Divided We Thrive

84th

Talno awoke to the noise of footsteps echoing through the salvage bay. Talno grabbed his gun and flicked on the flashlight. He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the light. Twinkie still slept, curled in a ball. Talno tiptoed to the door and opened it slowly, cringing with each creak. Thoughts raced through his mind; Who were they?; Why were they here? The top of his flashlight glinted on something and he stepped back in fear, backing into a table with a bang. The footsteps grew closer with each second and Talno could hear people shouting. He closed the door and flipped the lock. The door shook, and people yelled to let them inside. He could hear the sound of someone searching through a bag, then a click. An amber glow burned from the outside of the door followed by a shower of sparks. The amber glow began moving around the outside of the door. Talno was mystified with this mysterious power. He piled desks and furniture to block the door, but the sparks lit them ablaze. Twinkie growled and cowered in the corner, her spikes frilled in a feeble attempt to make herself look bigger. The door fell and crashed into the smouldering furniture, its frame still sizzling. An armoured person pushed down the door completely, crushing the furniture in a heap of ash. The person lifted a handheld device and pulled the trigger. Talno fell to the floor, spasming. Two more people walked in, their heavy boots clanking on the floor. They picked up Talno's limp body and held him between them. The main leader walked slowly to Twinkie. Twinkie's growling intensified. The person kicked Twinkie and picked it up by its tail he said "We better exterminate this vermin." In a language foreign to Talno. Talno's glazed eyes looked in horror as the person grabbed a knife from their pocket and held it close to Twinkie's writhing body. Talno summoned his last bit of strength to reach for the gun in one of his captor's free hands. His finger pressed down the trigger just as his other captor punched him hard in the stomach, making him vomit a hideous mix of twinkies and blood hurtling towards the floor. The projectile from the gun ricocheted off the ceiling and bounced around the room, eventually hitting the person holding Twinkie in the stomach. He fell to the floor, gasping for air. Both of Talno's captors ran to the bleeding man and left him to hobble away. Talno grabbed a sharp piece of furniture still searing hot. Smoke rose from his hand as he hobbled towards the people. He swung the makeshift blade and slashed the throats of the remaining people. Talno threw away the blade and watched as the two men fell against the cold floor. He collapsed against the wall as a grateful Twinkie curled into his lap. As he sank into sleep the image of their lifeless bodies haunted his subconscious.