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The pod launched Fanian out in front of the lodge, just like the night before. And like the night before that, he wasn’t at the processing center with his prey in hand.
He grumbled as he stalked toward the lodge doors. He didn’t bother waiting for the Dar’E tonight. The Dar’E’s prey and the mother had parted ways. Fanian had found that out only after he’d followed the Dar’E for most of the day. Another rumble came from his chest, thinking about all the time he’d wasted.
Fanian had failed today, but tomorrow he would be victorious.
He had to be.
What if he couldn’t find the mother in time to claim her and someone else did? He would have to turn his attentions to another female.
That would pose another problem. The longer Fanian stayed in the game, the more credits it cost him, eating into his profits. The reason Az’ud had hired him was that Fanian had a one hundred percent catch rate. There wasn’t anyone out there who could elude him.
A human female with two children shouldn’t pose any problem for him.
The Dar’E popped out to his right. By the look of his face, he was just as upset as Fanian at having to spend another night in the lodge. Fanian followed the Dar’E inside, splitting hallways, and for the first time since arriving, Fanian regretted he hadn’t splurged for a private suite.
The smell hit Fanian’s nose before he entered the room. The air in the communal living area was eye-watering. Days of hunters of various species with questionable personal grooming habits stuck in one place had made their mark. Fanian stepped over the threshold, and the pungent smell increased ten-fold.
Sweat, dirt, and desperation wafted throughout the room, filling every crack in the walls and clinging to the furniture. The hunters who’d arrived before him were already heading to the food processors. If they hadn’t spent any credits for day-time snacks, this would most likely be their second meal of the day, the first consumed before the morning alarm.
When it was his turn, he approached the food processor and swiped past one screen after the other until finally reaching the last one. If more hunters had requested this meal, it would’ve been found on one of the earlier screens, but seeing how he was the only Givvek on Turolois, he was the only hunter who required synthetic blood as a meal source.
After a few seconds, his meal was served in a biodegradable container warm to the touch. Fanian took his meal and bypassed the tables where some hunters had gathered to eat and made his way to his assigned cot. He sat and took a swig from the container. The warm liquid eased down his throat, instantly absorbed into his bloodstream. He allowed only a few seconds of pleasure, closing his eyes and inhaling a deep breath.
He took another drink. His body was already rejuvenating. The cells damaged by the oppressive heat healed. Muscle tears in his legs from pushing them beyond the norm all day quickly repaired themselves. When he was done, he threw the container away and settled onto his cot while taking a good look around the room.
Losers. The lot of them. And he was considered among their rank.
Each of them had underestimated the humans. They were supposed to be easy prey. Every other species knew of their weakness. They were so sheltered they needed protection from the Okuthyu. Without the Okuthyu, Earth would’ve been taken over years ago when it was first found as a fledging world at the far end of the galaxy.
Fanian snorted. If humans were so weak and vulnerable, as they were led to believe, why were most still in The Hunt? Every one of them should have been snatched up the very first day.
Fanian turned his attention toward the projected images high on the opposite wall where pictures of the remaining prey were displayed.
Five females remained, including the mother. Fanian squinted, counting that number again. His breaths deepened. Time was running out. One of the females had been caught today. The mother would surely be the next to go.
Fanian smelled a hunter approaching him from behind, putrid and unwashed. It was times like this that he wished his nose wasn’t so sensitive to smell. With the closeness of the quarters, Fanian wasn’t alarmed. Hunters were practically on top of each other. The proximity caused tempers to rise.
As if on cue, a skirmish broke out to his right. Some pushing and shoving and harsh words were exchanged, but nothing remarkable that would warrant a shock from their collars.
The hunter approaching stopped by his cot and stood over Fanian. The Zorvan looked at the projection as well. The Zorvan appeared strong and formidable. Their height, muscles, and plates covering some parts of their bodies were deceptive.
In reality, their skin was thin, which left their organs vulnerable. They also didn’t have good eyesight, but their sense of smell and hearing were extraordinary. Fanian doubted the Zorvan would advance to the next round. Especially a round where hunters were allowed to eliminate their competition by hurting or killing each other.
