Caged With The Alien Warrior

03.

Aanya

The doors whooshed open, and I ran out of the torture-slash-lab-slash-birth room. Left or right? Make a decision, Aanya.

Heart racing, I turned right and ran down the hallway. All I had to do was evade the lizardmen, find an escape pod, and pilot it back to earth, all with a newborn baby in tow. Should be easy, right?

At least Lani had stopped crying like she knew I needed her to be quiet. Smoke billowed down one corridor, so I went in the opposite direction of that. I doubt she would've set a fire where the escape pods were.

I kept running, feet cold against the metal floor. My breaths were laboured, my body unaccustomed to all this movement after almost a year stuck in a cage, only going back and forth between my cell and their torture experiment room.

My eyes frantically scanned my surroundings as I ran. Nothing was screaming "escape pod" to me. I passed other cells like mine, filled with a whole variety of creatures. Some leered at me, calling out to me. Cat calls, really. Ugh– couldn't escape those, even in outer space.

I don't think some of the beings were sentient; some were more animal-like. I wished I could free them along with the ones that weren't catcalling me, but I didn't have time. I had to get Lani out of here.

I turned right again and ran ahead, this time only passing one inhabitant in the row of cells. Whoever they were stayed at the back of their cell. I couldn't see much– just a glimpse at the piercing blue of his eyes and the shadowy outline of a muscled body. The air around him was magnetic, pulling me in. I wanted to–

No! Focus. Keep going.

I forced my eyes ahead. Shit! A dead end.

My eyes frantically searched the walls for any indication of the escape pods. It was all just the same ugly dark grey metal. "Where are they? Oh God, where are they?"

Where were the mother fucking escape pods? I fought the tears that wanted to spill over my cheeks.

Lani cooed quietly in my arms, wriggling. I shifted my grip on her, holding her more securely. She was so small and innocent. I couldn't let them hurt her. Who knows what they'd do to her?

The sound of claws clicking against metal. I froze and closed my eyes. No, no, no.

Slowly, I turned around. Sure enough, the lizardmen were coming at me with their cattle prod things. I held Lani defensively. They wouldn't take her from me, and they wouldn't hurt her. I made her mother a promise, and I'd keep her safe, whatever it took.

Back up against the cold metal wall, I straightened and stared Mr. Lizardman down. His cattle prod crackled, reflecting in his soulless red eyes. I hated them. I hated them so much, with everything in me.

"Release Specimen 001 and return to your confinement," it said, his forked, demon-like tongue escaping his lips.

I curled my lip. "Over my dead body."

I had to protect Lani somehow. I had to.

"Your death would be a waste of resources." Mr. Lizardman stared down his snout at me, brandishing his cattle prod. "Release Specimen 001 and return to your confinement."

I held Lani closer to my chest. I wasn't going down without a fight.

"Scream," Lani's mom had whispered as the light left her eyes.

And that's what I did. I opened my mouth and let out the loudest scream I could muster.

Mr. Lizardman fell to the ground clutching his cattle prod. My eyes went wide. That actually worked? Yes! Taking my split-second advantage, I bolted past him.

Another lizardman came at me, but my scream landed him on the ground, too, clutching his head.

I ran and screamed and screamed as loud as I could as more of them came at me, but my voice was going hoarse, so it wasn't as effective in slowing the lizardmen.

Finally, I came across a door with a red handle. Red meant emergency, right? I couldn't read the words emblazoned on the door; they were in some alien language. I yanked it open, hoping I wouldn't be sucked out into space, but that would've been better than being recaptured.

I gasped. Yes! My knees buckled. I found the escape pod!

Two more lizardmen rounded the corner, coming at me just as I crossed the threshold into the room with the escape pod. They flinched at my hoarse yell but kept coming towards me.

One grabbed me around the neck and put me in a chokehold, the scales of his arm digging into the soft flesh of my neck. I kicked the one choking me in the crotch and elbowed the other in the face, but I think that hurt me more than it hurt them. The one I elbowed hissed and ripped Lani out of my arms.

"No!" I thrashed against the lizardman holding me. My vision was darkening from the lack of oxygen. Once Lani was out of my arms, he let me go. I stumbled forward, taking gasping breaths, my neck aching. I reached for Lani, but he took out his cattle prod and shocked me.

I fell to the ground, pain in my every last nerve ending. I tried to crawl forward, but he pressed the prod even harder against me, the pain doubling.

"Lani!" I called out. I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head, and everything went dark. 

✶ ☾ ✶

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Aaand Aanya's caught again. What do you think about Aanya's screaming? Predictions for what's going to happen next?

Also, thank you so much if you've added my book to a reading list or posted about it on social media– your TikToks about the book make me so excited to write more. Please tag me if you post about Caged With The Alien Warrior so I can see, I'm rosinghwrites everywhere on the internet. 

Comments and votes are much appreciated.

Virtually yours,

Ro

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