Hope

It’s strange seeing random aliens walking around freely. There weren’t that many back home, but here, here there are aliens of all different species. Aliens who are blue, green, yellow, pink, you name it. Some look similar to Aliston and Avørek, while others look a little more terrifying with spikes and scales and bony looking tails. I try not to stare too much.

When we finally make it to the supermarket, I’m stunned with how human it looks. They must have decided to keep the building as it was, and just add some of the newer, technologically advanced perks. Such as the floating shop sign out the front.

“What’s on the list?” I ask, gently bumping Caster’s shoulder.

He looks down at the paper in his hands, concentrating. “Avørek wants, uh, fruit? Emery call it fruit?”

It’s nice that Caster is trying to speak more English around me. I noticed yesterday that he seems to be more comfortable talking in his own language, which I can’t blame him for, but it’s nice that he’s making an effort to communicate with me.

“Yeah, that’s right. Anything else we need?”

“Um, well, Caster wants to get new touka. New colour.” He grins as this, looking rather excited.

I, on the other hand, have no idea what a touka is. I’m guessing its some sort of accessory, maybe?

“What’s a, uh, touka?”

“Oh,” Caster laughs gently as he realises, I have no idea what he’s talking about.

It’s a sweet laugh, soft and pretty.

He tugs at the robe that he’s wearing, repeating the word ‘touka’ until I tell him I understand that he’s talking about his clothing.

Leading me into the store, immediately my sight it bombarded by flashing signs and little floating billboards that sometimes seem to follow us when we walk down an aisle. Caster doesn’t seem bothered by the blinding assault to the eyes, but since I can’t read what anything says, it is a little scary having literal sign boards bouncing around your head.

Trying to be helpful in any way possible, I take the basket from Caster’s arm, and follow him around. He seems happy with this arrangement as he skips over to different products and plops them gently in the old basket.

To be honest, I’m still a little surprised that Caster doesn’t have a more modern carrying bag. Some of the other shoppers seem to have a bubble that floats behind them as they walk through the shop, their food suspended inside.

It’s nice to see human stuff still being in use. I noticed that the Mirkers seem to appreciate human technology a little more than other species around here. They still have an old washing machine sitting in the laundry room which is even more surprising. I haven’t seen one of those in years.

Putting a can of something in the basket, Caster grabs hold of my other arm and begins to tug be back towards the front of the shop. “Okay! All done, we pay now.”

We reach the checkouts and before I can embarrass myself by taking all the items out separately onto the little platform scanner, Caster slips the basket from my grip and places the entire thing on the little tabletop. The machine before us beeps loudly, scanning the whole basket in one go, the tally of items appearing on screen beside it.

Caster than hands me a small glass device, pointing at a slot in the machine that I suppose I’m supposed to put this in.

“Do I just, feed it in?” I ask, gesturing to make sure.

Caster rolls his eyes and nods. So I do what he says, watching as the machine slurps up the glass device, practically snatching it from my hand. I jump at the sound, listening as the machine hums and ejects the card.

I’ve never seen anything like it! What happened to paper money and coins? Not that I’m complaining, the handy glass card is pretty amazing.

Caster takes the card and tucks it within the fold of his touka, a smile of his face as he picks up the basket.

“Well,” I say, following him out of the shop, “Did you end up buying a new, uh, robe?”

He swings the basket gently, looking up at me with an amused smile. “Touka.”

“Yes, that. Did you get a new one? I didn’t see you put it in the basket.”

Caster hums. “Bought orange touka.”

He’s not really one for conversation. I’m beginning to notice Caster doesn’t really seem very fond of talking much at all really, and he always avoids really answering more personal questions, if our previous conversation is anything to go by. Or maybe he does struggle with English and isn’t confident enough to continue a fluent back and forth without messing up or saying the wrong thing.

Just as I’m about to open my mouth to try and save whatever is left of our little chat, three tall aliens walk towards us on the same footpath. All of them begin to make quite a racket, nudging each other, spitting and hissing.

