7
STELLA
“Hurry the fuck up,” AJ says, his expression monstrous and cold. “This beast weighs a ton, and we have to get back to the ship.”
“I told you we’d find one of them down there,” Nate replies, not rising to the bait. “They’re like worms, these aliens. Hiding in their tunnels underground. They need to be exterminated like the insects they are. When we’re done with the woman, we should go back. Maybe we can find more.”
My heart stumbles along with my gait as Nate shoves me along the uneven dirt floor of the caves, Henry still in a drugged stupor in my arms. I try to hold it together, but my thoughts are wild and unfocused. Nothing since leaving the prison has gone to plan. My hopes of returning to the room I’d found have all but dwindled to nothing.
There is no hope on this planet. No reprieve. When I saw the humans, I thought, even if only for a moment, that they were there to rescue us from this place. That maybe we could be saved.
It was a stupid thought.
I’ve been waiting for a long time for someone to rescue me and so far, the only one willing had been the one person I thought would hurt me.
Galen. He’s hurt now and we’re all in danger.
It’s all up to me. It’s time for me to save him.
Nate pushes me along through the darkness, uncaring that Henry is heavy in my arms, that I’m exhausted and nearly dead on my feet. AJ looks back from time to time with a glint in his eyes that makes me want to curl up into myself and find a dark place to hide. Through the shadows, I try to see if Galen is waking up, but he’s out cold on the tarp they’re using to pull his weight. He bumps along the ground, completely unconscious. He’ll be no help to me now. As a reward for his kindness, he’ll no doubt be killed as soon as we reach the ship.
Or worse.
“Do you think the Cap will let us have a go at her when we’re done with the rest of them?” Nate asks with a slimy leer at me. Like he can read my mind.
The rest of them.
A cold weight settles in the bottom of my stomach. Not only for me, but for the women I’ve come to know. Who cared for me, as much as I let them—which wasn’t much if I’m being honest. It’s hard to let anyone care for you when you don’t let anyone get close enough.
Then the rest of his words sink in. Have a go at her.
They haven’t mentioned Henry. Which scares me more than the possibility of what they can do with me.
What have I gotten us into?
The questions, fears, and solutions rotate through my mind on an endless loop as they march us on a steady incline through the tunnels. Neither Galen nor Henry so much as stir the entire way up. The cold dread that maybe Galen won’t wake up terrifies me more than I want to admit.
I’m about to wonder if they’re lost when a shaft of bright orange light cuts through the darkness. Squinting against it, I try to make out what we’re walking into. If it’s more of the Earth II soldiers, there’s no hope for any of us, but if not, then maybe we’ll have a chance.
All we need is a chance.
The cave tunnel widens and we step out into the light. My eyes burn at first, having a hard time adjusting after the dimness of the tunnels. Wincing, I allow Nate to push me along blindly for a few feet until I can see again and my heart drops at what greets my eyes.
A giant ship hidden in the side of a towering mountain.
Red dust swirls and grit bites into my eyes, but I can’t look away. In the sky above, there are dozens more zipping from horizon to horizon. So many…how in the world could the aliens survive? Hadn’t the blast that rocked the world around us wiped them out?
Who could have survived something like that?
“Where are you taking us?” I demand in a croaking voice.
I find my feet unable or unwilling to move a step farther. Some deep, primal part of me knows that if we go in there, the chances of us coming out are slim to none. Henry and I have already been rescued once. There won’t be any other aliens to fight off these monsters. Galen was our only hope.
It doesn’t escape my notice that the humans have now become the monsters. The thought haunts me as Nate and AJ herd us into the ship. When the doors close behind us, it’s with a finality I feel down in my very bones.
With none too gentle shoves, they direct us down countless twists and turns until we finally reach a dank, cramped room that sends a chill down my spine. Prison cells, like the ones we’d been locked in on the ships that brought us to this planet. Like the prison itself before we stole it from the guards.