and pulled her hair. The clacking drew ever closer.

There was no way she could escape. It was foolish of her to think she could reach a ship. Yet, she was grateful for the taste of freedom, even if it was brief. Now, she might have to go through horrors she only knew from whispers and wild speculation. Maybe I'd get to see you again, Momma. I'll finally join you. Her vision swam.

"Don't make a sound," a hushed voice said, each word enunciated with deliberate slowness.

Frizz snapped up her head and stared into silvery irises.

A jolt went down her spine when she realized it was the vomon she attacked. The subtle fibrils of its cheek were streaked with red where her nails had swiped it, emphasized by the reddish light that fell on it.

"My name's Manda," the vem whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Then it shook off the inky black scarf on its shoulders and flung it over her like a blanket. She froze.

A second later, Frizz felt it grip her hand and pull her up, making her stagger to her wobbly feet. It produced a pair of shoes from its backpack and flung it to the ground, indicating for her to don them.

Rendered speechless, Frizz blinked up. The vem nudged the shoes at her with an urgent hiss.

As soon as her feet wriggled into the unfamiliar shoes, Manda wrapped a surprisingly strong arm around her shoulders and led her down the alleyway—straight to the two vomon officers.

"Hold up—we're looking for an escaped human," a deep male voice rumbled. "Did you see it?"

Manda replied without missing a beat, "I'm sorry, no."

There was a pause.

"Oh, this is my friend. She's photosensitive."

"I see."

With that, Frizz felt herself whisked away.

Vac pod: Short for vacuum pods, which transport people in vacuum tubes. Since there is no air in the tubes, these pods can reach supersonic speeds.

Red weeds: A red dwarf star is dimmer, so plants on worlds around it are thought to appear dark red or black, in order to make use of all light that falls on them.

Island: One of the three habitable stripes in the cylindrical habitat. These are separated by the long window stripes.