The hot water stung at first as Danny stepped into the shower. His various sores and scars protested at the agitation. But as the flow continued over his skin, the pain was soothed. The sticky residue from the plasma tank was washed away along with the sweat and dried tear tracks on his face.
Danny let the hot water flow over his head, cleansing the marks left by Spectra's cruel fingernails. The multiple scars winding around his arms and legs prickled at the touch of the water. Danny looked down at his skin as he stood in the shower. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen his true sin color. The pale green color seemed to glow faintly in the dim lighting.
He let out a long breath of pleasure, letting the filth of his last few days be washed away.
He felt he could have stayed in the shower forever. But finally the gnawing hunger in his stomach reminded him of his need for food.
Danny shut off the shower and gently dried himself, taking care not to rub at his wounds. He dressed in the change of clothes he had found in his room's dresser. It consisted of a soft, loose fitting T-shirt and pants. Danny examined himself in the bathroom mirror. He barely recognized the person staring back at him. Damp hair hung over his tired, baggy eyes. He looked thinner, the new clothes seemed to hang off him. How had so much changed in so little time?
Danny hung a towel around his neck to keep his neck and shoulders dry and exited the bathroom. A tray of food was sitting on the nightstand next to his bed. Danny gratefully sat down and grabbed the tray. There was warm, steaming bread, a hearty beef stew, and a bowl of mixed fruit. Danny devoured the food. In next to no time, the tray was empty and his stomach was protesting at the sudden rush of food. Danny sat back against the bed, letting the food settle. Never had anything tasted so good.
A knock sounded at his door.
"Come in," he responded, setting the tray back on his night stand and sitting up.
Vlad entered the room. He eyed the empty tray with a mixture of amusement and sadness.
"My my, you were hungry," he commented. He pulled a chair up and sat next to Danny.
"How was it?"
"Really good. Thank you," Danny responded gratefully.
Vlad nodded.
For a moment they sat in awkward silence.
"Well... I imagine you're wondering what you're doing here aren't you?" Vlad asked.
Danny nodded.
"It's a bit of a long story I'm afraid. In fact, I suppose it begins 9 years ago. The day Halpha was destroyed."
Danny felt an icy fist clench his heart at these words. Was Vlad just like Space Corps? A Halpha hunter? Someone who wanted to know about where the survivors were? He tensed himself to run. But Vlad's next words froze him in place.
"It was Space Corps's ultimate act of cowardice and fear. Inhumane and cruel."
He looked at Danny with those piercing red eyes.
"Halphas were being hunted down all over the galaxy. Ambassadors were assassinated, explorers mysteriously vanished, colonies attacked. No one seemed safe. I must admit, I'm honestly amazed at how long you were able to hide. Space Corps has been, and probably always will be on the lookout for survivors."
"Does that mean... they can find me? They can find me here?"
Vlad shook his head reassuringly.
"Absolutely not. I've made a very thorough study of how they track Halphas. I've taken every precaution. You're perfectly safe here."
Danny let out a deep breath, some of the tension leaving him. But then a thought occurred to him.
"Wait, why is your house already Halpha proofed? Did you just barely do that?"
A small smile touched Vlad's mouth.
"Actually no. My house has been safe for Halphas for 9 years,"
"A lot of good that did them," Danny sighed. "Have you ever found another survivor?"
"As a matter of fact-" Vlad said, turning to the bedroom door. "You can come in. It's alright," he called.
The bedroom door swung open. Danny felt all the air vanish from his lungs. A small crowd of aliens filed into his room. They were all between the ages of 10 and 20 and looked at him curiously as they entered. But it wasn't their ages that surprised him. It was their pale green skin and glowing black and green eyes. It was their strange familiarity.
It was the fact that they were Halphas.
YOU ARE READING
Split Between Stars
Science Fiction(Sequel to Half Life) Danny has lived his whole life thinking he was the sole survivor of Halpha's destruction. Space Corps has hunted him and his kind for years, making it almost impossible to survive. But after being saved from their clutches at...
