Roth (21 page)

With the knowledge that there is a good chance that
, after what I have done with Mattie and how I feel about her, I will be dishonoured and hated anyway, his words don’t have the fear that I assume he wants. Although, I understand what this will mean for my family. Everything they have done has been in honour of our ancestors. This will be devastating and even I cannot let that happen.

“What species are you? Which planet did you belong to that we took?” I ask, assuming that
we have obviously wronged this man. Earth has been the only planet we have found life similar to ours, though. The rest have only had vegetation or creatures. Did we overlook something?

He laughs again
, sounding hollow and tortured. He doesn’t even look down as he moves his hands quickly to Moyut’s throat and snaps his neck easily.

Moyut drops dead to the ground
without the stranger even breaking a sweat. He just steps towards me, cracking his knuckles and wrists as though he’s getting ready to kill me, too.

“My name is Jeprow and my great-grandfather was born on Oden. He was a good man who loved his planet and his leaders. He followed them blindly through life, never doubting their loyalty or commitment to their people. Then
, one day, they found a new planet. Without caring about the casualties, they sent their women and men in to claim it. What they found were creatures so brutal they had no defence against them. Many women and men were lost. So, like the cowards your family are and always will be, they ordered everyone to retreat and leave behind the men and women who were trapped. They assumed we would be dead soon anyway, but they were wrong.”

My mind is reeling from his words. That can’t be the truth
. We were told everyone was dead when we tried to take over Jukh, the planet which had the Claws populating it.

“You’re lying.”

“I don’t really care if you believe me or not. I only want to see your family suffer. That woman who was just with you, who is she?”

“No one,” I quickly reply, angry at myself when I know my response only adds more curiosity to him. “She’s no one to me
,” I speak slowly, trying my hardest to appear uninterested in Mattie.

“Do you often give your family argu to just no one?”

I wince when he brings up Mattie wearing my argu and nothing else over the top. I should have made her put her sweater back on. Even in this heat, she shouldn’t have left it off when she saw Ival. She had to know it would just antagonise him.

“I assume she has been mated to you, although I didn’t realise you would care about your mate unless she was perhaps carrying your child
,” he sneers at me.

“She’s not mated to me. She is human, a species whose planet we took recently. We relocated all the humans to our other planets until we knew what to do with them. She’s just a human
,” I explain, desperate for him to believe me. I need him to forget about Mattie and let her go.

“While it doesn’t surprise me that you would ruin the lives of another species, it doesn’t explain why you demanded she run way. You tried to save her life, and for that
, I will happily kill her in front of you.”

“No!” I take a threatening step forward, aware of the fact that
, if Ival couldn’t beat this man, there is no way I can. I need to buy Mattie more time to escape, however. I need for her to get away. “If your problem is with my family, then you have us. What are you waiting for?”

“Do you care at all about the news that your
mother was killed?” he asks me, his head turning to the side slightly as he stares at me. It is as though he’s studying me.

“I do care
,” I admit, although I don’t feel any loss from her dying. I’m angry that this man is saying he killed her, and I will avenge her death if given the chance. Yet, I realise then I don’t feel anything close to how Mattie felt—and still feels—over the loss of her own mother.

“How about the fact that I now hold your
father hostage?”

“He is a
strong-willed man; you won’t break him.” This I know for certain. No one can break my father.

“I’m aware of that, but
I would like to watch him as he sees his world crumble down around him. I also find it interesting that, from the mention of both of your parents—your planet’s leaders—you’ve shown nowhere near as much fear as when you looked at that female. You weren’t scared of her, though, you were scared
for
her. I want to know why.”

He keeps bring
ing this back to Mattie, and I can’t have that. He needs to forget her. I fear the way to do that might mean I will get myself killed painfully and sooner than if I keep my mouth shut. But for Mattie, I’ll do what I must to give her every second I can.

“You know
, we haven’t thought a second about your great-grandfather. In fact, I bet his name has been completely forgotten. He’s nobody, just like you,” I sneer at him, watching as his face turns red and the veins running over his body appear to pop outwards.

