Mitchell's Revenge

Petr’s wounds from the attack of the night creature took a long time to heal. When Yuri and Anton got them back to the household they treated his arm with some kind of tar-like substance that cauterised and sealed the wounds at the same time. They did it quickly and without anaesthetic. Anja could hear him screaming in agony as they applied it.

Elena stayed with Anja while the rest of the family was occupied. Anton was busy shoring up the EM field defences. The night creatures became very agitated whenever they lost a member of their pack. They would stop at nothing to get at the humans who had inflicted the damage. It was another reason for the protection systems that surrounded the homestead.

Anja lay propped up on her bed, while Elena slumped exhausted in the chair at the desk on the other side of the room.

“The creatures get energy from human voices,” Elena explained.

“Why don’t we see them during the day?” Anja asked.

“They’re light sensitive. We’ve never actually seen what an individual creature looks like. All we know is that they react to light and that we can destroy them with the photon cannon, like the one you used tonight. Then they disintegrate into the clumps of dark matter you saw.”

“What happens to the dark matter? Isn’t that dangerous too?”

“Yes. It usually disperses by itself. But not before damaging everything it touches. That’s why we left our vehicle out there. It will disappear overnight. The ground will look like a crater site by morning. And that’s why the roads around Achernar are in such bad condition.”

“People who don’t get home before dark,” murmured Anja.

“You got it in one kid,” said Elena.

“Will we be safe here tonight?” Anja asked.

“Safe enough. Anton has some special tricks that will help to dissuade the creatures from attacking the homestead. When the sun comes up they will disperse, and then we’ll be able to see the extent of the damage. I’d suggest you get some sleep now. I know that’s what I need.”

Elena rose from the chair, pulled a spare bed cover from the wardrobe, and grabbed a pillow from the bed. She lay down fully clothed on the floor, put the pillow under her head and pulled the cover over herself. Within minutes she was asleep.

Anja lay where she was and closed her eyes. All she could see was the bright red blood seeping from Petr’s arm after the creature struck him. She opened her eyes with a start. Tears of exhaustion trickled down her cheeks. She lay staring at the ceiling for a long time.

“Why do I always dream of crimson?” she wondered. She wiped the tears away and closed her eyes again. The images faded and she drifted into a restless sleep.

The next morning she was allowed to ride out to the breakdown site with Elena and Anton. They walked around the metre deep crater that existed where their vehicle had been. There was no sign of the land carrier, or the creatures. The surrounding grass was blackened and the area pockmarked with holes.

“And this is why we don’t stay out after dark,” said Elena.

“Lucky you were so close to home,” said Anton. “Mother would not have been happy to lose her protégé after so much hard work and expense.”

“It was not my fault,” said Anja quietly. She stared at the hole in the ground. “We had a bad afternoon in the studio. Givi messed up the measurements for my costume and we had to start again. And Aleks was not his usual self.”

“I know,” said Anton. He hugged the girl who was now almost as tall as him. “It’s OK. These things happen sometimes. I’m just glad you’re still here. I certainly was not going to let you die.”

“Thanks,” she replied, stepping away from him. “Don’t let Daria see you do that!”

“You’re right about that,” Elena laughed. “Come on, let’s get back to the house. I have to get back to Achernar.”

Petr stayed in his quarters for some weeks afterwards. Anja missed her weekly trips into Achernar as they waited for him to recover. The ballroom at the homestead seemed so small in comparison to Givi’s warehouse floor. Aleks was cranky at having to travel to the homestead every second day. And Anja was anxious to know how her costume design was coming along.

The months leading up to the intergalactic championship dragged for Anja. Her days consisted of dance practice, listening to music, and schoolwork. The closer the date came, the further away it seemed.

She knew that there was absolutely no point in trying to escape from the homestead. If the family didn’t catch her immediately, she would be food for the night creatures. She wondered how the planet had been settled by humans in the first place.

The only bright spot was when Givi came to the homestead with her costume. The suit fitted beautifully with the new measurements. Once the hologram was activated Anja looked like a blond princess. The fireflies danced around the sky blue background of her dress as she moved. They looked exactly as she had described to Givi all those months ago.