This is it. This is how I die. Well, at least I died trying to protect another person. That was the only solace that Ciro could find, with the maw of the beast edging closer to his face.

  Resigned to fate, his arms slowly gave way when a loud metallic clang echoed. A sharp metal pole impaled through the top of the dog’s head. The beast froze, its glowing eyes widening as a sickening crunch filled the air. Green congealed blood oozed from its head, which dripped down onto Ciro’s face. His eyes dilated as the pole’s tip stopped right in front of him, an inch more, and he would have been blinded.

  The alien monster’s multiple eyes trembled as it collapsed on top of Ciro. Yet he couldn’t let out a sigh of relief. He peered over the dog’s thick fur. A woman loomed over him, her face shadowed by the harsh alien light. With both hands, she withdrew the makeshift weapon from the creature’s skull.

  More viscous blood splattered onto Ciro’s face, the metallic taste coating his lips. The creature let out one final growl before its body went limp. “Ugh!” He groaned, choking on the rancid smell of the creature.

  The two women shoved the beast off him, its lifeless body flopping to its side. Ciro rolled over, gasping for air. He wiped his face frantically with his suit, the sticky, dark blood staining his skin. He stood, swaying slightly as his vision spun. Ciro turned to thank the woman when her expression shifted to something resembling fury.

  “It’s… You!” Her voice was venomous.

  Ciro froze, his eyes squinting, trying to see if he recognized her. His savior stood tall, wearing the same gray suit that stressed her height. She had tied her dirt-streaked blonde hair in a ponytail, and her blue eyes burned with rage, stiffening

  Ciro under her gaze. He watched as her grip tightened on the pole, its smooth metal reflecting in the light. Before he could react, she swung at him.

  She twisted the pole overhead in an arc before carrying the momentum towards Ciro. The air whistled as the weapon swung towards him.

  Ciro staggered backwards, his feet faltered, as he scrambled to avoid the sudden attack. “Whoa, what the hell is wrong with you?!”

  “Die you fucking bastard!” She screamed, thrusting the pole back and forth like a spear aiming for Ciro’s head.

  Ciro crouched down, weaving his head through the relentless assault. The woman lurched forward once more, but Ciro saw an opportunity. Sticking his leg out as the woman moved towards him, the woman toppled over onto the uneven ground.

  “Come on, relax.” Ciro put his hands out, showing he meant no harm. What the hell did I do? He turned his attention to the other woman, who seemed stunned by everything.

  She must have felt his gaze, their eyes meeting, before she looked back at the woman with the weapon. “Stop it Carina! What’s wrong with you?” She rushed over before standing beside Ciro.

  Tears streamed down the face of the blonde woman, who seemed to go by the name Carina. Her vision was blurry amid the crying, but she still seemed only focused on Ciro, looking past the woman with the braids. I’ve never known a Carina in my life, damn it. She’s clearly got the wrong guy!

  “Get out of the way, Alya, he’ll kill you!” Her grip tightened on the pole, pointing at them both. She slowly got up, dust sliding off her gray suit.

  “Oh no, no, hang on.” Ciro stammered, his hands quivering.

  She charged towards them.

  Instantly, the other woman, who she called Alya, rushed to meet her, attempting to push her away. “Carina, what happened to you?” she said, gritting her teeth.

  Carina barely budged. She twisted free, pivoting on her front foot, aiming another slash at Ciro. The edge caught his cheek, slicing open a fresh wound. His legs nearly gave out from under him.

  “Are you shitting me right now?!” he gasped, stumbling further away.

  “Get out of my way!” Carina barked, placing her forearm against the other woman’s chest. “You have no idea who he is!”

  Alya stretched out her arm as a barrier. “He saved me! And now you’re trying to kill him? What is wrong with you?!”

  Carina kept her weapon close. “Move. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

  The other woman rotated with her. “I’m not moving!”

  Ciro raised a shaky hand. “I’m right here, y’know.” wiping more blood off his face. “Could we maybe handle this without you trying to… stab me?”

  Carina snarled in frustration, her expression growing more aggressive. She lunged again, but the second woman met her head on, grabbing the neck of her suit. Their boots scuffed against the gritty ground as they wrestled.

  “Stop it!”

  “You don’t know what he is!” she yanked herself free, twisting the woman’s wrist. In one motion, she shoved the other woman to the ground, making another move towards Ciro.

  But the other woman kicked out her leg, tripping her up.

  “Look at him! Does he look like a threat to you? He looked like expired chocolate milk.”

  What the hell is that supposed to mean? Ciro raised his eyebrows.

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  “He’s not what you think.” She muttered.

  “And you think killing him is the best way to solve this?” she pushed herself back to her feet, her fists clenched tightly. “He saved my life, whether you like it or not. Whatever you think he’s done, you don’t repay them this way.”

  Carina’s jaw tightened, but she remained silent. She stood, lowering her weapon. “This isn’t over.” She let out a frustrated sigh, turning on her heel and pacing towards the other woman. She turned sharply, continuing her pace. “You’ll regret letting him live.”

  Ciro, still catching his breath, steadied himself. He let out a weak chuckle, placing his hands on his thighs. “Fantastic. Just what I needed. Someone else wants me dead now.”

  The second woman glanced at him, annoyance clear on her face. “Maybe try being less of a disaster next time. You almost got yourself killed.”

  Ciro couldn’t help but let a frown show on his face. “Bitch, I came to save you and you’re calling me a disaster.”

  “And I saved you from her.” She pointed towards the blonde woman, who leaned on a large boulder. She still seemed to look at Ciro with a predatory gaze. Looking for a slight hint of weakness from him.

