I, Earthling (Soldiers of Earthrise Book 4) by Daniel Arenson

Author:Daniel Arenson [Arenson, Daniel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Moonclipse
Published: 2020-04-06T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Into the Dark

Sopping wet, weak, and wounded, Maria and her friends entered the ruins of Little Earth.

During her days as General Ward's paramour, Maria had spent much of her time here. She still remembered grassy lawns, manicured gardens, and halls of marble columns—an oasis of classical beauty. That dream had ended. The grass had burned. Ash covered the gardens. The marble columns had cracked and fallen. Bahayan troops moved among the ruins, dressed in black, sweeping their guns from side to side, seeking some last lingering Earthling to slay.

Maria tried to walk on her own, but Jose kept his arm slung around her, and she leaned against him. She pointed toward a copse of burnt apple trees.

"That way. There's a stream between the trees. Or used to be. That's where the general kept his collection of space shuttles."

They walked between the trees, and Maria saw it ahead. The bamboo pavilion had collapsed, and blackened reeds lay everywhere. Beneath them, Maria could make out the space shuttles. Once they had been beautiful, luxury vessels, as graceful as ancient Greek statues. Now they were charred, scraped, and dented. Perhaps useless.

"Oh, my lord Jesus," Charlie said, squinting at the machines. "They look like giant burnt cigarette butts. How are we going to fly to space in these?"

Maria stepped closer. "Maybe the damage is just skin deep."

Lily began to cry. Cradling the baby, Maria walked among the burnt husks. Most were mangled, pierced with chunks of shrapnel and crushed by bricks. One shuttle lay under a fallen stone column. But a few shuttles seemed to have escaped most of the carnage, suffering only dents and scrapes.

Maria approached a shuttle that seemed promising. Ash, stones, and burnt wood covered it, but the hull seemed intact. Maria lifted a bamboo pole and used it like a brush, removing debris from the shuttle. Chunks of concrete, charred branches, and dust fell to the ground, revealing the vessel. Good. Very good. The shuttle was scratched, dented, and scorched, but might still be spaceworthy. Maria grabbed the door handle, then hissed and pulled her hand back.

"A bit toasty," she said, sucking her fingers. "The inside might be okay. We might be able to all fit. If we squeeze together."

"Charlie has gained some weight, I think," Black Lotus said. "She might not fit."

The bargirl flipped her off. "Quiet, or we'll strap you to the hood, little one. You'd make a good ornament."

Maria rolled her eyes. "Will you stop killing each other for one moment? I need to—"

"Help …"

The voice rose from behind Maria, interrupting her. A hoarse, weak voice.

"Help … me …"

Maria turned around and gasped. Lily woke up and cried.

A person was crawling toward them. Maria could not tell if it was man or woman, Earthling or Bahayan. The human was naked and burnt, smoldering, skin peeling. He or she reached up a blackened hand.

"Help …"

The bargirls recoiled. Even Maria could not help it. She took a step back.

Only Jose stepped forward. He knelt by the burnt figure, then looked at Maria.

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