A Collection of Short Stories

The Adventure(s) of Kaseo and Lillian

"You need to hurry it up," Kaseo's panicked voice reached Lillian from ahead. They ran-sprinted, actually-away from a large, grotesque creature. Lillian could feel its hot, stinking breath behind her, hear its snarl and gnashing teeth coming closer behind. The ground was rough and uneven, causing Lillian to stumble, and almost fall a few times. Maybe if she took those walks she told herself she needed to take back on Earth, she would have an easier time keeping up, but she didn't take those walks, and she was extremely out of shape. She was sure she was just running on pure adrenaline now, which was quickly making way for exhaustion.
   She glared at the back of Kaseo's aegean blue, frilled head, chest heaving. "I'm an author, you twit," she gasped for air. "Its not like I'm freakishly fast like you!"
   Kaseo cursed, and moved to a steady jog-for him-beside her, glancing behind to check on the creature. "Lillian... Now is not the time to make excuse," he sucked in a breath, then grabbed her wrist with a webbed hand, leaping off to the left. She yelped, tumbling to the side, eyes widening when she felt the creature's claw brush her sweatshirt, the dirty, brown nails leaving small scratches in the grey fabric. Kaseo skidded to a stop, yanking Lillian back into a sprint the way they came. She tumbled, Kaseo dragging her more than anything.
   The creature's claws scrapped against the rock as it spun back around, letting out an angered snarl at being cheated out of it's meal. Its gaze found them, seeing the bright contrast of their heat in relation to the dark, cold ground and air around them. With a strange howl, it scrambled after them, once again, angered. Its skin was rough, having been exposed to its harsh, cold planet, and brushing against the rough, rocky terrain it lived on. As it chased after its next, large meal, a stray bit of saliva oozed down its chin, a dark crimson, and a harsh contrast in comparison to the rest of its dully colored world.
   Lillian stared ahead, and almost cried out in relief when she saw the dim light of the distant star that this planet orbited around, shining through the cave entrance. Kaseo noticed too, and put on an extra burst of speed that made her stumbled, scraping her free hand against the cavern floor. She hissed in pain, and glanced down at her hand, noticing the outline of the creature's claws that moved in and out of her vision, just in the corner. She didn't dare turn around, but put all of her energy into running, her bloodied hand forgotten. "Kaseo," she warned, stumbling.
   "I know, I know," he said, just starting to pant. They've been running for quite a while now, having been chased in, and now chased back out. Kaseo-in most situations-would have left whoever it was he was with behind, and got his ass off this damned planet, but unfortunately, Lillian was, in a sense, protected. He couldn't quite just throw her into danger, or just leave her hanging from a cliff so he could finally go back to having his studio to himself, every single provocative poster back on the walls of his living room. No. Minister Ostiellia herself had to assign him to babysitting duty. He got her into this, so he sure as hell was going to be the one to keep tabs on her. Apparently. So now here he was, risking his neck just to make it seem like the whole, "Lillian dying on this forsaken planet was an accident! What were we doing here? Research. Good ol' first hand stuff."
   Who knows, and who cares what happens after that. Kaseo could get himself out of any trouble he needed. But. Here he was, still risking his neck, just waiting for Lillian to trip, or something stupid like that. As she said, she was an author, and honestly had no physical strengths. So you'd think this was easier than it would seem.
   They burst out into the open air, heading straight for the ship. To Kaseo, it looked like another failed attempt at familiar peace. To Lillian, it looked like another daring escape to write down in another story. Lillian's wavy, brown hair whipped behind her, almost getting caught in the salivating creature's clawed hand.
   "Shoot at it, dammit," she yelled as best as she could at Kaseo, knowing that even if they made it through the door of the ship, it wouldn't close nearly fast enough to keep that thing out. It needed a distraction, and Lillian wasn't going to be the one to do it. It only made sense. If Kaseo was supposed to look after her, then he should be the one to risk his own neck.
   "I'm out of ammo," he growled.
   Lillian glanced at him, glaring coldly. "Bull...!"
   The creature leaped forward, snatching Kaseo and Lillian with both hands, letting out a screech of triumph, having finally caught its food. Kaseo cursed loudly, struggling to reach for his gun at his hip. His strange, yellow eyes flashed in panic, getting a closer look at the creatures small, four eyes, two on each side of his snout-like nose, on top of the other. Its glassy, black eyes stared back at him, maw open to let out a deep and guttural growl, that unnerving  red saliva dripping from its sharp teeth. Lillian kicked at the air, gritting her teeth as she struggled frantically. Sweat beaded down her forehead, grunting, and trying to pull herself out of its grip, nails digging into its hand.
