Memory transcription subject: Tinasi, yotul lab assistant

Date [Standardized human time]: August 23rd, 2148

[Day 16]

Finally, back on Leirn. The other day I was given a completely out-of-the-blue offer to aid in research for the human immune cells plan. It was a dream come true to not only have a reason to go home but to also work for the good of the galaxy, not just someone’s research assistant. I did hear about what happened to Dr. Silvon, but a video call with her and Danny quelled my fears. They said she’d probably be shuttled here sometime tomorrow, so I fixed up my house in case they needed somewhere to crash.

I fluffed up a set of pillows and carefully laid them out on a big cushy mattress. It was adorned with a heavy quilt my great-grandmother knitted by paw before the war. She had to hide it when the feds came to uplift us. I was pretty young during their occupation, only 6 when the war ended. I remember that day clearly though. When they finally jumped ship and the humans came along.

Dad dug the quilt out of its hiding space almost immediately. He knew humans wouldn’t punish us for our culture, and they didn’t. Funny now I’m preparing a bed for a predator with Grandma’s handiwork, but I like to believe she’d be proud of me.

I left the guest room when I figured everything was in order for them, and went to the kitchen to make myself breakfast. Dad was still at work in the shipyard, so I’d have the place to myself for a little while. I whipped up some oatmeal and dug in a cabinet for my medication. Inside the small bottle were a pawful of tiny, blue capsules. I popped one in my mouth, swallowing it without water, then put the pills away.

Those pills were from humans. Back during the occupation, the feds locked you in a sterile white room with nothing to do and mocked you for being different. I used to have nightmares about those facilities. I plopped down on the couch to enjoy my breakfast, slapping the TV remote with my tail. It buzzed onto a local news broadcast.

I wasn’t afraid of the Federation anymore. That was another thing the humans helped me with. Sometimes though, like while I watched that TV, I’d linger on the thought a little too long. I felt all jumpy before the meds kicked in.

~~~

Memory transcription subject: Tinasi, PD patient

Date [Standardized human time]: March 6th, 2136

For reasons I couldn’t understand, one night I was being read a bedtime story by Mama, and the next I was in a cell. The walls and floor were hard and harsh. Bright lights buzzed and stabbed at my dreary eyes as I lulled into consciousness on the cold, hard slab of fabric they called a bed.

Something in my head was different, it was quieter than usual. The world spun as I stood up, and I almost fell back down. My movements were sluggish and I had to work to get up to the only door in the room.

“Hello?” I called, my voice reverberating through the small room. I shivered and hugged myself, noticing a patch of fur missing from my right arm, right in my elbow. In the center of the bald patch was a bandage of some sort that hurt to put pressure on.

“Where am I?” I asked.

There was no response. I tried to push on the door, but there was no handle on my side. Panic raced through me, but I was too doped up to even register it. I tried to bang on the door but only mustered a few light taps.

From the other side, there was a crash, and a voice called out “AWAY FROM THE DOOR.”

I jumped back and waited. Nothing happened. Tears stung my eyes as I sat down and resigned myself to whatever cruel fate I’d gotten into. They rarely let me out of that room. All my meals were slid through a slot in the door, and the used trays vanished as I slept.

The few times I was allowed out, was to talk to this old kolshian lady, who referred to me as a number, or ‘primitive’, which I didn’t even understand. She told me I was too unfocused and aloof to be safe in the herd. She ended all her sessions with a needle in my arm that knocked me out and made me feel really lightheaded the next morning.

Sometimes she’d ask me about my family, asking if my parents were like me. I was too young and oblivious to lie.

The day the humans liberated the PD facilities, I came home to find Mama missing. Dad was distraught, he just kept reassuring me that whatever happened ‘wasn’t my fault’. I never understood what he meant until I was 10 and he came home drunk and rambly. They took her, after what I told them, but they didn’t treat her like me. She was ‘more of a danger’, all because she was grown and I wasn’t.

She has no grave anywhere on Leirn, but I know she didn’t live to meet the humans. I’d see her sometimes in the nightmares, screaming at me while they did unspeakable things to her. Exterminators, vindictive ‘doctors’, they never were yotul.

~~~

Memory transcription subject: Tinasi, yotul lab assistant

Date [Standardized human time]: August 23rd, 2148

[Day 16]

I snapped back to reality. I don’t want to dwell any longer, I have work in a few hours. The research was going well, we were allowed a steady supply of human blood from local donors, though we couldn’t tell them why we needed them.

