Vitalis Omnibus (61 page)

Authors: Jason Halstead

Her stomach lurched again.

Kira looked around, none of the fallen spitters remained. She saw stains on the ground, blood she was certain, but they were few and far between. She’d been building up a tolerance to the spitter venom, exposing herself a little at a time when opportunity allowed. It hadn’t been enough, but it had given her time enough to let Klous and Ling escape. She wanted to spit at the thought but realized her throat wouldn’t appreciate the effort. Those two deserved to die, even if humanities gene pool was scarce.

She crawled, not trusting her balance, over to where the broken head of her spear remained. It blossomed into a pinkish glow as her finger stroked along the surface. She smiled, the strange energy bringing a feeling of peace to her.

Kira’s stomach twisted again, this time making her gasp. She looked at it, noticing for the first time the dried blood on her abdomen. It wasn’t like the other blood on her body. Most of that had flaked away, but the pattern was different. She frowned, her mind digging back to remember what could have happened.

The memory of a smell overwhelmed her. It was the smell of the spitter queen’s room. Musk and far more organic smells. It reminded her of the time she’d walked in on Fiona and Jeremy, their small room reeking of their passion. Other memories returned, disjointed images that made little sense until she tried to put them together like a jigsaw puzzle. Even then many pieces were missing, but she understood at last why her stomach had a growing burn in it. She’d been impregnated by the spitter queen. She was a host.

“No!” Kira snapped. The pain in her throat added to her fury. The chemicals in the spitter venom had worn off, even if the eggs buried in her torso released their own. She’d finally achieved tolerance of it, but at what cost?

“Doesn’t matter,” she whispered this time. “I won’t let them be born!”

She took the spear and touched it again, inciting a brighter pink to it until it began to turn green where her finger touched it. Death was her only option, she knew that now. Death while three more spitter hybrids were born would be a failure. The failure would grow to a damnation of Treetown in no time, she knew the hybrids that would come from her would be females. If a male hybrid survived and met a female…

“I’m sorry, Eric,” she whispered. She sucked in a deep breath and jammed the spear into her belly, directly where the queen had implanted the embryos. The crystal flared a brilliant green, glowing as bright as when she’d used it to fight off the horde of spitters that swarmed Klous and Ling. She let it fall to the ground, surprised to see very little blood gushing from the wound.

Kira stared at the jagged gash in her belly. There was almost no pain from it. She felt movement inside, movement that tugged and burned. She reached through the gash, her hand finding a hard lump immediately. She pulled it free and saw that it was a dead baby hybrid, no bigger than her fist. It was nearly cut in half by the crystal, its blood merging with hers. She cast it aside then jammed her fist back inside of her abdomen.

The second hybrid was off to the side, but also easy to find. She pulled it free and saw it had been cut badly. Before her eyes it shuddered and died, tiny mandibles and mouth opening to reveal red streaked teeth. She let it fall to the ground then gasped as the third one moved deeper inside of her.

She thrust her hand in a final time, feeling her slippery organs twist around her fingers. The absence of pain did not prevent the pressure of the creature inside of her and her own hand as she struggled to locate it. Twice she grabbed onto something that turned out to be a part of her before she located the harder mass of the hybrids body.

She pulled it free, feeling a fresh burn inside as whatever it clung to ripped. She pulled it out and held it up to stare at it. Her eyes were blurred with tears and now that the last of them was free, she started hiccupping. Each attempted mini-convulsion spread a deep agony through her body. It wasn’t the sharp pain she expected, but a muted pain that was all the more frightening.

Kira squeezed until she felt the hybrid crack in her hand, then she tossed it aside and fell back to the ground. The spasms left her and she lay dazed, wondering how long it would take for her to die. Would another spitter come by and take her back to try again? Or would they just kill her and eat her?

The sun crossed the sky and began to dip towards the western ocean when she felt lucid enough to contemplate her life. She was weak, weaker than she’d ever been. She held up her hand, marveling at how complicated and yet so fragile it was. This particular hand was coated in dried blood. Her blood. She vomited before she could turn her head, spewing dark blood all over.

