Vlad coughed wetly, feeling the dusty air catch in his throat. Quiet scraping and shifting sounds were coming from somewhere nearby. Then a muffled whimper.
His eyes drifted open. For a moment they couldn't register anything except for darkness. But slowly, very slowly an eerie scene began to take shape.
The mangled door of the memory room was dimly illuminated by distant hallway lights. The compound's power supply seemed to have rebooted then. But all the lights in the room, as well as several down the hall had been completely destroyed. The aftermath of an explosion was still smoldering on the walls, carpet, and ceiling. A strange twitching shape was blocking the base of the doorway.
Vlad's eyes widened as he realized what he was looking at.
It was the Grangen.
The massive form lay sprawled on the ground, charred and misshapen. It didn't move apart from one of the mechanical arms. It was spasming against the ground, sparks flying from the mangled prosthetic.
Vlad's eyes traveled slowly over the body, stunned at the damage.
The last thing he remembered was being thrown across the room by this monster. He must have been knocked unconscious from the impact. So what could have-
His breath froze in his chest as he caught sight of another limp form on the ground.
"Danny?" he croaked.
The boy didn't move.
He was lying curled on his side, glowing blood painting his body. His hair and skin were dull, no longer giving off the glow of Halpha energy. But that didn't mean it was serious. That didn't mean he was...
"Danny? Are you okay?" Vlad groaned, struggling to his hands and knees. His battered body protested at the movement, reminding him of the various injuries he had received tonight. Not important right now.
He gave a wheezing cough and began to crawl forward.
But before he reached Danny, a new sound froze him in place. It was the faint, unmistakable sob of a frightened child.
His head whipped around, searching for the source. Another Halpha had survived?
"I'm over here. I'm over here!" a muffled voice wailed. Fueled by the hope of finding another survivor, Vlad pushed himself to his feet.
"I'm coming," he promised. "Where are you?"
"I can't see. I'm stuck! Help!" the voice begged. Vlad's heart gave a bound as he recognized the voice. It was Sta'a, one of the youngest Halphas there. Her voice was coming from right behind Danny's prone form, inside a huge pile of rubble. He followed the voice to an overturned bookshelf and managed to wedge it off the ground.
Sta'a crawled out, face streaked with tears. She collapsed into Vlad's arms, shaking and crying.
"It's okay... it's okay," he soothed, stroking her hair. His heart gave a painful throb as he realized how terrified she was.
"Everything's okay now," Vlad promised. "Are you hurt?"
Sta'a nodded hysterically, pointing at her scraped and bloodied legs. Vlad felt a rush of relief as he examined them. They were just shallow cuts; nothing lasting. Hopefully the same would be true for Danny.
Vlad turned and began to make his slow, painful way over to Danny once again, Sta'a still clinging onto him. He knelt down next to his limp figure and rolled him onto his back.
A cold needle seemed to pierce his heart as he took in the damage. There was a massive, sticky wound across Danny's chest. Bits of shrapnel framed the torn skin and peppered his bloodied limbs.
This was bad. He could die from blood loss or infection if he didn't get to a healing chamber fast. Even Halpha regeneration abilities had their limits.
"Sta'a, I need you to listen to me," Vlad said quietly. "Is there anyone else here? I need more help to move him."
Sta'a's eyes were wide and glazed with fear.
"Please!" Vlad begged, his voice cracking. "Anyone?"
"I'm here," a quiet voice said behind him. D'yani appeared, creeping over the rubble. "Maesek is alive too, but he got knocked out."
He words were hollow and flat. Even in the dim lighting, Vlad recognized the early stages of shock. But there was no time now. The stain of blood on Danny's chest was spreading by the moment.
"Please you, both of you, help me carry him," Vlad instructed, slinging one of Danny's arms over his shoulder and staggering to his feet.
Witht the support of D'yani and Sta'a, they managed to stumble over the Grangen's twitching body and out of the memory room.
Please hold on Vlad pleaded silently, watching Danny's pale face continue to drain of color.
Please give me a chance to make things right.
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...
