Chapter 21
Edna
Tekita rose to his feet.
Some guests had left the inn.
The inn was in a state of disrepair. Sleeping here was a risk.
I don't even know how the carnivorous plant found this place.
The other guests didn't leave. They stared at me with bad intentions.
Tekita walked forward with the annoying smile still on his face.
"If any gentlemen and ladies are thinking of stealing Edna from me, I would suggest you think again. I am with Mr Maol MacNeis." Tekita said, "If you are willing to offend him, I will gladly oblige." Silence took over the place.
Thw man Tekita worked with must be powerful. His name carried weight.
The expression on some guests' faces changed. A few men and women left immediately.
This wasn't good news for me.
The devil I know-which is Tekita-is better than the angel I do not know.
At least, without this collar hindering me, I was confident that I would make my escape if an opportunity arose.
With an unknown person, the chances of escaping decreases and my lacking knowledge would cripple my abilities.
"If we kill you and your crew, Mr Maol would not take revenge on anybody. How's that?" A bulky man with green hair asked.
His pupils looked like a reptile's irises.
His vertical pupils sent a chill down my spine.
The smile on Tekita's lips didn't drop. He kept his momentum going.
He didn't falter under the stranger's oppressive gaze.
"That is where you made a mistake. My vehicle is in the parking space and I have a microchip in my heart. My companions have the same modification. If anyone on my side dies, you will be in trouble. The microchip would send a signal to Maol. My vehicle has a backup system that would send a signal to Maol after the connected heartbeat tracker goes still. If I am you, I would think carefully about my next actions." Tekita said.
"You are lucky." The stranger finally said.
Tekita's preparations were thorough.
I didn't even know all this information he was revealing.
I could not help but become more wary and careful.
Getting away from Tekita's control is more complicated than I thought.
"I know." Tekita replied.
Finally, the other guests dispersed. Only the inn staffs remain.
"Menno, bring the car to the entrance of the inn. We can't stay here anymore." Tekita instructed.
Menno nodded and left.
The heavy atmosphere hanging over us was choking.
I rose to my feet.
Most of my strength had come back. I could still feel that a tiny part of my powers were locked away though.
During the battle, I didn't have time to study the humans. Now, I have surplus time.
I scanned the humans standing around.
Someone was missing. The person was a civilian. I cracked my head to remember who it was.
It was Bryant.
He wasn't the type of person that talks too much. He's presence on the team was tame and low-key.
I can't believe he was gone.
A body on the floor captured my attention.
The body was in a miserable state.
Holes littered the surface of the body and the body was as dry as felled wood. The terrified expression on the body's face was the ingredient of nightmares.
The blood in the body had been sucked away.
Broken vines were on the body and its surroundings.
So, this is where the vines' red color comes from.
A knife was beside the body.
I could recognize that knife anywhere.
It was the knife the higher-ups gave each member of the exploration team.
The identity of the body was clear.
Another blood debt was added to the hatred I have for the plant.
She almost killed me and she sucked life away from Bryant. She ended his young life.
Although I have some of her powers now, I can't help the disgust I felt for her.
Heavy expressions was on the surviving humans' faces.
All this strengthened my thoughts. Humans should run away from this planet. We should leave as fast as we can.
Dangers abounded everywhere.
The whirring sound of the vehicle's engine jolted me out of my wandering thoughts.
"Let's go." Tekita said as he walked downstairs.
We all followed silently.
Menno came down from the driver's seat and climbed into the seating area.
Tekita and Kain sat at their former positions.
The other aliens and humans, including me, filed into the vehicle.
I sat near the window.
Kain started the car immediately.
Soon enough, the vehicle began to move at a fast speed. The movements of the vehicle was a great lullaby.
I would have fallen asleep if I didn't have a lot in my mind.
Within the span of a few minutes, many things changed forever.
I was attacked and I almost died. I gained powers beyond the scope of human thinking and Bryant, one of my team members died in the most painful ways available.
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Someone sat beside me.
It was Yulia.
I didn't speak.
"Edna, the feeling inside me is complicated. I don't know if I should be happy or sad when your escape failed." Yulia began.
I looked at her in surprise.
This wasn't the kind of words I expected from Yulia.
In my view, Yulia was a steady woman. I could understand her fury when Habiba jeopardized everyone on the team but I didn't know she had little thoughts about me too. "What do you mean?" I questioned.
"When you tried to leave, I sent you a signal to save me. You didn't." She replied.
I stopped looking at her.
I turned my gaze to the moving scenery outside the window, "This is similar to the issue with Habiba. Although her motive isn't pure, mine is understandable. I am not familiar with my newfound powers. The only person I can save at that time is myself. I calculated everything. Taking anybody with me would lower the chances of me escaping the inn. I thought I could come back for you guys later. I didn't know I was already doomed to fail. Tekita would not let go of me."
"I suspected all this. Still, my heart didn't want to listen." Yulia continued, "This was why I wanted to hear your views. I don't want to have any grudges related to you."
She was right.
Sometimes, the heart would misbehave. Logic can be twisted when it concerns emotions.
At least, I am thankful that she confronted me instead of letting it rot within her.
I admired her for that.
I knew some of the humans would hear our conversation. Yulia helped me.
I had already explained my reasons for leaving them behind.
I don't want to see one of them stabbing me in the back at a critical moment.
We stopped speaking.
The issue was resolved.
I continued watching the scenery outside my window.
The background had blurred because of the vehicle's speed.
Hours flew by.
The sun began to start its' daily journey. The light it brought shone down on the planet.
We travelled through the night.
We didn't stop for a moment.
My bum ached.
I sat down for hours.
We have gotten to the heart of this planet. At least, this is what I would call the capital.
We passed through buildings, settlements, villages, towns and cities on our way here.
We are finally here.
The capital looked great.
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The designs on each building is different.
Some looked like the Chinese ancient architecture on earth, others looked like Victorian age structures. I could still see many buildings that hinted at some heritage related to earth. This shows that most of the aliens' thinking followed the same paths humans ventured into.
Hovercrafts flew overhead.
The vehicle stopped at a huge building.
We didn't stop at the entrance. We went through the back.
Kain parked the car.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.
Tekita brought a thin and rectangular item out.
The item made from glass.
I could see the vehicle's dashboard at the other side of the glass when I glanced at it.
Tekita tapped something and blue texts appeared on the screen.
It should be their communication tool.
"Hello Maol. We brought goods." Tekita said into the smart device.
A smooth voice came from the other end of the call, "Where are you?"
"I am at the auction house. I parked my car at the back." Tekita replied.
"Okay, my men would bring you in soon." The person he was calling replied.
Happiness coated the person's tone.
"Everyone should get down." Tekita ordered.
He opened the car door and came down.
Kain joined him.
The three aliens at the back ushered us out of the vehicle.
We waited patiently.
A few minutes passed by.
The back door finally opened and men in black attire poured out of the building.
One of the men came forward with a light smile.
"Tekita, long time no see." The man greeted, "I thought it would take some time to get quality goods. It seems I underestimated your prowess."
This man wasn't the man on call with Tekita a few minutes ago. He should be Maol's subordinate.
"Franklin, you are flattering me. I didn't expect this stroke of luck either." Tekita replied humbly. "Come with me." Franklin said with a chuckle.
Tekita nodded.
The men in black surrounded us and escorted us into the building.
The auction house was like a beast and the backdoor was like the beast's mouth.
For some reason, a chill ran down my spine.