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“Perfect, just perfect,” I muttered to myself.
I could defend myself against these alien brutes; that wasn’t the issue.
The problem was the fragile female I was tethered to.
I could hear the leaves rustling as the beast neared, his heavy breath becoming more and more audible.
I didn’t bother to brace myself for another brawl as I knew the curtain would soon draw over this whole scene and reset.
From the treeline, a thick, green mist began to billow out, sweeping rapidly across the clearing where we stood.
As the gas reached the advancing beast, he let out a choked sound, his steps faltering.
And then, in mere moments, he collapsed, his massive body hitting the ground with a dull thud.
It was the Malquarans’ knockout gas, used every time the female either mated… or died.
There was nowhere to run, nor was there any real point in holding my breath.
The Malquaran gas was efficient and would seep into my pores soon enough.
My vision began to blur, the world around me distorting as the green haze enveloped me.
My last coherent act was to lay Riley’s body down on the soft ground.
Her body had already been crushed once, there was no need for it to be crushed a second time.
I lay down beside her, and then, I knew no more.
* * *
“Ten…”
I jolted awake, disoriented, with the familiar smooth coldness of the glass pod surrounding me.
Blinking against the bright lights, it took me a moment to take stock of my situation.
The memory of the recent encounter — the fight, Riley’s supposed death — played vividly in my mind.
But there she was, crumpled on the pod floor beside me.
Our wrists still trapped together by those cursed cuffs.
She was breathing hard, a wheezing sound accompanying each ragged breath.
I watched as her fingers explored her ribcage, a look of confusion painting her face.
I could almost hear the gears turning in her head:
Had the entire event just been a bad dream?
“You...” she gasped, struggling to find her voice.
Her eyes widened as she took in our surroundings. “It… it wasn’t real? It was just a nightmare?”
I cleared my throat, thinking about how to break it to her. “It was very much real,” I said softly. “You got crushed during that scuffle I had with the creature.”
She stared at me, her azure eyes growing more frantic. “But… that’s impossible! Look at me! I’malive,and I’m breathing! How could any of that have been real?”
