Prisoner

Chapter 27

John Hansson

The night after the Vornu Mortac ordeal, Adaryn and I sat under a tall tree in silence. I had started a small fire, which gave off a orange glow that cast long shadows over the plains around us. 

Adaryn rotated the stick he held over the fire, on the end of which was a strip of cooking meat. He had caught a good sized lizard earlier, and since it we had no more food left, that was dinner. I pulled my own off the fire and gently squeezed it between two fingers. The meat was dark, like beef, but gave off an odd smell. I couldn't describe it. Deciding that it was cooked all the way through, I pulled off a tiny piece and placed it in my mouth. Biting down, thick juices exploded and immediately coated my mouth as a milk-like film.  My eyebrows shot up.

Adaryn saw my funny expression and chuckled. "Like it?" He asked. I tentatively took another bite, swallowed, and nodded.

"It's weird. Not like what we have on Earth. It's...like a mix between beef and oyster. It's surprisingly good!" I admitted, taking another larger bite. Adaryn pulled his own off the fire and began to eat it in silence.

"It is. I remember catching these with my father to have for special occasions. Birthdays, holidays...They were always my favorite." He said, his face pensive. I smiled, remembering my own birthdays back on Earth as a kid. My mom would always make a delicious Angel Food cake with her canned strawberries on top. I wondered if I would ever taste that again...

About ten minutes later, both Adaryn and I had finished and were laying on the short grass side-by-side. The ground was cold and rocky, making me wonder if I would ever get to sleep. The crackling of the dying fire and the wind were the only sounds in the still night air. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on breathing slowly. I was about halfway asleep when another quiet sound cut through the air.

I opened my eyes and listened carefully, trying to figure out what it was I was hearing. After a moment, I realized that it was quiet singing. I turned my head to look at Adaryn. He was laying with his eye closed, singing quietly to himself. The language was definitely Malorian.

I listened for a minute or two before he quieted more, then stopped singing and opened his eye. I could have been wrong, but I thought that I saw a small tear roll down his cheek in the dying light.

"That was a pretty song." I commented. Adaryn started. He hadn't known that I was still awake. He smiled a little.

"It is a Malorian lullabye that my mother used to sing," He told me, "I like to think that Venia would have sung it to Danya. She had the most beautiful voice." He went quiet again after that, like he had been pulled off into a memory of his poor wife.

"I'm sure she would've." I told him. He closed his eye again and nodded, still smiling. Moments later, he had fallen fast asleep.

*  

That night, my peaceful sleep was plagued by a dream. A nightmare.

I was back in the shuttle, en route to Earth. I felt the ship vibrate violently as I reentered the atmosphere. Then, I was on the landing platform, standing over a crowd of curious onlookers. To my surprise, however, they were completely silent, staring at me with puzzeled looks, as if they had no idea who I was.

I desperately scanned the crowd, looking for a familiar face. Finally, I found two.

In the front row stood my wife, Margot, and little Bradley. My face lit up in a smile and I waved at them. They saw me, but had the saw awed expressions on their faces as the rest of the crowd. I made my way down the stairs, off the platform, and onto the pavement, and walked towards them. The entire crowd in one movement backed away from me. My pace faltered, and I frowned, looking at them. The people's faces had changed from curiosity to anger. I looked back to my family.

"Margot? Brad? It's me, John." I told them, beginning to panic a bit. Did they not recognize me? Margot responded by grabbing my son's shoulders and pulling him closer to her. I looked at each of them in turn, then scanned the crowd again.

"What's wrong?" I asked, taking another step forward. "Guys, it's me. I'm back!"

Margot shrunk back, letting out a small cry and pulling our son to her chest. I stopped walking, feeling my heart beginning to compact in on itself.

"Mar?" I asked, my voice cracking. Suddenly, I heard heavy footsteps behind me. I spun around to see two men in black suits and sunglasses walking towards me. They had government issued badges, Homeland Security. I began to step backwards, towards the crowd, watching the men carefully.

"What's going on? I'm John Hansson! An Earth astronaut!" I shouted. countless hands grabbed my coat from behind, pushing me towards the men. I squirmed, trying to get away, but with every attempt, more hands latched themselves onto me. Less than a minute later, the two men grabbed my arms and began to drag me towards a truck with the symbol for Homeland Security on the side. My eyes widened. "Let me go! What are you doing?" 

A third sharp-looking man swung the back doors of the truck open and stood aside as my captors threw me inside and slammed the doors. I pounded on the walls of the truck, hoping someone would help me, before something shiny caught my eye. A small hand mirror lay on the floor of the truck. I reached over and picked it up. As soon as I saw my reflection, I dropped it and closed my eyes, hoping what I had seen was only my nerves acting up.

After a moment, I opened my eyes slowly to find my surroundings had changed dramatically.

THe walls, ceiling, floor, and doors of the truck had transformed into huge mirrors, so I had no choice but to see what I had become.

My filthy blonde hair was at my shoulders and was knotted. My clothes were gray and brown tattered rags. Scars covered my face and bare arms. THe most startling, however, was my eyes. They were bright red. I touched my face, dismayed when my hideous reflection did the same. 

I had turned into a Malorian.

*

Adaryn shook me awake the next morning. I was screaming. I looked around at my surroundings, then touched my face to find that my cheeks were wet with tears. My heart was slamming against my ribcage. I sat up and ran my fingers through my tangled hair, taking deep breaths.

"You okay?"  Adaryn asked. I wiped my eyes and nodded quickly.

"Bad dream. I'll be fine." I assured him. He watched me for a moment, then nodded.

"Do you wish to talk about it? I am told that often helps." He told me. I shook my head.

"No, it's fine. I just want to get going." I told him, trying to smile, but failing. Adaryn stood, then helped me stand. I looked around us, seeing Nekros' castle in the distance. It was much closer than it had been the previous day. We were close. Maybe twenty miles. Two day, if we hurried. 

Up until then, I had been excited to get the mission over with. Now...not so much. What would follow the death of the king? Adaryn and I would go our separate ways, never to speak again. I would try and find my shuttle, to see if it was still functional. If it wasn't...what? Would I try to find a new life here on Malor? Find a wife and settle down? The mere idea of not going home was unbearable, yet...it was plausible.

Deep down, I knew that I wasn't going to see Margot and Bradley again...