Chapter 8

Warring feelings of elation and fear dance behind my rib cage as I follow Viz'en into the jungle. It's all I can do to control my thready breaths. Tilting my head back, I let the sunlight soak into my skin and try to turn off my thoughts for at least a few moments. I'm free. I'm out of the lab. I'm in the sunshine, breathing clean air. Everything else can wait.

I stumble over an exposed root and hit the dirt hard. I can't stop the soft cry that escapes, but I wish I could shove it back down my throat when I catch a glimpse of the look Viz'en casts back at me. He's not happy I'm following him.

I don't want to be following him either. I want to leave him in peace. But I can't do this by myself. I have no idea where I am, or how to get to civilization, or even if I want to. Is some other alien just going to snatch me up and abuse me? What if this whole planet is filled with people like Aezok?

What if the familiar horror I'm leaving behind is only a mild version of the deeper horror awaiting me. I'm an abducted human on an alien planet. I have no rights. No status. I don't know the rules.

I tap the pulse at my throat absently. No. I have to believe I'm escaping to something better.

Maybe I can find a way to leave the planet. Am I somewhere in the universe where I could get home to Earth again?

A shrill scream breaks through the thoughts swirling in my skull and I flinch instinctively, crouching while a small animal leaps through the purple and green leaves overhead. It's gone in moments, leaving behind the faint impression of a furred, brown body and a long tail.

I stare after it, new worries biting at me. If there's a small mammal in this forest, there's probably a larger predator that hunts it. An alien jaguar. Goosebumps pop to the surface of my skin.

I need a weapon. I look around me, but there aren't any branches or rocks on the ground, just coils of dried vines on top of soft, black dirt. The tree trunks are so wide I can't see more than a few feet in any direction, and the ground is rippled with roots. The main jungle canopy is so high above I can barely catch a glimpse of blue sky, but the trees have layers of branches, enough to form a second canopy only a couple of stories over my head.

I realize Viz'en's out of sight and jump to my feet again, racing after him. His legs are longer than mine, and although he's been sick, he's clearly in much better shape than I am after over a year of forced captivity. His black horns flash in the dappled sunlight as he moves through the trees.

I haven't moved faster than a shuffle in so long, it's a shock when my thigh muscles start to burn as I run. It hurts, but it also feels so good—the tight tendons loosening, my skin stretching. I can't stop the grin from spreading across my face.

Although I catch a few more glimpses of his horns and red skin, I can't seem to gain on Viz'en, but I don't let it worry me. Panting, I stumble over roots and curse my thin slippers. I don't want to call out to him to wait for me; I know he won't stop. I just have to keep him in sight, and hopefully he'll lead me out of here. I'm free. I'm running. I'm free.

TWO hours later, I'm hopelessly lost and alone. I haven't seen Viz'en in a while, and I'm reduced to tracking his footprints through the soft dirt. It's not easy, as he seems to be walking on top of the large, thick roots as much as he can. More times than I can count now, I've had to backtrack and try a different direction when I've gone too long without finding a print on the ground or a smudge of loose dirt on a root.

I'm so thirsty, and the heavy breathing isn't helping. Every inhale burns the back of my throat, sending heat into my lungs. Earlier I passed a small puddle of water cradled on a broad leaf, but I didn't trust it enough to drink it. It was probably full of alien microbes that would throw a dance party inside my body.

But now, I don't think I'd be able to resist if I saw another.

The blood on my pants, or Inde's pants, I should say, hasn't dried in the damp air, and I'm worried I'm leaving a trail for predators to follow me.

I want to find a way to get into the canopy above, but the couple of times I've tried to climb a dangling vine, I've had to give up almost immediately. I don't have the strength in my bad arm.

And who's to say it's any safer up there. I bet alien jaguars are terrific at climbing trees.

Biting my lip, I eye the broad trunk in front of me. It's smooth and a pale tan color, and the width of a house. I need to decide which way to go around it, but, sighing, I sit on a root. It's not like it matters.

Viz'en's gone. Good for him. I hope he's already out of the jungle and making his police reports for kidnapping, assault, rape . . . I hope they catch Aezok and put him in jail for a long time.

But me—I'm alone in a wild alien landscape. I've wanted to be alone for a year. But maybe not this alone.

It's probably going to get dark soon. And then cold.

Wrapping my arms around my waist, I lean back against the warm trunk. The tall roots on either side of me create a small bowl, and I close my eyes. Maybe I can just sit here and rest for a while.

I've been running on adrenaline and fear, but my reserves are spent. I can't remember the last time I ate.

