Page 8

I’m not the only one to connect the dots.

“ Carajo !” Carmen exclaims, pacing around the room, shaking her head and running her fingers through her shoulder-length wavy, dark brown hair.

She’s taking the news better than Sandra, who collapses onto her knees, head in hands, wailing about never seeing her boyfriend Conor again.

Kazumi continues to rock back and forth, like a tumbleweed blowing in the wind.

I would offer fake comfort, but what’s the use? There’s nothing to say. Any words of hope or encouragement would be as fake as Mother’s eyelashes. My mind swirls, imagining the possible horrors of the future, each more horrific than the last.

“Where are they taking us?” I question, thinking out loud, my voice unsteady.

“ Infierno ,” Carmen spits, still pacing around in circles like a horse warming up for the races.

Desperation compels me to approach the bars, solid and as cold as my father’s heart.

I peer down the long corridor, hoping to see anyone or anything.

The ship is strange with its black marble walls and dim purple lights.

If it had strobe lights and banging music, you could mistake it as a nightclub.

God, I could use a drink right now... and some clothes... and a nice cinnamon swirl.

Looking closely, I notice the thick dust, chipped marble, and even rust in a few places. Great, not only abducted, but abducted by space hillbillies. Chuckling, I almost picture a massive rust-covered spaceship with peeling paint blasting through space.

“I think this spaceship is to aliens what a Chevrolet Cavalier is to cars,” I mock in a bone-dry tone.

No one’s in the mood to laugh. So dull, just like this place! My teeth clench, and I slap the bars in frustration. This waiting and not knowing is driving me insane. I just want to get this over with, one way or another.

“Let me out of here!” I scream down the corridor, my words echoing uselessly.

I sigh heavily, resting my head against the bars until I feel them vibrate against my forehead. Then, the sound of footsteps, growing louder with each iteration.

“Fuck, someone’s coming!” I shout, fleeing from the approaching terror with my heart pounding, too afraid to face our captors now that they approach.

Maybe I can hide behind Carmen?

Sandra and Kazumi gasp and sob, while Carmen’s fists ball up as she mutters Spanish curses.

Our eyes are glued to the bars as the footsteps grow louder.

They sound huge, like rocks crashing onto metal—a promise of pain or worse.

Collective bated breaths fill the air, each second feeling like an eternity.

A long, ominous shadow casts onto the corridor, eclipsing the dim purple light, and any shred of courage that remained in me.

My back bumps against the far wall, and I nearly leap out of my skin with surprise, unaware that I was moving.

Even Carmen has retreated a few steps backwards, though she still clenches her fists tightly.

This is it; this is the end!

I gasp as I see him—the red titan—the only fitting description.

Sandra and Kazumi moan and wail harder, averting their gaze, while I remain petrified.

He’s undoubtedly a male, his tight form-fitting black leather trousers and vest making that abundantly clear.

He’s fucking huge! Not just in height, but with broad slabs of rippling muscles.

His eyes glow red like burning coals as he scans our cell, lingering on each of us.

He’s so immense his head nearly touches the already towering ceiling.

It’s difficult to tell, but I’d guess he’s ten feet tall.

So enormous his breaths are audible, like a wind tunnel.

I feel fully vulnerable in my nakedness, prompting me to cross an arm over my ample breasts and another to cover my sex as I cross my legs.

I squirm against the wall as his molten eyes find me, his expression unreadable.

Strangely, that heightens my terror more than if he was openly leering.

He brushes an immense hand through his shaved red hair, though I notice a flicker of disdain twisting his lips as he does so.

The red of his hair is not ginger like Sandra’s but a deep hue, reminiscent of blood.

A part of me is relieved at how almost human he appears. No double inner-jawed mouth with razor-shape teeth, no tentacles, no mandibles, no elongated skull.

Just a red face.

He looks young, perhaps around my age. A treacherous fluttering forms in my stomach. Is it relief at his youthful human-like appearance or something else?

Everything about him is red—his glistening skin, short hair, and glowing eyes, resembling a volcano that I hope isn’t about to erupt anytime soon.

The red titan plays with a device on his wrist and I struggle not to wince, fearing what he might be doing.

I gasp as a blue projection materializes, bathing the darkened area with an azure glow. It hovers like a floating computer screen while his hands dart over the controls. Oh, it’s like an alien tablet!

He does something, causing the bars to crash down, startling both me and the others. He steps inside, and my heart thunders in my chest, sending tremors through my entire body.

