Chapter 9 (Joe)
I think I was dreaming about being chased through the trees by a quiet Tyrannosaurus Rex with a laser gun, when he shook me awake. It only took me a second to remember where I was. I sat, rigid, waiting for him to make the next move.
There was a pause, as though he didn't know what to say. Then, "Are you okay?"
I sat for a moment, not saying anything, trying to see who was talking to me. A tall boy, about my own age, looked back at me. I tried to size him up, and he looked like he was doing the same.
Another voice from the darkness, "Is he even awake?"
The boy answered, "Yeah, he's awake."
"Who are you?" I asked him the question, and he took a few seconds to reply.
"A friend." What was with all this cloak and dagger stuff? Was he afraid I would find out something I shouldn't know? Was he part of this wacko game too? Good guys versus bad guys, or something? "Joseph," he continued, "Do you have any idea where you are? Where this is?"
"No. I was hoping you could tell me." When he said nothing, I pressed the question. "Where are we?"
"I don't know."
"But if you got here…"
He held up a hand to silence me. "It's a long story. Too long to tell you right now." I looked to him sceptically. "You'll have to trust me," he told me solemnly.
I sighed. It wasn't like I had a choice. "Okay," I muttered, "I'm trusting you. I have no idea why, but I am."
Then the boy was all business again. "Is there any way out?"
I shook my head. "If there was, do you think I would still be here?"
"Good point." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Have you seen anyone that you know, or can put a name to?"
"Chapman, and these two cops called Smith and Jones." I was expecting him to be disbelieving when I told him about Chapman, but he just nodded knowingly.
"Is that all?" He asked me.
"That's all." I nodded.
"Joseph," he said, if a little awkwardly, "we probably don't have that much time. We're going to try and find you, is there anything else we can use to find out where you are?"
My brow furrowed in thought. "We were headed out of town."
"In a car?" I nodded. "How long were you in the car for?"
"I don't know. I was unconscious most of the way here." I sat for a moment working out the times. "After quarter of an hour, we were on a long, straight road in the middle of nowhere. Go through the woods by the side of it on foot for a few hours, and you come onto a highway."
I know it. Not far out of town. I had no idea why I could hear those words in my head. The words just popped up. I guess I would have normally panicked, but I felt strangely calm, like I heard that sort of thing every day, like I was used to it.
Suddenly, the door creaked. A ray of light fell over the boy's face. He squinted, as though he was trying to see past it. And then I blacked out – again.
The door flew open with a bang and I jerked violently in fright. I must have dozed off. Something important had just happened. What was it? A dream or something? I tried to reach out and grasp the last wisps of it before I lost it entirely. Too late, I just couldn't remember it.
I successfully clocked myself on the concrete wall behind me before I even thought of focusing on the door. I wish I had clocked myself a little harder. Then I would be unconscious and I wouldn't have to try and interpret the deer-human-scorpion thing in front of me. Think blue centaur. Then think scorpion tail sticking dangerously out of its butt. Big blade on the end of it. You're getting closer. Then imagine four stalks each carrying an eyeball. See why I was severely freaked out?
We glared at each other for a while. All four of its stalks were concentrated on me. The Hork-Bajir on each flank were waiting for their orders.
Say something.
I jumped. That voice was so authoritative. And, in a way it wasn't a voice at all. More like a thought. Someone was thinking to me. Voices in my head? I thought. Oh boy, I'm really losing it.
It continued. You're in a morph, you can communicate in regular thought speech.
"What?"
What are you? An aristh? He spat the last word, like it was a dirty word.
"A what?"
The blade sliced through the air faster than I could blink and settled itself against my throat. SAY THAT WORD ONE MORE TIME AND I'LL KILL YOU!
I gulped. I felt my Adam's Apple fighting for a place in my throat against my heart. Neither would shift. He moved it a hair's-width nearer my throat, and a tiny river of blood trickled down my neck. A warning by anyone's standards.
Eventually the blue alien spoke again. I have little time for your games Andalite. We know where all your friends are.
"What friends?" I quipped. I instantly saw that it was a mistake. With lightening speed he slammed the side of the blade against my head. I sprawled to my right, barely conscious. With one hoofed foot he nailed my left wrist, then he slowly, almost ceremoniously, brought the blade towards my hand. It hovered, just centimetres from taking my hand from my wrist.
Tell me what I want to know.
"I don't know what you want to know!" I was almost crying at this point. I turned my face to the wall so that he wouldn't see the tears. Any signs of weakness would be very bad.
He saw my move and guessed. Are you unhappy Andalite? You don't want to show weakness? Well, I'll have to give you something to cry about. He pressed the blade closer to my hand, targeting my left pinkie. The blood started trickling freely down my finger. I could feel it. He pressed harder and harder, slowly severing the finger. He didn't stop when he got to the bone. It was like a knife through butter. It was so painful. Imagine someone cutting off your finger with a Stanley knife while you knew they were doing it. I had to bite my lip hard to stop myself screaming. He wasn't even sawing at my hand, just pressing, cutting cleanly. Are you ready to tell me yet? With a final surge of pressure, I felt the finger come away from my hand all together. I sobbed feverishly, and tried to pull the hand back. But he kept the hoof firmly planted on it. Will you tell me?
"No!" I choked. I was sick of playing games and wanted to bail right there. But apparently there was more fun to be had.
Then, he said with relish, I believe it's time for infestation.