Death in Shadows

by Emmalee_Sky

The rusted railing scratched against my skin as I stood on my balcony, staring at a shroud of clouds inching closer. It covered the stars and Xenumia's three moons. I leaned against my hand, peeking down at the passing carts on the gravel and caught a black dog skirt around the carts then disappear into an alley between my building and the diner next door. A bark followed but fell quiet.

"You'll fall to your death," Suti, my blue cat, said. She sat on the couch with her back turned, left leg lifted, grooming herself.

I rolled my eyes then fought a yawn. I softly slapped my cheeks.

The sunset's rays peeked through the Pes Mountains from the north. A light bounced off the silver Obelisk of Alms. The thing was a nuisance now. Just a reminder of older times.

"Time for work," Suti called.

Another late shift at the Sorters. Going through packages sent from Earth was dull work, but someone had to do it. And for the last six years, that had been me.

Pulling on faded beige coveralls, I stumbled over my boots. "Suti!"

"I didn't put them there." She flicked her tail as she walked into the room. A second later, the sound of her claws scratching against my covers came.

Exhaling, I walked to the front door and placed my thumb on the print pad. "Opening MAIN DOOR for Tish Lathenna."

Pushing up my sleeves, I stepped through. "Be back later."

"Don't dally!" Suti called from the room.

I shook my head. The door shut with a swish and a "Closing MAIN DOOR for Tish Lathenna."

I turned the 8 in 408 up on the bespeckled door then let it fall back down. This encampment, the last on the planet Xenumia, light years away from Earth, reached its peak long ago and was crumbling around them.

Only the gods knew how long they had before the terrain or some malignant entity took over.

Hurrying down the hallway, I passed the old elevator that hadn't worked since 2681, if the stories were true. The mechanics were all wrong, my neighbor, Tyadd said, but I think he just liked the sound of his own voice.

The sixth step from the bottom creaked when I reached, and I jumped just in time. The scars from the last time I fell through still ached when it rained. I'd been late to work, and they'd cut my credit in half for the day. That night, Suti and I almost went to bed hungry.

I skidded to a stop when I noticed a new paper added to the board, my boots sliding on the linoleum. Another lost resident. A man with dark eyes and shoulder length hair: KABON GUTHYN.

He was a stranger but still one of my people. Had he wandered away like the others? That made three now. With a sigh, I pushed open the door. It rattled.

A cart rushed passed, pulled by a green horse. I smiled. We didn't know what caused it, I figured it was the air or water or something, but a while after the humans showed up on Xenumia, the animals changed. Their hair, fur, skin, it changed.

But only one could talk.

I'd found Suti in an alley next to the Sorter three years ago, her blue fur matted with blood. She refused to leave the apartment since. With a look at my empty balcony, I hurried off to work. In a few minutes, I'd be late.

* * *

I stumbled out of the Sorter, covering my eyes as the sun blared. Late shifts were a real pain. Sun rising, the day beginning, and all I wanted to do was crawl into bed. Today just made it worse. There'd been news of an upcoming war on Earth. The letter had been rushed. The gods only knew what was happening on the Motherland. The letter was old, like looking at the stars now but only seeing a past image in the sky.

Too bad it hadn't been my box, but the boss had taken the package before I could even get a look. All I'd gotten were some packages of tech that wouldn't work here. I always felt tech came here to die. Even though most of the rudimentary equipment from the beginning still worked, like the doors, the gate surrounding the camp, the IGP- intergalactic post- and a few others, everything else died within days.

"Glowing galaxies. Look at that. It's almost like..."

Frowning, I looked around and spotted a figure, crouching in the mouth of the alley next to the Sorter. "You okay?" I called.

The figure straightened, shaking their left hand. A woman pushed brown hair, blue tips bright in the morning light, out of her face. She fixed the collar of her white shirt. "Oh, hello." There was a tilt in her voice, a soft remnant of an accent.

"What're you doing?" I walked over and looked into the alley. Shadows covered the back doors of the Sorter and Cosmos Cutters, even the wood that lined the walls. I squinted.

"The shadows are full," the woman said, running her hands down her black and blue striped vest.

My eyebrows rose. "What?"

"Anything happening around... here?" The woman scratched her head. "Where is here?"

"Don't you know?" I frowned. Was she drunk? High? Maybe both?

