Snakes out of the grass

"Eight days. Why'd it take eight days for one of y'all to come to get me?"

The owner of the voice that I had faintly recognized speaks up. I turn to face him just as I wipe the blood off of the blade and onto my pants. It was a faintly familiar face; seen once just across the room. The General of the Icarian Corps.

"General? What are you doing here?"

"Did y'all not get my SOS?"

I shake my head.

"Well, goddamn."

"So what happened?"

"Left that morning right out after the meeting Ortega called. About a block away from the compound, a couple people stepped out in front to block our egress."

"People? Not like these things here?" I ask as I kick the corpse of one of the dogmen nearby.

"No. They were cloaked in heavy hoods and shadows, but they were human."

As we speak, I begin the process of healing the gathered prisoners and leading them out of the tunnels.

"He was a Marine," The General said as he passed by the bodies of the humans a few feet away from where they were, "I was there when he graduated basic."

"You recognize the faces of all the marines?"

"I try to. If I'm going to be sending these boys out to kill and die, it's the least I can do."

"So what happened after your car stopped?"

"Well, the congressman steps out, and motions for my driver to do the same."

"Was your driver a marine?'

"No, man I paid personally. Bastard." He spat on the stone floor, "The men on the road passed a bag to each, and next thing I know I'm dragged from the car at gunpoint."

"So the congressman is a traitor?" I wonder how this news will play out back on Earth.

"Yes. My driver too." He spits on the ground once more. "Also means that these bastards have humans working for 'em."

An organization on earth working for Roki? I had heard stories of weird apocalyptic cults cropping up around the world; faint glimpses on the television of screaming men and women in dark red hoods in an exposé.

"So after you were dragged out of your car, what happened?"

"They dragged me a couple of blocks. Some small ugly dog thing was with them; making the people we passed unable to see us. I was able to toss out a GPS tracker before they dragged me into this world, and put me to work."

"Do you know where the door back to earth is?" I ask.

"That I do."

"Good. After I free the rest of the prisoners here, would you be able to lead them back to the door?"

"Freeing the captives? Good. You're a good man, Able."

"You know my name as well?"

"Naturally. You're risking your life for the world. Why shouldn't I? Even if I do think an Apache could do your job, and we should be working these five years to prepare a suitable defense, you're still brave for what you're doing."

"I don't think preparing would work. There are doors leading into Efra

"How many of them?"

"What? Do you not know?"

"Compartmentalized information, and that's under the purview of the IC."

"There's over a trillion," I say.

"Oh...well... I suppose this plan would be good enough, then. If y'all do your jobs."

"We've been trying. There're too few of us."

The general taps his thigh with his fingers. The people passing by the bodies try to avoid their cold, gray stares that swept across the dust-strewn floor. We climb out of the tunnels; out of the stifling stench of sulfur, and into the cool of the evening; after this, we walk down the path and meet up with the group of already freed slaves.

A few of the people hug one another.

"Are we done? Heading down now? We should be the last people on the islands." The General says, "I have a specific congressman and a traitorous driver to shove a pistol into."

"No, I'm going over there."

I motion toward the other islands floating in the sky.

"Why? All that's there are those nonhumans."

"So? They're slaves as well. And, we could use the allies."

"Have you killed that ugly dog thing? The chihuahua-looking motherfucker?"

"No."

"Shouldn't you worry about that first?"

"I plan on holding on until midnight before destroying the town below and hurrying out."

"Why is that?"

"That's when the others are coming in to get me," I say.

"And you're sure?"

"At the very least, I believe Monica and William will come in."

The general nods.

"So, we, what? Hold here until then?"

I shake my head.

"I will go down there, and give you all a signal once I clear the town. For now, as far as I know, the 'chihuahua-looking motherfucker,' went out with a group of twenty or thirty."

"'Clear the town,' what do you mean?"

"After I free the prisoners down there, I will kill all the rest of the rats and dogmen down there. We will occupy the town and make sure that those twenty or thirty others don't come in; we will hold until midnight, and then the others will lead you to the door while I destroy the town."

The general nods.

"And what about the others? What will you do with them once this is done."

"Well; Roki and his lot have humans working for him, supposedly, so why can't we have some Efrans working for him? They're obviously not allies of your captors."

The general nods.

"Alright. I will make sure that they're not killed on sight, but they'll have to prove themselves somehow."

"Of course."

As we talk, I lead them to the other group of freed humans, huddled together near the river.

"Now, hold here, and I'll be back."

"Be careful." The general said as he pats my shoulder.

"Son, do you have to go there? Why can't we just find your mother and get the hell out of her?"

"Son?" The General glances at the emaciated figure of my father.

"Apparently shortly after the marines went to go pick up my things, some ratmen came and carried him and my mother off to here."

"Really?" The general taps his chin with his finger, "There might be even more snakes. We might have to get downright inquisitorial."

My father glances between me and the general; not understanding what was going on.

"Snakes?"

"Nothing to worry your civvie head about. And yes, he does have to free them. He wouldn't be a man otherwise." The general once more slaps my shoulder. "I'll make sure that if any other of those sacks of shit come up here, we'll get rid of them. Now go. Quickly."

I nod and take one of the boats sitting at the dock.

"Good luck, Mister Cat!"

One of the children from the first group that I had freed calls out. I wave as I use one of the long oars to push the boat forward into the floating river spanning the islands.