  “Point taken.” Ciro smiled bitterly.

  The woman reached out her hand. “You probably gathered our names. I’m Alya, she’s Carina.” She used her thumb to point at the blonde woman over her shoulder. “What’s yours?”

  Ciro took her hand reluctantly. Alya huh, although she seemed friendly, Ciro had to remain on guard now. She was friends with the blonde woman. They could easily change their minds and conspire to kill him.

  “Ciro.”

  Alya smirked, peering at his hand as he shook hers. A silence fell over them. Alya waited for him to continue.

  “Oh, uh Adams. Ciro Adams.” He stammered.

  “Well, Ciro Adams, it’s nice to meet you. Y’know, you can let go of my hand now.”

  Ciro didn’t realize he had a death grip on her hand, continuously shaking without remorse. He cleared his throat before letting go. “I’m sorry, uh, I didn’t realize. Listen, you’re human, right?”

  Alya smiled, dimples forming at the corner of her cheeks. She giggled at him, making him feel embarrassed. “Of course I’m human.”

  She turned away, her hand comforting a wound on her hip. Ciro swung his head back, disbelief taking over. He looked at the lifeless beast that had been killed, his mind fragmented with the memories of the brutal fight and then flashing further back to that alien he had the misfortune of encountering.

  “Then…do you know where we are? Do you know what’s going on?” Ciro asked, his hands slick with sweat, as he wiped them down his pants.

  “I don’t know, but she does,” she pointed at Carina. “Hey Carina, can you finally tell me what’s going on?”

  Carina sighed, stepping towards them. Her eyes darted to each corner of the small open area they were in. “First, let’s go inside. I’ll tell you what you need to know.” She nodded her head towards the dark tunnel.

  She can’t be serious about going there. What if there were more eight-legged dogs waiting for us? Ciro shivered at the thought. Fighting one was taxing enough. Adding any more would have his death written in stone.

  Carina moved into the tunnel, half her body engulfed in shadows. “Hurry up then Alya.” She smiled towards her, but she didn’t seem to even regard Ciro, treating him like he was air.

  Alya looked towards the tunnel that she had run out from before looking back at Ciro. She slowly made her way towards the tunnel, following behind Carina.

  “I’m coming too.” Ciro called out before chasing after them into the tunnel. He remembered the blue screen that seemed to hover in front of him. In all the danger, it seemed to disappear. What if I use that stiggy thing I got?

  Use peek. His eyes narrowed, focusing on Alya’s back. Suddenly, a new screen appeared before him.

  You peeked at [Alya Okafor]

  [STATUS] Alya Okafor Race: Earthling lvl 1

  HP: 5/10

  SE (Stigma Energy): 10/10

  STR: 1

  DEX: 4

  END: 4

  INT: 8

  PER: 4

  CHA: 8

  LCK: 2

  It worked. He let out a sigh of relief. Alya hadn’t lied. She was human and from Earth. He felt a slight comfort knowing he wasn’t alone, that there were other people who could relate to his struggle.

  He trudged towards them, his eyes trailing to the one leading them. Carina. Who was she? And how did she know him? He tried to focus on her figure, activating his ability for a second time.

  Peek is on cooldown (23 seconds)

  Damn it. You stupid screen, show me what I need.

  “Did you say something?” Alya asked, peering behind her shoulder.

  “Nothing.” Ciro grumbled. “Let’s just go.” He walked beside her as they followed Carina into the dark tunnel. The faint light from behind them seemed to be swallowed by the void of darkness. With each step, the air felt cooler. Ciro’s feet seemed to submerge under the damp ground.

  His nose wrinkled under the smell of moss that clung to the walls. Beside him, Alya’s eyes darted to each crevice of shadow that clasped the arched walls like a constrictor, shifting and deepening to warn intruders away.

  A small staircase led to a shaky platform above. Carina began climbing. Her dirty hands trailed along the rail, she tapped against it using her fingernails. The sound echoed across the tunnel.

  “Why did you leave this place, Alya? I told you it was safe here.” Her voice appeared sweet to Ciro, but he wasn’t fooled. There was a layer of anger and deceit that ran through her tone.

  “There was an enormous dog with eight legs, for God’s sake. I’m sorry I got scared.” Alya replied in a strained voice, her jaw clenched tight.

  Carina stood by the platform as Ciro and Alya both climbed the stairs. “It’s not good enough. We need to survive.”

  Once they reached the platform, Ciro felt Carina’s harsh stare on him. He asked the burning question that gnawed at him when he first got here. “Survive what? Where are we?”

  He was completely ignored. Carina opted to help Alya, making sure she was okay and not injured heavily.

  Alya, noticing his unanswered question, grabbed her by the shoulders. “Carina, I haven’t known you for long. But I can see you know something. Tell us. Tell me. I’m sick of being in the dark.”

  Carina pushed her hands away. She looked away, carefully considering what to say. “We’ve been abducted.”

  Ciro threw his arms out. “Holy shit, we got Sherlock Holmes in the building.” Why did he think he’d get answers from a crazy woman who seemed to hate him, without even so much as a conversation?

  Both women ignored his tirade. Alya stared at her expectantly.

  “We’re on one of many planets, owned by the Exofront. A show that pits all manner of beings from across the universe in a fight for survival.”

  “So—so how far are we from Earth? Can we get back?” Alya asked, her breathing becoming shaky.

  “This may be hard to believe, but hundreds of years have passed. The Earth has been destroyed. We’re the last few humans remaining.”