SCA Read online

  The big man clutching Abigail’s arm began to tug her toward the back of the room toward a dark blue door. Her heart slammed against her chest as she frantically tried to think of a way to escape, but her mind was muddled and her limbs seemed to hang uselessly from her body.

  Just as they reached the blue door, the sharp sound of wood splintering filled the house. The walls seemed to vibrate ominously.

  Chaos erupted as the man holding her abruptly let her go. When she turned, the only thing she could see were the eight men that had followed them inside the house. They formed a circle around something or someone in the middle.

  Suddenly a shimmering glow caught her attention, forcing her to blink. One by one the men leaped at the glowing man, doing their best to take him down. Her eyes widened as she watched as each man fell to a heap on the floor. Some were gasping for air while others lay unmoving, knocked out on the floor.

  Abigail felt bile rise to the back of her throat as she stared at the men on the floor. Was this a rescue or someone who intended her harm as well? Once again, she tried to get up, the haze starting to lift slightly and leaving a dull ache in her head and body.

  Strong hands reached for Abigail, fingernails carving little crescents into the skin on her arms. Pain spiked through her, chasing away the remaining fog that had gathered around her mind.

  Spinning around, Abigail found Cecilia glaring at her angrily. Her eyes were glowing an angry red and her mouth was beginning to twist into a sinister grin. She watched in horror as razor sharp fangs began to elongate, protruding in every direction. They dripped with blood and seemed to move like a chainsaw. Surely, she was just seeing things. She closed her eyes and shook her head, but when she opened them the scene was still the same.

  “You belong to us,” she screeched. The high pitched keening made Abigail flinch and cover her ears. The two women began to struggle and Abigail realized she was no match for this woman—alien--and before she knew what was happening, Cecilia had her pinned against the wall.

  Her mouth was inching dangerously close to Abigail’s face when, suddenly, she stopped, the bright red fading from her eyes.

  Cecilia fell to a heap at her feet, a large knife protruding from the back of her skull.

  Standing in front of Abigail, covered in splotches of thick, black goo, the glowing man stared at her.

  “Are you okay?” the man with the glowing skin asked. It wasn't as bright now, and he didn't have any splotches of anything on him.

  "You hurt me, you mean bully," Cecilia said, slapping at the man.

  Abigail saw that Cecilia had been forced to sit in a chair. She had no fangs or red eyes. She'd been hallucinating.

  "I was seeing things, I think," Abigail said still unable to get the fear of Cecelia's monster transformation out of her head.

  Reaching out, he gently cupped her face, turning her head this way and that. His large thumbs smoothed over her cheeks, checking for any harm. Her heart launched itself into her throat at his touch.

  "They poisoned you, you were probably seeing all kinds of things. The plant they used doesn't last very long. It should be starting to work its way out of your system. Are you starting to feel better?"

  Her mouth grew dry again. The sheer presence of this . . . man standing in front of her was causing her insides to warm and a flush to rise to her cheeks. “I-I th-think so,” she stammered.

  “Good. We need to get out of here before more of them come.”

  “W-what were they going to do to me?” she stammered as she stared at the bodies on the floor.

  He just shook his head. “You don’t want to know.”

  “I think I do,” she said.

  He released an annoyed breath and sheathed his knife. He looked at the table where her tea mug still sat. Picking it up, he took a whiff and grimaced as he placed it back down on the table.

  “They were actually probably going to strap you down and give you another type of tea made by the lust flower. It would make you consent and at the moment think it was all your idea. It’s a strangely powerful and strong plant.”

  Abigail felt her stomach turn and acid rising in her throat. She hated these men. “Make me consent? What exactly does that mean?”

  He arched a brow at her. “What do you think it means?”

  For a minute, she was confused, and then realization slammed into her with the force of a wrecking ball. “Oh.”

  He nodded. “I know, don’t think about it, at least I got to you in time.”

  Angry shouts sounded from outside the house. Reaching out, he took her by the hand. She was surprised that his touch was gentle. It was an odd contrast considering his size and the fact that he was glowing.

  The man is freaking glowing! Her mind punctuated.

  “Come on. We need to get out of here.”

  Abigail allowed him to pull her through the house until they found a back door that led out into a garden.

  “Hold your breath,” he said as he began to pull her through the rows. Not having any choice but to trust him, she took a deep breath and trudged behind him. They plunged into the ten-foot-tall rows of gray plants.

  She noted, as they walked through the rows, that the plants resembled the corn stalks from earth. They were tall and the tops were tasseled with blood red plumes.

  Abigail’s lungs began to burn and just as the edges of her vision began to blur, they emerged from the strange garden. Unfortunately, she didn't wait long enough to take a breath and a stench burned her nose and caused her to gag.

  "What the hell?"

  "The plants, onion stalks, they'll take your breath away."

  “Where are we going?” Abigail asked as they crouched down behind some barrels.

  “We were going into the forest over there,” he said pointing at the towering trees that seemed to be lively and bright.

  “Were?”

  He nodded grimly and pointed at the tree line. “See those creatures over there?”

  She nodded eyeing the dozens of doglike creatures pacing in front of the forest.

