In Search of Home

Chapter 38

Vok'Rul began speaking to the cameras before Viktor even realized that they had begun. He jumped a little at the sudden influx of noise, but Vok'Rul merely wrapped his arm around Viktor. He felt a little too confined but figured that it was probably for the best. He really felt like he going to fall over any second. 

The reporters and Vok'Rul were talking almost constantly. Rukka hardly spoke up, but when she did, it was often in short sentences. Viktor had no idea when, or even if, he was going to be able to say anything, so he opted to smile at the cameras and do the occasional thumbs up instead. If anyone were watching, hopefully, they'd realize that they'd be okay. 

There had been no TVs in the arena. Of course, there would have never been any in the back room where they had all been stored in the first place. But Viktor found that he would've liked seeing that others were being treated well. The worst part about being held captive, in his opinion, was not knowing anything. 

He had had no idea if they had been the only humans left alive, if there had been other fighting rings, or even if their fights had been illegal in the first place. 

Seeing proof of humanity prospering would've been enough to give him hope. 

They were talking about him. Viktor heard his name being thrown around every other word. Whatever it was Vok'Rul was saying made the news anchors coo at him. The camera was definitely angled at him now. It seemed like the perfect time to speak. 

"Uhh, hi! I don't know if anyone is watching this, but my name is Viktor," he tried to smile, but it probably came off as a grimace. His headache was killing him. "Everything is okay! Convince them we're sentient. They think we're dumb animals. Learn their language!" 

That was all he managed to say before Vok'Rul started speaking again, rubbing one of his claws up and down his arm comfortingly. Viktor fervently hoped that his message had gone out to at least some humans. He didn't know how many had been abducted from Earth, and he suspected that the number of them that had been taken from Earth probably dropped significantly when they had landed. 

Diseases had probably run rampant. There had been a lot of people he had never seen before in the corral they had been ushered into. With new people all in one place, their immune systems had probably been too shocked and weak to fight off any new illness. Viktor was no scientist, but even he knew that meeting new people meant the risk of getting new diseases. 

It was a wonder none of them had fallen ill in the arena, but he chalked that up to them being so few. It wasn't like they had been touching each other all that often.

Regardless, there were probably fewer humans on this planet than there had been on that weird spaceship. Likely, even fewer had access to any sort of television. Viktor just had to hope that it reached someone.

Vok'Rul and the reporters seemed to finish up. The bubbles in front of their cameras, which glowed with a bright, irritating light, suddenly dimmed, and the crew behind them began packing up. Grateful, Viktor let out a sigh of relief. 

"Kohgrash," Vok'Rul called softly, tapping him on the side. Viktor looked at him blearily. That was all the warning he got before the alien was bundling him up in his arms again and stood up. He said a few words to Rukka and Thruul, who nodded. He waited until the reporters were out of the mansion before sighing heavily. 

Viktor looked up at Vok'Rul's face, heavy with stress and concern. It probably sucked to rule a country. Planet. Whatever.

"Hey," he piped up, patting the alien a bit awkwardly. His arms were squashed between his own body and Vok'Rul's. "It'll be okay." 

Vok'Rul smiled at him, expression complex. It looked like a mixture of fear, worry, and happiness, all rolled into one. Viktor offered him a smile in return, shaky and pained, but genuine nonetheless.