The news moved on from local events to galactic stuff. Skalga was in horrible shape. It was estimated half of the cities on the planet were experiencing outbreaks of the flu. All the more reason to keep working. I finished my oatmeal and clicked off the TV. Once I washed the bowl and utensil, I took a quick shower and was on my way.

~~~

Memory transcription subject: Lewis Blake, human refugee

Date [Standardized human time]: August 22nd, 2148

[Day 15]

I turned slowly, carefully. I kept Charlotte shielded. Standing above us was a human figure with long, disheveled hair and a severe burn on his face. The barrel of the shotgun was pointed right at my face.

“Who are you?” The man spat.

I raised my hands slowly, “My name is L-Lewis, this is Ivan and Ch-Charlotte,” I stuttered.

He glared at me, constantly shifting his focus to Char. He pointed the shotgun suddenly at Ivan, “Put down the rifle. Now,” he ordered. Ivan obliged, setting the gun down and pushing it away with his foot.

“What the fuck are you bringing that around for?” He asked, gesturing at the pup.

I put my arms around her, returning the man’s glare, “She’s just a kid, it’s too dangerous for her to be alone out there.”

His eyes softened a little and he sighed heavily, “You can’t seriously be harboring a Xeno while exterminators patrol the street,” he muttered. “They’ll really let you have it if they catch you.”

He lowered the gun finally and put out a hand, “At least you’re human,” he grumbled. “Name’s Porter. We’ve got a few fellas out in the dining room, but we’re pretty crowded. I don’t care who you are or where you’re from, you gotta leave by tomorrow,” he said, his eyes not leaving Charlotte once.

“And take that fucking suit off her. She’s gonna get torn to shreds if the others see.”

Ivan and I exchanged a look, then I begrudgingly began taking off the helmet. I figured the virus probably wasn’t an issue here since there’s no venlil. Her fur was all matted from the suit, but she wore a happy little smile.

“What the fuck?” Porter exclaimed suddenly, “She’s cured too? Good god, they’d treat her just like you. She’s damn lucky,” he said.

“Wait, what do you mean? They’d burn her too?” I asked incredulously.

Porter narrowed his eyes, “What’re you living under a rock?”

“Well, kinda, yeah. What happened here?”

He took a moment before answering, “It’s back to how things were… y’know, before the war. The exterminators are treating all humans like a threat cause of the disease. That extends to the cured Skalgans, they fucking hate those,” he explained. “As soon as the peacekeepers pulled out, the governor put those shitheads in charge. Humanity First took to the streets to fight back, now they line street corners and dumpsters.”

“Stars…” Ivan muttered, earning an odd look from Porter. We walked along into the dining room. It was a makeshift camp that reeked of unwashed bodies and sweat. There were plenty of men, a few women, and a couple of children. All of them huddled together, whispering amongst themselves.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Porter! What the fuck?” One man cried as he spotted Charlotte. “Who the hell are these guys?”

“Calm down, Mason,” he responded, “It’s just more of us. The pup is cured.”

Mason was livid but didn’t object. I kept a tight grip on Charlotte’s wrist. “You leave tomorrow,” Porter said, handing Ivan back his rifle. “Understood,” he replied.

The three of us sat down on the floor on the outskirts of the main huddle. People kept glancing up at us. At her. If it came down to it, I was ready to defend Char if things got bad. I kept her close and tapped Ivan’s shoulder.

“What’s the plan when we leave here?” I asked. Ivan shrugged, “I’m not sure. I guess just skip to the border as quick as we can,” he suggested. Porter strode over with the shotgun held straight up against his shoulder.

“You’re running for the border?” he asked.

I nodded, “We want out of the city as soon as possible.”

“God damn. You really are completely oblivious, huh? You got a map on that holopad?” he asked, pointing at the semi-spherical lump in my front pocket.

