Hybrid: The Awakening

Chapter 25-Asher

Each alien pulled out a gun and pointed it at the three humans. One was an older man with a balding head. The other one was a middle-aged woman with red-orange hair. And the last one was a little baby, almost too small to see inside the Axone's grasp.

I felt sick to my stomach.

Tesha yelled something in the alien language to the general as Diana let out a cry of anguish.

"You are a monster!" Tesha had switched back to English. "Threatening children? Holding humans hostage? You have lost your mind Inugio! Lord Temaku will punish you greatly for your actions!"

The alien made a motion and ice wrapped around Tesha's neck, causing her to gasp. "No." His voice darkened. "He will welcome and praise me when I return the Jh'ai to us."

Inugio walked closer, and for the first time I could clearly see the madness in his eyes. It glowed with power and greed. The closer he got, the colder the air felt. And for the first time in a very long time, I was absolutely petrified.

"Do you know why I told her to lead you to this spot?" He asked.

"Led". She really did betray us.

I stood frozen as Tesha's eyes widened.

"The water," she whispered.

General Inugio smiled so wide he looked psychotic—which he probably was. "So much water. So much fuel for my power. Even on the shores of Nibura, I didn't feel as strong as I do now. And even if you try to stand against me, you will be sealing the fate of these three innocent humans."

My mind spun in a thousand different directions, not processing anything except fragments.

Trick.

Betrayal.

Monster.

"It is either you surrender," Inugio continued–I had to force my spinning thoughts to focus–"or you sacrifice your friend's family. Something we both know you will never do."

As tears welled up in her eyes, Tesha reminded me of the first time she had broken down, after losing her mother. She looked scared. Weak. Hopeless.

Her voice was hollow as she said, "That is not my decision to make. I am not one of the Chosen."

The general studied her for a minute before backing away. "You are right. For once, you are not in control." He turned away from her slowly and examined the rest of us. The three "Chosen".

I was really starting to hate that word.

His violet eyes finally settled on Diana. "Little girl, surely you don't want to see the deaths of your loved ones? Why don't you set an example for your friends and give yourself up willingly?"

The ice melted around her legs and feet. We watched in silence as she walked forward with her head down.

Diana stopped in front of the alien, her head still faced away. I wished I could have seen her expression as she stood in front of the monster who was holding her family at gunpoint.

"You broke our deal," she said in a tone that sent chills down my spine. "You said if I led our group here, my family would be safe."

"And they will be, as long as you comply."

Diana held her arm in front of her and gazed upon her tattoo. Her fist clenched. Then unclenched.

What happened next occurred too fast. In a blink of an eye, Diana had knocked Inugio down to the ground with her elbow on top of his abnormally long neck.