"My locator's on the fritz." The woman tapped the bulky band around her left wrist. "My own fault. Always forget the damn thing fries on the left." She tapped it a few more times. "But I'm righty!"

She wasn't drunk or high. She was mad.

"I'm Vax." The woman smiled, a dimple on her right cheek.

"Tish." I watched the shadows darken. "What do you mean the shadows are full?" I took a step back, judging the trajectory of the rising sunlight. Hardly any hit the alley. Only where we stood.

"Stay back." Vax grabbed my arm when I stepped towards the alley again.

Her black glove was cool against my skin.

"Xenumia!" Vax cried. I jumped. "You're seventh-generation. Wow! Humans take giant leaps into the stars!" She fist-pumped the air. "Discovering new worlds. Coexistence. New beginnings..." She stopped, frowning. A flash of light shot past, reflecting off an object on a passing cart. It lit up her eyes, a luminescent color, then the light passed, and they were brown. So dark, I must've imagined it.

"You're human. But you're almost..." Vax shook her head and turned back to the alley. She crouched. She slowly reached out her left hand, her lips pursed. She stopped before her fingertips passed into shadows. "Full."

"What does that mean?" I squinted again. The alley didn't look full at all. Just dark. Maybe a little darker than before.

Vax jumped to her feet, spinning on her boot heels. "Anything weird? Odd?"

My forehead furrowed. "Some people are missing."

"Missing? Lost? Dead? Ah. That's rude. Sorry." She rubbed the back of her neck and smiled softly.

My eyebrows rose. Weird? Odd? Matched this woman to a tee.

"Tell me about these missing... humans, I presume?" Vax looped her arm with mine, steering me away from the alley.

With a brief glimpse, I allowed Vax to pull me away. "We're mostly human here. The Xen were here first, but there was a sickness generations back, and it killed most of them. A few mixed survived but-" The stories varied. It was a disease the humans brought. It was planet bred. It was the gods. It was this. It was that. It was always something.

"Strange." Vax pinched her bottom lip. "Do you prefer to talk over food or drinks?"

I opened my mouth then closed it. "Uh- food's fine. There's a diner close by."

When we reached my building, I looked up to the fourth floor. Suti sat on the railing, her blue tail swaying behind her. I waved, and Vax's gaze followed.

"A Catolen! Never thought I'd see one again! Most stick to their home plane- it only has one tail." Vax stopped and stared at Suti. Her eyes flashed, left fist tightening.

"One? Suti only has one tail. She's a cat. Cats only have one." Gods, this woman. Odd.

"That's such a human thing to say," Vax said softly then smiled. "Suti isn't just a cat. She's an alien. Amazing. Where did you find her?"

"A few years ago. In that alley." The same we'd just met by. A brief glimpse of different shades of blood and the sound of hissing blinded me. I shook my head and licked my lips.

Vax sighed. "Where's this diner? I'm starving."

*

"So, three people go missing, and nothing?" Vax stirred her soup, her spoon scratching against the bottom of the metal bowl.

"Rumor's they got passed the Gate and got lost." I shrugged, holding a coffee mug. I looked around the diner. The kitchen door swung shut as Padina, the owner, disappeared out back. The movement caught my attention. A black spot grew in the top corner. Had that been there yesterday?

"Did you know any of the missing people?" Vax pulled back my attention.

"Not personally."

"Did they know each other?"

"Don't know."

"Same age?"

"Don't think so."

"You're not helping much." Vax smiled, softening her words. She laid her spoon down and leaned forward on her fist, staring at me. Dark eyelashes brushed against her tanned skin.

I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear. "You should ask the Sheriff."

"That's the lawman here? What a traditional concept." Vax scratched her cheek then shook her head. "Don't like cops."

"But they'll have more information. I'm just a sorter."

"Just a..." Vax snorted. "Aren't you an interesting human?"

The way she said human, it was almost like- The door opened and in walked Tyadd. He stopped when he spotted me, a smile spreading. "Mornin', beautiful."

I groaned as he slid into the space beside me. I grimaced when that sandwiched me against the wall. There was something greenish-brown growing on it.

Tyadd leaned on his elbows, taking in Vax. "Don't know ya."

"Just passing through." She rubbed her hands together. "I hear people are missing."

