Pernicious- True Evil

Chapter 5

Astra sat in the light of a snapping fire, enjoying the stinging warmth as it pinched her skin. She leaned against a large stalagmite and stretched out her limbs. In front of her, Vojin placed more wood upon the flames—wood that he had collected from a thorn bush only an hour before.

The fire on this planet burned a little bit differently than it did on Earth. It seemed to produce very little smoke and though the tops of the flames were orange, the bottom of them glowed a shade of pale pink.

It was already dark in Pannotia and even darker in the cave to which they had walked deep enough into so that the light from the fire would not be seen from the outside by any curious eyes that passed by.

As soon as the sun had set, the land seemed to come alive. Every few minutes a distant howl or scream would echo through the canyon, bouncing off the walls and making it hard to tell which direction it was coming from or exactly how far away they were.

Where was Prosperine? She seemed so betrayed after she watched Sidero die. Would she come back here in the dead of night and kill them while they slept?

What did Sidero mean when he called her a virus? What was he intending to do with her? How was he planning on using her to open this gate and what would he do if he found out that she wasn't the key? She knew whatever it was, it was bad.

"Did you enjoy the food?" Vojin's voice snapped her from her thoughts.

She looked down at the remnants of plants she had just eaten. Her stomach was filled and her thirst quenched.

She nodded. "I am pretty sure that was about the best damn meal I have ever eaten. Thank you for gathering those for me. Where did you get them anyway? It seems so barren out here."

"It's only barren if you don't know where to look."

"Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me whatever you want. It doesn't mean I will answer it but feel free to ask anyway."

"What did you mean when you said to that monster, not to touch what is yours? Am I your prisoner now?"

He rolled his twinkling eyes as he crossed his arms. "You do realize that we are not the monster? You are."

"That's ridiculous. I'm not a monster."

"To most of the species on Earth, you absolutely are."

"Well we are not on Earth so why would your kind see mine as a monster?"

"That is a long story. Your species is viewed as being one of the most evil in existence by even people on Pannotia. You are our biggest enemy."

"How did we become your enemy? We aren't even from the same planet."

"That is a story I will explain when it isn't this late at night," Vojin yawned. He morphed his body back into his original form. "Come here. You are safer if you remain close to me."

Her cheeks burned and eyes watered. Why did he change back? What was he planning?

"Why did you change form?" she asked as she touched the knife at her side.

Vojin rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Because you are not going to want to wait for me to change out of my human form if someone sneaks up on us at night. During the day, I can see any attacks coming. At night, I need to be prepared for the worst. If you stay close to me, I can protect you easier."

"Why are you protecting me?"

"Because you remind me of someone I used to know."

"Who?"