The hallways echoed with the calls of the aliens as they communicated with each other.
"What do you reckon they're talking about?" Devon asked.
"Probably the best way to lure us into a trap," Ali said back.
They turned the corner fast and nearly crashed into a small group of kids. The four boys looked at Devon and Ali in shock as they came to a skidding halt.
"Hi," Ali said with a smile.
The boys just stared at her.
"You might want to get inside," David said, "We're trying to run away from killer aliens."
Still, the boys didn't move.
Ali shrugged. "Alright, suit yourself."
She shoved past the boys and started to continue on down the hall, but she stopped when she realized Devon hadn't moved.
"Come on, Devon," Ali said.
"You are seriously going to let those aliens kill these kids?" Devon asked, shocked.
"Yeah, it might slow them down and let us get to the Hive first."
"But they're innocent!"
"Not if they're too dumb to get out of the way!"
Devon looked down at the boys. "I can't leave them."
"I can, but if you can stay here and die with them, be my guest" Ali said.
With that said, she turned around and took off again. Seconds later, she heard the sound of footsteps thudding behind her as Devon followed after her. Not long after that, screams and screeches filled the air.
"It's not right," Devon said once he had caught up with Ali.
"If they had just listened and went inside, they wouldn't have died."
Devon shook his head, trying to shake the image of the boy's faces from his mind.
"Hey!" Ali said.
Devon looked at her. "What?"
"If you keep thinking about them, you're going to die."
"Don't worry about me."
"Whatever."
Ali turned her back on Devon and moved to the ladder that leads to the surface. Devon sighed and followed after her. The tunnel behind them was quiet and Devon had to keep from thinking of the aliens feeding on the bodies of the boys.
When Ali reached the manhole cover, she pushed it up slowly and peeked out. Once she was sure that the coast was clear, she flung the manhole cover out of the way and climbed the rest of the way out of the hole. She waited until Devon had joined her before replacing the cover and walking away.
"So," Devon said, "What was Emery planning on doing when she faced Aisha?"
Ali opened her mouth to answer when, suddenly, a large tail came out of nowhere and knocked both of them off their feet at the same time.
"What the hell?" Devon asked, getting to his feet.
Aisha loomed in front of them, her teeth bared in fury. Ali started to get up too, but dropped back down in pain. She felt her stomach where the tail had hit her; it was the same place where she had been bruised before. Devon looked down quickly and, when he saw Ali still on the ground, he helped her to her feet.
"How did she find us so fast?" Ali asked in a pained voice.
Screeches from inside the tunnel reminded Devon of the aliens chasing them. "She was following from above this whole time. We thought that she would catch up once we had reached Emery, but she was following the alien's thoughts so that she could be waiting for us when we came to the surface."
"Can we get around her?" Ali asked.
Aisha hissed in answer and charged towards them.
"That sounds like a 'no' to me," Devon said.
"Really?" Ali asked sarcastically.
Suddenly, something just as large as Aisha collided into her side, knocking her off balance. A loud screech filled the air, but it wasn't coming from Aisha, it was coming from Emery.
"Emery!" Ali screamed.
Get out of here! Both of you! Emery commanded as she and Aisha circled each other.
"I won't leave you!" Ali shouted in return.
Devon, get Ali out!
"No!" Ali shouted as Devon dragged her away, "Emery!"
The two Queens were already locked in a mass of twisting black bodies.
Devon dragged Ali away in the direction of the orphanage and the Hive. The Queen's vanished in a giant, light brown cloud of dust, then, the cloud was gone as Devon turned a corner.
"Let me go!" Ali yelled, fighting Devon with all her might as the sounds of the battle grew further and further away.
"No! Emery told me to get you out."
"But she needs me!"
"She's a Queen!" Devon said.
"She's a young Queen. Aisha has been around for a lot longer than Emery; she has more experience!"
"But Emery is fighting for something that Aisha can't understand," Devon replied.
"What?" Ali asked, still trying to fight.
"You!"
Ali stopped struggling and stared at Devon in shock. "Me?"
"It's true; Emery told me when you were unconscious. She was the one that suggested the counterattack, but not because she wanted to take out the competition for hosts; she did it because Aisha's Warriors had hurt you."
"But—!"
"You are special to Emery; she told me that herself. Because you saved her from the Auriga explosion and you helped her become Queen and start a Hive. You are the most precious thing to Emery."
