Beyond Our Stars by Marie Langager

Author:Marie Langager
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2013-09-27T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

“Stop him!” I screamed before turning to find the CR-3an at my feet. A deep blue liquid oozed from a spot in the Local’s stomach and pooled at its side.

This can’t be happening, this is not happening.

“No, no. We can fix this,” my shaking voice said as I knelt by the Local, though I barely knew what I was saying.

“Help!” I screamed in panic into the tunnel, toward the Stacks. I put my hand on the alien’s chest. “It’s going to be okay,” I said.

His eyes were turning hazy, as the intelligent being who only moments before had put his trust in me slowly slipped away. But his chest moved. He wasn’t dead yet.

“Help!” I screamed again into the tunnel. Was anyone hearing me?

Two Locals appeared and they moved swiftly down the tunnel towards us.

“Hurry!” I yelled.

I glanced to my side and saw that Legacy was being dragged away by some of our men.

I looked back at the tunnel. The Locals approached us, but slowed as they neared the exit. Then they stopped completely. They weren’t going to come out into the Site.

“Chance!” I yelled. He was by my side in a second. “We have to drag him in, they aren’t going to come out,” I said, my voice breaking as I looked at the Local. “Help me move him,” I said. The CR-3an had closed its eyes, but was still breathing. We dragged his heavy body into the tunnel opening, a streak of glossy blue streaming out behind his body. The Locals backed away as we carried him in.

The bleeding CR-3an made a strange sound. Then long, wheezing, horrible noises. We backed out of the tunnel so they could help him, and the force field sealed. I stayed next to the tunnel, watching in fear. The bleeding Local got so, so still.

The Local bending over him looked right at me and then past me at the people, and I knew this time to be very afraid, we would all have to be afraid, now.

The CR-3an pressed something on his bracelet and the prone alien was lifted. They all moved swiftly away.

I turned to see the dark blue sludge soaking into the dirt and grass on the ground and I sank down next to it.

“Hope,” a voice said softly and a hand touched my shoulder. I couldn’t look up.

“Leave me be,” I said.

The hand left my shoulder. Others were around me, I knew. Like a vague murmur of voices somewhere far away. I knew when Chief Up came. He stood next to me for a while before he left. I continued to hear people talking around me, but I couldn’t do anything besides stare at that deep blue spot.

I stayed there until the sky began to darken. On my knees, unable to move.

Finally, as the sun’s warmth faded I felt the chill outside. I looked up. There was no one left. That Local died because of you, I heard in my head. That Local died because of you.

What would happen to us now? I’d put his life in danger hoping we could find a peace between us.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.