Tyadd's eyes narrowed. "How long ya been on Xenumia? Are ya human-"

I cut him off, eyes wide. "Tyadd! That's rude."

"It's fine." Vax folded her hands. "I kind of just arrived. What's the year?"

"You ask the oddest questions." Where was she? What year? What was next? What galaxy was this? Gods.

"2819," Tyadd told her.

"Tell me about the missing people." Vax scratched her head.

Tyadd rubbed his graying mustache. "My brother's the deputy. They don't know much but..." He paused. "Why should I tell ya?"

Vax grinned. "Why not?"

He snorted. "Women. All the same-"

"I know." Vax waved her hand. "We're so fleeting. So..."

"Nothing. Habay was last seen in that alley next to the Sorter. Latna disappeared from her apartment. And Kabon..." He stopped and cleared his throat. He looked away, and I followed his gaze as it danced over the diner. It was still empty beside them. Early morning and all. So, when he didn't continue, I prompted him.

"Did he get past the Gate?"

He turned sharply, a dark look on his face. "Ya know no one's ever gotten over the Gate. What kind of question's that? Don't ya got a brain in your- Ow!" Tyadd cradled his right hand to his chest.

Vax blinked. "Sorry. Didn't mean to grab you so hard. You got a little off topic. What happened to him?"

Tyadd glared at her. "Went into the back of his garage with a customer to fix her cart, and he-" He stopped again, rubbing his thinning hair. "Went into the shadows and just... the customer was drunk. She said no, but what kind of man disappears in the shadows? What a load of nonsense is that? Damn woman can't- Ow!"

"Sorry," Vax said, getting to her feet. "Tish just looked a little green. Needs some air. Can you move?" She smiled, holding her left hand out to him.

His eyes widened, but he hurried to his feet. "Go on. Take those stupid ideas and questions with ya."

Vax held her hand out to me next. I grabbed it. We stepped outside. When the door shut, I turned to her. She stumbled back. "Sorry about him. Tyadd can be -"

"Sexist? He's rude. Talking to you like that." She licked her lips.

I followed the movement then sighed. "I'm used to it. He's the talkative type. Lives in my building too."

"Suti hasn't said anything?"

"No, but she doesn't let him inside the apartment." I stared at her. "How'd you know Suti could talk?"

Vax shrugged. "Catolen. Not your normal cat."

"I thought it was just because she was born on Xenumia."

"No. Blue, two tails, talks. Alien from the Elisengozini Providence. Lovely planets. Lots of furballs." Vax rubbed her hands together.

Furballs? The Elisengozini Providence? Different planets, worlds, adventures. And all while she was trapped here on this planet.

The diner door opened, and Tyadd stepped out. He glared at us, holding his right hand to his chest. He moved to the apartment building, cussing at a cart. As he started for the door, a dark shadow appeared before him on the ground, but he was too busy going at it with the rider to notice.

My hair stood on end. I took a step forward, but Vax grabbed my arm just as Tyadd stepped into it. And down he went, a scream tearing from him. And then silence.

Tyadd was gone.

More screams followed. I rushed forward, but Vax pushed me out of the way before I got to it. I hit the ground hard.

"Don't touch it." Vax stood above me, eyes blazing then she looked at the shadow. She crouched in front of it and reached her left hand out, holding it above the shadow. The sunlight shining on it, but there was no break in the shadow.

What the hell just happened?

"What is it?" I whispered.

"I'm not sure. Only way is- This is gonna suck." Vax stuck her left hand into the shadow.

"No!" I jumped, but she pushed me down. "Stop!"

"It's- shit." The woman's eyes closed. She tilted her head, jaw set. "That should be good." She yanked her hand out.

My heart skipped a beat. "What are you?" I stared at the dissolved flesh and the mechanical limb.

She turned sharply. "It's complicated," she managed to say then looked at her hand. "Got to get this back to Axtrun."

"Axtrun?"

"Yeah, my ship." She got to her feet. "It's just outside that gate."

I was so focused on the black robotic feature that I almost missed Vax's words. Grabbing her arm, I stopped her. When I realized I grabbed the left one, I dropped it, taking a step back. "Sor-" I stopped at Vax's expression. "You can't go over the Gate. No one travels outside it."

