He tossed the last of the jugs of water and nonperishable food in the ship before latching the door shut. The main hatch was still open, which meant someone wasn’t doing their job.
He needed to get off this planet and away from temptation.
ChapterTen
LUNA
Luna wiped the sweat from her brow and pushed forward. When she had first run, the sound of Maximo’s voice had seemed to follow her.
She swore she had been able to feel him right behind her, his hot breath right on the back of her neck. That just made her move faster. She still had the money in her shoe, thank the heavens, and her plan now was to find someone who was traveling and would be willing to take her with them.
Maybe her cash and virginity could buy her a way off this damn planet? At this point, she didn’t care who it was or where they were going. All that mattered was escaping from Maximo and her nightmare of a life.
Because if she couldn’t get a ride away from here, she would rather travel into the mountains and let one of the beasts consume her.
The thick foliage around her made seeing anything nearly impossible. Tripping over a dead branch, the momentum had her hurtling forward. Red dust puffed around her when the ground met her. Pain lanced through her whole body, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out.
Male voices carried by the wind wrapped around her, and hope sprang up inside of her. Crawling through the brush, branches scraped her flesh like talons of the planet trying to keep her from escaping.
It was just like this damn carnivorous world was trying to hold her back, sucking the life-force from her until she was nothing but an empty shell. She peered through an opening in the bushes, and her heart sped up.
Dozens of ships were scattered throughout the murky blackness of the desert. All of them were monstrous contraptions, but only one seemed to be ready for takeoff. Closest to her with the back hatch open, like a sign from the god, sat a fine piece of machinery.
It wasn’t the biggest, but it certainly was the newest and most advanced. She could still hear male voices, but they appeared to be on the other side of the ship, where they could not see her. This had to be a sign from fate. Could it really be this easy to just run up and climb aboard?
Wariness slammed into her, wrapping its icy fingers around her and forcing her to lower herself to the ground again. Nothing on the planet of red dust was easy, but she would die if she didn’t at least try.
You can do this. You can do this.
Anything had to be better than what she faced if she stayed here. Looking around to make sure she wouldn’t be caught, Luna stood slowly and limped as quickly and quietly as she could toward the ship.
Once she was right beside it, she pressed herself against the cold metal and held her breath. The baritone voices spoke in a language unfamiliar to her, and a prickling of recognition filled her, but she pushed it away and only focused on survival.
Using all her upper body strength, Luna hauled herself onto the platform and made her way quickly to the back of the ship. Thick piles of rope were haphazardly scattered across the floor, and she tripped over it.
Holding her breath and stalling her movements, it was imperative no one heard her disastrous move. When there wasn’t a chorus of shouts that her position had been revealed, she let out a relieved breath.
That was all she needed right now, to be found stealing a ride.
She squeezed between two large barrels and prayed they would hide her until they landed, wherever that may be. All Luna knew was that if she stayed another night on this planet, she wouldn’t survive.
Pain sliced through her arm, and she looked down at it. A large gash ran up the length from whatever she had landed on when Maximo tackled her. Other various scrapes and cuts littered her arms and legs from the thorny branches in her haste to escape, but it was minimal compared to what could have happened.
Her face throbbed, and she lifted her hand and gently ran her finger along her cheek. Pain assaulted her. The tissue surrounding her eye felt swollen to the point that she could barely see out of it.
Closing her eyes, exhaustion settled heavily within her. Dreaming sounded so much better than reality.
ChapterEleven
ERAK
Erak sat in the control center of his ship and started the engines. They had finished loading up and were now preparing to depart from the planet of red dust. His brothers sat beside him.
“Ready, brothers?” Erak spoke into the microphone by his mouth, the sound traveling to each of their earpieces.
They all gave their confirmation that it was safe to ascend. As the engines warmed up, the energy could be felt throughout the entire craft. It was a welcome feeling, a powerful one, for Erak.
As the ship started to lift, Erak switched on the exterior lights. Bright beams illuminated the vast expanse of desert in front of them. Navigating their way around other ships, each brother did the important job of making sure everything worked properly and without fault.