When Astra woke up, the first thing she saw was a single wispy cloud, making its way across the sky. Where was she? She could see she was being dragged on a mat by a man with long dark hair, who was accompanied by another man with shorter hair. Her fingers grazed across the threads. It wasn't soft at all. It was itchy and coarse, made out of what appeared to be woven grass.
Who were these two men and what did they want with her? They didn't seem to notice she had woken up since they were walking in front of her.
The one who was dragging her seemed to be less muscular and was a bit shorter than the one walking beside him. He had an old leather bracelet strapped to his wrist that reminded her of something she would see at a gift shop. She wasn't sure if she was seeing right but she could swear the man dragging her was unnaturally pale, while the other one, from what she could see, appeared to be normal.
Astra was surrounded by emerald grass that stood on top of rolling hills. Though there weren't many clouds above her head, she could see on the mountainous horizon, there was a thunderstorm brewing. With the exception of grass, the land was void of a diverse amount of plant life. There were no trees, bushes, or flowers anywhere.
What was that smell? It reminded her of stale meat and body odor. Was that her or was that coming from the mat?
The hot sun beat its unforgiving rays down on her face while her body rocked back and forth on a coarse, unstable surface. Thoughts circled around in her mind as she felt a droplet of salty sweat roll down her cheek.
She felt like a prisoner trapped in her own body. She couldn't move and could hardly breathe. Her head had become a snare drum that pounded on and on, while her body felt like a voodoo doll subjected to thousands of needles.
Every breath she took released an explosion of pain, making her want to breathe as little as possible. Sometimes the only relief she could get from this pain was by holding her breath until her body screamed for the release.
The air around her felt different. It even smelled different. Although the sun was strong, it was nowhere nearly as strong as it once was.
Her ears twitched at the muffled sound of running water that gradually became louder. She looked over and saw a small creek just a short walk away. As she moved her tongue around her jaw, her body screamed for some of this substance. The sound of the liquid splashing against the rocks tormented her. It called out her name, causing the need for this precious liquid to become amplified.
Her mind raced as she tried to figure out how she could get some of this element inside of her. She longed for it so much that she could almost taste it. Mustering every ounce of strength she had, she opened her mouth ever so slightly and made a small squeaking noise from the back of her scratchy throat. She winced as the movement of her mouth caused her lips to split open.
How long had she been out for? She felt a cool breeze raise goosebumps over her skin as she closed her eyes for a moment. Concentrating with every ounce of strength she had within her, she tried to move her arms and legs but could only feel her toes and fingers twitch. A wave of exhaustion washed over her muscles and mind, weighing them down like bricks. She wanted nothing more than to allow her body to slip back into sleep, but she couldn't let that happen. She needed water.
Astra felt her body slow to a stop and then came the sound of shuffling, first leaving her side and then approaching. How was she going to get their attention? She wanted to scream, "I'm awake!" She wanted to flail her arms and beg for them to bring her water. She longed to feel it slip down her throat and loosen her tight stomach.
Opening her lips, she attempted another sound but this time she mouthed the word, "water."
"Hey, look at who is finally coming to," a man's voice softly cooed as he sat down beside her. "You are a fighter."
She forced her heavy eyelids open, turned her head, and looked at the person who was squatting beside her. He looked human but she wasn't sure if he was or was not. She couldn't assume on a planet like this. He had a square jaw, almond eyes, and thick dark eyebrows that rested above his hooded eyelids. When he smiled, he showed a set of sparkling white teeth with a small gap just to the left of his front tooth. He had thick lips with a cupid's bow and had a look that reminded her of a surfer boy.
"Alek, I told you she was!" The other man's perky voice exclaimed from the other side of her. She wanted to turn her head and see who this was, but she was just too tired. "Just so you know, I'm going to be your favorite."
"Whatever." He cracked a smile and rolled his eyes. "Ignore him. He's delusional."
A strong hand scooped her head, gently lifting her skull. Once the hard rim of a cup was placed to her mouth, she felt water slosh onto her face. Opening her lips, she allowed this river of liquid to gush inside, choking her with pure euphoria. She lowered her jaw as wide as she was able, to allow more of this delicious fluid to flood her body. As the water soaked her mouth and tongue, her stomach swelled and loosened. She wanted to drink until her stomach could fit no more. Once again, she opened her mouth to give an indication of what was needed.
