His Terran Treasure

Chapter 4 : Escape

She woke up with a feeling of euphoria. Today is the day. She will succeed. She will be free. She will show these space fish that she isn't anybody's slave. She got up, made the bed, and then stretched her muscles. She rolled her neck and shoulders, and mentally prepared herself. She started her exercise routine, and was busy with push ups, when Suklo came in, putting her food close to the door. She watched him through her hair, making a quiet promise that he is going down hard. He was quiet as always, and she kept quiet too. Since learning that he was the one in her house, she hated his guts with a fiery vengeance. She kept pushing her body away from the floor, keeping count in her head. She envisioned breaking his arms and his ribs. She didn't necessarily want him dead, but she wanted him to suffer.

She exercised untill Deklan brought in her lunch. 'How long till we reach your destination?' she asked, stretching. 'We will reach Loso in about ninety Earth days' he answered. 'What will happen then?' she asked, feigning concern and a tinge of fear. 'Then you will be sold to the highest bidder' he said, looking at her with pity in his eyes. 'Like fudge I will, shortcake' she thought to herself. 'Why?' she asked, taking the containers and sitting down cross legged. 'Human slaves are strong. And once their will is broken, they make excellent workers' he said, 'human slaves are in high demand'. He was looking at his feet, she took that as a sign that he felt slightly guilty. 'How many humans did you kidnap?' she asked. She genuinely wanted to know. He was quiet for so long, she thought he wouldn't answer. 'You are the fifty second' he explained 'we can't take more than ten every few years. That will arouse suspicion. We watch you humans closely, and you are an aggressive species'. He sat down next to her. She was taken aback. He has never done that before. 'I am sorry that you were taken. I like you. You are not like the others. You have not once cried, or begged or tried to bargain to be released. If I could take you back, I would, but I am not the one making the decisions. I just follow orders' he said, taking her hand in both his scaley ones. She thought it would be unpleasant, but it was smooth, and his skin was warm. 'I forgive you Deklan. We all do what we have to do to survive' she said, looking into his eyes. He gave her a warm smile before getting up and taking her now empty containers. Before he could walk out she asked 'Hey Deklan, you wouldn't perhaps have a hairbrush and a new toothbrush lying around, would you?'. He threw his head back and laughed. 'I can bring you something to clean your teeth with, but you are out of luck with a hairbrush. Hair does not grow on scales' he said, before walking out.

He returned later with a container holding something akin to effervescent tablets, and to her surprise a comb. 'Thank you Deklan, thank you' she cried with happiness, putting her arms around him, hugging him. He stiffened, then placed an arm around her shoulders akwardly, patting her back. 'You put one of these in your mouth, with a little water. Swirl it around your teeth slowly. The bubbles cleans your teeth and kills any bacteria and germs' he explained. 'You are the best kidnapper ever' she said, winking at him. He laughed as he walked out, locking the door behind him.

She went into the bathroom, scrubbing her skin and hair with the soap. Rinsing, she dried herself with the shirt she took off. Then she took a sip of water into her mouth, and popped a tablet in. Swirling it around her mouth slowly, she could feel it working, just like Deklan said it would. She felt a lot better. Working the knots out of her hair with the comb, she braided it, and then twisted it up in a bun on her head. She secured it and then took a deep breath. Almost show time. She dressed and walked back into her cell. She paced her cell, waiting for dinner time to come. She looked up when she heard the door unlock. Suklo entered and placed the containers on the floor. She took it and ate, placing them back on the floor a little further away from the door. Then she waited.

Suklo entered again, and when he bent down to pick up the containers, she aimed a hard kick at his face. He was not expecting it, and she made contact with her foot. His head snapped back and she pounced, pushing him on his back. She straddled him and started raining blows on his face and throat. His eyes went wide as she hit his Adam's apple. She jumped up as he grabbed at his throat. 'Oh no, no, no' she said in horror, as she watched him struggle to breathe. His body went limp. She was not sure whether he was dead or alive, but she was not going to wait around to find out. She fell on her knees next to him, and quickly searched him. She took the weapon on his hip, and found a key. She looked at his feet. Biting her lip she pulled off his boots and socks. Disgust crossed her face, but it wasn't the time to be picky. She pulled it onto her feet. The boots fit rather well.

She walked to the door, peeking outside. There was a hallway with plenty of doors like hers. She stepped out and locked the door behind her. Then she went to the door next to hers and tried the key. It turned in the lock and she opened the door. There was a boy, in his late teens, in the cell. He wanted to speak but she quickly shushed him. She motioned for him to follow her, and he jumped up. They proceeded down the hallway. Opening more doors. Some cells were empty, but they found eight other women. She recogized a few from the news. They followed her as she cautiously and quietly made her way down the hallway. She peeked around the corner, and not seeing anyone, motioned for the rest to follow her. She could feel the fear and apprehension from the group behind her, and that made her more determined to get them to safety.

She walked past a map, then doubled back to it, causing the boy to walk into her back. 'Sorry' he whispered. She smiled at him, then turned to study the map. If she could make out the schematics correctly, they were kept on the very bottom floor of the ship. At the top was a bay filled with little planes, according to the map. That is where they needed to go. She bit back a curse. There were three floors between them and the bay. She looked at the scared faces behind her. Then she squared her shoulders and started walking.