I cradle a hand across my abdomen, but I'm not going to think about what's going on inside of my body. Did Inde really impregnate me with that rod he shoved inside of me? Was it Viz'en's sperm? Or something else? Am I growing a beastie in my belly? Or maybe nothing happened at all. I'm a different species. Maybe it was just a power trip. A mechanical rape when Aezok realized he couldn't manage the real thing.

Fucker.

Shuddering, I move my hand away from my stomach. There's no use worrying about that right now.

After a few minutes of quiet breathing, for the first time my ears register the sounds of the jungle around me. The branches of the canopy snap and pop in an invisible wind, and bird calls echo, some sharp and high and some trilling. The trills remind me of Slimer when he's trying to manipulate me into giving him extra treats, and, before I can stop myself, I'm sobbing, cradling my face in my dirty hands.

I'll never get home again. An alien lab. An alien jungle. What does it matter? I'm alone and no one's going to help me.

I don't cry for long, and when I'm done, although my body is limp, my mind is a little clearer. I'm not dead yet. I have to keep trying.

I push myself to my feet, ignoring the pain of my sore muscles.

As soon as my head is above the protruding roots, a deep voice says, "There you are, mordren."

I squeak and flail, almost falling on my rear, before I recognize Viz'en. He's standing only a few feet away and watching me with an expression on his face I can't read.

My translator takes a moment to interpret that last word. Mordren. Hellcat.

Well, that's not very nice. I swipe my hands across my face. I don't want him to see the tracks of my tears. They're mine alone.

After another moment, I manage a shaky smile. "Why did you come back?"

He takes a step closer, the yellow sunlight making his skin glow golden red. "I changed my mind. I'm not going to let you escape punishment for your crimes. I'm going to bring you with me and hand you over to the authorities for kidnapping, performing illegal experiments, assault . . . And some other charges, too, I'm sure."

I blink rapidly, trying to decide if this is a good thing or not. On the one hand, he'll get me out of the jungle and away from Aezok if he's tracking us. On the other hand, do I want to go to alien jail? No, thank you.

"But I didn't kidnap you," I try to argue. "And I was a prisoner, too."

He shakes his head, his horns scraping against a dangling leaf, and gives me a disappointed look. "Don't try to lie to me. Save your stories for the police."

I stare at him, my busy brain cataloging his muddy boots, his sweaty skin. He doesn't look weak or dizzy though. Hopefully, he's shaking off the dregs of the infection in his jaw. He certainly looks haler than I feel.

He can get me out of this jungle, I have no doubt. He's strong. He's capable.

I straighten my hunched shoulders self-consciously.

And he"s right. I have a much better chance of convincing the authorities I was a prisoner than I do of convincing Viz'en. I'll be able to tell them about the ship that abducted me, the auction, and Aezok's abuse. My back is covered in scars. My arm is a withered thing. My body will testify on my behalf.

And if I help the police catch Aezok, maybe I can make a deal. I know I did terrible things to the beasties in the lab, but I never hurt Viz'en. I tried to take care of his injuries, even if he doesn't remember that. Just because I didn't bust him out doesn't mean I was responsible for keeping him in.

Hope bursts to life in my heart. Maybe there's a way home for me yet.

"Okay," I agree. I resist the urge to hop up and down. I don't have the energy to spare. And something tells me it'll irritate Viz'en. I need him to stick to his resolve to get me out of the jungle and into custody. He can dislike me as long as he takes me with him.

He frowns at me, his lips pulling tight over his stitched wounds. I'm going to have my work cut out for me.

BY nightfall, I've changed my mind. I don't want Viz'en to march me out of this jungle and turn me into the police. I want him to leave me to die in the dirt, where I can be still. And my muscles will turn to dust instead of the fiery ropes throbbing beneath my skin.

My abdomen is aching, a tight, swollen pain that makes me think my period is about to start. But I haven't had my period in a year. I've been too starved, too stressed. I'm not going to let myself think about the implications of that pain now. It's too soon for my body to feel any effects from a possible pregnancy.

A human pregnancy, that is.

Rocking on my heels, I stand still to look up to the sky, visible only as pinpricks of ink in the dark canopy. The jungle is still around me, the birds asleep. The air is warm and rich with the smells of vegetation and mud. It's so different from the sterile lab that I don't care if it"s actually kind of dank.

Maybe it's not even that smelly. Maybe my senses are blooming with too many new inputs. An increased sense of smell is definitely a pregnancy symptom.

Before I can stop my spiraling thoughts, my throat closes and tears punch at my eyes again. It has to be too soon for symptoms, right? It's been less than a day.

I suck down a shaky breath. It's in my head. I was raped with a metal rod wielded by a psycho alien. That's why I'm feeling teary and weak, why my core is aching and tight. I'm not pregnant with an alien baby. There's no way aliens and humans can reproduce together.