As if my fear isn’t already peaked, another alien emerges from behind the red titan.

This one is much smaller but still towers above us humans.

My blood turns to ice, studying him. He’s fucking horrifying!

Strange black symbols and spirals obscure his red skin, and he wears a black robe, dark as night.

His bald head turns, examining us with open disdain.

He looks like a black demon egg!

I shiver and squirm against the cold, hard metal walls as his green eyes scrutinize me from head to toe. He smiles. A horrible, scary thing. Showing two large yellow fangs and sharpened teeth bared. How can a smile be so frightening? I wonder absurdly, my eyes darting between the two aliens.

One looks capable of snapping my neck with a flick of his fingers; the other resembles a deranged cultist who might cast a demonic spell.

“ Hijo de puta !” Carmen shouts, swinging a wild punch at the red titan, which is futile against his towering frame. In a blur, the alien catches her hand in his immense grip and then grasps Carmen’s throat with the other, lifting her effortlessly like a rag doll.

“ Sek kis les maru ,” the titan rumbles deeply, his tone tinged with amusement. My chest heaves with frantic breaths. Sandra and Kazumi avert their eyes with panicked cries. Carmen thrashes and kicks uselessly as the titan turns her face side to side.

What the hell was she thinking?

“ Ki’bak triackoid ,” the demon egghead scoffs, speaking slower than the titan, giving an impression of ancient wisdom. Carmen’s face darkens as she struggles to breathe, her thrashing growing feeble.

“You’re going to kill her!” I shout, rushing forward to clutch the red titan’s massive arm, driven by a kind of madness that might cost me my life.

What the hell am I thinking?

The alien peers down at me, his red eyes glowing in the dim purple light. He terrifies me—his unreadable expression, his immense size radiating heat like a furnace.

But I hold firm, clinging onto his arm like I still harbor a death wish.

Finally, the red titan drops Carmen, his crimson eyes still boring into me.

His face, like his body, is hard and strong—sharp angles and deep brooding brows.

Carmen gulps in great lungfuls of air as she retreats into the corner, massaging the angry-looking marks on her neck.

“ Ailliek’rak ,” the red titan mutters, his eyes glancing at my exposed breasts. I recoil with a reddening face and quickly cover my nakedness.

I probably look like a pink pig now!

To my horror, the alien smacks my backside with a loud slap.

I yelp in shock, my ass throbbing like my pulsing anger, resisting the urge to rub it and expose myself to him.

“You fucking asshole!” I scream, but it only seems to amuse my assailant as he turns away, the faintest curl of his lip.

My adrenaline quickly dissipates, replaced by a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. This red titan with hungry eyes has now seen me. I was hoping to go unnoticed, forgotten, not attracting his attention or his.... desires. Now I might be the main course.

My eyes snap to the wheezing Carmen. This is her fault! I hope she’ll be happy when I’m dragged off, for God knows what.

Probably probe the ass off me!

The red titan and Demon Egg-Head stand before the trembling Sandra, who’s made herself as small and noisy as Kazumi. I breathe a sigh of relief, glad to have their focus off me.

Sandra squirms, averting her gaze as the titan brushes a massive hand through her long ginger hair. “ Tawan osung grugik ,” he mutters in awe, examining the strands between his clawed fingers.

He likes her hair. Oh, thank God! Maybe he’ll forget about me.

The terrifying pair move to stand before Kazumi. She’s inconsolable, a wet, trembling ball of nakedness. “ Sek kis bristok ,” the red titan scoffs with a deep frown. He reaches down with surprising tenderness.

Of course, he’s gentle with her, while my ass is still throbbing!

He brushes her gorgeous glossy black hair before attempting to untangle Kazumi. But every time he peels an arm away, she re-wraps herself.

He looks at Demon Egg-Head with a deep exhale that’s like wind blowing from a mountain.

The ancient creep gives a solemn nod, his green eyes flashing.

An unspoken exchange and ominous future for Kazumi.

The red titan plucks Kazumi from the floor effortlessly.

She doesn’t fight back, looking like a crying toddler in his gigantic arms.

My breath hitches in fear, wondering if I’ll see Kazumi ever again, wondering what they’ll do to her.

I’m relieved it isn’t me, but it’s only a matter of time.

I release a long-held breath as the scary pair exit the cell.

The space seems huge again, absent the two massive aliens.

The bars slam shut behind them, extinguishing any hope of escape from this nightmare.

What did I do to deserve this?