Alpha Centauri

Nine - Julian

As soon as Nizami shifts her weight, the car groans and tips over. Now it's completely upside down.

Nizami's vision is scrambled. She roots herself in that moment and focuses. She lunges for Jaden's window, which has been smashed open, scraping and cutting herself on the way out. Once she's free, she leaps to her feet and tows the twins out of the upside down car.

Nizami slams her palm on the gem on her bracelet, and it transforms into her trusty weapon. She can hardly see anything in the dark of night. Luckily, the Toyota's headlights are still blinking weakly. She sees ghastly, gnarled shapes pass through the beams. Nizami detects three beasts. She grips her sword until her knuckles go white.

The first alien lunges for her. Nizami easily sidesteps. Soon it's sword against claws. Nizami is small but agile and well-trained for this kind of situation. But she doesn't know if she can take all three at once.

Nizami hears what sounds like a hundred wind chimes in hurricane winds. She turns and sees Julian with his hands held out, his blue-and-gold eyes focused and intense. Glass from the car wreck soars above his head like an angry swarm of bees. The sharp corners of the glass fragments glint menacingly.

Nizami admires Julian for too long, though, because the beast swipes at her. Searing pain floods her back. She curses at herself and almost collapses. She hears Julian's voice, distant and muffled, shout her name.

Nizami has just enough energy left in her to fling her arm and send the diamond blade plunging into the alien's side. It hisses and screeches in agony and collapses, dead.

That's the last thing Nizami sees before she drops to her knees and the dark world around her goes even more black.