Immediately another burst of liquid flooded inside and coated her lips with a soft seal. This time it wasn't water but something far thicker and grittier. This nutrient rich liquid tasted like a strange mixture of herbs and raw eggs. What was this? Why were they giving it to her?
Every ounce she swallowed made her feel stronger. Her headache subsided and a tingling sensation began at her toes and ended around her forehead. Whatever they were giving her helped her aching body to feel numb.
Alek looked up and dropped the cup. The smile on his face faded. Slowly, he laid her head back down.
"Get your weapon," he mouthed to the man on the other side of her as he pulled a knife made of sharp stone with a handle wrapped in leather from his pocket.
"Take her and run," she heard the voice from behind her say. "I'll buy you some time."
"No, we can fight this thing together," he replied with a flip of the knife.
"It's too risky and she's in no condition to fight if it gets to her. Take her. Now."
Astra turned her head. The other man stood with his back to her. He had a weapon in hand while he faced a beast who was about fifty feet away and approaching quickly.
Why did this beast look so much like a smaller version of Sidero? It was about half the size of him and had his black eyes, his hanging jaw filled with sharp teeth, and his pointed ears filled with tiny twitching tentacles. Bloodied foam dripped from its lips as it let out a low growl.
"No one else has to get hurt." The beast had a soft feminine voice, almost childlike as she stopped just a few feet away from the other man. "Just give her to me."
"What do you want with her?" the man whose back was facing Astra asked.
"She belongs to my mother."
Astra's heart sank. Was Vojin dead? Did this mean he lost the fight? She didn't want to believe it.
Alek carefully lifted Astra into his arms. Her body ached with every movement, now that the drink's numbing effects were quickly fading away.
"No, she doesn't." The man further away from her said.
"If you let him take her, I'll kill you both." The beast's eyes narrowed. "Let's not make this into something that it doesn't need to be. Besides, I can see you're one of us. You're clearly not like the other two, so use a little bit of sense. Is your life worth sacrificing over something as awful as theirs?"
"Yes," he said flatly. The beast lunged.
Alek tightened his grip around Astra, swung around, and broke into a run. He moved with a speed she had never thought possible in a human.
She could hear the sound of a man yelling like a warrior accompanied by the roar of a beast. She could feel the wind rushing through her hair and how her body bounced around with every step he took.
The grip he had on her was almost painful. One of his hands was in the form of a fist, still holding onto his weapon. She was nestled in his arms with her head on his tattered black t-shirt that was wet with sweat. He smelled like dirt and musk and he ran like a marine.
"ALEK! SHE'S HEADING YOUR WAY!" she heard the cry of the man faintly in the distance.
Alek slid to a stop. He put her down on the scratchy green grass. "You're gonna be okay. We are gonna get you out o—"
He didn't even see the beast coming. She slammed into him like a train, knocking him off his feet, and pinning him down by his shoulders. They were only a few feet away from Astra. He held the beast back by her shoulders as she snapped her sharp teeth towards his face. She didn't even notice the blade pressed to her neck.
Her eyes were as red as blood. Yes, this must have been Sidero's child and Astra was the reason why her father was killed.
Alek wrapped his fingers around her throat with his left hand and with the right one, he attempted to stab the creature. But no matter how many times he tried, the knife wouldn't break her skin.
Blood streamed down Alek's arms from the wounds that hung open on his flesh. He pushed his knees under the beast and with a flick of his legs, he catapulted the monster over his head and jumped onto his feet.
Twisting around, he collided with the beast. His knife flashed in the light of the sun as he once again tried to stab her while barely missing her gnashing teeth. His weapon was useless.
The sound of a howl redirected Astra's attention. Running on two legs another beast approached. He had unusually large black eyes and pale skin covered in small purple veins. He looked like a hybrid of a human and a monster. She could see by the way he opened his mouth that he had sharp incisors and held an expression that reminded her of a rabid canine. He had a slice across his neck that was bleeding a mixture of black and red blood, which stained the dirty white shirt he was wearing. His hair was dark brown, almost black and was pushed across his sweaty forehead. He had black nails that looked almost like claws and not an ounce of fat on his muscular body. He looked angry and he looked like he was ready to attack.
Crack! It was the last sound she heard. The sound of something hard slamming into the side of her temple, knocking her out.