   The creature growled, baring his teeth, drawing Kaseo closer and closer to its dripping mouth. He sucked in a breath, body completely tense, eyes on the sharpened teeth. Oh, Gods, he thought. This is the end. My end results in a stupid decision to make it seem like I'm trying to "save" Lillian. What was I thinking?
   Lillian, being somewhat ignored, happened to be close enough to his bottoms eye. She flailed and kicked, shrieking. As much as an asshole Kaseo was, getting eaten by a horrible, and smelly monster alien was not something she wanted to happen. She hoped that, later on down the road, after she had annoyed him to the point of insanity, he would launch himself into space for the rest of his life, or just jump off a cliff while screaming his goodbyes. That would be much more dramatic, and more interesting to write than this. With another hard kick, her foot connected to to the creature's eye. It shrieked in pain, dropping both of its morsels, to clutch its eye. Kaseo and Lillian lay on the ground for a moment, winded, before glancing at each other, and scrambling for the door to the ship. 
   Kaseo reached it first, slamming a fist onto the emergency button next to the door, causing the mechanics inside to whir, and release the door of its locks. He reached up, and slammed it down, taking the steps inside, rushing for the control station. Lillian dived in, then spun, watching as the creature removed its hands from its eyes, screaming at them. She pressed the button inside to have it close the door, breath hitching in her throat. "Kaseo," she yelled, watching as it sprinted forward, a newfound anger in its eyes, fluorescent red saliva stringing together in slimy trails at the sides of its face. "Kaseo!"
   The creature raised a hand to pound on the spacecraft, then slammed its hand onto the ground as it shot forward. Lillian yelped in surprise, then again in pain when her back hit the wall behind her, pain shooting up her spine. The door finally hissed shut at they reached the atmosphere, warm air gently blowing through the vents. They slowed at the left the world, Lillian collapsing onto the floor, legs and arms shaking, breath coming in short gasps. The adrenaline was gone, and now the full force of fear and exhaustion kicked in. She needed an ibuprofen.  
   Kaseo stumbled out into the small sitting area, one hand on the wall, holding his side, wincing. "You look like shit."
   Lillian closed her eyes, internally cursing Kaseo. She was too tired and too hurt to deal with his sarcasm. "Space station. I'm going to report to Ostiellia."
   Kaseo stiffened, blinking. "What for?" He asked cautiously. 
   "For you almost killing me," she rolled onto her back, then groaned, regretting it. Her back was stiff, and she tried to relax it, but it felt like there was a knot right in the middle of her back. Trying to do that made it feel like she was trying to pull her spine apart. How hard did she hit that damn wall?
   "Well, we made it out! Besides," he scoffed lightly, looking away. "You wanted to visit that planet. Granted, I knew what was on the planet, but you chose it, and wouldn't hear anything otherwise."
   Lillian then, shot him a well deserved glare. "Asshole."
   "Short," he shot back. "Practically a child."
   "You're, what," she sputtered. "Seven something?! I'm average!"
   Kaseo scoffed, then turned back around. "Well, you just continue to lie there. I'm going to take us back to my place."
   Lillian watched him stumble back the way her came, then passed a hand over her face. She needed a shower, and a warm drink. Tea, she would have liked. A nice warm cup of extremely sweet tea... It was his home. Nothing was really her's, except the clothes on her back, and the tablet she used to write. Which wasn't that big of a deal, she could work with little things, but still. Her lack of her home back on Earth was starting to take its toll after months of space time. But after her book was done, she would smuggle it into Earth with Kaseo's help. She'll take another look around, see what has changed. She wouldn't want to leave, but would have to. Only a little bit longer until the first one was done. She closed her eyes, sighing softly, feeling exhaustion overtake her. 
   Kaseo sat in his chair with a grunt, then leaned back, having flipped autopilot on. His sides felt bruised, and they most likely were. That damned thing was holding onto him pretty tight. That fall didn't help, either. He sighed, shutting his eyes. Well, there goes another chance at being alone, as gruesome as that death would have been. Would he have felt bad after the fact? Maybe? No, probably not. Maybe a little. He wasn't too sure. Still. This day could've gone a lot better.
   Much, much better. 

Credit for artwork, character, and basic concept: Chickenly on Deviantart http://chickenly.deviantart.com/ She created Kaseo, and this inspiration to create this story. Lillian is mine, but the basic world, and creature came from her. Please check her out! She is amazing, and makes amazing art!  It would mean so much to me if you did, and gave her so much support, she deserves every bit of it! 

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this slightly different story! Again! CHECK HER OUT! PLZ!!!! Thank chu. 0w0