As if summoned by my spiraling thoughts, Viz'en steps to my side. He's still shirtless, and I can't stop my eyes from tracing the muscles of his abdomen. He has a belly button.

Shit.

My fingernails dig into my palms as I tighten my hands into fists at my side. That's okay. Orangutans can't reproduce with chimpanzees, even though they're both members of the great ape family. Even if aliens are mammalian and share similar DNA to humans, that's not enough for procreation.

My brain unhelpfully sends me images of ligers and mules, both perfectly ordinary hybrid species. I shut off that train of thought with a sharp mental yank.

All of these worries aren't helpful. Right now, we need to find a place to rest for the night. The light around us has darkened significantly over the past few minutes as the sun went down.

I shiver, telling myself I'm okay. I'm with Viz'en. He'll know how to find a safe place to sleep, where predators won't be able to reach us. He doesn't want to help me, but he also wants me to survive long enough to be punished for my supposed crimes.

Viz'en's eating a handful of small red fruits as he peers at the canopy level above us. My stomach grumbles audibly, but after sparing me a quick glance, he doesn't offer me any of the food.

I glance around, but too many trees have red berries. What if I grab the wrong kind?

That's okay. I'm used to being hungry. And I don't want to make any demands on him or provoke him in any way that he'll leave me behind. I look up, too, eyeing the vines dangling just over my head.

"We'll rest up there tonight," Viz'en announces. "If this jungle is where I think it is, there is only one large predator that would threaten us, and we'll have a better chance to see it approach from up high."

My scalp prickles. My head on a swivel, I scan the tall roots surrounding us. It's almost impossible to see more than a few yards in any direction. Something could be creeping up on us right now. I inch closer to Viz'en.

He jumps in the air and stretches, snagging a vine and yanking it down. When he lands, he gives it a few more experimental tugs, but it doesn't fall on top of his head. He grunts, then climbs a few feet up it, his biceps straining and abs flexing. I watch, admiring the play of muscles. He's thinner than when I first saw him, but his muscle mass is still formidable.

When the vine holds his weight, he climbs higher before calling down to me, "Wait until I reach the branch, then you climb, too."

I bite my lip, watching him move quickly upward. I can't climb the vine, but I don't want to tell him that. What if he decides I can just stay down here by myself? I look around, imagining eyes watching me in the growing darkness. I'd be a sitting duck.

I grasp the thick vine, fibers digging sharply into my palms. When Viz'en calls, I tug on it, pulling my body up until only my toes touch the dirt. Maybe if I knot it while I climb, I can make a footrest that will support my weight instead of trying to hold myself aloft with my weak arm. I let go and kneel, making a quick double knot at the base of the vine. I grab above my head again and balance my slippers on the knot, waiting anxiously, swaying slightly, as the vine moves under me.

It's a precarious start, but it's a start. Pinning the vine between my bad arm and my body, I try to make another knot at waist-level, but as soon as I move my feet to draw the old knot through the new loop, the vine slips from my hold, and I hit the dirt.

The impact slams my teeth into my upper lip and tears smart in my eyes. I glare through their film at the vine swaying in front of me. Rubbing the blood from my lip, shallow laceration, no stitches needed, I stand.

Be smarter, Mara, I admonish myself. I tie the second knot while still standing on the ground, and then reaching far above my head, I tie a third. That will get me about halfway up the vine. If I pause at the third knot and pull up the vine length below me, I should be able to make a sling to sit on for a while. I'll be able to regain my strength.

Eyeballing the canopy above, I realize I'll be able to reach a handful of other vines once I'm higher. I can sit in my sling while knotting another vine next to me, then go back and forth between them until I reach the top.

Determination filling me with renewed strength, I start to climb. The knots help a lot in keeping my weight off my weak arm, but the work is still grueling. The fibers dig into my palms, my thighs burn, trying to wrap around the vine as I wriggle upward, and my core muscles strain to the point that I'm shaking. Sweat streams down my face despite the rapidly cooling air, and I know I'm making ridiculous, futile grunts and gasps.

I don't know how long it takes to reach the canopy. At least three vine changes. It's fully dark by the time I flop onto the wide, smooth branch I've been aiming for. My body is a limp noodle, and I pant for a long time, staring at the myriad branches arching above me. I hurt, and I'm thirsty, but I can't move.

I should look for Viz'en, make sure I'm on the correct branch. But I can't roll over. I just need to be still for a while. My arms tremble. Blood trickles from the scrapes in my palms and my cut lip.

I did it. Pride burns in my chest. My eyelids flutter shut. In just a minute, I'll regroup. I'll find a spot to sleep. In one more minute.