Hi folks, welcome to another Storytime! As we slowly edge our way into the endgame…let's start taking a look at how everyone's doing.
Aroth slid the envelope of ribbon-tied locks of human hair to Pica, who nodded slightly and continued on its way, bronzed arms and legs eating up ground.
Fixing its own lock of hair to its chest, Aroth strolled back inside the warehouse, walking as if it was taking a stroll.
Becca glanced up, briefly catching its eye and nodding, her own lock of hair affixed to her ragged jacket.
She couldn’t speak to it, so the particulars of the plan were unknown to her, but she was ready to move the moment a signal was given. She knew her role would be to shepherd the other humans out, and help keep them on track while the strange creatures led them to a place of safety.
Feeling the person next to her stirring from sleep, she turned with a forced smile, “Morning Sashi.”
The gaunt face looked out at her from beneath a thin blanket, “Yeah.”
“How are you feeling?”
Sashi stared at her blearily.
Becca nodded, “Yeah…”
“How long?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I think not long. Aroth is wearing the token, so that’s promising.”
“It is?”
“It wouldn’t start wearing something like that if action wasn’t close—too much risk.”
Sashi thought about this for a moment, then tilted her head, “OK, yeah, makes sense. Good.” She fingered the lock of her own hair that she had pinned to her tunic.
“Now is the time not to get restless though. If we show even a little bit of impatience and the rest of them notice, we could fuck it all up.”
Sashi groaned softly, “I know. I’ll be good.”
Becca smiled, “I don’t doubt it.”
***
Autax stood and walked around the desk, stopping in front of the bound prisoner.
At either side, a guard stood to attention, one with both sets of bronze arms marshalled neatly to its side, the other with long, slender fingers reaching down to its knees. Both looked almost as nervous as the prisoner.
“So…” Autax looked down its nose at the prisoner, a large, hirsute creature who wrinkled its nose in response. “You live.”
The guards tensed as Autax next eyed them closely. Their mission had been to kill this one, but they had been unable to defeat its regenerative capabilities.
The hirsute creature glanced either side and snorted, “Oh, don’t blame them. They did their best to try to kill me. Would you like a list of ways they tried? I simply cannot be killed so easily. Not by creatures like this.”
Autax nodded, “I see. Then these two are not to be blamed. How, then, might I kill you?”
The creature shrugged, “I don’t actually know. Your people activated this shit, not me.”
“Hm. Take it away, lock it up, ensure it is forgotten at feeding times.”
The guards motioned for the prisoner to move, and they trooped out of the office.
Autax sat at its desk, scowling. Something was going on. It could feel the vibrations. Things were unsettled. Something hovered in the air. Autax didn’t like not knowing what was happening, not being in complete control.
It must have something to do with the disappearance of the scavenger. But what? Something had prevented it from coming when called, and now that mechanism was simply broken. Was it the rebellion? Were the tiny group of humans actually going to be an annoyance? How?
It growled, deep and guttural, and stabbed a button on the phone.
Immediately, a figure stepped through the adjacent wall and bowed. It was a tall, sallow green, emaciated, creature, somehow slightly less than opaque.
“Something is happening. Those humans must be behind it. Find them. Kill them. But bring me Dylan.”
The figure bowed again, leaving through the same wall.
Autax ground its teeth. Whatever they were up to, it was time to take control, and expand to the rest of this foul world, before its own masters arrived.
That’s all for now! Til next time, don’t forget to please subscribe and share.