Darla wasn’t exactly sure she liked the sound of that. She had no intention of living out in the middle of some alien wilderness the rest of her life. But that said, she also had an unpleasant rumbling growing in her stomach.

She shook the plant off in the water to clear off the remaining mud, then brought the stalk to her lips and took a tentative nibble. The flavor was like a bitter cacao nib, but with a slightly astringent, yet sweet, aftertaste. Not pleasant by a long shot, but something she could get down without issue if need be. And given how hungry she was, need was definitely be.

Heydar pulled a few more Olama plants from the mud and cleaned them off, handing her a few before eating his own, washing it down with more fresh water from the creek.

Their bellies were not full by any means, but at least the hunger pangs were quelled for the time being. With that accomplished, the pair headed away from the water to hopefully find something more substantial to eat and a dry place to spend the night.

They had walked for an hour without sign of game when Heydar pointed to the distant sky. The trees had thinned out as they neared a large clearing, and with the view cleared they could see a dark wisp of smoke far off in the distance.

“Campfire?” Darla wondered.

“No. It appears relatively close, but do not let that deceive you. The fire is very far away. What’s more, the color of the smoke and the way it rises is wrong for natural combustion. That is spaceship fuel cooking off. Raxxian fuel, to be specific. What you see is another downed segment of their ship.”

“The others might be alive?”

The look on his face said otherwise. “Not in that portion of the ship. Flames like that do not bode well for survivors.”

Darla felt her spirits drop. So far as she knew, she was the only human alive on this world, and she might never see her own kind again. She sank down onto a fallen log, deflated. Heydar was about to remind her they needed to keep moving but noticed the look in her eye and held his tongue.

“You should rest,” he said, gauging the darkening sky. “It will be nightfall soon. Rest. I will complete the hunt.”

“You won’t leave me here, right?”

“I will not abandon you here. You have my word of honor.”

There was something solemn in the way he said those words that made her believe him. She gave a little nod of agreement. That was all he needed to see. He was gone before she could utter another word.

I hope that wasn’t a bad call. Guess I’ll find out soon enough.

It was almost dark when the alien returned carrying a small parcel of cooked meat, already cut, cleaned, roasted, and packaged in a bundled pelt lined with clean, broad leaves. It seemed he had hunted successfully and fully processed the kill before returning to the camp. And he had even managed to make fire in the wilderness. Frankly, she was kind of impressed.

It reminded Darla of something her dad had mentioned once about wild animals and tempting food. Heydar had done what he could to ensure nothing would follow its nose back to their location. She couldn’t help but admire his prowess and situational awareness, even in this strange environment.

“Eat,” he said, handing her the still-warm bundle.

She didn’t have to be told twice. Darla opened the leaf and felt her mouth water with the first whiff of the cooked meat. She was mostly vegetarian back home on Earth, but here, in a survival situation? Beggars couldn’t be choosers. And this smelled amazing.

She tucked in with gusto, devouring her meal in a flash, her body feeling worlds better with the nutrition flowing into her veins.

Heydar ate his portion quietly then took the leaves and carried them far off into the trees to dispose of them before returning. He dragged several boughs and leaned them against the log she had been sitting on, spreading broad, waxy green leaves across them, followed by a layer of smaller reddish ones, fashioning protection and insulation until a crude lean-to had been erected.

“Night is upon us, and this will have to do,” he said, surveying his work. “It is time to sleep.” He crawled into the shelter and lay down on his side.

Darla wasn’t too keen on sharing a crappy woodland shelter with an alien, and she had several objections running through her mind, but her aching body was having none of that. She was tired and worn out, her adrenaline stores drained to zero. If she didn’t rest, and soon, she would be in a bad way. And given what they were facing come tomorrow, she was undoubtedly going to need her strength.

With a sigh she lowered herself down and crawled in beside him, feeling his blazing heat radiating in the small space.

Well, at least I won’t freeze to death, she mused as she closed her eyes.

She was fast asleep in under a minute.

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER NINE

Darla had fitful, crazy dreams. Crazy, hot, erotic dreams that had come out of nowhere. Her subconscious was really playing a number on her. Of course, she had been taken captive, escaped, and been rescued, though that bit had been done by a thick-muscled alien with the most beautiful eyes, so maybe that had a little something to do with it.

In any case, it had proved to be a much more pleasant night than she’d have imagined, especially tucked away in a makeshift lean-to on a hostile world.

She roused from her slumber, stretching her limbs and letting out a contented yawn. Turning on her side, she felt for the expected heat of the alien she’d been curled up next to but found no one there. A sudden flash of fear surged through her, replacing the warm, fuzzy contentedness post-dream with an adrenaline-fueled jerk to full consciousness.

Her eyes snapped open, searching for Heydar. The alien was nowhere to be seen.

That motherfu—

Darla scrambled out of the lean-to and leapt to her feet, spinning three-sixty. It was a clear morning, the kind she remembered as a kid and longed for as an adult. Wispy clouds were drifting high in the blue sky, swirling in the thermoclines. There were no birds in sight, but she could easily imagine a flock of geese or ducks cruising on elongated wings.

She noted that the air was carrying a light scent, an almost sweet, earthy smell, the dark, nutrient-rich soil feeding the explosive growth of impressive greenery all around her. The overall feel would have been relaxing as fuck. That is, if she wasn’t stuck a bazillion miles from home, stranded with a surly alien and hunted by the pack of the lizard-like bastards who’d kidnapped her in the first place.

Hell, minus that, she might have even enjoyed the scenery.

She looked up at the trees around her. Not as tall as the one she’d climbed with Heydar, but tall enough. She made her way to one with a good spread of branches. More importantly, it was one growing in such a way that she could reach the lower ones without assistance.

Darla jumped up and wrapped her hands around the closest, pulling herself up and swinging her legs to a foothold with agility that almost surprised her. It seemed those kickboxing classes were paying off after all.

She made her way upward, taking her time and carefully placing her hands and feet. A fall from this height with no hospital anywhere remotely close? A small injury here could prove more than a little dangerous. Fatal, even.

Up and up she went, weaving through the branches until she made it to the top of the canopy where she could get a better look at where the hell she actually was in relation to, well, everything.

She reached what looked like a good spot and set herself in position, making damn sure she had selected a sturdy limb before wrapping her legs around it. The view was, yet again, amazing.

In the morning light this world was even more beautiful than she’d initially noticed. She saw the distant mountains, now with their peaks shrouded in a morning mist reflecting the sun, as well as the desert and plains that she hadn’t seen clearly the other day.