Star Killer

Chapter 7

I'm determined to finish the entire story by the end of next summer! (I want to have at least half of it done by the end of this summer)

Also... I happen to be an artist! The picture above is drawn by me and if you want to see more art like that, check out AlkalinesShadow on instagram.

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     The dull thuds and scrapes of the wierzen's walk lull me into a sense of calmness as I rest my forehead against its warm neck scales. Sticky sweat coats my skin and drips endlessly down my back, but I make no move to wipe it away. My helmet, hanging loosely by my fingertips, casts its bright light towards the floor and illuminates puddles of blue, red and clear liquids.

     Too caught up in the shock of what went down in the past hour, I don't notice as my wierzen stops moving until a deep guttural growl rises from his throat. Fumbling with my helmet, I secure it back onto my head and let my eyes roll upwards to peer into the eyes of Ajax. Fear is scrawled across his face as clear as the blood is on his chest. His left arm, or really, the lack of his left arm, is nothing more than dripping flesh dangling on the bright white bone of his shoulder. Blood slowly drips off of his hair and runs down his cheeks like grotesque face paint as his mouth hangs open at an angle.

     My foot finds a hold on the wierzen's neck and I slide down to stand in front of Ajax. A large curious snout presses against my shoulder blades and a tendril protectively drapes over my shoulder, causing me to feel oddly safe. I step forwards and try to lock eyes with the scarred boy, but he continues to stare dead eyed and slacked jawed towards the distance. Blood flows heavily down his side and drips noisily onto the floor, joining a puddle that is forming near my feet. Carefully, I step over the red mass and come face to face with the frozen boy.

"Ajax? I need you to come with me. You're bleeding too heavily and if you don't come now, you'll pass out soon."

     My words hit empty ears and I snap my fingers in front of his helmet to try to get a reaction, but nothing happens. Gently, I lean towards and pull off his helmet in hopes that maybe it was blocking my words, Underneath the protective glass lies something that should of been left hidden. Shimmering tears are illuminated in the light of my helmet as they streak down his face and drop heavily onto the collar of his shirt. Blank, broken, blue eyes stare ahead as a small whimpering sound reaches my ears and crushes my hatred towards the dying boy in under a second. Tearing my gaze away from his hollow face, I reach over to carefully grab the edge of the fabric resting on his good arm and test its strength. After analyzing its durability, I hold onto Ajax by his shoulder and yank the soft fabric. The loud ripping of the seams rings through the tunnel and I feel four strong talons wrap around my calf in response to the sound. Shaking them off, I reach backwards with my spare hand and stroke the warm scales belonging to the nervous beast behind me.

     Once his low growls stop, I concentrate on tying the ripped arm sleeve around Ajax's bloody shoulder stump. A wave of nausea passes through my body as I study the gaping wound and inhale the strong iron scent that permeates the air around us.

     The owner of the wound shows no physical sign of pain and I flinch for him. Once his arm is bandaged securely, I walk over to my new companion and pull him forwards so I can haul Ajax's ungrateful ass onto his neck. My wierzen lets out a loud snort in reply to the unneeded added weight to show his opinion of the unknown boy. Holding Ajax in place by his belt, I put pressure against the wierzen's neck and he stands up grumpily before slinking down the tunnel and around the corner to the entrance to the tunnel system where the chaos began. My breath catches in my throat as the relief hits me that the test is over. Adler has me around for at least one more day. Despite the fact that I'm still alive, I can't smile. Ajax, Mark, and I may have survived, but Ajax has lost his wierzen, his arm, and possibly his life. Not to forget that Hamnell's family will never see his again. They can't even hold a funeral because by the time they drag his corpse out of the water filled cave, there will be very little left of him to mourn.

     Noticing Ajax's bare arm, I disconnect one of the stabilizer units on my suit and put it in his fist, closing his fingers around it so it will protect his only arm from being crushed by pressure. After I make sure his suit it mostly okay, I lift his helmet and secure it onto his head.

     With one more stumbly stride forwards, we plunge out of the oxygen barrier and stand on a ledge overlooking the open ocean. The wierzen, seemingly caught off guard by the sudden change of air to water, shrinks back and whips his head around out of confusion.

     I run my hand across his ears as he  calms down. We can all calm down. Everything is over now. Instead of calming down though, he begins to move in a fearful thrashing movement. I press myself and Ajax close to his scales and cling to his sensory tendrils, but my grip starts to slip as he lunges forwards and bends over the edge of the stone, putting Ajax and I in the open waters. I look down and watch as his front claws curl and uncurl on the stone, leaving score marks on the surface.

     Moving my gaze upwards, I squint when my eyes take in a faint light cutting through the dark waters. A rescue ship is on its way.

     I let out a relieved sigh and wave my arm through the water to signal to the ship that we're alive and close by. They flash their headlights and illuminate the stone above our heads, causing a small smile to grace my lips. Sliding down my wierzen's neck, I thud lightly onto the ground and cradle Ajax's broken form in my arms. His eyes have long since closed out of exhaustion and his breath comes out in broken puffs, but those small puffs reassure me that he is still alive. He may be semi armless, but he's alive.

     As the ship slows to a halt and hovers before us its doors slide smoothly open and a group of three men bound onto the ledge and make their way through the water to us. One of the men gently takes Ajax from my arms and carries him away to their ship, while another man enters the tunnel system and disappears through the oxygen bubble. The final man, looking around and noting our current location, turns to me and locks our eyes.

"Take your wierzen and get back to the colony, kid. We're going to take your friend back home and get him stitched up." He grunts through the earpiece and nervously takes a step away from my wierzen.

"What are you going to do about Hamnell?" I manage to choke out as his damaged form flashes through my mind.

"Hamnell? Isn't that the kid that came out first? He rode his wierzen back to the colony and got us. He was worried that somebody may have gotten hurt. Good thing he did too because if your one-armed buddy had gone unmedicated much longer... well... lets just say one arm would be the least of his problems." He chuckles gravely as he awkwardly rubs the back of his neck.

     My mouth gapes open like a fish and I clench my fists at my sides, causing my knuckles to pop loudly at the strain of the bones.

     The man, grabbing my shoulder, tilts his head and studies my face like I've just grown two heads.

"What's wrong kid? You look like you've seen a ghost or something." He questions softly.

     I take a deep breath and wrap my arms around myself to keep from shaking. "Mark."

     He shakes his head out of confusion and mutters, "Mark? Whose Mark?"

"Mark got you guys." I groan as I stumbling backwards to lean against my wierzen for stability before continuing. "Mark escaped and got you. Not Hamnell."

     Confusion turns to realization as he whips around to look at the tunnel's entrance.

"The colony said only three people were on today's test." He croaks.

"No. There were four of us. Ajax, Mark, me... and Hamnell." I answer slowly.

"Were?"

     I nod and watch as his skin pales. Almost as if on cue, his earpiece crackles to life and an eerie sentence floats through the intercom system.

"Jonah, get up here. There's a body."  

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On my page there is a work titled "Star Explainer"! It contains information about the Wierzen species, the technology the colony has, and face claims for some of the characters!