The Ascent

Chapter 27

The disadvantage of the thick fog that embraced them was that Jasmine couldn't see where the danger was coming from or whom the scream belonged to, making her predicament even more alarming.

Before she could wrap her head around what was happening, the fog around her lifted as if by magic and revealed the startling reality. The one that she feared the most.

The bald man.

Only it was no longer a bald man but a creature Jasmine had once thought of as an apparition produced by her terrified mind and that she now knew to be an alien was standing before them, its blue skin glistening even more prominently than before. But the worst part of the whole situation registered the last.

The creature's slimy tentacles were wrapped around Ariyana's gentle neck, holding her in place while terror danced in her eyes even though she clearly didn't fully understand the situation. How it all happened or where the others were was beyond Jasmine. However, she knew the only thing that mattered was saving the girl's life.

"You don't need to do this," Jasmine said to the creature, trying to hide her disgust. "She's just a child. She didn't do anything to you. Why don't you take me instead?"

As she spoke, Jasmine's eyes darted left and right in a futile attempt to find Asher, who was beside them just a moment ago. Even Isaac and Arman didn't seem to be in the circle surrounded by fog in the dimness of the morning light.

"All humans are dangerous. Your young are no exception," the alien said emotionlessly. "Surrender your weapon, and you will get to live. Fail to do so, and you will both die."

Jasmine looked down toward her belt, noticing she only had one knife left, even though she was sure both of them were there when she exited the cave. Having no time to ponder the strangeness of the situation, she took off her belt, dropping it to the ground.

"Alright, now let her go," Jasmine said as soon as her only means of defense hit the ground.

Looking into the creature's eyes made it clear it didn't actually plan to keep its promise leaving Jasmine to desperately try to figure out what to do. There was no way for her to grab Ariyana from its clutches without the child being harmed.

"You promised," Jasmine said, hopelessly trying to persuade it.

Words were the only weapons she had left. The problem was that she wasn't always so good at wielding them.

"Humans keep breaking their promises. Why can't we?" it said sneeringly. "We are the superior species. That gives us the right to do whatever we want. We have all the power, so we have all the control."

A loud gurgle cut off his words, followed by the creature releasing Ariyana, causing her to run straight into Jasmine's arms.

"Take her into the fog," Asher said as Jasmine looked back.

She quickly pulled the girl against her body, stopping her from seeing the gruesome sight of her father wielding the knife and jabbing with at the creature mercilessly. It was necessary, but Jasmine wished she hadn't witnessed it.

The last thing she saw as she pulled the girl deep into the fog was the alien's lifeless body dropping to the ground, gushing a strange dark liquid that she assumed was blood.

"Jasmine, up here," came a whisper as her back hit a nearby tree.

Looking up, she could barely discern Isaac and Arman squatting on the lower branches, their eyes more alert than ever. Clearly, Asher told them to do so before he set off to save his daughter, but how he managed to sneak up on the alien was still a mystery to her.