Survivors of Alterna: Final Run

Chapter 16: Running Out of Time

Constant sounds of soft gurgles and muffled speech echoed in the darkness, waking Akikta from his deep slumber.

As his hearing came back, so too did his vision. When the darkness gradually receded, the first thing he saw was the ceiling of... an apartment room?

Akikta sat up, realizing he was snug in the blankets of a warm but worn-down bed.

A figure who sat beside the bed fidgeted at Akikta's activity. "Y-you're awake!" The figure said, somewhat excited.

While he perfectly understood what they were saying, he heard familiar gurgles accompany the voice in his other ear.

He turned, expecting to see Nakji watching over him like she always does. But instead of seeing an octoling, there was an inkling—It was Callie.

"Callie?" Akikta groaned, still tired.

The last thing he remembered was Rick removing one of his earpieces, so he wasn't wondering why he was hearing the sounds of someone gargling on water when Callie spoke. By now, he was aware the native language of cephalopods, and possibly all the new life, sounded like that. What caught him off guard was the fact that Callie's gargled speech sounded familiar...

Akikta never took his translators off around her, so he's never had the chance to hear what she sounds like normally. But he was certain he'd heard those exact gurgles before from somewhere. The pitch and tone of them were somehow unmistakable. But from where?

Akikta racked his head around for an answer. The recent past came back to him, and he recalled the time he was still stuck in Alterna. One time, he tried to talk with Sal through a radio; instead of hearing a man's voice, he got the sounds of two high-pitched gurgles.

His eyes widened when he realized one of those gurgles was hers. "That was you?" He said abruptly, causing Callie to tilt her head in confusion.

Suddenly, a drumming sensation pounded at his brain. He winced and grabbed his head, only to hear a faint chuckle. "Yeah, we all feel that."

Akikta looked up, seeing it was Pearl who said that. She sat in a comfy-looking couch chair that was far too big for her small body, with her head and arms partially wrapped in bandages.

After her, he noticed the condition everyone else was in.

The group were all wrapped in bandages and covered in various bruises. Their clothes were in shambles, especially Eight's. Coral and Biggie were the only injured ones who stood up and moved around. Frye, Misaki, and Nakji weren't even conscious. Their bodies lay on makeshift futons as they twisted and turned in their sleep, still in pain. Biggie and Rick were going around the room, giving everyone the same bitter drink Akikta had drank twice.

We're in shambles. Was the first thing Akikta thought. "What happened...?"

"Don't tell me that... thing hit you so hard you forgot everything," Metta said, a little worried.

She sat crisscrossed, bundled in blankets while rubbing Little Buddy, who shuddered and whimpered in his sleep.

The memories of Sal's attack suddenly flooded back into Akikta's head like a tsunami, causing him yet another headache.

He gasped and grabbed his head. "Fuck...I didn't think Sa—" Akikta caught himself, remembering Eight was in the room and still conscious. "I didn't think Eosalmo was that strong..."

"He shouldn't be..." Eight commented. "He's tough, I knew that. But this... it's like his power quadrupled since last I saw him."

Akikta started thinking about the times Sal mentioned Atlantis could change a person for the better. This place... that's how he grew strong. He's done something to himself to increase his strength. But what?