A Past with an Alien

CHAPTER 22

ERIER

Iris screamed so loudly that my ears hurt. I put her down, and she ran in the right direction to hide. When the armor wrapped around my face, I prepared myself for combat.

Two Alpha-Draconians growled in front of me, but someone shot them. I looked around and saw Captain Zegyr a few meters away. He saluted me, one arm raised with a weapon and smoke still coming out. I nodded at him and tapped my arms.

The rest of the monsters charged in my direction, but I lurched fast and high and dodged them. Then I gave my defense. A neon light glowed at my legs, and I kicked the monster hard in its chest. It hurled away from me and hit the large wooden staircase.

Loud explosions were everywhere, and falling debris flew away. The whole house became a Warpath. Every member of my team had an opponent. There were flashing lights from laser beams with different noises. I searched for Iris when she had gone from my sight. Smoke had already filled the air, and finding her was hard for me. From afar, I could only see Captain Zegyr, who battled the monster Crey.

"Hector! I'm here," I heard Iris.

She was hiding in a large, toppled cupboard. A monster grabbed her feet, and she screamed again. I ran close to her and shot the alien monster quickly in the head. Even in their dying state, those jerks were still fierce. Then it let go of Iris's feet.

Iris stood up and ran toward me. She curled her arms around my body. Even though I was in armor, I felt strange when she did it. My heart was beating for an unknown reason. And this might be how we feel when we save someone. The beating was the only sound I could hear, even if explosions bombed everything. My desire to protect her had deepened.

I cradled her in my arms but suddenly felt a blow to my back that sent me hurling away. I slipped Iris from my arms and hit the concrete wall, but I regained my balance quickly. When I glanced around, I saw Crey standing far away from me, grinning with his tail swaying.

Crey sauntered over to Iris, and I felt bothered. I tapped my arms and attacked him like a bolt of lightning. My leg glowed as I kicked him hard in the back, sending him flying, but he stood up quickly. I went to Iris's side and picked her up again.

"Behind you!" she screamed.

I raised my right arm, and my hand opened. A force field wrapped around us, but Crey fired multiple laser beams at us. The floor beneath us caved in and collapsed, sending us both into the basement below. Thank goodness Iris was still okay, as she had already anticipated the fall and held onto me tightly. I was able to regain my balance while still holding her.

The force field around us had disappeared, and when I turned my head, Crey was standing near the side of the hole, ready to come down. Only when Captain Zegyr popped out and kicked him hard on the head. The Captain peeked over us and motioned with his hands to get out of there. Iris was also looking up and understood him. She curled her arms tighter around my waist so that her face almost stuck to my chest. I lurched high, and we landed on the ground floor again.

From the ravaged kitchen, I saw a wall with a huge hole. I ran towards it while still holding Iris in my arms. I noticed that some of my team had already killed many Alpha-Draconians.

We were almost a meter from the dismantled wall when an explosion banged in our direction. I slipped Iris from my arms, and we were both thrown away from the impact. Debris from the exploded chairs and tables flew everywhere, almost hitting Iris. Still, I was able to shield her with my body. I turned my gaze around and saw the asshole, Crey. He had done it to us once again. His arm had turned into a weapon, and thick smoke was still coming from the muzzle.