On a closer inspection, horror begins to eat at my guts, my muscles tensing as we get closer. Caster also gets particularly quiet, fidgeting as we walk.

The three aliens seem to get a thrill out of Caster’s skittish behaviour, long snake like tongues flicking over elongated noses. Thick spikes jut out from their jawbones, their slitted eyes glowing in an eerie yellow against their bumpy skin. Sharp teeth protrude from their mouths in sick smiles once we get a little too close for my comfort, the smell of rotting meat wafting from their breathes.

Boons. I didn’t know there were any of these bald, meat eating, cannibalistic lizards in Vercnaye.

“Caster, maybe we should cross the road.” I try to tug at the edge of his sleeve discretely, but it’s a little too late for that.

“We’re are you going, verkan?” The blue one spits in disgust, his lips pulling back away from his gums.

He shoves into Caster, causing the little blue-eyed man to hit the ground with a pained yelp, his basket rolling in the dust.

“Hey!” I yell, stepping in front of Caster.

“Move, human.” The one with green scales hisses in a guttural tone, his voice grating against my ears in an almost unrecognisable accent.

I swallow back a mouthful of bile as he steps closer to my face, the sick smell of death sifting through the air. “Leave him alone! Pick on something your own size, you overgrown lizard!”

The blue one flicks his attention to me, head cocking to the side as he hisses, clear eyelids shutting sideways as he steps up beside his green friend. “Do not think you are as big as us, tiny human. We will eat you for a snack!”

The red-ish looking boon, who is still standing a little way away, belts out a laugh, his tongue snaking out to lick at his teeth.

“Yeah well,” I puff out my chest, trying to appear at least a little intimidating. “You should move your scale-y asses out’ta here before someone gets hurt!”

What am I doing? I can’t fight them! Everyone knows not to get in the way of a boon and its prey! I should be running, sprinting, hell, jumping in a river to get away from these freaks!

The blue one steps away from me, eyeing Caster who’s still sprawled out on the ground, frozen in fear.

“Don’t,” I warn, my heart beginning to pound against my ribcage.

“Or what?”

I bite the inside of my cheek as the green boon’s nose becomes inches way from mine, his sharp teeth a fraction away from ripping out my throat. Bile rises into my mouth, flashes of thick bumpy skin and teeth and human screams ringing in my ears. “I’ll kick your fucking ass.”

He licks at his teeth, nostrils inhaling deeply, eyes roaming over me as if searching for the best place to dig into his feast.

Taking a deep breath, my brain stops thinking. One moment I’m standing toe to toe with a giant lizard man, and the next my fist is flying into the alien’s nose. He screeches in pain, his head knocking upwards with an almighty crack.

Stepping back, I clutch at my hand, my mind screaming in agony as the hit ricochets up my arm. The crack most likely my bones breaking rather than his face.

“Run!” I scream through gritted teeth, turning and snagging the corner of Caster’s robe in one move.

We begin to race int the opposite direction of the beasts, my hand tightly fisted in Caster’s touka. Caster stumbles along, high pitched squeaks and clicking leaving his mouth in panicked gasps as we try to run away.

Rounding a corner, I spot the boons rapidly catching up to us from the corner of my eye. I have no idea where we’re supposed to run! I don’t know this city well enough.

Caster begins to take the lead, my fingers slipping from their grasp on his robes as he weaves through the streets with me close behind. Pedestrians walking by jump out of the way, hurling insults as the three monsters chasing us shove them out of the way.

Suddenly, my breath catches in my throat, my shirt cutting off oxygen as my body is yanked backwards, flying through the air until meeting the ground with a harsh thump. I gasp as the air completely leaves my body, panic setting in as I try to scramble to my feet, slipping on the gravel that rips through my skin.

“Keep running!” I scream after Caster, who whips away from view, robes fluttering after him as he doesn’t look back.