Two Steps Back

"Tragic," Myrrah spoke out loud as she flipped through another page in one of Adam's notebooks.

While she kept her eyes on the handwritten notes she could see Adam in her peripheral vision. He had the same look of defeat he always had every time Myrrah addressed his progress in finding a cure for the Lambency.

"You've made more progress in the six years you've been on this island than the time I gave you."

Myrrah only gave the final page a quick glance before setting the notebook back on Adam's desk.

"The scientists that you killed helped me. They had the training that I lacked to make it happen."

There was a deliberate jab by bringing up those scientists' deaths. Not that it made any real difference. Adam was too important for the survival of the Horde that keeping him alone in his lab was punishment enough.

"You still have the equipment that you need," she said, "Besides, your device looks almost complete."

Adam didn't respond to Myrrah's assumption about his Lambency Counter Device, but he looked rather uncomfortable facing the truth that the war was near the end.

"What do you plan to do with Prescott?" Adam asked, clearly wishing to change the subject.

Myrrah moved away from Adam's desk to look directly at him.

"I haven't planned on killing him just yet if that's what you're asking. Even if the other humans cared about the life of their leader there's nothing they could offer me if I used him as leverage," Myrrah smiled.

Adam sighed. It was his silent way of saying 'you're right'. Just then the door to Adam's office opened. A Drone stood beyond the door but it dared not to enter without its Queen's approval. Myrrah looked annoyed that her soldier walked in on her private conversation with Adam.

"You better have a good reason for interrupting me," she glared at the Drone.

The drone spoke in the primal Locust language. Its speech was full of tonal growls with only a few Ephyran words to disrupt the flow.

"Guard….sick," were two words that caught Adam and Myrrah's attention.

"Is it the Lambency? Is it here on this island?" Adam asked.

Myrrah ignored Adam's question as she walked past the Drone. She ordered two of the Therons who were stationed just outside of Adam's door to make sure no one else entered or left his office.

"Where is he?" Myrrah asked the Drone.

She needed to see for herself if this was indeed the Lambency infection or something else. It hadn't crossed her mind that she would need to quarantine any of her Locusts this soon after arriving on the island. There weren't many of her best soldiers left and the fate of their survival was as fragile as ever. The Drone directed Myrrah back to the main building, back to the place that looked too familiar to her. A group of Therons and a few other Armored Kantus had gathered around the open entrance to one of the bedrooms. The Drone called out to catch their attention. Once the crowd saw Myrrah they immediately moved out of her way. The sick Locust in question could be heard inside the bedroom's private bathroom. The door was open and larger sections of heavy armor lay on the tile floor that belonged to one of her Kantus elite. Suspicion rose in Myrrah instantly. The sick Kantus knelt over the edge of the bathtub, heaving in discomfort after having just emptied its entire stomach. Myrrah spoke the name of the Kantus to announce her presence as well as confirm its designation. The Kantus visibly flinched upon hearing its Queen speak and turned to look up at her without moving away from the tub.

"He better still be where I left him under your watch," Myrrah warned the Kantus before turning to leave the room.

Prescott didn't think anything could smell worse than the natural stench of a Locust. Judging by the lumpy mass under the towel it looked like the Kantus had only eaten the steak before bringing it back up along with the coffee and milk. Prescott nudged the mass of towels he had mashed onto the wet mess to see if any of it had soaked up. He didn't know which was a greater loss, the carpet or the once pristine white towels. It wouldn't take much longer till the Horde ruined everything on the island. Prescott covered the spot back with the towels and stepped on it a few times. It was the best he could do without access to any proper cleaning supplies. He contemplated moving to another nearby room for the nights as an easy solution to be away from the smell for the time being.

"Human!"

Prescott felt his heart leap up into his throat and he looked up to see Myrrah approaching him. He was too preoccupied fretting over the mess that he didn't notice the other Locusts falling almost completely silent at the presence of their Queen.

"You've made one of my warriors ill and I demand answers!"

"I didn't do it on purpose, I swear! I didn't know your Locusts would be lactose intolerant."

