and dashed after the kreer. This was the only way out of the room besides the tunnel I’d arrived in.
It was quieter inside the vasai farm this time. I ran between the cages, many of them empty, their doors open. The clusters of eggs in those were squashed, with the clear contents smeared all over the floor, mixed with the creatures’ spilled blood.
My feet slipped in the gore. The heavy footfalls of the dimo sounded close at my back.
I sprinted for the entrance.
The sound of other footsteps came from the corridor, then the kreer rushed back into the farm, with Crux on his heels.
“Where is she?”
I skidded to a stop, nearly crashing into them. My feet slid in the mess on the floor, and I grabbed on to the bars of the nearest cage to stop myself from falling.
Then the heavy hand of the dimo fisted in my hair.
“Finally.” Crux smirked, a black flash in his yellow eyes promised nothing good for me.
Fear paralyzed my mind and my body.
The lanky alien, Vrateus had called Tunkrox, staggered unsteadily through the entrance into the farm.
“Hey, Crux...” he hiccupped. “The captain escaped—”
Crux span on his heel, glaring at Tunkrox. “I am the captain! You idiot.”
“Okay.” Tunkrox shrugged, swaying on his feet. “He is still gone, though...”
“How?” Crux roared, hands fisting at his sides. “Lock her in the cage,” he threw over his shoulder to the dimo. “Fuck! How did he get out? Who was supposed to be watching him? Do I have to be everywhere at once? A bunch of idiots!” he raged, stomping out of the farm.
Unperturbed, Tunkrox stumbled out of the room, following his new captain.
“The cage can wait,” the dimo growled, flipping me to face him.
Snapping out of the stupor, I punched him in the jaw. The blow didn’t seem to affect him, but definitely hurt my knuckles.
He smirked.
“Crux said to lock her up.” The kreer bounced on the balls of his feet by the entrance to the farm.
“I will,” the dimo growled, pressing himself against me. “In a minute...”
Glancing out into the corridor then back at the dimo assaulting me, the kreer seemed to be torn between joining in the fun with the dimo or running to rat him out to Crux.
Finally, the fear of the new captain must have won, as the kreer ran out the way Crux had left.
Trapping my legs between his, the dimo gripped my waist with the two short arms he had growing from each side of his abdomen. He then caught my wrists with the second pair of hands of the arms that grew from his shoulders.
“Now what are you going to do?” He sneered, licking his lips with a wide, meaty tongue, the centipede’s body fluids still glistening on his face.
“I guess I’ll just let you have me,” I said, trying hard not to grimace in revulsion. “If you’re good to me, I can be good to you, too.”
“I don’t need you to be good.” He dragged his tongue along the side of my face. The stale stench of alcohol assaulted my nostrils. “I don’t even care if you’re alive.” He guffawed as if he’d just made a funny joke.
“Oh, but you don’t know how much more fun I can be alive,” I attempted a flirtatious murmur, though it came out more like a strangled croak, as terror pressed the air out of my chest. “Just let me use one hand.” I wiggled the fingers of my right hand, playfully. “And I’ll show you.”
“Just one?”
“Mhm.” I nodded, biting my lower lip seductively.
He released his grip on my wrist. “If you try anything funny, I’ll make sure it hurts more when I fuck you,” he warned.
“Don’t worry.” I brought my hand up to his cheek. “There is definitely nothing funny about this.”
Hard plating covered the dimo’s skull and most of his face. He had no eyelids, his eyes mere slits under the thick brow ridge. His lips seemed just as hard as the rest of him.
“Shove your tongue down my throat,” I moaned breathily, trailing the back of my hand down his jaw line.
With an intrigued growl, he stuck his thick tongue out. It descended toward my mouth.
Pressing the small protrusion on Vrateus’s ring, I released the sharp needle and stabbed his tongue with it.
He roared in pain then slapped me across my face with his free hand. My head slammed into a cage bar. The blow rang through my head, disorienting me for a moment.