I don’t see the punch coming
, but I do feel my nose break. Within minutes, my entire body is pummelled, and when he finally stops, I can’t move a muscle. Every part of me hurts as I feel myself beginning to black out.

Jeprow’s face moves into my view, his foul breath hitting me and forcing me to inhale it.
“You almost tricked me into killing you, but I have much worse planned for you than this. So prepare yourself for your fate because there is nothing you can say or do that will prevent it from happening.” He grabs my hoodie, lifting me off the ground as my eyes flutter open, having closed without my permission. I’m not sure how much longer I can hold off the darkness beckoning me.

“Sleep well
, Marduke Lomh, because when you wake up, I will have your little friend with me, and I will make you watch her slow and painful death,” he whispers the words, sounding even more evil. “Then I will slaughter your coward family, take over your blinded people, and ruin everything your family has built. This is the beginning of the end of your family, and I’ll make sure our people know how weak and pathetic you all were.

“
I know everything you do is to gain power and reverence in your family’s name. You only care about making your mark, and you want to be respected and remembered. How about I give you one of those things. Your family’s story will be taught in classes to our children, and everyone will laugh hearing how the Lomh family was taken down so easily. How they were eliminated while crying and begging for their lives. This is how your ending begins.”

Before I can even think to respond to that or even offer a protest, he gives me one last punch to my head
, and I can’t stop the blackness taking over.

I can’t save my family from this monster, and it’s unlikely I’ll be able to save Mattie and our baby
, either.

Chapter 18

Mattie

I’m running through the forest, completely lost and turned around. Though, I do have a feeling I’m heading back the way we’ve come, heading back towards the fire. The air is getting murky now and there is definitely a smoky smell in the air. I know if I keep running in this direction, I won’t survive.

Thinking about what awaits me back the way I came doesn’t make me want to turn around
, however. There was something about that stranger that scared me. He wasn’t right. There was evilness pouring out of him, a confidence that felt cocky, but after his fight with Ival, was most likely well-deserved.

I know that
, by leaving Marduke back there, I have abandoned him, but I had to, for Riley’s sake. Every instinct inside me screams I can survive this forest. I can make it past this fire. I can outwit and fight my way past any creatures. I can handle the pain of running and exhaustion.

Yet,
looking at that stranger, I knew I wouldn’t survive him. He didn’t kill Ival and he hadn’t attacked Marduke because he wanted them back on Oden. There is still a chance for Marduke to survive, time for him to work out a plan and escape from that madman.

There would be no hope for me.

So here I am, running into what I assume will be a forest alight in fire. I veer off to the side, following the air that is a little clearer, and keep running. My legs are passed causing me pain now and my biggest obstacle is my mind. I have to focus only on making my way out of the forest and not the scene I’ve just left. I have to definitely not think about what I heard about Oden. I can’t think about everyone I’ve lost.

M
y mind still tortures me with memories of my parents, of Hannah being scared, hurt and having to fight one of the creatures. I see her with Logan and Lisa, and my mind plays out their deaths, reducing the only hope I have to be an added part of the darkness and depression inside of me.

What am I supposed to do if I’ve lost everyone I love?

I’m not paying attention at all. Therefore, when a creature jumps out at the side of me, it completely surprises me, throwing me off balance. I fall to my side and then roll as it jumps through the air and tries to squash me. I quickly get to my feet and dive around a large tree, feeling it vibrate as the claw slams into it instead of me.

This creature is different than the others
I have faced. This one is only as tall as me and everything is miniaturized. It’s definitely from one of the nests. It’s a baby creature.

I sprint forward, trying to glance everywhere at once in hopes of finding a weapon. When I see a rock on the ground, I know it’s not much, but it might be able to buy me some more time.

I crouch down, still moving forward, and reach down, grabbing a hold of the rock which is jagged and can’t be heavier than a few kilos. Then I dive quickly to the side, feeling the near miss of the claw as the creature chases me. From my sudden move, it passes me.

I take aim and wait for it to turn to face me and then I
throw the rock, aiming for its face. I’ve always been good at sports and my practiced aim works in my favour. The rock lands directly in its large eye and black blood oozes out of it as it shrieks in pain.

