Ashes (Of the Earth Series)

Chapter 6.4

Navigating through the debris-littered commons, I approached the mess hall. The doors were firmly boarded from the inside, a promising sign of human presence. "Nothing here for the aliens to fear," I mused, raising an eyebrow.

I banged on the door, calling out, "Hello? Hey, I'm human! Open the door!"

A pair of eyes peeked through the slats, fear evident in the woman's voice. "Are you one of them?" she asked.

I gestured to myself, incredulous. "Do I look like an alien? And if I was, yeah, I'm just gonna announce it, sure that tracks."

"Show me your neck," she demanded.

Confused, I replied, "What?"

"Show me your fucking neck!" she insisted, her voice rising in panic.

"Jesus, fine," I relented, pulling down my collar to reveal my neck.

"Now your eyes," she commanded next.

Sighing, I pressed my face against the slats, only to be blinded by a harsh LED flashlight. I winced, turning away. "Ooh, ouch. What the hell, lady."

Her voice was stern, laced with threat. "Keep your fucking eyes up here or I'm gonna fire a shotgun into your gut, you piece of shit." I heard the distinct sound of metal tapping against the glass.

Startled, I responded, "Whoa, no need for that. Look, here are my eyes. Shine away." I braced myself against the door, trying not to squint as she examined my eyes with the flashlight for the second time.

After about thirty seconds of intense scrutiny, I couldn't help but speak up. "I really hope you let me in."

She said nothing.

"Because I'm hurt, alone, and scared out of my mind, and now I can't see a thing thanks to you," I added, trying to blink away the spots dancing before my eyes.

A faint smirk flickered across her lips, but she remained silent. Another ten seconds of tense silence passed before she finally switched off the flashlight. "Keep looking at me," she instructed.

I complied, acutely aware of the threat that lingered in the air. Stepping away wasn't an option unless I wanted to risk my life.

After a moment, the girl retreated from the door and disappeared from view. I stood there, disoriented and trying to process what had just happened.

Around the corner, a door opened and her voice called out, "Over here."

I rounded the corner and was met by a familiar face.

"Lilly!" I exclaimed, relief washing over me.

She squinted at me, disbelief in her eyes. "Oh my God... Alec, is that you? I didn't even recognize you. You need to get cleaned up. That gash on your head looks bad."

I reflexively touched my head, wincing at the pain. In the chaos, I'd completely forgotten about my injury.

Lilly held the door open for me, quickly scanning the area before closing it behind us. Inside, a hallway filled with frightened, confused people greeted us. They eyed me warily, unsure of my intentions.

"What was that all about?" I asked Lilly, turning to face her.

Without a word, she grabbed a bottle of water and a shirt from the floor, dampening the shirt to clean my forehead. I was surprised at myself for letting her, but the shirt came away bloody and filthy, turning my stomach.

"I thought you might be one of them," she finally said, soaking the shirt again.

"One of them?" I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm not a fifteen-foot-tall tentacle monster. And I'm certainly not a headless, one-eyed freak of nature."