I pulled it out and popped it open. There was no service, but I did have an offline version of the city’s map from my GPS. The city’s holographic form materialized, and a red beacon appeared at my last known whereabouts, the shelter. I used landmarks to find where we currently were.

Porter circled the city with his finger, “All of this was swarming with exterminators. Now they’re more centered downtown, where the old guild HQ was,” he pointed at a particularly large dome almost perfectly centered in the city, surrounded by high rises and blocky human buildings. “You go there, you get incinerated. Now, I don’t know much about the borders ‘cept that up north everyone got sick a while back. They’re spread thin, that’s why they bunched up downtown where the most humans were,” he explained.

Ivan nodded, “We got an announcement earlier, about humans being shuttled out… Why didn’t you go?” He asked.

Porter looked around at the others huddled together. “Everyone in this room lived downtown. That announcement went off while the riots were in full swing, we couldn’t have made it to the border if we tried. So we stayed put, watched as exterminators took over, and moved when we had to. We’ve been lucky here the last couple of days, but it’s far from safe.”

I did a rough headcount and came back with maybe 15 people total. “How much food do you all have?” I asked.

Porter gave an indignant grunt, “Why would you-”

“I’m not asking for myself. If you had to guess, how long would your current supply last everyone here?” I urged.

He thought for a moment, his fingers tapped as he counted, “A couple weeks, we’re well-off here,” he answered finally. I zoomed in on the projection of the building with the shelter. “You know about the pre-war raid shelters? The ones they’d hide from the arxur in?” I asked. Porter nodded.

“There’s one in this building, it’s where we stayed the last few days. It’s safe if you keep watch, and there are weapons tucked in the storeroom, more rifles like Ivan’s, and ammunition. There’s no food, but if you can bring yours with you, just a block down the way, you’ll be set,” I said.

Porter’s eyes lit up. The huddle overheard, indistinct whispers and murmurs rumbled among them. He looked around at everyone, at the tight arrangements, then smiled, the first I’d seen from him.

“Yeah? We could try and get over there. It’ll be tight with the patrols…” he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“We traveled through this building here,” Ivan pointed at the abandoned office. “One big room, straight through the dome on both sides.”

“Sorry for the window, by the way, we didn’t really think there’d be people here,” I apologized.

Porter shook his head, “For what you’ve told us, that window means nothing.”

I zoomed the map back out and highlighted the northern border. We were a few city blocks away, then we had a trek through an urban neighborhood. I spied a patch of forest with a dried riverbed running through from the outskirts of the city up through the border.

“I’ll bet we could make a run through the woods, maybe get up to Beiton,” I suggested.

“Beiton?” Porter remarked, “Like hell you are. Beiton’s almost as bad as it is here. Go up north, then turn east and walk until you reach Dayside. It's a day’s travel through the woods, but you could make the trip faster if you walk along the highway. Get to the UN’s embassy, they’ll help you,” he urged. “For now though, for your troubles, please, let me get you something to eat.”

I didn’t even realize how hungry I was until he said that. My stomach audibly growled. “Eeew!” Charlotte giggled. I ruffled her fluff and smiled as Porter retreated to the store room.

I decided, based on the shift in expressions on the other humans, that it was okay to let my guard down a bit. Charlotte dared to waddle a little closer, a young human maybe 6 or 7 hesitantly waved. I caught a glimpse of what everyone was so interested in, that Mason guy from earlier was reading excerpts of an old book, laughing along with the kids and keeping the mood light for everyone.

Char looked over at me, silently asking for approval. I nodded and the pup bounded into the huddle alongside the human kid.

