War Games (Alien Instincts) by Cynthia Lore

to her. She could tell the instant she was free from the monster as the water suddenly stopped rushing around her. The painful weight on her leg was gone and Rae began to swim frantically towards where she thought the surface of the water should be.
    She was surrounded by blackness. In her frenzy to escape the creature of the lake, Rae couldn’t be sure in which direction she was swimming. As seconds ticked by she could feel her body burning for air. Rae only had one choice, to reach the surface of the water, but she couldn’t even see a glimmer of light one way or another.
    If she could have used sheer will to reach the shores of the lake, she would have made it, but the monster had dragged her too far into the cavernous waters. Rae’s desperate swimming eventually gained her a sliver of light that indicated the water’s surface, but it came too late. Her body needed oxygen now, and there was nothing she could do to help it. Rae held her lungs in suspension as long as she could, but they demanded one final breath. As her body forced Rae to inhale, she could feel water rush painfully through her air passages. Coughing uselessly while still trying to move towards the glimmer of light, Rae began to give up hope.
    Her last sight was of blackness overtaking the small point of light that she had spent the last moments of her life swimming towards. Just like the grip on her ankle, something latched onto her wrist and began to drag her, but Rae’s body had run out of oxygen, and she finally submitted passively into unconsciousness.
    -
    Ever since Markar had seen the strange flying animal that spewed fire onto its prey, he had begun to think that the planet they were exploring was more dangerous than it had first appeared. Usually, when he had such thoughts it would be just one more obstacle to overcome in his search for intelligent life, but this time felt different. He felt fear. This fear was not for himself, but for Rae.
    Staring into the campfire, he debated the merits of foregoing his mission and returning to the ship. He had never before failed to complete his directive, and Markar was hesitant to return. Instead, he had begun to focus his entire being on protecting Rae. He didn’t follow her to the lake, but he could hear every footfall she made, every breath she took. Therefore, the instant he noticed a change in her breathing pattern, his eyes leapt from the flame before him and moved unfailingly towards her direction.
    Standing, Markar angled his head to better listen to the far off sounds, uncertain whether he should interrupt Rae or not. When he heard her sudden intake of breath a second time, Markar began to race towards the lake. Even over his pounding feet he could hear as her body made sudden impact with the ground. Racing onward, her scream pierced the night. After her cry ended, Markar could hear nothing over the frantic beating of his own heart.
    He arrived just in time to see Rae’s body being dragged forcefully into the lake. Markar didn’t hesitate in his stride as he continued on to the edge of the water. Diving into the depths, Markar swam relentlessly onward, always with Rae just out of reach.
    Eventually, her downward momentum stopped, and he began to make more progress in his quest to reach her. The water around them was black as night, but Markar’s vision could still see perfectly in the gloom. He watched as Rae began to swim up towards him and his heart began to fill with hope. But as time wore on, Rae’s movements began to slow, and he could see the pained look on her face as she struggled towards the surface.
    Still Markar continued swimming downward. He watched in surprise as he saw the human begin to take in a breath. Rae’s body jerked as she coughed up the water she had just taken into her lungs. Markar reached out his hand for her, but Rae’s arm moved away from his, and then he looked into her eyes. He could see her perfectly, even in the darkness of the waters. She was mere inches