Chapter 02
Almost immediately after Laramie had shut herself into her home she felt the extra presence there. Her eyes scanned the few spots were the light didn't reach, small areas they were. They flickered briefly, adjusting to see better anything that lurked in the darkness. There was a man. He'd hidden himself well, just not well enough.
"I can see you," she stated flatly. He tensed, posture straightening ever so slightly. His face spread into a short grin and he stepped forward into the light. She kept her face serious, blank; she found nothing funny about this. "Is trespassing an acceptable habit where you come from?"
She moved to the small storage closet and began sliding clothes, books, and anything else that looked important into the bag. She filled it to her heart's desire, keeping it light enough to carry before she turned to a snappy assertion towards the man. He was gone. He'd slipped out and she hadn't even heard him.
She shrugged and slung the bag onto her back. She hauled it out of the hut and left the door open, heading towards the ship. As she cut between two of the tattered shed, one of which held a solar vehicle, the ship came into view, and so did the blonde woman. She was running and yelling something nonsensical.
The others filed near as Laramie hiked up the ramp and dropped her bag between two of the passenger seats. She circled the interior of the ship, looking to make sure everything was still in tact. The soft sound of the others chatting outside faded and they stepped on board.
"I'm sorry," it was the blonde woman again. Her voice was familiar to Laramie's ears already and she didn't bother turning to look at her. "I didn't introduce myself. I'm Caroline Fry." Laramie nodded and turned to walk around her and make her way off of the ship. She gave the exterior a brief once over. The wings could still use some work, but she'd done the best she could.
"Did you know this was here the whole time," Caroline asked. Laramie turned and looked at her, her expression flat. "Right," she laughed, "Of course you did. Well our ship is…totaled. We can get moving in a bit, after a brief inspection, and bring anything we need from our ship to this one. We're going to use it to get back off this rock."
Laramie nodded and told her everything she'd found during her own inspection, while Caroline had yammered on robotically. She nodded politely, very attentive as Laramie spoke until Johns stepped in. "Shhhhh," he hissed, a long pause following, "Thought I heard gunshots."
Without another word he moved off back through the buildings with haste. The other followed distantly. Laramie paused and glanced back over her shoulder. The intruder hadn't been in the number. Now that she thought about it, he hadn't been on the hill with them either.
She turned to catch up, having to jog now to do so. As they left the settlement and re-entered the valley, the pace sped to a slow sprint. There were screams in the distance, pulling them in. Someone was yelling as fast as they could draw breath and the closer they got the more desperate the sound got.
Johns was a nice distance ahead of them now, his longer legs stretching the distance. Laramie had to full out dash just to stay with the group. The pillars came into view and her heart sank. The screams had stopped but more yelling was happening up ahead. There was Johns and an unfamiliar woman. Her hair fell in frantic curls around her shoulders and her face was wrinkled with something that Laramie could identify as anger.
A man lay on the ground, and the new woman hit him. Caroline grabbed her and called her by a name that she knew it would take her a couple of tried to remember. The woman gave the man on the ground one last kick to the face and he lay still on the ground, only the rise and fall of his chest signaling that he was alive.
"What happened," Laramie quizzed but her voice went unheard as the others huddled around the hysteric woman. Johns had the grounded man by the arm and was dragging him away. The woman calmed down and turned her eyes to Laramie. Her stare was cold and lost. The previous screaming must have been someone she loved.
They turned to follow Johns off through the dunes, leaving Laramie to slag behind idly. Their ship emerged on the horizon as soon as they cleared the pillars. It was a tarnished thing, sticking up diagonally from the sand. There was a large door open on it and John disappeared into it with the man. Caroline turned at the entrance and watched Laramie approach while they others talked.
"The power cells are inside," she said, "Feel free to look around for anything else that we might need. The sooner we get the hell out of here the better. Lock this sick fuck up where he belongs." Laramie nodded and moved past her into the fallen ship.
The inside was confusing and filled with twisting wires and strewn equipment. She slid in between the dropped pieces and pressed onward into what looked like a control room. Power cells lined the wall. Perfect size, perfect make. Perfect. They needed five, but she liked to be prepared just in case. She'd tell them to bring eight.
The sound of loud, stomping footsteps startled her and she tucked herself into a small corner where the sunlight was obstructed. Johns came up a staircase that was tucked away under a curtain of wires. He strode back out into the open air, back turned to the room; he hadn't seen her.
She moved, curiosity carrying her on silent feet and crept down the stairs. Her hair trailed behind her on the stairs like some modest train. Halfway down she stopped, crouched, and peeked cautiously into the room. What she saw made her frown. The man who'd been beaten was seated, arms stretched out to either side and chained in place. A ray of cool sunlight peered in and lit him from behind, draping his face in shadows and making him all too familiar.