~~~

The floor was hard, we were using stacks of paper for pillows. Charlotte was fast asleep in my arms. I turned my head, careful not to disturb her. Everyone was still while Porter stalked the kitchen, shotgun in hand. She sniffled suddenly, and her breathing quickened.

She muttered something under her breath as I tried to calm her down.

“Shhh, shhh, it’s okay, Char,” I whispered. She squirmed and little sobs escaped her. She was having a nightmare. Poor pup. She wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in my chest.

“Don’t go, Da,” she whined.

I hesitated, then whispered, “I won’t, Charlotte.”

~~~

Memory transcription subject: Daniel Stat, human virologist

Date [Standardized human time]: [Subject unconscious, last recorded date: August 23rd, 2148]

[Day 16]

The steady beat of the heart monitor was the only sound in the empty darkness. I tried to breathe, but the air was too thick. I waved my arms, it felt like I was swimming in jelly. I attempted to speak out, but only bubbles escaped me. My brain was screaming for air, but my lungs felt fine.

The black slowly started to lighten, swirls of color, orange and red, merging into one uniform color. All of it was viscous like blood as I broke the surface, clawing for solid ground that didn’t exist. The tiled roof above grew further, and a degloved hand erupted from the ocean of viscera to drag me under again. It wore a ring on its skeletal middle finger.

“No!” I screamed at it, finding my voice. I began trying to swim away. The hospital walls that surrounded me drifted further and further, growing foggier. They surpassed vision soon enough. Above me was the purple Skalgan sky, all around me were wooded mountains. My feet crinkled through dried, dead leaves. They were shaped like venlil skulls, and in a few steps, became them.

There was movement behind the trees. Someone sprinting back and forth, too fast for me to catch a good look. I coughed into my arm, the blood was orange. My hands weren’t my own. I was at the mercy of the virus.

Raspy, choking laughter erupted behind me. The figure made himself clear, the Humanity First member, half-decayed with a wicked yellow grin. He laughed without moving his mouth, keeping his expression constant.

I backed away slowly, begging for mercy.

“Please,” I said, putting my paws together, “I have a family, I have a life,” I pleaded. Not even my voice was mine. The fur on my arms flaked off, and the skin on my paws was sticky where I touched.

The figure gargled a response, I couldn’t understand it. He reached out that filthy, skeletal hand, grabbing at my wrist. Wherever he touched, more of my skin melted away. Chunks of auburn fur fell from my head, and the skin shifted, migrating up his arm, attaching itself and morphing him.

I coughed more, heaving on the ground as the bones in my legs collapsed beneath me. I fell into a pile, slowly melting away into nothing. My vision went hazy, and I looked up at the formerly skeletal being. He smiled, his teeth were white, his skin was tanner, and he had a scruffier beard on his chin.

He was me, then I melted away.

~~~

[Subject conscious]

Date [Standardized human time]: August 24th, 2148

[Day 17]

“Danny! Danny wake up!” Silvon’s voice cried. My eyes fluttered open, I was drenched in sweat and breathing hard. “Are you okay?” She asked, concern contorting her features.

“Yeah, yeah I’m good,” I breathed. I smiled shakily. “Gotta go to the bathroom though,” I stood on shaky legs. The tile floor telescoped. I felt like it was gonna collapse beneath me again. The hospital room had a tiny, closet-sized bathroom that I tucked myself into and locked the door.

I fell to my knees and threw up. Clutching my stomach as bile burned my throat. Fuck! My heartbeat was erratic and tears ran down my face. There was orange in the vomit, from the food I’d eaten, but it scared me. I resisted screaming before my head was on straight.

I wiped my mouth with some toilet paper and flushed, then sat down and leaned against the door.

Silvon’s okay. You’re okay. Nothing is wrong. I clutched my head in my arms, trying to get the figure from my mind’s eye. Over my sobs, I heard a clatter behind the door. In one swift motion, I was up and opening it.

Silvon was lying on the floor in a tangle of wires. My eyes instantly locked on the blood seeping from her elbow.

“Shit! Silvon! Oh god! Are you alright?” I ran to her.

“Danny,” she groaned, trying and failing to pick herself up. A nurse rushed in quickly, the heart monitor was flatlining.

“What’s going on in here?” She asked. I stood and tried to collect myself.

“My fault, nurse,” Silvon mumbled. I leaned down to pick her up. “I tried to get outta bed,” she winced as I laid her down safely on the mattress.

“What? Why would you-?” the nurse gesticulated.

Silvon locked eyes with me. I knew I looked horrible. “I had to go to the bathroom,” she said finally, “and I didn’t want to wake Danny with the commotion, y’know?”

The nurse just stared at her, then at me, wearing a look that told me she had a lot to say to us if she didn’t value her job. She finally just shook her head and tended to the wires Silvon had ripped from her arm during the fall.

“Stars…” she grumbled, putting pressure on the arm to slow the bleeding. “Hold here,” she told me. I pressed gently just above the vein while the nurse went to get ahold of some stitches.

“Why did you do that?” I asked when we were alone.

“I heard you were upset,” Silvvy replied, “I wanted to help you. I know you’ve been having nightmares about what happened, and just want you to talk to me, Danny,” she said.

A tear rolled down her cheek that I wiped away with my free hand. “I’m sorry,” I said, “I’m so sorry.”

“I love you so much. Please, talk to me,” she pleaded. A wave of deja vu flooded over me, staring down at her from this angle, in the hospital bed, I could almost see her melting away again.

“Okay,” I heaved, clearing my mind, “Yeah, I’ll- I’ll talk to you, I will,” I said. The nurse returned with the stitches and began dressing the wound.

“You’re lucky you probably don’t need this anymore,” she told Silvon. “You’re still on track to leave tomorrow, so long as you don’t yank any more wires.”

Silvvy smiled wearily at me, “No promises.”