Starhoppers

30 - Home

Air exited my throat as a series of sputtering gasps, my lips failing to react to the horror towering before me.

The alien pointed at me with its second pair of arms. A deep modulated voice poured out from beneath its helmet in a language I could not understand. Its tone, however, was clearly authoritative - a little angry, even. A soft purple glow pulsated deep within the barrel of the alien's rifle, like the brewing flames of a dragon's throat.

Behind the alien, Ellie slid silently along the countertop, her chest still and limbs trembling.

I held up my arms, pressing my back against the viewport. "Look..." I croaked. "Please, just let us go."

The alien ignored me, barking an indecipherable order once more. As it studied me, the pieces clicked together in my head - the alien's suit was the same worn by the Bygones in the photo at the facility.

We'd broken into their home, and they wanted us to pay. Was that it?

Ellie gasped as her hand slipped free from the end of the countertop, a ship part clattering heavily against the floor.

The alien pivoted, startled by the sound. Ellie slumped against the wall, her jaw hung open in a silent scream as the alien aimed its rifle.

Without a second thought, I darted towards the alien. Even as I watched the creature's weight shift back to me, my legs refused to falter.

I collided with the alien a heartbeat later, my hands grasping at the rifle. The creature roared angrily, struggling for only a moment to tear the rifle free from my hold. I flinched as the alien twisted away, its second pair of arms sailing through the air towards me.

The alien's palm slammed heavily against my skull, its thick fingers wrapping around my scalp. I fell to my side, a cry of terror ripping through my throat as I clawed at the alien's grasp.

Through the space between the alien's fingers, I spotted Ellie as she sprinted for cover in the storage closet. The alien noticed as well, swinging the rifle through the air.

A deafening blast rattled my chest as the rifle fired, a bolt of purple lightning slicing through the air and colliding with the wall behind Ellie. She tumbled, sparks spattering the floor by her feet.

"Ellie!" I cried, beating against the alien's arm.

The alien grunted, turning back to me. With a heavy shove, I fell back, my lungs squeezing in my chest. As I attempted to crawl away, the alien wrapped its fingers around my neck, lifting me by the head.

My legs spasmed beneath me as I forced my fingers between the alien's grasp, but it was far too strong for me to make any difference. The alien spoke once more, its voice fading away as my vision did the same.

From the corner of my blurry eye, I spotted Ellie as she sprinted out from the closet, leaping up over a chair and sailing through the air.

My legs swung like a pendulum as the alien stumbled. My darkening gaze turned upwards. Ellie clung to the alien's back, a lengthy wrench flailing above her head as it struggled to shake her off.

With an angry cry, Ellie drove the wrench down towards the alien's helmet. 

The helmet's visor shattered immediately, the wrench lodging itself within the jagged glass. The alien groaned, reaching over its shoulder with its free arm. Ellie's eyes widened as the alien grabbed her, ripping her off its back and sending her tumbling through the air.

My heart skipped a beat as Ellie collided with the floor a dozen feet away, her helmeted head smacking against the wall.

Though Ellie remained motionless, the alien's stirring forced me to turn away. The alien gripped now at the base of its helmet, prying it off with a grunt.