I
cover my ears at the uncomfortable piercing sound and then consider running except I have been turned around again. I also realise the control that I took from Ival is gone. It must have fallen out either as I was running, or during my fight with the creature.

Darkness is beginning to set in now that the second sun is disappearing from view
. Although, the thought of spending a night in this forest alone doesn’t sound appealing, no matter how tired I am. Therefore, I turn my back on the creature, deciding that the opposite direction to where it is now suits me just fine. I take a few steps before I hear something crash to the ground and then the dead silence afterwards.

I turn back, finding the creature no longer has a head attached to its body. The madman from earlier is standing over it, a bloodied blade in his hand.

Cold fear rushes over my body as I glance around, hoping to find Marduke or even Ival with him.

Unfortunately
, there is no one.

“Where is Marduke?” I ask him, afraid he might tell me he killed him instead.

He doesn’t answer me; he just walks towards me, only stopping when he is standing directly in front. His eyes gaze down over me, his expression appearing more interested than furious. I place him in his late thirties to early forties. His body is twice the size of Marduke, and while he gives off the vibe that he can easily protect himself, he doesn’t give the impression he’s in anyway a gentle giant. Marduke is strong and fit, but he also looks kind and compassionate.

“Do you speak English at all?” I ask, realising that there is a good chance he doesn’t. Who does he think I am? What does he want to do with me?

He moves the blade behind him, and I see there is a strap for it there. Before, his chest had been naked. He then pulls out a control similar to what I took from Ival. He waves it over me and I close my eyes, expecting when I open them I will be somewhere else. But I’m not. I’m still stuck on Roth with this madman staring at me.

He moves the control away and places it back in his pocket. He pulls the blade back out and my body tenses, assuming he’s going to maybe behead me like he just did the creature.

He wipes the black blood over his leg, cleaning the blade, and then he surprisingly cuts himself open. It’s just a small cut by his arm, but it makes me wince. I have another sudden need to vomit.

Once he’s made a cut as big as my thumb down his arm, he puts the blade away and
I see through the blood there is something metallic in there. In fact, is that a wire? Is this person a machine?

The man
then pulls out something from his pocket. It’s covered in blood and looks like a computer chip, although it’s the size of a mobile phone’s SIM card. When he places it inside his arm and gives a small grunt of pain, my feet are stuck to the ground. I wouldn’t be surprised to find a pile of superglue under me.

I can’t move
. I can’t think. I can’t see anything past this man. I know he holds my life in his hands, and I have no idea what his next move is going to be.

He closes his eyes, his hands moving to his head to hold it as he winces and grits his teeth, locking his jaw closed. He appears as though he’s in pain
as blood drips down his arm, landing on the ground below.

If he is a machine, why is he bleeding?

“English?” he asks me, his accent sounding more like Marduke’s.

“Yes, you can understand me now?” I wince, wondering if Marduke had to do something similar to be able to understand me. I thought he had mentioned he had something in his neck that helped him. This man has his in his arm. Is this something that is surgically implanted, or was he born with it? Will Riley be born with something similar?

“Can.” He nods. As his eyes moving to stare at my vest again, I feel as though this damn vest gets me in just as much trouble as it saves me.

“Then what do you want with me? Where is Marduke?”

“Was… impressed you by, what you did… claw to.” He appears to be struggling to find the correct words, or the order to say them in.

“Are you here to kill me?” My voice shakes and I almost hold my stomach
, but I can’t hint to my pregnancy.

“You carrying baby are
?”

I tense from his words. So much for hoping he didn’t know. Is that what he wants? Does he want Riley? Why?

“No.”

“You carry baby
. Marduke no protect woman on Oden without baby.” When he narrows his eyes at me, I feel the heat of his glare and anger.

“I’m just a human from Earth. I’m not with Marduke and Ival. Please let me go
,” I beg.

“Cannot that do. You carry Lomh baby family. Curious because you Oden from not.”

I try to calm my breathing. Panicking is not going to get me out of this situation. If he won’t believe I’m not pregnant, then maybe I can convince him I’m not a part of this war he’s staging against Oden and Marduke’s family. “This isn’t anyone’s baby but my own. Let me go.”