Vax looked down the street. A few blocks away, the fifteen feet of concrete walls, stood untarnished since their creation. "I have." She walked towards them.

There was a moment, where all I could do was stare at her retreating back then the black substance dripping from her metallic left limb.

I gulped then ran after her. I caught up in the west corner of the Gate. She stood at the edge, a white and blue gun in hand. She pointed it at the ground.

"Wait!" I cried the slipped on the gravel and fell into her arms.

"There you go." She laughed, wrapping her left arm around me.

"Watch out!" I jumped back.

"Oops." She grimaced. "Sorry. Just - yeah, right there." My arms tightened around her neck. "Hold on. It'll be quick."

"Wha-"

Vax grinned, shot the gun at the ground, and we flew into the air. I screamed. She laughed. We cleared the wall, with inches to spare. Then came the falling, except we didn't go far. We slammed onto a hard surface.

"What the..." I rolled off of Vax and sat up. I blinked.

"Perfect landing." She chuckled, getting up. She stomped twice. "Axtrun! We've got company."

I stood, staring at the brown surface beneath my feet and jumped when it rippled.

The ripple flickered once more than stopped. Vax crouched down, reaching out her left hand, but she stopped when she remembered the substance. "Bleeding estellas," she muttered then stood up. "Axtrun. In a bit of a hurry. The hand's in a bind? Kind of."

"Apologies. We are having difficulties with the camouflage feature." A voice came from below.

"I hadn't noticed." Vax looked at her left hand. Black goop slipped down the metal and onto the skin at her elbow. She grimaced.

"Disengaging roof access."

The camouflage disappeared, and they stood above a sleek, black ship with bits of fluorescent blue intertwined in. The blues swirled as I stared. It was beautiful. "This's your ship?"

"Depends who you ask." Vax snickered. The ship buzzed then the area they stood on moved. "Don't worry."

First thought? Alien. Then there were so many buttons and nozzles. Not to mention space. Vax rushed past to a console in the center of the room. She laid her hand down on it, and a clamp trapped it down. She winced.

"Sit." Vax nodded to a seat. I did, speechless. The ship was huge, and from what I saw, we were in the main area. Around the console, there were six chairs.

The console beeped. My eyes widened as it lit up with colors. I reached for a bright pink one, but Vax stopped me. "No touching."

I pulled away. "What is it?"

"Results." Vax squinted then pulled out a pair of purple cat-eye glasses. "Axtrun. Come out here. Can't read these. Too old to be translated."

"Translated?" I stared at the words. "That's English."

"No, it's not." With her right hand, Vax smacked the machine with the results, and the words jumbled out of order. "Axtrun's trying to translate it to the universal language, but it doesn't make any sense. Just letters and words put together with no meaning. Axtrun! Just come out. Tish won't stare."

I frowned. "I thought Axtrun was the ship."

"Dual-link between droid and ship." Vax looked at the clamp again. "Analysis done? Can't feel my fingers." She shot a grin at me. "Axtrun!"

"I prefer to remain hidden."

"Axtrun." A steel tone seeped from Vax's lips.

A door behind me beeped, and I looked back. Something stepped through. Or someone? A man? Woman? Light skin with doe shaped black eyes. It wore a bodysuit, mixes of black and the same fluorescent blue as the ship. It walked over and stood on the other side of Vax.

"What have you done to yourself?" Axtrun laid its fingers on the clamp.

"Investigating." The clamp opened, and Vax's robotic hand emerged. She held it up to the light, flexing her fingers and turning her hand. "Still working."

"I do not know if I can fix it."

"Have faith in yourself."

"Faith is for living beings. But you are correct. This is ancient. Long before humans landed on Xenumia."

Vax nodded, walking over to the seat next to me. She smiled. "So, what do you think?"

"We should talk about this substance."

"I wasn't talking to you." Vax rubbed her hand then held it out to me.

I stared. The black goop was gone. Only the mechanical hand now. She formed a fist then wiggled her fingers. I reached out then brushed my fingers against her fingertips. It was cool to the touch. I pulled back.

She laughed. "Always cold. Sorry."

The oddest feeling, the metal under my fingers, but I reached again and laid my hand on top of hers.

Vax's smile took my breath away.

"Language translated to English."

I jumped.

Vax blinked then shook her head. "And what does it say?" she asked without looking at the droid, gaze still on me.