“Which one do you have your eyes on?” the other hunter asked.
“No one in particular. Just as long as I don’t go home empty-handed, I’ll be fine.” He kept his response generalized.
The hunter grunted and pointed to the mother’s picture. “I like that one, but no one can get near her because of the Dar’E. Once he picks out who he intends to claim from their group and gets out of the way, I’m going to capture her.”
There was no reason to let the other hunter know that the mother had already separated from the group. “There are plenty of others to choose from. Why not move on to one of them?”
“She bears children. The other females might not have this gift.” He fisted his hands onto his hips. “She will provide me with many children. Girls to sell and boys to help around my farm.”
Fanian slowly turned toward the hunter. He shouldn’t have been appalled by the hunter’s words, this wasn’t an ethical group. Yet, he was. The sooner he could leave this place, the better. “You would sell your own children?”
“Half-human children would fetch a reasonable price.” The hunter lifted his chin, sure of his words and that Fanian would agree. “There would be many who would want to breed with them or make them pets. I’ve never shunned away from an income source.”
Fanian knew he shouldn’t ask his next question, but he did anyway. “What would you do with the children she already has?”
The hunter shrugged. “I’m not paying extra for those when I can make my own.” He glanced pointedly around the room. “Someone here might want to catch them.”
Fanian also glanced around. Every hunter here wanted a human. That’s why they’d paid the exorbitant fee to enter the illegal game. Their investment would be paid ten-fold if they left with prize in hand, but for those who would leave empty-handed? The credits spent weren’t recoverable. He could see someone taking both or one child.
What would be in store for them? The question popped into his mind before he could stop it. He pushed it away just as quickly as it had come. What was in store for the mother, her children, or any other human on Turolois wasn’t his concern.
He had to separate morals from this venture. It was the only way he could stomach doing what he planned.
What was the difference between him and the Zorvan? Nothing really.
The thought made Fanian’s stomach turn. He swallowed hard, but couldn’t swallow his guilt. He needed to finish his task, leave Turolois and hope he would be able to live with himself after he gave the family to Az’ud.
“Good luck,” Fanian said, rising from his cot, signaling the end of the conversation.
“You never told me who you’re after?” the hunter yelled as Fanian made his way to the door.
He left the communal living area without answering him. Fanian paused briefly to breathe the fresh air circulating in the hallway, clearing his lungs of the vileness he’d left behind. After a few breaths, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to cleanse himself until he left this place.
He eyed where the hallway forked, leading to the executive suites. With the help of the Dar’E, he could go as early as tomorrow. That’s if the Dar’E had the connections Fanian hoped he did.
As Fanian made his way down the hall, he expected guards posted to keep out the unsavory characters. Then he thought about it more. Everyone on Turolois was unsavory. Maybe that’s why he was able to make his way to the executive suites unencumbered—that was the easy part. The next part would be figuring which suite belonged to the Dar’E.
Fanian sniffed around one of the doors. Clean. The room was unoccupied. He moved on to the next one. There was a heavy odor, but not the Dar’E’s. Fanian continued until he scented the Dar’E. If not for the smell, he would’ve still found it easily because of the noise coming from inside. The Dar’E was communicating with someone. Loudly. Fanian recognized the deep baritone. His voice was a harsh and abrasive rasp.
“I don’t need another lecture from you, Bradliix,” the Dar’E growled out. “You’re my assistant. Not my conscious.”
“And I wish I didn’t have to give you another lecture, Xrez, but here we are.” The speaker’s voice was somewhat muffled as if it came from a communication device.
“Have your say. Let’s get this over with. I have another big day ahead of me tomorrow and need to rest,” Xrez replied.
“That’s what I want to talk about. You’ve already saved many of the humans from being taken immediately. You’ve done what you’ve set out to do. There’s no need for you to venture into the game another day. Let this play out as it should.”
“You’ve seen them. They still need my help. Without me keeping hunters at bay, dismantling traps, and giving the humans pointers, they would all be gone in a day and none of them would advance to Level Two.”
