Anna searched Ohlan’s pockets. A few seconds later, she came away with a large, metal key.
“Got it.”
We ran downstairs. I pointed my AR-15’s flashlight ahead into the darkness, revealing the forms of our four friends. They ducked out of the way; I realized I was pointing my gun right at them.
“Sorry,” I said, pointing the gun toward the floor.
Anna stuck the key in the cell door, giving it a twist. With a squeal, the metal-barred door swung open.
They ran outside, and we all made our way upstairs and into the meeting hall. Ashton was first to speak.
“We need to get moving,” Ashton said. “I don’t even know if we’ll make it to the ship in time.”
“So there was a ship,” Julian said. “I knew it.”
“We’ll explain everything later,” I said. “Augustus is waiting.”
All of their eyes widened in surprise, but I didn’t have time to explain anything. I ran toward the door.
“We have no weapons,” Makara said.
I handed Makara my AR. “Take this.”
As Makara took the weapon, I withdrew my Beretta.
“Let’s go. The ship is in the northern fields.”
With Makara’s nod, I charged forward into the red sunlight.
Only to be greeted by a large Behemoth standing twenty feet ahead.
The Behemoth was at least twelve feet tall, with blue-gray skin. The skin had the splotches of pink coloring more typical of xenolife. Hollow white eyes stared from its flat face. Upon seeing us, the Behemoth frowned and made a fist with its massive right hand. Knuckles cracked.
I sprang into action immediately. I aimed my Beretta toward the Behemoth’s head and fired. It moved its head, but still a bullet grazed the side of it. The Behemoth roared in pain as a small rivulet of purple blood oozed out, just below its tiny ear.
Ashton went to the right while Anna dashed to the left, blade flashing. Makara got a few shots off as the Behemoth advanced forward, spraying the monster in the chest. The bullets had little effect because of its tough skin. Makara and I kept the monster’s attention while we backed away. The wall of the building touched my back, and I slid along its perimeter.
Ashton and Anna had circled around the creature. Anna sliced at the Behemoth’s leg, cutting deep before backing away. The Behemoth swiveled around with a pained roar, its arm extended. But Anna was far out of reach, nimbly backing away from the Behemoth’s attack.
That was when Ashton took his chance to fire into the other leg with his handgun.
The Behemoth bellowed as it dropped to its knees. Still, its white eyes focused on me, as if I had been the source of its pain.
Emboldened, Anna stepped forward, within view of the Behemoth’s eyes. She thrust her blade at the Behemoth’s chest. With lightning reflexes, the monster spun and bashed Anna right in the chest. Anna eluded some of the impact, but still, the attack knocked her back a few feet. The Behemoth turned on its knees, crawling forward for the kill.
“No!” I yelled.
I ran forward, firing into the Behemoth’s exposed back, but none of my bullets penetrated the chitin-like armor that grew there. As Ashton opened fire, the creature rolled into a tight ball so that all of its stone-like skin faced outward.
Anna scrambled away, obviously in great pain. The Behemoth uncurled just a bit, reaching out to grab Anna’s leg.
I was now so close to the Behemoth that I could reach out and touch it. I aimed my Beretta toward its neck, firing into the skin there, which wasn’t so thick. At this range, the bullets finally started doing some damage. The Behemoth gave a loud hiss, turning from Anna to focus on me. Its left fist fell from the red sky like a hammer…
Until Orion flew from above, firing a spray of bullets.
“Back!” I yelled.
As Orion swooped overhead, it unleashed its fury. We dove from its line of fire, and the Behemoth cried as the high-caliber rounds tore into its skin. Geysers of purple blood spewed outward, staining the dirt road. The light in the Behemoth’s white eyes faded as it crumpled onto the road, dead.
Orion circled, landing not far from the town’s central oasis. Everyone ran to the ship, but I ran to Anna, who was struggling to her feet.
I reached her and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Can you run?”
She nodded, leaning on me as I eased her up. She winced and her breaths came out ragged. I had no idea how badly she was hurt, but I had to get her to the ship. Samuel came to help me carry her. Together, we lifted, and ran as fast as we could toward the ship. Everyone else had already boarded.
We ran up the ramp. I could see Augustus standing in the wardroom within, his expression impatient. We went past him, setting Anna on the deck. She groaned in pain. Everyone stood in the wardroom, circling around her.
“We need to get to Perseus,” Ashton said.
“Jonas is going there now,” Augustus said.
The ship lifted, causing Julian and Michael to tumble to the deck. The rest of us grabbed the bulwarks as Orion made its crazy flight north across the oasis. Within half a minute, Sparks had landed the ship. The blast door opened, revealing Perseus a mere fifty feet ahead.
“Go, go, go!” Samuel said.
Everyone ran down Orion’s boarding ramp and up Perseus’s. Once again, Samuel and I toted Anna while the others made sure nothing attacked us from the fields. The coast was clear. Samuel and I were the last ones to enter the ship. As soon as we were on board, the door closed.
We laid Anna down on the deck, her eyes shut from pain. The ship took off.
“Where’s Ashton?” I asked. “He needs to look at Anna.”
“He’s piloting,” Samuel said. “I’ll have him switch out with Makara.”
Samuel left for the bridge.
“Let’s see it,” I said.
Anna raised her shirt up to her ribcage, revealing a deep bruising.
“Just a scratch,” she said.
“You’ve broken a rib,” I said.
“Whatever it is,” Anna said, “it doesn’t look like I’ll be fighting for a while.”
The ship circled as it blasted upward and outward. I had no idea where we were going or what kind of opposition we faced, or if the dragons would be falling upon us soon.
I just knew that with Anna’s injury, we had been dealt a horrible blow.
By the time I reached the bridge, we were high above the clouds, heading southwest. Augustus’s voice came through the speakers.
“Alright. We got out of there alive. Now it’s time for you to help with Black.”
“Copy that,” Ashton said. “We have wounded here.”
“While you have wounded, my men are dying on the battlefield,” Augustus said. “And those monsters aren’t far behind. There’s no time to waste.”
Augustus did have a point, but all the same, Anna needed treatment.
Ashton set Perseus to cruise, giving a nod a satisfaction. He stood, and Makara moved over from the copilot’s seat to take his place.
“Help me move Anna to the clinic, Alex,” he said. “That deck can hardly be comfortable.”
“Sorry,” I said. “We didn’t have time to set her somewhere more comfortable.”
“Don’t apologize to me, kid. Let’s move.”
Samuel and Michael followed Ashton and me off the bridge. Julian took up the copilot’s controls. Makara was taking this opportunity to teach him a bit about flying.
When we entered the wardroom, Anna was lying on her back.