  “Those are Hawthorne hounds. They are specifically trained to track humans. Once they catch your scent, they will hunt until they find and catch you. There is no escaping them and it’s almost impossible to kill them. Their underbellies are covered with a thick shell that protects them. The fur on their backs is razor sharp and will slice anything that gets too close.”

  There was no suppressing the shudder that covered her. She looked down, realizing that her hand was still being clutched tightly by the stranger. It felt protective. She liked it.

  “So, what are we going to do?” she asked in a frantic whisper.

  “We’re going over there,” he said as he pointed to a dark patch of trees. Some of the trees were tall and spindly while others looked to be at least a hundred feet around. Some of the trunks were covered in a tar-like substance, while others were covered in black vegetation. There were no leaves on the limbs of the trees, only thick black thorns that looked to be the size of her arms.

  “In there?” she squeaked. His hand tightened reassuringly around hers.

  He gave her a slow nod, not bothering to hide the grim look on his face.

  “Come on, we need to go before they see us. Keep quiet and stay low.” His voice was low and gravely.

  They waited until a group of men hurried past them. Once the coast was clear, they ran as fast and as hard as they could. It was only after they entered the forest that they stopped, hidden in the shadows.

  Chapter Three

  Abigail’s chest rose and fell as she tried to catch her breath.

  “Come on. We need to keep going,” he said as she doubled over with her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath.

  “Give me a moment, please. The air . . . it’s different . . . here.” She wheezed as she tried to breathe the thick air. For the first time since she’d been on the planet, her lungs burned. They’d gone up a hill, so she thought maybe that was contributing to her inability to b
reathe.

  He nodded knowingly and reached for something inside a leather satchel on his hip. “Here, this will help.” He pressed a button and a plastic shield unfolded from a silver sphere. It was about the size of a grapefruit.

  Gently he pressed the mask to her face, holding it firmly in place. He then pressed a button and a puff of air hit her face, startling her at first. Suddenly, it was as if the hold on her lungs was lessened and she could breathe.

  She drew in another greedy gulp before he pulled it away.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  He folded the mask and pressed another button on the sphere. A tiny compartment opened up and he put the mask back in place.

  “Are you ready?”

  “I guess. Why did you have that?" Abigail pointed at the little mask as he put it up.

  "When we came here the air was hard for us to breathe, too. I always have it in case I run into someone else out here. You get used to it, but if you do too much physical activity it can make it harder.”

  Taking her hand once more, they entered the bowels of the forest. “Stick close,” he whispered. “I’m not familiar with these woods.”

  She didn’t have to be told twice as she tightened her grip on his hand. They walked in silence for what felt like hours. Only their footfalls could be heard over the barren ground, and even those sounded like gunshots in her ears.

  They finally made it to a little clearing and stopped. “I think here is good,” he said as he turned and looked around them. To their left was a giant rock wall with a yawning black hole. “We can sleep in there tonight,” he said walking toward the cave’s opening.

  When she didn’t move he looked back at her. He jerked his head, trying to get her to move forward. She stayed where she was, her legs refusing to move.

  “In there?” She squeaked feeling her stomach starting to flip.

  “I think it will be for the best. It’s not likely they followed us in here, but we shouldn’t take any chances. I will be easier to see in the night time.”

  “Oh. Right,” she said lamely.

  Feeling like she had no other choice, she nodded and clutched at the strap of her purse.

  “Wait here,” he said as they reached the entrance of the cave.

  She watched as he slowly walked into the entrance the glow of his unusual body filling the darkness. The light soon grew fainter and before long, she could no longer see him. Fear clawed at her insides as she waited. What if someone had followed them? What if they were watching them right now and just waiting for them to lower their guard to pounce?

  Her imagination began to run wild as the sky overhead began to grow darker and darker. The picture of Cecelia's scary fangs flashed through her mind. The seconds turned into minutes and just as she was about panic, she saw a faint glow. Relief flooded her as he approached.. She never thought she’d be happy to see an oddly sexy yet glowing man.

  Sexy? Wait. What?! She tried to shake away the tiny voices in her head, and when he stopped in front of her, she felt her cheeks begin to burn with embarrassment.

  “It’s a little cramped but I think it will work for the night. This is the only way in so we don’t have to worry about someone ambushing us.”

  “But what if they come through the front? Won’t we be trapped?”

  “Essentially, yes,” he said grimly. “I don’t think it will come to that, though. They can’t really track us. Come on. It’s getting dark and we need to get inside.”

  Taking her by the hand, he pulled her into the dark cavern. Thankful for the walking flashlight, it wasn’t as intimidating as it seemed from the outside. The walls resembled cave walls from Earth. There was nothing remarkable about them.

  Something close to the ceiling caught her attention, but she didn’t pay attention, figuring it was a spider or some type of bug. Since she wasn’t afraid of either, she dismissed it.

  They rounded a corner where a small flame was burning gently. “It can’t get too big or someone might see,” he said as he removed a shirt from the pack at his hip and tugged it over his body. It doused a majority of his glowing skin, leaving only his face and hands.

  “Sorry, there aren’t any blankets to sit on.” He sat down by the fire and crossed his legs.