Myrrah's eyes narrowed, unamused by Prescott's excuse. With another step closer she reached out and grabbed Prescott by the throat. Her glove gripped at his skin firmer than he would've ever imagined. While she looked and spoke just like any normal human woman she held him in a stronger vice. Prescott reflexively grabbed her gauntlet-covered arm but had to stop himself from actually fighting her off. Even if he could best her physically it was her Horde that might finish him off if he attempted to fight back or run away.

"My Locusts are not like your simple-minded people that can be persuaded by your lies. If I command any one of my soldiers to rip your head off your shoulders they will do so without a moment of hesitation," Myrrah hissed at him.

Prescott let out a pained cough when he felt Myrrah's fingers tighten around his throat. He didn't have the time to rethink his idea of prying her away from him as Myrrah began to drag him away. Some of the Locusts who were watching laughed amongst themselves at the sight before them. Prescott had to keep up with Myrrah's pace even while holding onto her forearm to prevent her from tearing anything loose. He was sure that she was dragging him to be executed by a particularly dense crowd that was gathered just outside one of the other rooms that once belonged to the island's civilian population. But as they approached the Locusts moved just enough out of Myrrah's way.

"This room shall be under quarantine for the next two days," Myrrah spoke to the nearest Kantus.

Prescott made the mistake of trying to move his head while still within Myrrah's tight grip, tears burned his eyes from the radiating pain. The Kantus that she spoke to wore the same armor as the one who had been watching over him the last few days but it couldn't have been the same one. Not with how well it looked standing tall and listening to Myrrah's words like a soldier waiting for orders.

"Nobody enters or leaves this room without my command," Myrrah added.

Myrrah turned without hesitation and dragged Prescott into the room in question. For a fleeting moment he wondered if she was staying as well, an irrational idea he realized only a moment after he thought of it. Myrrah spoke again but this time it was in a primal, throaty language that sounded as close to the Locusts as a human-like tongue could make. Myrrah released her grip on Prescott, shoving him away at the same time, and Prescott gasped for a deep breath. His own hands released her forearm and he felt the tender spot where her fingers were just moments ago. He hoped that wasn't going to turn into a bruise later. Myrrah said nothing more and turned to leave him alone, slamming the door behind her as she left. Prescott stared at the door and wondered what she had meant that he was under quarantine. The answer came to him when he heard the heavy steps of a Locust from the bedroom's private bathroom. He turned to see the same Kantus that had been watching over him for the past few days with only half of its armor. The Kantus was missing its chest plate, shoulder armor, and the hood of spikes that had once covered its face and all the down its upper back. The fabric that hid underneath all that heavy armor was a mix of mesh fabric and narrow strips wrapped around sections of its arms. Without the hooded cover, the Kantus almost looked like a Drone with an extra row of teeth and a wider jaw to allow it to scream louder. The sight of the Kantus' face reminded Prescott that he was still dealing with a very real Locust. A threatening growl came from the Kantus and Prescott had to take a few steps back from the unexpected hostility. Whatever Myrrah said it was meant for the Kantus.

"I swear I didn't know you were going to get sick from drinking milk," Prescott defended himself.

The Kantus let out a loud but short screech at him. Prescott flinched from the physical pain that rang in his ears from the decibel that the Kantus could reach with its voice. Myrrah was right, this Kantus was still one of her own, a creature much stronger than him that could kill him with its bare hands. The only thing stopping it from killing him was Myrrah's order that she could revoke at any moment. The Kantus turned away from him and opened the bedroom door only to be greeted by a loud shout from another Locust just outside the room. The Kantus gave its comrade a threatening growl similar to the one he gave Prescott a moment ago. Prescott didn't need to understand what they were saying, he could tell by the tone that it was an argument over Myrrah's command to quarantine both of them. Frustrated from the outcome the Kantus slammed the door shut. Prescott took a few more steps back thinking that it would take its anger out on him again but it stalked back into the bathroom. With that door also closed Prescott was left alone in the bedroom. He didn't move from where he currently stood with a new sense of paranoia taking over him that the Kantus might come back to actually hurt him if he even sounded like he was going to try to escape the room. Prescott looked around to see if maybe there was a window he could take his chances with but there wasn't one in this room either. Between the Kantus in the bathroom making more retching noises and the other Locusts right outside the bedroom door, he was trapped until he was released from the room. He just had to figure out how he was going to survive being roommates with one very angry and ill Kantus.