As if in answer to her silent prayers something landed on her cheek. She turned her head slowly, wondering what the strange sensation had been. Another drop of water hit and then another, until a soft downpour or warm water was falling on her. A jagged stroke of lightning, parted above her, split the twilight sky. The crack of thunder was instant, though the sheer force of it could only draw a twitch for her defeated body.

The rain continued to fall, filling her mouth. Kira swallowed, rinsing out the taste of blood. The fire in her throat was put out, only to make way for an ache in her stomach. She feared she’d lose control again, but after only a moment it settled.

The water also served to rinse he blood off her body. It pooled in the hollow of her belly where she’d stabbed herself, gathering until it overflowed and ran down her sides. Even after the squall was over the water diminished slowly, draining inside of her. She stared at the sky as the clouds drifted east and broke apart, disappearing as quickly as they’d come. Her strength exhausted with the effort of swallowing the water, she mouthed the words, “Thank you, Mother,” before passing out again.

She woke again with the stars overhead. Had it been minutes or days? Whatever the case, her time was near. She felt warm and as if she was floating, adrift in a sea filled with all sensations and no sensation. All she had to do was imagine it and she’d feel it. Eric’s hand brushing against her skin. Her lips touching his. The feel of her spear in her hand. The kiss of a coastal breeze blowing through her hair.

Her eyes glanced around, rolling almost of their own volition in their sockets. Her surroundings had changed. The breeze wasn’t an imagination, it was real. The floating was only a half-truth, she was being carried. And what was left of her spear? She must have grabbed onto it when she fell unconscious. She barely managed the strength to roll her wrist and bring the crystal in contact with her arm. The pinkish glow sparked, drawing a hiss from the creature that cradled her in its arms. The crystal wouldn’t shed more than a faint tendril of light. She tried to look up but couldn’t see past the bulky chest and shoulders of the being that held her. Even that much lacked details in the darkness. It felt warm, whatever it was. Warm and coated in a soft fluff that she felt certain was feathers.

Her energy was nearly gone, the crystal was proof of that. She closed her eyes, knowing that whatever happened to her, she wouldn’t be there to witness it. Distantly she felt herself lowered to the ground. Instead of the hard ground she felt her body immersed in water that was so warm it almost felt hot against her skin. She moaned when the water lapped over her stomach. Her belly was jabbed, parting her severed flesh and letting the water mingle with her fluids. She struggled to keep her eyes open but failed. She was being cleansed, she knew. But for what she could only guess.

With darkness fast approaching again Kira felt someone beside her. Someone she’d not known in years. Emily was there, her alter-ego that she’d hid behind when she hadn’t known what to do.

“You did good,” Emily whispered, comforting her. Kira wanted to nod but she didn’t have the strength. “You killed those female hybrids, your people are safe. Elsa will lead your people, she has much to learn but she can take care of them now. I’m proud of you. Of us. I made the right choice.”

Emily faded away, leaving Kira alone again with the strange being that was cleansing her. Was this Vitalis rewarding her? Was she being baptized for acceptance to join with the spirit of the world? Kira felt her cheeks tighten as she smiled. She’d done all she could and she knew her people were safe. This was a good way to die.

###

Afterword by the Author

I do my best to make a living at writing, yet words escape me to explain how appreciative I am that you’ve read and enjoyed this book. The story of Vitalis continues in the next full length novel,
Vitalis: Resurrection
. And don’t worry, I have a lot more in mind beyond Vitalis: Resurrection. This is science fiction, the opportunities are endless!

Thank you again and by all means, please feel free to let me know what you thought of it. Send me an email ([email protected]), leave a review, tell me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter (@booksbyjason).

About the Author

Jason Halstead is a science fiction and fantasy author who spends his daytime hours as an IT Manager in the automotive industry. In his spare time Jason enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, writing, and competitive powerlifting.

He enjoys reading and responding to fan mail as well, so if you liked any of his books, don't be shy! Find him on the web at
http://www.booksbyjason.com
,
email him at
mailto:[email protected]
, or follow him on Twitter:
@booksbyjason
.