Page 82 of Twin Warriors

“Mika! Mika, is that you?”

Crying echoed down the hall. “Yes. Oh, Amy, we thought you were dead.”

Amy began to tremble as she realized who she meant by we.

“Mika, is Sam here?”

Mika Daniels was her little sister's best friend and fellow med student. She, Sam, and Rachel had been on their way up to the cabin the night Amy was taken.

“No. They came and took her and Rach a few hours ago.”

Amy was shaking her head as Mika spoke, unable to comprehend that her sister and two best friends had been trapped in this hell for over three months.

“How…” She had to swallow past the lump in her throat, “How are you here?”

A soft sigh flowed to her, before Mika’s soft voice said, “We were on our way to your dad’s cabin. We were stuck in traffic but managed to make good time once Sam turned off the highway and took the back roads. We were just pulling up to the cabin when we saw you getting carried out by one of those tall aliens. We ran out to help, but…”

“But you were taken too.” Amy finished for her, hearing the fear and pain in her friend's voice.

“Yes. We were put into a gel tube and put to sleep. We woke up here.”

“Have you three been trapped here all this time?”

“Yes. They come to take us out every few days, to get paraded around in front of other aliens, but they just bring us back here again. I… I don’t know how long we’ve been stuck down here.”

More tears spilled over Amy’s lashes as she thought of how close she had been to her sister and her friends. At the idea that she was living a free and happy life, while the three people she loved the most from Earth were locked away in a dark, damp cell for so long.

“Did they hurt you,” Amy asked, trying to keep it together.

“Not really. Rach gave them a hard time at first, but they beat her up pretty bad. They broke her arm. Without surgery to set the bone properly, she could lose it. Sam and I tried to do what we could, but they didn't give us much in these cells. She’s in so much pain, Amy. I don’t know how she stands it.”

“Rachel is strong, Mika. She always has been. That’s why she joined the police service.”

Mika stayed quiet for a long moment, her ragged breathing echoing off the bare walls.

“Amy?” Mika whispered, her voice filled with fear and worry.

“Yeah?”

“Have you seen any of the others?”

Amy paled, “Others?”

“The other women?”

“What other women?”

Mika sniffed, the sound of shuffling coming down the hall. Amy leaned forward as far as she could and caught sight of the pale, shivering hands of her friend sticking out from the bars.

“Like I said, Rach gave them a hard time at first. When we were taken to their ship, Rachel managed to get away from the alien holding her and ran. She said that she saw them loading more women into those tubes. They were human. At least a dozen or so. We haven't seen anyone else, but Rachel was sure she saw them.”

Amy’s eyes closed as she rested her head on the bars. More women. How many did the Korok take? Where did they take them from? The only place within miles of the cabin was a small ranger’s station that patrolled the dozen or so hiking trails in the forests.

“I haven't seen any other humans, Mika. I didn’t even know you and the others were here until now. We knew that there were other humans being held here, but I had no idea it was you, Sam, and Rachel. If I did, I would have torn this place apart brick by brick.”

“What happened to you?” Mika asked in a quiet voice.

“I was sold to a desert convoy when I arrived. It’s a long story, but I found a home here, Mika. A safe place with good people. When we get out of here, I will take you there. It’s amazing, and the cyborgs are really good males.”