  “It’s okay,” she said as she sat in front of him. “Does it get really cold here at night?”

  “Yes, that’s why I built the fire. There’s about an hour where it will be really cold outside.”

  Silence filled the space around them.

  “Thank you,” she suddenly said, when the silence had become too much for her to bear.

  He just stared at the fire. “You stole my boat,” he said gruffly.

  She frowned. “I didn’t know what else to do. The people who took me, or aliens, they were chasing me. I didn't see any way over the water.”

  He didn’t offer any answer, he just sat in silence.

  “Why does your skin do that?” she blurted, feeling heat rise into her cheeks.

  “Why does your skin do that?” he asked in turn.

  She gave him a puzzled look. “My skin’s not doing anything.”

  The corner of his mouth ticked up in a smile. Her heart fluttered and the muscles between her thighs tightened.

  “Neither is mine,” he said with a wide smile.

  She frowned. “You’re glowing.”

  He looked down at his hands and turned them over and then back again. “To me, it is normal. However, I can see how it would be alarming to a human.”

  “What are you?” she blurted again. She really needed to learn how to curb her curiosity. Especially while she was sitting directly across from a man with glowing skin and damn good looks. She sounded like a three-year-old and wondered why she'd suddenly become so awkward.

  “I’m from a planet called Sarta. I’m known as Lingonian.”

  “Oh.” That was all she could say because what else was there to say. She was on another planet. She was having a hard enough processing the spaceship, then throw in the fact that she was sitting in a cave on some awful hell planet. She thought it sounded kind of like he was Italian.

  “What’s your name?” she asked, feeling the deep seated need to know more about him.

  He turned his eyes and stared at her as if he was sizing her up and trying to decide if she was worthy enough to know his name. “My name is Sca,” he finally said.

  She said it slowly, trying to figure out how it felt in her mouth. “Well, Sca,” she finally said, “my name is Abigail.”

  He inclined his head in her direction. “Nice to meet you, Abigail.” The slow way her name rolled off his lips sent shivers racing the length of her spine. Several long moments passed before she finally looked away.

  “You should probably get some rest. You’ve been through a lot,” he said huskily. He cleared his throat and shifted his position until his back was leaning against the cave wall.

  “Right.” She looked at the hard-packed ground around her. Either she was too tired to care about dirt, or she was delusional, but lying down was all too inviting.

  With a tired yawn, she curled up on her side facing the fire. Before long, her eyes fell closed. Her last thought was how sexy this Lingonian man named Sca truly was.

  Tick. Tick. Click. Click. Tick. Tick. Abigail’s eyes slowly lifted as the bizarre noise reached her ears. Pushing herself into a sitting position, she winced as her joints, muscles, and body resisted. The fire had all but gone out. The only light was coming from the soft glow of Sca’s face. It seemed to be softer and dimmer as he slept.

  Slowly, she turned her head from left to right but saw no sign of the noise. As she was readjusting and trying to get comfortable, she heard the sound again. Tick. Tick. Click. Click. Tick. Tick.

  Her eyes widened as she looked one way and then another. She opened her mouth to say his name but the walls started moving around them, slowly melting to the ground in front of them a sliding across the floor.

  Abigail screamed and tried to mov
e but it was too late, the black sludge was crawling over her legs. But the further it got the more she realized it wasn’t sludge. They were beetles, thousands upon thousands of beetles covering her ankles and legs.

  The beetles split and began to cover Sca, dropping down on his shoulder and torso. “Sca!” Abigail screamed as she finally thrust herself to her feet and began to shake the bugs free.

  Sca’s eyes sprang open and a look of sheer terror filled his face. Jumping to his feet so quickly, he slammed his head against the low-lying rock ceiling. He yelped in pain and began manically brushing them off. They hurried to the opening of the cave and when they looked behind them the bugs followed, rapidly gaining on them.

  “They’re after something and if they don’t get it they will follow us everywhere!”

  “They’re just beetles,” she said with a frown as the stepped out into the darkness.

  “They’re after your bag. What is in there? Give it to me!” he barked as he thrust his hand at her.

  She frowned and turned away from his grasp. “Uh, how about ‘no’!”

  “Damn it, woman,” he said taking a menacing step forward. One of the beetles fell out of his hair and onto his shoulder. He shivered and flicked it away. He muttered something under his breath but she didn’t understand.

  Finally, she rummaged through her purse, smiling when she came up with several pieces of bread. Without thinking, she tossed it into the trees and watched as the bugs did a U-turn and went in the opposite direction.

  “Looks like we’re going the long way around,” he muttered as he began to walk opposite direction.

  “What? Why?”

  “Because if those things are around, you can bet there is something far worse the deeper we go. No thank you. I think we will go around.” He grunted as he marched through the brush.

  “You’re scared of beetles.”

  He spun around her, taking a step closer. He towered over her and for the first time, she noticed how big he truly was.

  Lifting her chin defiantly, she dared him to say something further.

  “I’m not scared of beetles; I just don’t care for them. What I do care for, though, is getting my ass and yours out of this safely.” He said it in such a tone that sounded as if he was obligated to save her.