He crosses his arms over his chest
, causing all of his muscles to bunch up along his arms, shoulders and chest. It’s incredibly intimidating. “I to plan destroy, torture, hurt Lomh leader family. I see Marduke you looking at. He been allowed care for species not Oden. Curious. That sanctioned?”

“I swear to you, I’m not anyone special. Please
, let me go.” I hold my hands up in surrender, hoping to appear as helpless as possible. Unfortunately, I am incredibly helpless right now, so I don’t need to try very hard.

“You come with, impressed you
by, very curious. Maybe don’t kill you; maybe torture will Marduke more see you me with. What think?”

My mouth dries and
I am fairly certain everything around me shifts and moves, or maybe my vision does that. Am I about to faint?

“Why are you doing this? Who are you?”

“Name Jeprow, new leader Oden.”

I don’t understand any of this, but I
am certain I’m not likely to get him to leave me alone. “Where is Marduke?”

“He
, Ival back on my flying ship. They suffering hands at of my soldiers.”

My throat tightens and I shake hearing his words.

“If you’re insisting on taking me, then I want to see Marduke,” I say, trying to sound confident in my demand.

“You not requests make. You
not have say.”

“I want to see Marduke
,” I repeat, noticing his face turning red while veins pop out over his forehead, neck and arms. It makes him look even more menacing, if possible.

“No!”
he yells at me, grabbing hold of my arms and squeezing me so tightly I cry out in pain. He doesn’t loosen his grip, instead bringing me closer to his face so my feet are no longer touching the ground. “Decide I you live or and die. Own you now baby and. You no say.” He throws me then so that I land painfully on my ass, sliding along the ground until my back lands flat and my head hits the body of the dead creature.

I move quickly away, attempting to stand
, cringing at the pain shooting up my spine. I know it’s futile, but I run. I should have run as soon as I saw him, and I know it’s too late to do so now, but I can’t stand here and let him do whatever it is he wants to do with me. I have to at least try to get away.

Without hearing a footstep approaching
, he is suddenly directly behind me, grabbing hold of my ponytail and yanking me backwards. I cry out, feeling some of my hair ripping out of my head as I lose my footing, falling to the ground when he suddenly lets me go.

He pulls out the control again, crouches down beside me
, and brings his hand to my face. I flinch, expecting him to strike me. Instead, he lightly brushes his fingers over my cheek, touching a tear as it falls from my eye, gravity causing it to move along to my ear.

“Strange.
There is fight you in, but you stupid. See Marduke why pick you. Maybe should I pick, too, you.”

“What?” I gasp, trying to move away from his touch
, but he grabs hold of my hair and shoves my face upwards, my nose touching his.

“Maybe too trouble you much. Maybe kill now?”

His words anger me, and I slap him hard across the face. From the creepy laugh he gives as a reaction to it, I know I won’t ever want to slap someone again.

I feel trapped and scared. I feel alone.

“You make I laugh.” He steps back, his concentration over his words clear, speaking slowly and making sure he gets what he wants to say right. “I going kill Marduke, Lomh family and he care about, include you,
eventually
.” Then, taking out the same control he used to scan me, he points it at me, but this time, a bright green light hits me and I find myself taken out of the forest and end up in a holding area.

I see Ival chained to the wall opposite me, his ankles and arms restrained
. He has bruises covering every part of his exposed body. He’s bleeding badly from his nose and his lip is split. There is no one around him, but when I hear a groan next to me, I turn my head to find Marduke in the same position as Ival. Although his chin is resting down over his chest, his body is sagged downwards, and his shoulders are bunched together at the back, making him look incredibly uncomfortable. He’s barely conscious and clearly in pain.

“Marduke?” I hiss, rushing towards him and holding his head in my hands. He has a dark bruise already forming over the side of his head and blood trails down from his hairline. His nose is bloodied, swollen and no doubt broken
, and he’s covered in sweat.

I whisper his name again, stroking his face in the hopes
he will open his eyes.

He groans quietly, but his eyes don’t open
, and he never actually surfaces into complete awareness.