Series: Charmaine Pauls
Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Their leader, the one who spoke to me, hasn’t said much after informing me of my status, but I’m guessing they’re taking me somewhere to be sold. It’s the only logical conclusion, as my captors don’t have much use for me. At least that’s what it seems like because so far, all they’ve done is drag me through the jungle—the wonders of which I’m not even able to properly appreciate due to my head throbbing from their blows and my stomach churning either from the “chicken” I ate earlier or the whole “you slave” business.
What kind of advanced civilization that’s mastered interplanetary travel has freaking slaves?
Not that I’m seeing signs of any advanced civilization around me. So far, it’s been jungle and more jungle, with lots of scary—and ridiculously oversized—bugs. In addition to the giant caterpillar and the spider-ants, on this trek, we’ve encountered several millipedes the length of a small bus, dragonflies with bigger wingspans than eagles, and lots of mosquitoes the size of my fist. I understand neither the hugeness of these insects nor their similarities to the insects on Earth, but all the questions I’ve posed to my lizard captors so far have gone unanswered.
All I know is that I’m on Zerra, I’m a slave, and they’re taking me somewhere.
Not a promising beginning, that’s for sure.
The most puzzling thing about it all is that at least one of the lizard dudes speaks English. How? Where could he have learned it? Do Zerrans—or whatever they’re called—often steal people from Earth to be their slaves? If so, for what purpose? Free labor? Pest control?
They clearly have need for the latter, but a random dying girl is hardly likely to be a giant bug eradication expert.
I’m so lost in my thoughts and in my efforts not to step on any more stinging roots or scary bugs that I only look up from the ground when the wind picks up. That’s when I realize that we’ve exited the densest part of the jungle and are standing on a strip of black sand in front of a large body of water. A river? A lake? I’m not sure, but it’s so wide I can barely see the other bank across from us, and I can’t tell where it ends on either side of us.
The wind picks up further, pelting my skin with grains of black sand, and I squint to protect my eyes. It’s also much brighter out here without the canopy of the super-tall trees, and as I glance at the sky above, I see that it’s blue, like I’m used to on Earth. Which makes sense—I’m breathing the air here, so Zerra must have an Earth-like atmosphere.
Come to think of it, Zerra must also be roughly the size of Earth and possess a similar composition because I’m neither bouncing like an astronaut on the moon, nor do I feel like I weigh five hundred pounds, the way I would on a bigger or denser planet.
In general, this place is suspiciously Earth-like, even with all its unusual flora and fauna.
I have no explanation for that or for anything that’s happened to me thus far, so I don’t even try to speculate. Instead, I sneak a look at my captors.
They’re staring at the water, which is now frothing with waves from the rapidly intensifying wind. Before long, I realize what they’re looking at.
A boat. Or maybe a barge, given the low sides and rectangular shape. Whatever it is, it’s big and it’s swiftly coming toward us, driven by the waves.
On it are more lizard people, at least a few dozen of them. And also… humans?
I almost jump in excitement—that is, until I see their postures.
Hunched over and defeated, these humans look like what they most likely are.
Slaves.
My stomach twists, and I taste bile again.
I can’t believe this is happening. Any of it, but especially this part. How is it possible that I’ve traveled to a different planet, and it’s so fucking barbaric? I mean, you figure out a way to bring aliens to your planet, and instead of using the opportunity to learn about another civilization’s culture and technology, you decide to make them slaves? What kind of logic is that? True, Europeans sort of did the same thing in Africa and the Americas, but we’ve advanced past that. Why haven’t these lizard people?
Well, whatever. I’m not going to be like those humans on the barge. I’m going to escape and take my chances in the jungle, giant insects and all. I just need to figure out a distraction, some way to—
A clawed hand grips my shoulder and propels me forward, toward the water. I stumble in surprise and cringe, anticipating another blow. It doesn’t come. Instead, as the barge docks, the hand on my shoulder forces me to my knees, and I hear my captors rattle off something to the new arrivals.