SWNOVELS Chapter CHAPTER 22
They saw the tunnel ahead, where a dull light shone through a metal door that had been erected there to stop anyone escaping down the tunnel.
Kevin’s nostrils flared as he sniffed the air. “I can smell the sea and taste the salt, we must be on lower ground near the sea, there’s got to be an entrance here somewhere.”
Brian squinted through the gloom. “Maybe there is a quicker route out of here.”
They followed Valadon and the others deeper into the tunnel, they saw daylight, a misty haze of sunshine filtered into the cave. “There!” shouted Kevin.
“Wait!” Valadon stopped everyone. “It could be a trap.”
They approached warily. The door was to their left, a makeshift metal door on rusty hinges held in place by a few old bolts at the top and bottom, allowing the lizards in. Silently they went forward and saw the opening to the sea. As they got closer Brian Kevin and Valadon edged nearer to the opening realising there would be no escape through that opening as it wielded a two-hundred-foot drop into the sea.
“OHH Nothing is ever easy.” Kevin frowned his disappointment as he glanced behind him at the others.
“Seriously! Did you think we were just going to walk out of here?” Brian shook his head,
“Well, it was worth a try,” Kevin replied.
“These caves stretch for miles, there is no end to them, we do not have these caves on our planet, we have mountains and greenery but no caves,” Valadon replied.
“What about the sea, do you have sea?” Brian asked.
“No, we have plenty of water, but no sea, so this is amazing to my people, we studied your planet for decades and wondered what the sea looked like, now we know, and it is beautiful, you have a lot of life in your sea, and many things to explore, maybe one day when this crisis is over you can help us explore it.” Valadon smiled.
“Most definitely.” Brian returned the smile, happy to help Valadon’s people in any way he could.
Valadon’s smile suddenly vanished, he tilted his head to the left. “I hear someone calling for help….Here behind the door.”
“Is it Ellen?” Brian’s heart quickened.
“Move back!” Valadon ordered. “We will laser the door.” In one second the door crashed inwards. The lizard dropped the vial he was holding and hissed as Valadon shot him, he collapsed to the floor with a thud, Valadon’s people rushed in to free the young woman strapped to the gurney, her eyes wide with fright, and red from crying.
“Who are you?” Valadon asked her.
“My name’s Lilly, help me please…They were going to artificially inseminate me with one of their disgusting offspring. They took my children and my husband, and I don’t know if they are even alive!” Lilly sobbed.
“You are safe now, we will find your family, you will have to come with us.”
Lilly lifted herself and they helped her climb down on shaky legs.
“Thank God you came.” Tears flooded her eyes, and Brian stepped forward and put his arms around her.
“It’s ok Lilly, it’s ok, you are safe now, we’ll get you out of here I promise.” She clung to Brian as if he was the last human left in the world.
“Lilly, do you know if there are any other captives, we are looking for a woman and a child?” Valadon asked, Lilly released Brian and faced Valadon.
“No, but I’m sure I heard a child crying, not far from where I was kept, everything echoes down here even with the steel doors, you could hear their feet padding along.” A sob caught in her throat, Kevin reached inside his jacket and pulled out a clean tissue. Valadon turned to the others. “Right, bring Lilly along we will search until we find them.
Valadon wasted no time, “There are many tunnels to search, they can’t be that far away.” As he headed out the door; Brian and Kevin grabbed a couple of sharp instruments from the table beside the gurney, one was a four-inch blade with a serrated edge the other was a black-handled knife about eight inches long with a pointed tip. Brian smiled to himself. ‘This could do a lot of damage’
The door ahead was much the same as the one that had kept Lilly prisoner and it was brought down in a massive metallic crash, sparks flew from the wreckage.
Ellen bunched herself up chin resting on the child’s head as she held Pixie tightly to her chest. Daryl pushed himself against the wall, eyes wide in anticipation of what was coming through that door. At first, they could barely see in the gloom and the dust created by the falling door, then as they both looked up they saw Brian, Kevin, Lilly, Valadon; and several Aliens entering the room.
“ELLEN! ARE YOU OK?” Brian went to run across the room. “Wait!” Valadon said. “Close your eyes and step away from the bars of the cage, I’ll get them out of there. Please keep your eyes closed, do not open them until I tell you or you will never be able to see again.”
Ellen turned her back to the wall while Daryl did the same the next minute Daryl had Lilly in his arms.”
“Are you ok? Did they hurt you? Where are the kids?” he asked. Lilly shook her head.
“Brian held Ellen and Pixie so tight she wondered if he would ever let go. “Have they done anything to you?” He asked anxiously. “No, we are both fine.”
She called to Daryl “Told we’d be ok, I knew they would come for us.” Daryl returned her smile.
