Chapter 1 Short Story

He sighed loudly, “Newbies, always trying to play the hero,” he snapped his fingers and I heard a loud crack from behind me, then a heavy thud. I was too scared to turn around, I knew she was dead, there was no way she couldn’t be. I couldn't hear her breathing, or feel her shaking anymore.

Hinton, an amiable tobacco planter in Virginia, inspected the mill infrequently and trusted him to make an honest trade. There was no way to forecast when loggers would arrive, depending on the weather and the wind and water currents so Matthew remained available year-round. He was tall, burley with bushy, red hair, and freckles that almost connected into a solidly tan face. People never forgot him because his freckles were such an assortment of colors, red, brown, tan, beige, pink, auburn, rust, black, and orange. He entertained visitors with stories of animals and men fighting themselves and each other along with spine-tingling stories about ghosts and Indians that intimidated the settlers. If they were true, it did not matter.

“Come on DJ-7. Let’s get our trusty Sinister shuttle out of here before we get spotted.” She started the engine and dashed to the controls.

Lifty huffed, snuffing his cough back into his throat as he chucked Petunia into his bedroom.

"I can't believe this talk got us up to this point," Alexander commented, hinting the sunset on the horizon. "I'll see you later, (Y/N). If anything goes wrong or if you're about to die, call me." He embraced you into a tight yet quick hug before releasing. He waved at you before you set off, not without stopping to look at the sunset. Honestly, you didn't want it to be your last. You couldn't even appreciate the moment since terror and anxiety filled you.

“This is it,” Theron said, leaning against the holotable. Everything had been powered down and packed up. All that was left was to pile onto their ships and go their separate ways. Theron had a shuttle standing by, a simple, one-manned vessel to deliver him to his mother’s command ship.

Silence as he brooded, seeming to argue with himself. “This is exactly the sort of the thing I feared would happen,” he said rubbing his forehead. “I’ll probably regret this, but ride straight home, as fast as you can. I’ll meet you there as soon as I’m assured Marisol is safe.”

“Why would they do that? They have to know we have enough firepower here to destroy the-Oh sranje. They’re trying to get the central computer.” Arten muttered. “All tank commanders, go get those four tanks. If we don’t, we’re screwed.”

“I’m Captain Richard Malone. This is my copilot Alexis Nguyen, of the Terran ship MAVREK-II.

The crew went to the top of the rocket and got in to the space ship. R.L. Grime, Billy, and Richard sat down and got ready for the launch. Take off in three.........two.........one blast off.

While finishing the last of his brass buttons; Eryk spoke, “As we're getting ready to leave…You may want to go up to the Lido Deck to watch us sail away from port, Sir.”

"Again, I have no reason to help you. We have things to be doing. Besides, I HATE YOU." The Captain made sure to stress her last words, in case he didn't understand.

"I'm sorry." I hear the disappointment in Garrett's voice as he speaks, "I should've been there. I'm so sorry, guys. I'll tell your families goodbye. That you love them. I promise."

“Not yet,” Demitri finished. He turned to the crowd. “For too long now you’ve all led lives of sin. There will be many changes to the laws of this kingdom. Gabriel, our creator, made himself clear in THE BOOK OF VOLPI. We are to be fruitful, responsibly. But our population has run out of control; too many nameless bastards produced from adulterous sex. For this, it is now a sin to procreate. You may fornicate. I will still allow that. See? I am a compassionate man,” he laughed, “No harm will come to those who have already sinned…not yet. But from now on if a woman gets pregnant, I will cut the thing out myself. You will all die sooner or later, but I assure you, your deaths will come at my leisure. For now you are my hostages. You see,

''I don’t get it.'' Firmly said Barry after a long silence, feeling his strength slowly, but surely, coming back to him, finally regaining the ability to sit straight on the rock wall behind him. ''What are we doing here?''