“You’ve done far too much as it is—”
“And I need to do more,” Xrez said, cutting the speaker off harshly.
“You are the new Game Warden. It is not your job to help prey to the next Level. Your job is to ensure hunters are getting their credits worth by keeping the gaming arena new, and refreshing.”
“Providing hunters with formidable prey is my job as Game Warden.” There was a loud growl. “I don’t know what my father was thinking with this idea of his.”
“I wish you would trust in your father and trust the process, Xrez.”
“This is something that I can’t leave to fate, Bradliix. My father’s legacy and my tenure as the new Game Warden depends on a successful hunt.”
Fanian smiled to himself and backed away from the door. The information he had was far greater than he could’ve imagined. He wanted to bang on the door and reveal all that he had discovered, right then and there.
Patience.
He had to decide what he would do with this information and how best it would suit him.
* * *
MIRANDA HUDDLED WITH her kids under a tree with big purple leaves. The leaves were huge and spread out in big fronds. They blocked out the waning sun, obstructed the sky, and gave them protection from the relentless rain. Although the leaves wouldn’t provide any kind of protection against predators, she felt somewhat safe.
After the evening alarm had sounded, she’d cried. Relieved, they’d survived another day, and without coming into contact with any alien hunters or animals who wanted to steal Lexi away. She didn’t have to worry about Adam noticing her tears. The fat raindrops provided a perfect cover to hide her anxiety.
She busied herself, using a dab of baby soap and water to scrub Lexi’s cloth diapers. She couldn’t get them thoroughly clean, but they were clean enough. The kids were out of their wet clothes, fed, tucked into the sleeping bag, and drifting off to sleep when Ben’s strained voice came over the comlink. “Ben, here. Esme? Are you out there?”
Miranda paused from laying out the wet clothes and frowned. Had Esme left Ben too? Why would she go? Without Miranda and her kids dragging them down, Ben and Esme could’ve made a formidable team.
“This is Payton. Esme is with me.”
Miranda stiffened. Something must’ve happened for Esme to end up with Payton. Something bad.
An audible sigh came from Ben’s comlink. “Where is she? Let me speak to her.”
“We’re holed up in a cave,” Payton responded.
Hmm. Could they be in the rocky mountainous area she’d seen from the bridge?
“I wish I could tell you where, but I have no clue,” Payton continued. “She’s sleep. I’m watching her snore. Do you want me to wake her up for you?”
“No, no. We had a harrowing day. Some of those aliens set a trap for us, and I got hurt.” Ben grunted in pain. “My ankle is sliced up really bad here.”
Miranda slumped. She’d been right. Something had happened. She scrubbed a hand down her face. They would never forgive her. After all the help they’d given her, she’d left them when they needed her. With a banged-up ankle, how would Ben survive now?
“Are you going to be okay?” Payton asked.
“Yeah, eventually. I called for a first aid pod-thingie, and I’ve got my ankle wrapped. I found a hollowed-out tree. I think I’ll stay here a while to recover.”
“I’m sorry, Ben,” Miranda said, fighting through her guilt. With hands gripping the side of her face, she shook her head over and over again. “If I was there, maybe I could’ve helped you.”
“Miranda?” Ben let out a strangled sound. “We were so worried about you. The kids?”
She glanced at them. Exhaustion had finally won, and they were both deep in sleep. “They’re fine.”
“Good,” Ben said. “I’m glad you guys weren’t here. There wasn’t anything you could’ve done. I’m happy you and the kids are safe. How about everyone else?”
“Min? Yesenia?” Danny asked in a tight voice.
“Here,” Min said.
“Here,” Yesinia said, choking out a cry.
“Where’s Kaylin?” Ben asked.
“She’s...she’s gone,” Danny said in a pained breath. “They set a trap for us too. She stepped into some kind of netting, and we couldn’t get her out. We...left her.”
Miranda inhaled a sharp breath. This was the second time someone mentioned a trap. She hadn’t thought about those. She’d spent the day watching out for aliens. Not traps.