Valadon was suspicious, it did not seem feasible that they would just take off, he walked to the centre of the room, his eyes wandering around every crevice, but they had left nothing behind, it was like they had never been here in the first place. Finally, he said, “There are no lizards, they must have known we were coming.”
Shirak checked the bottom of the cave from where they had just come from, for hidden lizards. “They have fled.”
“We didn’t hear a thing,” Ellen replied.
“They may be setting a trap, so, everyone is vigilant,” Valadon said turning to his men. “I am going to leave you here with some of my crew, you will be safe, we will find the children and come back for you.”
***
They found Christian and Carina in a room further down the tunnel, they were huddled together in a corner clutching each other tightly, they looked pale and terrified. They started to cry when they saw the tall men in spacesuits. “Don’t hurt us PLEASE!” Christian cried. Valadon knelt and took the child’s hand in his. “No one is going to hurt you little one, we are here to save you, your parents are here, I am going to take you to them…Are there any more Lizards here?”
“No, they ran away, we were their toys, they made us play games, and hit us.”
Valadon stroked the child’s hair. “You are nobody’s toy anymore.” He said lifting the little boy into his arms, Christian laid his head on his shoulder.
They took the children back to their much-relieved parents and gave them a few minutes to reunite, then Valadon said.
“There are no more captives or lizards, they have fled, obviously back to their ship. I am worried about Lasko and Todd, we must go, back the way we came, and hurry.
***
Todd helplessly hurled rocks at the fleeing lizards which had very little effect as they hurtled into the midnight sky, the sound of their wings flapping in the air was almost deafening. Lasko was shooting lasers into the sky as one after the other fell to the ground, either dead or wounded, Lasko didn’t stop, he was at the point of exhaustion, his tongue hung out of his mouth, and he was losing the battle as so many of them took to the sky with strong powerful wings leaving a trail of white gravel and dust floating in the air.
The master’s flooded out of the caves, followed by Daryl, Lilly, and Ellen carrying Pixie. Christian, Carina, Brian, and Kevin followed.
Todd ran to his mother, trying to hug both Ellen and Pixie together.
“MUM…I thought I would never see you again.” He cried, tears flooding down his face, Lasko stood behind him with a look of sadness on his face. This is what makes humans, human. He thought, brightening his furry face into a doggy smile. Pixie held tightly to her mother, she looked around her blue eyes rimmed with tears, sucking wildly at her thumb. She watched with confusion and fear.
***
Now the masters joined in the fight; streaking colours hit the air as lizard after lizard hit the ground. Suddenly the sky was lit up by bright lights, and the whirring of helicopter blades could be heard approaching the caves. A large net was thrown from one of the helicopters landing on a group of lizards below who were just making their way up on their feet. They were scooped up like fish in a trawler’s net and carried away into the night. Brian shielded his eyes as he saw them thrashing about in the sky obviously on their way to a detention centre.
“Many of them have got away, but we will track them to their ship, and get the prisoners to safety.” Valadon turned to face his people. “You have been honourable in our fight, you have saved a lot of human lives. For this, you will be recommended when we get home..” Then he turned to Ellen. “Ellen, would you take Lilly, Daryl and the children to your home and get them warm and fed? I will send a couple of my people to guard you.”
“No, I want to come with you, we have been separated too long, besides I can help Lilly and the kids, I’ll look after them.”
“Ok, I understand, as long as you feel well?”
“I feel fine now that I have my husband and son back.”
Valadon smiled and bowed his head, he turned to Shiriak
“Will you take the young Lizard and her child to the ship?” Shiriak nodded. ”Yes Master.” and led the young lizard away with her baby clutched tightly to her chest
“What will happen to her?” Kevin asked frowning.
“She will be handed back to her people.”
“Right.” He said. “No time to waste, we have to get the captives off their ship before they leave and take them with them, I want to act quickly on this!”
“There is going to be a battle Valadon, they will not come quietly?” Brian asked.
“I am aware of this.” Valadon looked at Todd and Lasko, who looked like he had been rubbed in the mud, his fur was a dirty brown muddy colour, and his ears were wet with dirty grey grit stuck to them hanging over his shaggy brown head. Todd looked down at him and almost laughed at the sight of him.
“Lasko, are you hurt?”
Lasko shook his head, Mud and grit flew from his ears. “No Master.”
Todd glanced at him. “He’s lying, a lizard bit his neck!”
Lasko curled his lips. “It’s only a scratch!”
“I would like to see the wound.”
Lasko turned his head while Valadon ruffled into his fur. “You have a large bite there! We will treat you on board the ship.”
“Now everyone hurry, the ship is waiting.”
***