frantically and it still didn’t come into focus. They were practically on top of it when the rock suddenly transformed into a silver dome.
“Is this your house?” Her voice sounded strange, slurry. She heard a soft whoosh and suddenly they were inside. “Feel strange,” she whispered.
Silver walls and a huge empty room whirred past. Zurian carried her down a passage and into a large silver room.
“You guys like silver, huh?” She tried to tease but it fell flat. She could barely keep her eyes open. The bullet probably made a hole the size of a crater in her shoulder.
He carefully laid her down on a silver slab and she braced herself for the cold hard surface, only to land on a surprisingly warm, soft one instead. The spartan room only had the strange slab she lay on but no windows that she could see.
She shivered and Zurian touched the wall. It transformed into mostly empty shelves. She blinked. He took out a blanket. But her eyes had to deceive her because it looked as if it was made of the same material as the roof and walls. She braced herself for the weight but, like the metal mattress, it settled softly over her. Delicious heat enveloped her shivering body. He grunted. And now she was sure he somehow communicated with others of his kind when he did that.
At the moment, she hurt too much to be curious about the communication device he used. “The doctor is on his way,” he said, confirming her suspicions.
“T--tell him to h--hurry.”
She knew something was very wrong. Her eyes wouldn’t focus anymore and she couldn’t wrap her tongue around the words. She’d never been shot before but she’d been around others who had. A flesh wound shouldn’t affect her like this. The bullet was still in her shoulder but it hadn’t pierced a bone or hit any vital arteries.
She must’ve zonked out because when she opened her eyes, another alien held a silver pen-like object over her shoulder. He was a hazy figure, slightly shorter than Zurian but bulkier. Zurian didn’t introduce him, merely watched him the same way he’d looked at Jackson in the reverend’s basement. Even with their figures slipping in and out of focus, she couldn’t miss the predatory way Zurian tracked the doctor.
“I need drugs. Gonna shoot them all,” she slurred.
As soon as she was on her feet again she’d track down the reverend and make him hurt.
The alien doctor took a slim silver rectangle and moved it over her wound. He grunt-growled something and Zurian responded with grating throat sounds. Zurian leaned down and carefully opened her shirt. She could feel her cheeks burn even more and she felt so vulnerable with both their eyes on her naked shoulder. She moaned when Zurian lifted the silver cloth he’d placed over the wound.
She noticed that he took care not to expose too much of her skin to the doctor, who held another instrument over her shoulder.
She almost smiled at the doctor when the pain suddenly stopped. “I like alien medicine. It works much faster than our stuff.” She’d get her hands on the doctor’s gadgets when she was better. “Wow, it’s amazing. I feel wonderful all of a sudden.” She saw the two aliens glance at each other. “What?”
Something moved in her shoulder. It didn’t hurt but she didn’t like the sensation. The euphoric feeling of a moment ago faded. “What’s he doing? How’s he moving the bullet without touching it?”
“Do not move, Julia.”
Through blurry eyes, she saw Zurian take the torn piece of metal with a silvery cloth when it emerged and hand it to the doctor, who also took care not to handle it directly.
“Why aren’t you touching it?”
“Poison,” Zurian said briefly.
“ What ? Who would poison a bullet? Am I going to die?” She tried to sit up but fell back with a moan. She’d never heard of anyone putting poison on a bullet before.
“No.”
“I d--don’t b--believe--” Something happened to her tongue. She couldn’t speak.
“Our medicine
“Is this your house?” Her voice sounded strange, slurry. She heard a soft whoosh and suddenly they were inside. “Feel strange,” she whispered.
Silver walls and a huge empty room whirred past. Zurian carried her down a passage and into a large silver room.
“You guys like silver, huh?” She tried to tease but it fell flat. She could barely keep her eyes open. The bullet probably made a hole the size of a crater in her shoulder.
He carefully laid her down on a silver slab and she braced herself for the cold hard surface, only to land on a surprisingly warm, soft one instead. The spartan room only had the strange slab she lay on but no windows that she could see.
She shivered and Zurian touched the wall. It transformed into mostly empty shelves. She blinked. He took out a blanket. But her eyes had to deceive her because it looked as if it was made of the same material as the roof and walls. She braced herself for the weight but, like the metal mattress, it settled softly over her. Delicious heat enveloped her shivering body. He grunted. And now she was sure he somehow communicated with others of his kind when he did that.
At the moment, she hurt too much to be curious about the communication device he used. “The doctor is on his way,” he said, confirming her suspicions.
“T--tell him to h--hurry.”
She knew something was very wrong. Her eyes wouldn’t focus anymore and she couldn’t wrap her tongue around the words. She’d never been shot before but she’d been around others who had. A flesh wound shouldn’t affect her like this. The bullet was still in her shoulder but it hadn’t pierced a bone or hit any vital arteries.
She must’ve zonked out because when she opened her eyes, another alien held a silver pen-like object over her shoulder. He was a hazy figure, slightly shorter than Zurian but bulkier. Zurian didn’t introduce him, merely watched him the same way he’d looked at Jackson in the reverend’s basement. Even with their figures slipping in and out of focus, she couldn’t miss the predatory way Zurian tracked the doctor.
“I need drugs. Gonna shoot them all,” she slurred.
As soon as she was on her feet again she’d track down the reverend and make him hurt.
The alien doctor took a slim silver rectangle and moved it over her wound. He grunt-growled something and Zurian responded with grating throat sounds. Zurian leaned down and carefully opened her shirt. She could feel her cheeks burn even more and she felt so vulnerable with both their eyes on her naked shoulder. She moaned when Zurian lifted the silver cloth he’d placed over the wound.
She noticed that he took care not to expose too much of her skin to the doctor, who held another instrument over her shoulder.
She almost smiled at the doctor when the pain suddenly stopped. “I like alien medicine. It works much faster than our stuff.” She’d get her hands on the doctor’s gadgets when she was better. “Wow, it’s amazing. I feel wonderful all of a sudden.” She saw the two aliens glance at each other. “What?”
Something moved in her shoulder. It didn’t hurt but she didn’t like the sensation. The euphoric feeling of a moment ago faded. “What’s he doing? How’s he moving the bullet without touching it?”
“Do not move, Julia.”
Through blurry eyes, she saw Zurian take the torn piece of metal with a silvery cloth when it emerged and hand it to the doctor, who also took care not to handle it directly.
“Why aren’t you touching it?”
“Poison,” Zurian said briefly.
“ What ? Who would poison a bullet? Am I going to die?” She tried to sit up but fell back with a moan. She’d never heard of anyone putting poison on a bullet before.
“No.”
“I d--don’t b--believe--” Something happened to her tongue. She couldn’t speak.
“Our medicine
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