Caged With The Alien Warrior

27.

Aanya

My heartbeat raced in my chest, heart practically thumping against my ribcage. I stared at the grey metal door in front of me. How the hell did this spaceship thing open?

Lani wriggled around and cried from her spot tied to my front, so I bounced and shushed her while scanning the ship. There was something that looked like a finger scanning thing, so I stuck my finger in there. I felt a sharp prick. Ow!

Seconds passed, but they felt like forever. I glanced over my shoulder. Ronan and Gila were shooting at the incoming lizardmen, Ronan with much better accuracy. He was in his element, face grim and focussed.

Suddenly, a red light beeped. "Access denied," a voice from the ship intoned.

Crap, how would–

A familiar pain rippled up my back and I let out a pained cry as I crumpled to my knees, barely holding myself up to not crush Lani. A lizardman shocked me in the back. Bastard.

I forced my head to turn and face the lizardman electrocuting me, but made eye contact with Ronan mid-head-turn.

His worried eyes were on me. Over his shoulder, a lizardman hurled a pointy weapon axe thing at him. My muscles were stiff and sluggish from the shock still hitting me, so my mouth wouldn't listen to my brain and move to warn him. It was all happening too fast and then it hit him. He was on the ground, bleeding. Oh no, no, no, no!

"Ronan!" I screamed, pouring all my desperate anguish into the sound. Lani cried against my chest. My chest-shoulder area ached, but the pain barely registered.

All the lizardmen dropped their weapons, hands going to cover their ears with pained groans, Gila included. But I couldn't focus on that right now. The pain from the shockstick went away because the lizardman behind me dropped his weapon too.

Ronan was lying there with a weapon sticking out of his chest. Ohmygod Ronan was lying there with a weapon sticking out of his chest! Why couldn't I breathe?

Running on pure instinct and adrenaline, I rushed over to Ronan, taking advantage of the incapacitated lizardmen.

"Ronan, Ronan! Wake up!" I begged him, kneeling next to him. I grabbed him, his purple blood staining my hands. He wasn't moving. Oh God, he wasn't moving! He couldn't be dead. He couldn't. Nononono.

My hand went to pull out the axe, but I paused midway through. TV taught me one thing– don't pull out a knife. This was similar right? He might bleed out if I take out the axe, so I left it in.

WhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdo repeated over and over again in my head. My hands shook.

I forced myself to take a breath. Pull yourself together, Aanya.

Everything went still. I knew what I had to do.

Ronan roused for a second. "Go, leave me." His words came out slurred and barely intelligible.

I gave him a grim smile. "Not happening, big guy."

He passed out again. The lizardmen were stirring, so I covered Lani's ears and screamed again, a harsh, shrill sound. "Aaaaah!"

It incapacitated them again.

Quickly, I moved behind Ronan and grabbed him by the armpits. With strength I didn't know I had, I dragged his 250+ pound body, taking it inch by inch.

My muscles strained, sweat pouring down my frame. "I've got you, big guy. I'll get us out of here."

Ronan's head lolled to the side.

Gila made it to his feet. He had some cloth sticking out of his ears– must've helped lessen the effect of my screams. He stumbled towards me and grabbed Ronan's legs, helping me carry him closer. The pain in my chest and shoulder intensified.

A shot of energy something whizzed past my ear, just barely missing me. Crap, they got Ronan's gun thing!

"Idiots, don't harm the specimen!" another lizardman hissed.

Gila dropped Ronan's legs and turned around, shooting the lizardman with his gun. Another picked up Ronan's and Gila shot them too.

I pulled Ronan the rest of the way, breath heaving. I made it to the ship with Ronan and Lani, muscles exhausted. My shoulder hurt so much that I almost couldn't feel it.

But Gila was being overwhelmed by the lizardmen. There were too many.

I sucked in air and I screamed louder than I ever had before– an ear splitting screech. That sent the lizardmen to their knees.

I scanned the ship, finding the scanner again. The ship was Ronan's right? I think that's what Gila said. So, I pulled his arm up and stuck it in the finger slot. Please work, please work, please work.

A green light beeped. "Access granted," the same voice from earlier intoned.

The doors opened and I immediately dragged in Ronan with the last of my energy. I left him by the door, untied Lani from my chest, and set her down far from Ronan so that she didn't try and touch his wound.

Despite my screaming muscles, I went back to the doorway. I grabbed the formula I'd dropped outside earlier and threw it in the ship.

"Gila!" I yelled. "Come with us!"

"No, I'll hold them off. Go!" he yelled back, standing outside the doors and shooting the lizardmen. He ran over to the wall and pulled a lever that opened the roof of the hangar, letting us leave.

"Thank you," I told him again, voice hoarse. We wouldn't have been able to do this without him.

"Go!" he yelled again, voice urgent, standing by the lever.

I slapped a button next to the door, hoping it was the doors close button. The door shut with a whoosh.

I saw Gila through the glass circle cutout of the door. A shot from the gun rushed towards him and hit him, leaving a gaping hole in his skull. He fell to the ground, dead. 

✶ ☾ ✶

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Gila's dead and they haven't made it out yet...

Are they gonna make it? What're your predictions? 

What else are you currently reading? Anything good? I need suggestions, I'm in the worst reading slump right now. 

Comments and votes are much appreciated.

Virtually yours,

Ro