Contaminated

Shard

"So what's your story?" Asgard said when he finished.

I told him everything I remembered, from the time I got up two days ago to the point where he had showed up and rescued me.

His expression darkened at my description of the torture, and he looked like he wanted to say something, but kept quiet through the whole story.

"And the rest you know," I said as I finished. "Although, it's weird. What did they want with a hunk of crystal, anyway?"

Asgard didn't answer. He simply got up and began to put his stuff away.

I didn't press him for answers. I didn't expect him to know anything about those people.

Asgard sighed. He turned around. "I didn't catch your name."

"Sith. Aura Len Sith."

"That's a nice name," he said before returning to his loot.

We were both quiet for several minutes.

Finally he turned back around. "So, Aura--"

"Sith." I corrected. "Aura always sounded like a hippie name to me."

"So, um, Sith, what did you say that crystal looked like?"

"Um, impressively shiny, glowing, smooth, and colorful. Very colorful. Also, about the size of my fist."

He was silent for another minute or two. Then, almost in a whisper, he murmured to himself, "Oh, no."

"Oh, no, what? What is it? What did they want it for?"

He didn't answer, only ran into another room and back out with a pair of binoculars in his paw.

"Asgard! What is going on?" I yelled as he ran up the stairs to the roof. I tried to sit up, but pain flared up in all four of my limbs, my chest, and my tail, forcing me back down to the bed.

Despite my fast-healing ability, it would still take a while before I was ready to stand on my own.

A minute later, Asgard came running down the stairs like he had the devil on his tail.

"We gotta go," he said in a panicked voice, "Now!"

"I can't!" I replied, "I won't be able to stand, let alone move around freely for at the very least, five days!"

"We don't have five minutes!" he shot back. "They're on their way, right now!"

"Who?"

"Who do you think?"

A spasm of fear passed through me, causing me to shudder.

They were coming back.

"Help me up." I said.

"In your condition? No. I have to find a way to move you."

"It's either this or get captured again," I almost shouted, "and I don't like the second option!"

He growled a few profanities and helped me out of the cot. I winced as I felt a few stitches rip, but other than that, we made it out the door just fine.

We were on a side street in an almost deserted town with tarps flapping in the hot breeze and dusty travelers in equally dusty garb. Over the wind and the ringing in my ears, I heard the sound of helicopter blades. When I was younger, I used to look up at them as they passed, heading to the factories, and wonder what it was like up there. Unfortunately, my wings had never grown to full size, I guessed because I never got enough to eat, so the fantasies stayed in my head. Now the fantasies were becoming nightmares as the chopping sound grew louder and louder.

"Quick," Asgard said as we moved as fast as my wounds would allow, "I know a place."

He led me across the sand-eaten street, through a space between two buildings, and through the back door of another low-built house.

The interior was nice, but slightly cluttered. Boxes of random supplies sat on counters, chairs, an tables. They lined the walls. I peered into one of them and saw a first aid kit, a belt of ammunition, freeze dried food, and a bunch of other random stuff.

"Mira!" Asgard shouted. "Mira, where are you? I need your help!"

A brown-haired, blue-eyed human of about fifteen came around the corner into the living room, brandishing a glock.

"Asgard! I thought I told you, if you want to buy somethin', go 'round back where the actual storefront is! Darn it, get your scaly lizard rear outta my house before ya break somethin'!"

"Dang it, Mira, there's no time! I need to use the tunnels, and your house has the nearest entrance! If I don't get us out of here soon, Gratz is going to have two new sets of dragon hide seats for his Mustang!"

"Gratz?! Are you sure?!" Her mood went from angry and exasperated to shocked and horrified within the span of two seconds.

"Positive." Asgard replied.

Mira paced back and forth. "Oohhh, this is bad. This is very, very bad. We both gotta run."

She stopped pacing and ran into another room, motioning for us to follow. I limped after her, leaning into Asgard. The pain was almost too much. My vision was starting to go hazy.

Mira led us into a room with a really thick rug lying in the middle of the floor. she rolled it up as fast as she could, revealing a trapdoor in the middle of the floor.

Quickly, she grabbed a flashlight and three duffel bags out of a cabinet and tossed two to Asgard, who slung them over his shoulder.

She opened the trapdoor and ushered us down. Asgard lowered me into the hole, jumping down after me. Mira jumped after us, shutting the trapdoor.

It was pitch dark until Mira fumbled for her flashlight and hit the "on" switch.

By then I was in too much pain to think straight.

"Shoulda. . . stayed. . . in bed. . ." my legs buckled underneath me. The last thing I saw was Asgard opening one of the duffel bags and withdrawing a syringe.