Payton inhaled sharply. “What?!”
“We should’ve tried harder to save her!” Yesenia wailed.
First Spencer and Mary Ann, now Kaylin. They were being taken away one-by-one. Miranda forgot about the wet clothes and climbed into the sleeping bag with her kids and hugged them tightly, needing them close.
Are we next?
“We tried our hardest to get her out,” Danny said. “If we hadn’t left when we had, we would’ve been caught too.”
“Danny’s right,” Min said with a sniffle. “They almost got me too, but I was able to fight one-off and poke him through the eye with a sharp stick.” She sniffled again. “I had to call a pod. And even then, I was dumped right in front of a different hunter, and because we can’t call for pods one after the other, I couldn’t escape.”
“Oh, God, Min,” Yesenia cried.
“I’m fine. Luckily he didn’t want me. He just wrestled with me for a few minutes, then stopped abruptly and basically told me that I did nothing for him, and he wouldn’t claim me.”
“Listen,” Payton interjected. “I know you guys like grouping up, but you can’t do that anymore. When they saw the four of you together, they probably thought it was a smorgasbord of prey. Remember what Esme’s alien said? We have to survive. That’s all we have to do to win and go home.
Whoever brought us here only gave us a means to escape and food so we could make this hunt more interesting for them. We weren’t meant to win it. We know the aliens leave when the alarm sounds in the evening and come back in the morning. So you know what we should do?”
“Hide during the day and only come out for food and other necessities at night,” Ben said.
That didn’t sound like a bad idea. Miranda had stressed all day wondering when the hunters would pop out from behind one tree or another to take them away. She’d thought it was inevitable. She didn’t have any discernable survival skills worth mentioning as Ben had. But if they could hide during the day and only come out at night, they’d at least have a fighting chance of making it through the rounds and going home.
“Exactly!” Payton confirmed. “For the past two nights, I’ve been out scouting for different hiding places, calling for food pods, getting everything I need. Then, during the day, I sleep. I only ran into Esme because I was thirsty and had wandered too far from my rocks.”
“Your rocks?” Min asked.
“The pods can’t get through the rocks, so I’ve been sticking close to rocky terrain. If the aliens are caught here when the evening alarm goes off, they get a terrible shock. They have to be where a pod can pick them up when the evening alarm sounds. At least that part is in our favor.”
Maybe we should head toward that rocky area? Was that toward the West?
Miranda chewed on her bottom lip. It was so far, though. It would take them days to make it there. A pod? Although there was no guarantee a pod would take them exactly there. As far as she could tell, the pods were random with no way to direct them toward any specific destination.
Miranda picked up Adam’s wrist. He still had three lines next to his pod icon. So did Lexi. Because she’d used a pod to leave Ben and Esme, then another to get away from the not-monkey area, she only had one line left. Together they had enough pods to give it a try.
One of them would eventually take them to the rocky area or close to it. Could she be frivolous as to waste pods meant to help their escape?
She sighed. No. She had to keep the pods for emergency use only. Like getting away from hunters and baby-napping animals.
“In the state I’m in, I won’t be wandering anywhere anytime soon,” Ben said.
“That’s smart, Payton,” Yesenia said through sniffles. “I’m going to look for a hiding spot. Right now, I’m out in the open.”
“I’m going to do the same,” Min confirmed.
“While you’re out, stock up on food and water,” Payton added.
“Thanks, Payton,” Danny said.
Miranda had plenty of food and water, but for good measure, she used her comlink, Adam’s, and Lexi’s to call for more, stuffing the water canvases and protein bars in Lexi’s already heavy diaper bag.
She glanced around her small space. She could barely see out, which meant it would be hard for anyone to see in. It would also be hard to keep two active children quiet during the day. But she had to try. Their survival and freedom depended on it.
She should set some traps of her own. How hard could it be? She’d seen enough survival shows to know the basics.
Miranda fought off a yawn. Her eyes were heavy, but she had to get to work unless she wanted them to end up like Mary Ann, Spencer, and now Kaylin.
Her kids depended on her, and she wouldn’t let them down.