Vessels || Dustin Bates

Monster

Alexi had barely changed. It was normal to be back in Columbus; to be back home. I took in deep breaths of the city air, letting it fill my lungs completely. It felt good.

"Don't let your guard down too much, Bates." I glanced to my get where Ben walked next to me. He didn't look much different in his chosen disguise; about a seventy pounds heavier and without his beard or tattoos. I was now blonde with blue eyes and a few inches shorter. I had to hide more than Ben.

"I'm not. Fully attentive." I nodded, shoving my hands further into my pockets.

"Really? You seem distracted being back home." I shrugged a little.

"Well, this is home to me. Where I've spent most of my adult life, where I worked, where Shay and I fell in love. It's an important place to me." I looked down at our feet, walking in step with him.

"I can't blame you. Earth is like that for me. No matter how much of a shithole it is," he grumbled. He took the toothpick that he had put in his pocket out and put it between his teeth. "Damn this planet and their prohibition of tobacco." He was not happy in the slightest about it. I had noticed his smoking habit as a way to cope with his anxieties. Unfortunately, Alexi prohibited that habit.

We strolled into the Senate building casually. We allowed security to wave their wands over us, letting us through after.

Is everyone ready? I smiled, looking to Ben out of the corner of my eye. He seemed just as smug.

Go for it, Taylor. Seconds later, the building's alarms went off. People began to flood out of the building, but we kept going forward, passing the sea of concerned humans. We made our way to the statue where the secret staircase was kept. We quickly pried it open, making our way down quickly. Unfortunately, some followed us.

"Ron, good. Let's go." Ben grabbed our friend and pulled him along, however, several other civilians followed, thinking it was an escape route. Ron rolled his eyes, already having been in here for an hour. He was not happy about that. The three of us and the civilians, who we had no way of getting rid of, ran down the stairs, trying to find the room where Shay was last seen in.

Shay found us first. Grotesque and inhuman, Shaylee dangled above the roof, looking down at us and the civilians. She zeroed in on one in particular, launching herself off the room and directly down at them. I moved to pull her off of them, their screams bouncing off the walls. Ben launched into action, as where Ron and I were frozen in place. He pushed Shay off of the person, however, they were already gone.

Ron and I began to usher people back up the stairs. We had failed. We had failed to save her. She was gone. My Shaylee was gone. Ben ran up the stairs a few moments later.

"We need to get out of here! Now!" We ran out of the building, hearing thundering footsteps behind us. We ran to the rendezvous point, trying to keep ahead of the Carnivores.

We stormed the plane, getting on and closing the bay doors. We rocketed out of the atmosphere, bypassing their defense system. We went through the process of making sure we couldn't be followed, landing back at Runibor. The four of us exited the plane, looking down. We failed at saving her. We messed up. Shay was gone.