Stink Bug – Chapter 29

The greys were baffled, as was I. How could they not understand talking?

‘We do not communicate this way,’ the grey said. ‘This thing that you call talking.’

“You open your mouth and you talk,” I muttered.

‘Do not understand,’ the second one said.

The other entered my peripheral vision.

“How do you communicate then?”

The greys turned to each other. ‘Does not understand. But he does it.’

“I don’t know how I’m doing this.”

The first grey turned to me. She was happy. ‘You communicate. But it affects your breathing. Is this ‘talking?’’

“Breathing? What?”

‘Your mouth moves in patterns. Is this talking?’ the second grey asked.

“Well, yeah.”

The greys conferred with each other. There was actually more than just the two in there.

‘There are five of us here,’ came the answer before I asked the question. ‘You are so strange to us.’

“Wow,” I whispered, as the others bent over me.

‘Such a curious way to communicate.’

“What…?”

‘You have broken some bones. We have re-aligned them. We are glad your injury was not worse. The flying ones can kill.’

“The flying ones are my friends.”

‘They are dangerous. Do you not see this?’

“They’re not dangerous.”

‘But they claw at us,’ another voice joined in.

“You put them in a cage.”

The greys conferred

‘It is for their good.’

“Is it? They don’t know that. They’re in a cage.”

V’x shifted and squawked in pain. The greys became agitated. One broke away from the conversation.

V’x cried out. I heard struggling and tried to sit up. I still couldn’t move. “No, stop!” I shouted.

“Help! Nate!” V’x cried.

“Please stop!”

It was chaos in my head. These aliens – these grey people – were frightened by V’x. They were uncertain of what to do. V’x was no less terrified. Yet both felt the other meant to do them great harm.

“Everyone! STOP!” I shouted with all the energy I could muster. I tried to think it as hard as I could, too. I felt helpless. How do I do this?

The chaos died down. V’x trilled fearfully. The greys had their attention on me. The one who had left, returned.

“Please stop,” I whispered.

‘We are not safe.’ It was spoken by all of them at once.

“You’re fine.”

‘It has hurt me,’ one said, and I felt the pain of a deep scratch wrought by a flailing talon.

“She’s only scared. Just like you.”

‘It is dangerous,’ another said.

“She is frightened. Your people have held hers in captivity.”

‘It is for the best.’

“They don’t know that.”

‘They cannot understand.’

“Yes they can. Try.”

‘We cannot communicate.’

“You can talk to me. I can talk to her.”

The greys conferred. I listened to V’x’s trilling. “It’s OK V’x,” I muttered. I didn’t know if she could hear me. I was exhausted and in pain.

“What’s wrong with me?”

‘You are injured. We are healing you,’ replied one of them.

“Let me be close to her. I want to know that she’s OK.”

‘She is dangerous.’

“No.”

The greys conferred again. ‘You must rest now.’

“No. Let me see V’x.”

‘Rest.’

 

Read Chapter 30.

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