"The essence of the Kivuliant."

Vax smacked her forehead with her left head, and I winced but the other woman hardly noticed. "Of course! The Kivuliant! Should've known the second that douchebag disappeared."

I looked between Vax and Axtrun.

"The Kivuliant are a race that devours its prey by taking them into the shadows. Trapped multiple kiloyears ago, they were deemed too dangerous for the habitants on this planet or any other, so the Xen, with help, locked them away." Axtrun stared at the screen, its hand grasping the monitor. Under its tan skin, the veins glowed blue.

I saw Tyadd disappearing through the shadow again. I gulped, rubbing my forehead. "But they've eaten four people now."

"Not exactly a loss," Vax muttered, squeezing her left wrist and moving up her arm.

My eyes widened.

"That is an unsatisfactory response, it would seem."

"What gave it away?" Vax got to her feet and walked over to a door on the right side of the ship. It opened when she approached.

I got up. "Where're you going?"

Vax stopped, looking over her shoulder. "To the bridge. We're getting out of here. Xenumia will be devoured. And I don't want to be on it when it does. I'll take you to get Suti then drop you on another planet." She frowned and nodded. "Maybe another galaxy."

I blinked. "You're kidding."

"No. Xenumia's dead already. It just doesn't know it yet."

"Screw that." I looked at the ceiling where the top door was. I had to get out. "Axtrun, open it. Let me out."

"No." Vax came back. "Absolutely not."

"Screw you." I walked over to the droid. "Open the door. If my people are going to die, I should be there."

Vax grabbed my arm. "The Kivuliant will destroy this planet. Anything in its path. Just eat until there's nothing left. It'll probably eat itself... then nothing."

My heart skipped a beat. Gods. But it didn't matter. My people. My home. "Let me go." I tried to pull away, but Vax's left hand tightened.

"No. Even if I have to lock you up. Just no." A look passed through those brown eyes that tore at my heart. Oh gods. She'd do it too.

"You won't. You can't. Let me at least warn them." Tears gathered in my eyes. They were all going to die. Every single one of them. All the people I lived with, who I knew, loved, hated. Dead. No. I had to do something.

Vax looked into my eyes. "You won't change your mind."

I shook my head.

"Open the door, Axtrun," and with that, Vax disappeared through the door. It shut behind her silently.

I couldn't breathe. We were all doomed.

"Before you go." Axtrun pointed to a wall behind me. I turned as the fluorescent blue wall with a curved line with a slashed through almost like a t rose. I gaped. It was filled with guns, swords, and explosives. But completely covered with dust. I looked at Axtrun over my shoulder. The droid nodded. "Prepare yourself. It is better to stand before your enemy and lose than to run before the battle even begins."

"Tell that to Vax." I felt a tinge of bitterness in the pit of my stomach. I didn't know why it bothered me that the woman would abandon me- us. We'd just met. Walking over to the wall, I grabbed two grenades, holding them in my hands. They'd do. Maybe fire would keep the shadows at bay. Under the weapons were bags. I grabbed one and stuffed as many grenades as I could, adding a few guns. They wouldn't hurt.

I moved to the center of the room. "I'm ready."

"Vax has her reasons." Axtrun watched me, head tilted.

"Doesn't everyone?"

"Opening roof access."

I watched it, my heart pounding. Death came to everyone in the end, and mine was now.

* * *

My fear escalated. Axtrun got me over the Gate, thankfully, and the walk to my apartment building was a short one. Just a little more, and I stood before the alley between the Sorter and Cosmos Cutters. I lifted the strap higher on my shoulder and stared into the shadows. Pitch black, not a shred of light down the alley.

I knew what Vax meant now.

The shadows were full with the Kivuliant.

My heart sped up.

I had to do this. But what could one person do? One measly human who would die-

"Are you just going to stand there?"

I jumped, the bag falling from my shoulder. A hand shot out and caught it before it fell to the ground.

"Careful! Bag of explosives!" Vax hissed.

I stared. "What're you doing here?"

Running her fingers through her hair, Vax stared at the alley. "I'm a sucker for the underdog."

"You're the strangest person I've ever met." A small smile spilled onto my lips. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. This won't work on them." She laid the bag gently on the floor then rubbed her hands together. She'd gotten a black glove to over her left hand again. "Damn." She ran her hands over her face and walked over to the edge of the alley. She crouched. "How many beings on Xenumia?" she asked without looking back.

