r/HFY • u/ThatSoftware4946 • 4d ago

OC-Series The Problem With Humans: Chapter 44

They walked through the grassland and hoped they were getting closer to Mukit.

Roman kept his pace steady, and V'rak walked beside him. "How long do you think it will take?"

"At this pace? A few more days. Maybe a week."

"We could go faster."

"We could. But without resting we will be tired. And we'll make mistakes."

V'rak hissed. "You're right."

Then Roman had an idea.

"Stop," he said.

The group halted and Humanoids set down their loads.

"What is it?" S'ra asked.

Roman looked at the humanoids. Their bodies were scarred and worn. Their faces were blank. But they were still standing and strong.

"At night, when we sleep, we slow down. We lose time. What if we didn't stop?"

V'rak asked. "What do you mean?"

"The humanoids. They don't need to rest like we do. What if they carried us while we slept? We could keep moving through the night and cover more ground."

The Trabs exchanged glances.

V'rak spoke first. "Carry us?"

"Yes, on their backs. When we wake up, we will be closer to our destination."

S'ra considered. "There's nothing in the grasslands. No predators. No threats. We could move continuously."

K'len added. "It makes sense."

V'rak looked at the humanoids. "And they would agree to this?"

Roman turned to the humanoids. "You would be carrying us. Keeping us safe while we rest. Do you agree?"

The largest humanoid stepped forward. Its face was impassive. "We are here to serve. We will carry."

"Let's rest first," Roman said. "Eat. Hydrate. Then we'll try it."

They sat in a loose circle, sharing water from the alien calabash pouches and chewing on the alien fish jerky.

V'rak looked at Lirael. "You said there were no animals here. Are you certain?"

Lirael tilted her head. "The data confirms it. The grasslands on this side of the river have no large predators. The ecosystem is different."

"You're certain?"

"As certain as I can be."

V'rak's body relaxed slightly. "Good. One less thing to worry about."

S'ra spoke up. "Let's just assume there are animals anyway. We've learned that lesson."

Roman nodded. "We stay alert. Even if there's nothing here. Lirael you will be our eyes as we sleep."

“Okay.”

They rested for an hour. Then Roman stood. "Let's try it."

He walked to the largest humanoid. "I'll go first."

The humanoid knelt. Roman climbed onto its back, lying down across its shoulders. The humanoid's body was firm but not uncomfortable. It stood slowly, adjusting to his weight.

"Like that," Roman said. "One of you carried me. The rest of you carry the others."

They moved quickly. One knelt for V'rak. Another for K'len. A third for S'ra. And the rest carried the few supplies they had. And then they began walking.

Roman lay across the humanoid's back. It was strange and disorienting to be carried like cargo and feel the rhythm of the humanoid's steps beneath him. But it was also restful.

His body, battered and exhausted, finally had a chance to relax. His muscles unclenched. His breathing slowed. His eyes grew heavy. He then let them close.

He dreamed of his daughter. She was running through a field of grass, laughing, her hair streaming behind her. He tried to run after her, but his legs wouldn't move. He called her name, but she didn't turn.

He woke up. The sky was dark. The stars were out. The humanoid was still walking.

Roman looked around. The others were asleep, draped across the humanoids like sacks of grain. V'rak's head lolled with each step. K'len's arms hung loose. S'ra's face was peaceful.

Roman watched them for a moment. These aliens. These strangers. These survivors.

“We've come so far,” he thought before letting his eyes close again.

They walked for days through the grassland but the village of Mukit remained no where to be seen.

Roman had lost his binoculars in the river. They were gone, swept away by the current along with so much else. Now they walked blind, trusting their feet and their hope.

"Is it getting closer?" K'len asked, his voice thin with exhaustion.

Roman squinted at the horizon. "I think so. It’s hard to tell."

"We've been walking for days," V'rak said. "It should be closer by now."

"Distance is deceptive in open terrain," Lirael offered. "It could appear no where to be seen for a long time before suddenly becoming large."

V'rak hissed with frustration. "I hate not knowing."

Roman placed a hand on his shoulder. "We keep walking. That's all we can do."

They kept walking.

They were now used to being carried on the backs of humanoids at night. Roman lay across the broad shoulders of the largest one, staring at the alien stars. They were different from Earth's stars. Brighter. Closer. Arranged in patterns he didn't recognize.

On the fourth morning, S'ra woke first.

She was on the back of a humanoid, her body draped across its shoulders. Her eyes opened to the pale light of dawn. She stretched, rolled her head, and looked ahead.

And she saw it.

Mukit was no longer no where to be seen. It was now a shimmering smudge.

She screamed. "I see it! I see Mukit!"

The group jolted awake. Roman sat up, nearly falling off his humanoid. V'rak scrambled to his feet. K'len blinked in confusion. Lirael tilted her head.

"What?" Roman asked. "What is it?"

"Look!" S'ra pointed, her arm trembling. "Look!"

They all looked.

Mukit stood before them, it wasn’t close enough to see individual buildings but it was there.  Real, solid and waiting.

V'rak let out a joyful hiss so loud it echoed across the grassland.

"We made it!" V'rak shouted. "We actually made it!"

K'len grabbed him, pulling him into a Trab hug. Their foreheads touched. Their bodies shook with hisses.

"I never thought I'd see it again," S'ra whispered as she climbed down from her humanoid. "Never thought I'd come home."

Roman climbed down slowly. His body ached. His ankle throbbed. But his heart was light.

He walked to S'ra and stood beside her. "It's beautiful."

"It is," she said. "It always was."

V'rak and K'len joined them. Lirael walked up with the humanoids. They stood together, looking at the town that had been their goal for so long.

S'ra voice was steady now. "It's smooth sailing until the guards."

V’rak looked at him. "Guards?"

"Mukit is a Cy'reth town. Unlike V’keth towns, we have guards like the humanoid city. And they won't just let us walk in."

Lirael stepped forward. "There is also the Iron floor."

Roman turned to her. "The what?"

"The Iron floor. It's a barrier at the town entrance. A bar of iron set into the ground. It electrocutes anything that walks on it."

"How wide is it?"

" Its wide. You cannot jump over it."

V'rak hissed. " Of course there's another obstacle."

"How do we get past it?" S'ra asked.

"We'll find a way when we get there. We always do," Roman answered.

V'rak held his gaze. Then he said. "Okay. Let’s keep walking."

"Yes." Roman turned to the group. "Everyone, start thinking. By the time we reach that iron floor, I want at least three plans. No ideas are bad ideas. Just bring them."

They all accepted and continued walking.

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