Our Existence Is Scandal

✦41✦

Astra fingers inched towards mine as the ray led us through the halls. It walked in front of us not even bothering to look back as if it were not worried that we were going to try to escape. When I felt the cold fingertips meet mine, I was quick to jerk away. Disappointment filled me at how easy she was being.

How quickly she was willing to give up her dreams.

I ignored her even when I felt her eyes on my face, searching for my gaze. Instead, I studied the creature in front of me.

It was adorned from head to toe in robes that hung off of it, the cloth went to the floor and on it was various designs in a language I couldn't recognize. On the flesh I could see, it was clear to see that the creature was thin, person like in shape, but it radiated an aura that just screamed, beyond.

I applauded it however for remaining composed when we turned round the corner to see a group of humans with weapons pointed at us. The one in the front took a step forward, I recognized her as someone I'd seen in the cafeteria, someone who I never learnt the name of. "This was not the deal," Her lip trembled slightly, telling me she was more afraid that she was acting, "You told us we could keep the alien."

The ray simply turned its head back to face me eerily as if it hadn't heard the human at all. "Shall I deal with this, or will you?"

The room was silent for a second and I could hear the humans clicking the safety off their guns. I swallowed, realizing it was actually expecting me to answer. "Nah," I shook my head, "You got this."

The next time I blinked it was no longer in front of me. It was standing behind the humans; it'd moved so fast the hair on their heads had not even moved and the only reason I could tell something had happened was the thin black line that had now formed beneath all of their necks.

I dived for Astra, catching her off guard as my hand flew to her eyes to shield her from the humans heads rolling away from them. The ray stood tall with its hands behind it's back, looking at me expectedly but I was still staring at the bodies who had only just begun to hit the floor. "Fuck," I whispered beneath my breath.

"Should I return to get you, or will you be fine on your own?" It called out from the end of the hall.

"Are they dead?" Astra asked.

"Just," I locked eyes with one of the dead humans severed head, "Put one foot in front of the other," I tightened my hands on her face, "I won't let you slip."

I couldn't help my curiosity now that we had resumed walking. "If," I cleared my throat, "You are able to move fast-

"The speed of light," It corrected me curtly.

"Really fast," I rolled my eyes, "Why did your," I winced, "Companion, not dodge the laser?"

"It was a new ray, brought to be shown how to run things. Very new, and age for us only makes us faster," The reply was monotone as if it didn't care about the death of the other ray nor about sharing information with the enemy, "And you caught the ray off guard, we are not good with surprises and neither of us were expecting you."

"Me?"

It glanced back at me, "We were told we would be meeting another alien when we would come to collect the moon," It explained, "We were given instructions that your life was not too important, and our main mission is just to retrieve the moon at all costs. We were prepared to have to subdue a Martian, but you, you were not mentioned."

"You know who I am?" I was skeptical.

The closest thing to a laugh came out of its throat, "Who does not know what a Qinac is."

"You are lucky you are bound," Its beady plain black eyes fell to where our chains held us, "We would've left you otherwise."

"It will be hard to remove these," I told it, "Even your technology could not break it."

"We got halfway, the sun will set you free," It looked back up at me, "They will be glad to meet you."

As we walked further and turned through some halls commotion began to reach our ears, and by commotion I mean loud shrieks that sounded like humans and a bloodcurdling roar that I suspect was Tempest's pet. "Oh yes, I forgot," The ray spoke, as we entered the hall where there was a slaughter being taken place, "The Martian."

Deimos curled around the room, with Tempest in the middle of it as if she were merely feeding her animal. The last human was a male scientist who was being pursued up a staircase whilst Deimos wormed his way up it and after the human. Once the beast was close enough it was two late and the human was being devoured as Deimos dived to eat the human and then sunk into the floor.

The pet's body was left to follow its head knocking everything in its path away as it sunk further into the ground, burrowing again. I wasn't watching and was a victim of it's tail throwing me and in turn Astra into the wall which made me grunt. My noise alerted Tempest who turned to look at me her face washing over in relief until she caught sight of the Ray who was helping up Astra.

"A vicious thing for her kind," The ray tutted as it offered me its arm which I declined, "I will have to notify the sun about her aggression, very out of character."

Tempest's eyes narrowed at us as I slowly helped myself up. She stood by the largest hole in the very center of the room which was not filling with sand and judging by the size of it was where Deimos had exited from originally. She reached in her pocket and pulled out something that was too far for me to see but it was too late because she tossed it in the hole over her shoulder.

Then whilst keeping eye-contact with me, fell backwards into the hole-headfirst.

And suddenly the earth beneath our feet began to vibrate.

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