"I-I don't know." I started over but stopped when Vax held her hand out.

"Don't come any closer." She reached into her vest and pulled something out, but I couldn't see it well, only something bright lying just outside the shadows. They inched back instantly. She cleared her throat, and when she spoke, her voice sounded different, off. "Xenumia has life here. Stay away, return to your prison, or I'll set the Haskuia Drop on you."

The Haskuia Drop? What was that?

The Kivuliant knew. They inched back further but didn't leave.

"I don't think-" I started, but Vax cut me off.

"Return or die." Her voice was still, dark.

Goosebumps rose. My heart pounded.

"Return or die," Vax repeated, laying her left hand on the Haskuia Drop, whatever it was. The light grew, and from what I saw, her glove dissolved. Vax's shoulders stiffened, but that was it.

The light grew.

I shielded my eyes.

"Return or die."

The light flooded the space.

A screech tore through the air.

"Return or die. Xenumia is protected. These humans are protected. You will return or die. And Vaxphena of the Tenebryad will wipe the Kivuliant out of existence!"

The world stopped.

I didn't breathe.

The world didn't either.

Stillness.

Then the world exhaled, the shadows dispersed and the light was gone.

I blinked. Vax stood, still, her hair blowing in a soft wind. Then she turned, a grin on her face. "The humans are safe again!" She slipped her left hand into her pocket.

"What was that?" I stared. "What was the Haskuia Drop? Who are the Tenebryad? And why do you say humans like that?" She frowned. "You're human, right?"

Vax laughed, throwing her head back.

I smiled. "What's the Haskuia Drop?" I tried again.

"Makes the baddies run." Vax wiggled her eyebrows. "Now, I want to meet Suti."

"Why?"

Vax lifted the bag of explosives and slipped the strap over her shoulder then started towards my apartment. "Catolen's are amazing, and I need to get her essence close by. It's the only way Axtrun can feel her out."

"Why?" I asked again, holding the door open for Vax. We started up the stairs.

"It'll make traveling together easier." Vax shrugged.

I stopped. "Who said anything about traveling?"

"I did." Vax skipped over the sixth broken step.

"What makes you think I want to travel with you? I like my life here," I added, rushing after her.

"I didn't say that. Plus, it's not safe for Suti here." Vax looked over her shoulder. "The Kivuliant got free because of the imprint left in that spot. You said that was the alley you found her in. It's probably where she was attacked."

My mouth dropped. "So, it's Suti's fault?"

"Of course not. Bad things happen. Maybe the reason they came out now, even though you've had her for a while, is because of you. Who knows? It's just not safe for you two here anymore." She turned and rubbed her chin. "Or maybe it's because I threatened them, and you stood with me." She grinned. "Who knows?" She shrugged.

"What?" I asked. "What?"

She got off on the fourth floor and walked down the hall. I rushed after her and watched her stop at my door and tilt her head. She grinned.

How did she know?

Vax held up her hand. The glove was gone, and the metallic hand didn't move. She turned it around then shook it once, twice. With a sigh, she turned her hand again and maneuvered her thumb on the print pad. And I gaped as the door opened with "Opening MAIN DOOR for Vaxphena."

I rushed over, but she was already inside.

"What's going on?" Suti asked, single tail swirling as she walked over. Suddenly, she hissed, dashing behind me. "You brought an alien home!?"

"Well, that answers that question," I muttered.

Vax laughed, putting the bag down softly.

I turned to Suti, arms crossed. "You're one to talk. Catolen? You never said anything."

Suti's fluorescent eyes widened then she shot a look at Vax. "Telling secrets?"

Vax's smile was all teeth.

"And what're you?" Suti hissed, tail on end.

"You'll have all the time in the world to guess now." Vax plopped down on the couch.

"What?" Suti turned to me. "What does she mean?"

"Ignore her." I walked to the bedroom.

"I'm serious! You'll both be traveling with me," Vax called. "Wait till I tell Axtrun!"

"What!" Suti cried.

I exhaled, walking into my room and shutting the door just as Suti pounced. I leaned against it, smiling. A new beginning was on the horizon, and it looked like there'd never be a dull moment.