Voices

Duel

Duel I saw the Hooligang's leader aim his blaster at my side and quickly slashed at his hand with my claws. He dropped his blaster onto the ground and I knocked it away. I brought his face up level with mine and snarled angrily, showing him that I wasn't in the mood to be trifled with. I could feel him shaking with fear, as his breathing grew more panicked, and as he desperately tried to squirm away. I slammed my hand, open palmed, into his chest making him stay put.

"I am not a pet!" I roared. "He is my friend, and I don't take to kindly to those who hurt my friends!" I brought my claws down onto his face, scratching him.

"Wh-what the hell are you?" he stammered.

"I am a human that was consumed by the power of the Dark Water that you used to make your slugs evil." I growled at him again. "Because of Blakk's plan of using Dark Water I look like this! It's his entire fault! If he never started drilling for that damned stuff I'd still be normal!"

"B-but I'm not Doctor Blakk!"

"You work for him? Did you get your slugs Ghouled by him?" he nodded slowly.

"Then you are my enemy."

"Please just let us go! We'll never return back to this cavern! We promise!" He begged and pleaded. I looked over to his abandoned blaster and smiled. I allowed him to stand; he grabbed his blaster, hopped onto his Mecha-beast and rode off. With the rest of his gang following close behind.

"What was that?" Kord asked while walking over to me.

"I was only giving him a scare, no harm done."

"Except for the scratch marks on his face," Trixie added sourly.

"They'll heal. Besides, I wasn't about to let some cheater like him defeat Eli."

"Eli didn't need your help!" Trixie yelled.

"He had it all under control you only messed it up for him! Maybe you should've been left behind. At least then you wouldn't have caused any trouble for us."

"We won didn't we?" I retorted, loosing my temper.

"Won? You call that winning?! How can you call that a win?"

"Ah, girls," Pronto started.

"Stay outta this, Pronto!" Trixie yelled.

"I don't know what your problem is, Trixie. I thought we were friends."

"Friends? Hell, all you've been since Eli found you was a burden!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. I looked at Kord and Pronto, masking my emotion. Neither of them made a sound, and I knew it was true. I really was a burden on them. Most of all, I was a burden to Eli. I turned and started walking away, when I heard Eli run over to the others. "Where are you going?" Trixie yelled at me.

"Someplace where I won't be a burden on anyone."

"What's she talking about?" I heard Eli ask her. The others explained it and by the time he turned around to catch me, I was gone.

~

I stopped to rest in a dark cavern far away from Eli and his gang. Why would they keep me around if I were only a burden, I thought to myself. I looked around the cavern, nothing but darkness. Then the thought occurred to me, I had abandoned Spark. Sighing sadly, I whistled calling Spark to me. The high-pitched whistle echoed off the walls creating a deafening noise, but I didn't care anymore. I didn't care about anything. A familiar smell caught my senses. Eli, I thought, how the hell did he find me so quick? Then it came to me, he followed Spark to me. Spark hopped briskly into the cavern and hopped up onto my shoulder. He nuzzled my neck happily and squeaked as footsteps echoed into the cavern.

"Astrus, I know you're in here," Eli called.

"Go away," I warned.

He sighed and came over to me, "What all did Trixie tell you?"

"That I've been nothing but a burden for you all," I mumbled sadly. "Why else would I run off like that? I'd rather be a distant memory than a burden on everyone."

"She's wrong. You're not a burden, and you never were," he said softly.

"Yeah right. You had to care for me for weeks until I woke up, then had to give me a place to stay, and you had to teach me to be a Slugslinger. If that's not a burden then I dunno what is."

"That's not true. I didn't have to bring you back. I didn't have to give you a place to stay, and I didn't have to teach you anything. I could've just left you out in the caverns alone and injured, but I didn't."

I looked down at my feet, "No you didn't, but why did you help me anyways?"

"You already know, and have known for a week now."

"So that's the only reason? You only helped me because you like me? Is that it?"

"No, it's also because I'm a Shane. It's what I do."

There was a small squeaking sound coming from deeper inside the cavern. It sounded like another slug so I went to check it out. I found a small slug that was a very light shade of blue with white markings on it, and two antennae on top of its head. It hopped over to me and stared. I put my hand out, trying to see if it would hop into my palm, but it just stared. The slug hopped over towards Eli, but stopped half way between the two of us. It turned and faced me, then hopped into my hand, curling into a ball. It didn't take long for the little guy to fall asleep.

"Sleep well, little Frightgiest," I whispered to the sleeping slug. Eli looked over to see what I was whispering to and saw the slug. I noticed and smiled. "He's cute."

"Looks like he's pretty fond of you already."

"Yeah, I think I'll name him Dreamer."

"That's a good name for him." Spark hopped down and looked at the sleeping Frieghtgiest, Dreamer, I was holding. He crawled next to it and fell asleep, too. I smiled. Spark and Dreamer were definitely going to make a wonderful team. "Are you gonna just stay here for the time being or will you come back with me?"

"I dunno." I sighed looking at him, "If I go back with you I run the risk of Trixie yelling at me again, if I stay here who knows what'll happen."

"If you come back with me I promise to keep Trixie away from you until she cools down, okay?"

"Sure."

"Good, now lets go home."