The Stalk: A Science Fiction Retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk (Rove City Book 2) by Ariele Sieling

Author:Ariele Sieling [Sieling, Ariele]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-01-01T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

LEROY LANDED THE BUBBLE in the same green lawn they had taken off from that morning, right outside her apartment building. The sun shone in the opposite side of the sky, lighting up the undersides of the clouds to create a streaked pink and orange effect. The Stalk loomed, an ominous swath of black shadow that dominated the landscape for miles in every direction. She could hardly take her eyes off it.

Jack hadn’t even felt or noticed the ride back from the Stalk; her fear of flying seemed so small now, so far away. Instead, she was afraid of dying, afraid of everyone else dying. She was afraid of making the wrong choice. She was afraid of making the right choice. She was afraid of the Stalk. She was afraid of everything.

“Jack,” Leroy said in a soft voice. “You okay?” His voice sounded far away, but as she focused her attention on him, he became louder.

Jack glanced out the window and realized the ‘copter had landed.

“We’ve been sitting here for ten minutes,” he added.

“I’m sorry.” Jack carefully unbuckled her restraints. Her hands shook, but she tried to hide it. No need to let on how uncertain, how scared she was.

“Is there anything I can do?” Leroy asked, reaching out to touch her knee gently. “I’ve never had a Digger this quiet before. Usually they cry or talk—or at least make weird gasping noises. And you were so afraid on our way up, but not a peep out of you the entire way back. Even the ones who got promoted, Murphy and Lisa, they had a few things to say.”

“They didn’t get promoted,” Jack said.

“What do you mean?”

She shrugged a little helplessly. “They’re dead too. Everybody’s dead.”

“What do you mean?” he repeated.

“The Stalk ate them,” she said. “Somehow. But it ate them from the inside, not the Hole. Or from somewhere else entirely. I don’t know. Anyway, they’re all dead.”

Leroy frowned, worry lines creasing the edges of his eyes. “It can do that?”

“Apparently.” Jack shrugged, sliding forward in her seat, wondering if she could get to the ground without falling. She felt slow. Tired. Empty. At least the android hadn’t come back with them, wouldn’t be there to witness her humiliation when she collapsed—or walked to the Hole and threw herself in. “I don’t know what else I can do, you know what I mean? It threatened to kill everyone—every living person on this planet! Unless I jump, of course.”

“Please don’t jump,” Leroy whispered, his face a mask of concern.

She shrugged again, wondering why none of the other Diggers had mentioned the threat to Leroy. Maybe they felt it was their burden to bear, to carry with them to their grave. Or maybe all they knew was the threat, not about the other cities. “It doesn’t matter if this town is the only one left, even losing this number of people to that miserable alien is too many.”

“What do you mean we’re the only town left?” A furrow creased Leroy’s brow as his compassionate expression suddenly turned to a frown.

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