Part 10
Asa had handed over the empty bottles and in return he received the same number of filled bottles, all with a word. It was an unspoken agreement between the people in the camp, bring back a bottle and it would be replaced without charge or question, the only luxury they had.
As he walked through the darkening streets carrying his load, he saw them, and Asa was suddenly in two minds about what he should do. Ignoring them and returning home to open a bottle appealed the most, knowing Ezra wouldn't want the full compliment of aliens in their home, not with the guards Asa could see following the other three. Then he remembered Harper, the kid was sick and weak, he'd been through a lot and reuniting him with his friends could do him the power of good.
It took another moment of thought before Asa called out, and he saw all three turn to him, their surprise obvious and he guessed not many people had requested their attention since they had arrived, they were in the South after all, he considered.
"Hello," one of the guys spoke with caution. "My name is Captain Dylan Hunt," he continued.
"The Commonwealth guy," Asa nodded his head knowingly. "Look, don't be alarmed, I know how these Southsiders keep themselves to themselves, but I'm an Eastsider, we're a bit more social," he bragged.
"I see," Dylan returned, still with caution. "Well this is Beka Valentine, and Telemachus Rhade, they serve on my crew," he introduced, gesturing to his companions in turn.
"Nice to meet you, but the reason I stopped you wasn't just to make pleasantries, I have your friend Harper in my home, I know he was planning on looking for you so I'm saving him the trouble," Asa stated as fact. "So follow me."
"Harper is with you?" the female, Beka, spoke and Asa sensed her anxiety. "Is he ok?"
"He's picked up a little fever, but he's over the worse," Asa explained.
"He's sick?" Beka stressed. "Listen, his immune system is poor, what might be a little fever to you could mean death to him, are you sure he's ok?"
Asa showed slight concern for a moment, before smiling. "You sound like my wife," Asa mock frowned, and saw the two men both smirk at his observation. "He's fine, I was just talking to him before I came out here to pick up my salvation," he rattled the bottles. "Why don't you just come back with me and see for yourself?"
They seemed to hesitate, and Asa picked up that they might be up to something or maybe distrustful of him, until they silently appeared to agree. "Yes, we'd love to see our friend, Mr Harper, again," Dylan agreed, taking the lead. "Thank you."
"Is the little one ok, other than the fever?" The buffer guy, Rhade, asked, and Asa couldn't help but be a little intimidated by his presence, noticing the bone blades. "He was dragged away, and separated from us shortly after we arrived."
"A Havenot, Tirus, who lives here in this lovely camp with us on the East side, he's a first class traitor I might add, he did a good number on your friend," Asa explained as they walked. "He devised this liquid metal that reacts to the skin, painful as hell when applied I've heard, and sadly seen," Asa took a deep breath before continuing. "We've done what we can so far to remove the majority of it, but the kid is still pretty burned up, and now he's sick."
"How bad is it?" Beka checked. "How serious?" she added quickly, needing to know more.
"Just the right side of his neck, the shoulder and parts of his back and chest," Asa stated. "I've seen worse," he added. "I think he has something on his neck, he calls it a data something or other?"
"Data port," Dylan helped him.
"That's it, that's been completely covered by this metal, you can't even see it," Asa shrugged. "Must have really concerned the Haves, they also put a tight collar around his neck, but we removed that, it's why we've been keeping him out of sight, the guards will punish him for our actions if they spot it."
Asa looked at Beka taking a deep breath, figuring her to be the boy's lover, looking too young and beautiful to be his mother. The way her concern was written all over her face for Harper, appealed to Asa, and he couldn't help the attraction he felt to the lady, silently applauding Harper's luck to have a lady like that being so concerned for him, knowing Ezra wouldn't show the same concern for him.
They continued walking through the dark and quiet stone streets of Edenia, with Asa changing the subject as he began to briefly explain to the three strangers more about their community and the differences between the south and east sides of the camp.
The sounds were unusual, and a little out of place as consciousness returned. Opening his eyes, Harper rolled onto his back and paused whilst his aching muscles reacted angrily to the hard floor he had been resting on. Mildly complaining to himself, Harper managed to push himself up onto his knees, taking a few moments for the room to stop spinning, before continuing to full height.
A few unsteady steps forward, Harper got his bearings and focused on the noises, and realised that people were talking in a hushed manner, in the front room. There was something in the way they were talking that had Harper stepping forward with caution. At first he assumed it was Ezra and Asa talking, but the male voice was deeper, and vaguely Harper recognised it, a blurry image from one of his first times in the house came to mind, the other voice belonged to one of Asa's friends, Hashim.
It then struck him that they were whispering, he couldn't make out the words but it was the tone, and manner in which they spoke that set off alarm bells. There was urgency, and some giggles, and then it all fell into place, the groans and the shortness of breath, Harper realised with some horror that Ezra was cheating on Asa, and with Hashim, the two secret lovers were at that moment in the throws of passion.
Harper gulped and moved so his back was to the wall, suddenly nervous not knowing what to do. Maybe in their customs this was ok he considered for a moment, but it felt wrong, and Asa was a friend, suddenly Harper was placed in an uncertain situation. His fever had died down, he no longer felt as hot or disorientated, but he wished he still did, he didn't want to know what Ezra was doing behind Asa's back. Harper closed his eyes and took some deep calming breaths, and he was about to return to his blanket on the floor to pretend he'd never woken up when a thick heavy hand gripped his neck and yanked him through the curtained door into the front room.
Panicked Harper forgot to breathe for the moment, as Ezra still on the makeshift bed struggled to remain decent with just a ripped blanket to hide behind.
"I told you he was awake!" Hashim partly growled.
"I thought you were concentrating on me!" Ezra complained. "I'm sure we can sort him out, so he doesn't say anything."
"I won't," Harper gulped.
"I don't trust him, he's different to us," Hashim argued flatly, and kept a firm grip around Harper's sore neck, cutting his circulation now. "He trusts Asa, he'll squeal for sure!"
Ezra had no answer, and Harper realised that deep down she felt the same as Hashim, this wasn't going well.
"Get your hands off me!" Harper began to protest through gritted teeth, feeling the lack of oxygen now.
"Let him go," Ezra finally demanded, having retrieved her dress.
Hashim considered her request and then let the human go, leaving Harper gasping as he fell to his knees.
"Get the hell out of here!" Hashim then kicked Harper to make his demand clearer, and Harper backed away sharply.
"What?" Harper panted, looking up from the floor still holding his sore neck, he glanced at Ezra who seemed troubled, but remained silent.
"We'll tell Asa that you ran, panicked, delirious from fever, needed some air, or had to do some alien crap that we wouldn't understand, but just get the hell out of here," Hashim ordered abruptly, getting a hold of the torn shirt Harper wore that he had acquired from Asa, and pushing him towards the exit.
"Fine," Harper snapped with irritation, now clear of the mad man and having no desire to stay where he wasn't wanted. "I don't need you, or this crap, you two have a happy cheating life," he stressed and stumbled outside into the night's cooler air.
"Harper," Ezra called, and she appeared at the door, as Harper turned back to look at her.
"If Asa found out, he'd kill me, you know that, and I can't risk you saying something, even if accidentally, that would cause that," she meekly explained.
Harper smirked. "Thanks for looking after me," he offered genuinely and then sighed. "You're hurting a good man though, Asa doesn't deserve this shit, Ezra and you know that."
"We live in cruel bad times," Ezra shrugged. "Life is tough for us here, Seamus; we have to seek comfort where we can."
"Bull, you think this is tough, Ezra, you have no idea!" Harper couldn't hold back his emotions suddenly. "You have no idea what's coming if this place continues to let Kenan do his stupid thing, and you should listen to Asa, instead of betraying him," Harper stressed with seriousness. "You should never betray your own; it's not the way to do things."
Ezra seemed hurt by Harper's words and before she had a chance to respond, Hashim came running out, his face full of fury. "I told you to leave!" he roared and Harper could only turn and attempt to run, but Hashim didn't let up and soon Harper was tasting dirt as the larger Edenian charged him to the ground, pressing his head into the dirt, before spinning Harper over and pinning him to the ground.
"When I say scram, I mean it, I didn't mean you go and upset the lady, alien!" Hashim sneered, his hand pressed once more to Harper's neck. "If you ain't gone in thirty seconds, I will snap this mangled neck of yours, you understand that, alien?"
"Yeah, freaking yeah!" Harper snapped angrily struggling to get free, but to make his point more known to the human Hashim drew back his fist and Harper's head snapped to the side with a right hook across his cheek.
By the time his senses had returned, Harper was alone lying on his back against the cool stone of the street. Above him rose the intimidating stone buildings, reaching up into the darkness of the skies above. Never having felt claustrophobic before, Harper suddenly felt the need to escape the closeness of the streets and its stone buildings. Scrambling to his feet and staggering away, Harper wiped the blood from his nose on the sleeve of his shirt, and once fully upright he kept running, never intending to see Asa, or his two timing wife Ezra again.
TBC