In Search of Home

Chapter 50

Viktor woke up in a cage. 

"No, no, no, no, no-" he tried to move, but the sharp, throbbing pain from his stomach told him to stop. "Vok'Rul? Vok'Rul?" 

An unfamiliar alien's face showed up in the front of his cage. He slammed his fist against the thin bars, feeling the wounds on his stomach protest at the sharp movement. But he had no time for pain. It startled, jerking backward with a harsh flinch. It called to someone, and Viktor snapped, nearly incoherent with panic, "Where is he?" 

He was still moving sluggishly, clothing sticky with his, Vok'Rul's, and that snake creature's blood, so it hadn't been long since he had been sedated. Vok'Rul might still be with aliens that wanted to kill him. Using his panic as a motivator, Viktor thought quickly. He seemed to be in a carrier, though it looked more industrial than domestic. Still, he assumed that they worked the same, and that was by opening with something on the top. 

But maybe he could activate it through the bottom. 

He curled his hand into a fist and began punching the middle of the carrier, trying to feel any type of resistance. The material the carrier was made out of was hard and rigid, and soon, Viktor's knuckles began to ache. 

He felt the scratches on his stomach tear, and he moaned in pain, gritting his teeth. He fell back onto the floor when he couldn't carry on. Stupid idea, he thought to himself. Now, he just had more wounds on his stomach and achy, bloodied knuckles to go along with them. 

He wasn't made to ruminate on his guilt and worry for much longer, because Rukka appeared in front of his cage. 

"Rukka!" he gasped, turning onto his side and using his hand to push himself into a sitting position. The blood that had pooled underneath him in his attempt to escape made him slip. The sudden movement made him dizzy for a second. "Where's Vok'Rul? He's hurt!"

Rukka took one look at him before her face got angry. She whirled around to the alien he had woken up to and started yelling at him, growls and grunts filling the air. The sheer volume of her tirade made his ears ring. 

"Flakmna, flakmna," the alien kept apologizing, hastily going over to the cage. Before Rukka could even get out a "neyk!", the alien had opened it, and Viktor launched himself out of the cage before he could think of a plan. 

Unfortunately, his lack of foresight hit him sooner than he thought. The carrier had been on a table. He fell off said table. 

He landed with a sickening crack as his head connected with the floor. He whimpered in pain, pushing himself up unsteadily. Gentle hands grabbed him, and he smacked them away angrily. "Vok'Rul," he mumbled through the thick haze in his head. 

"Teyk, Kohgrash," he heard Rukka say to him. "Rul to tih." 

He slumped in relief, only avoiding another collision with the floor when Rukka's hands caught him. Vok'Rul was okay, he was okay. 

Viktor felt another prick on his neck, and he couldn't muster up the energy to take this one out. He fell unconscious again, quickly. He felt only relief as his pain fell away. 

***

When he woke up again, he was at the mansion. It was dark, and he was lying in the middle of the office on his bed. Viktor sat up slowly, head throbbing in pain. Something thick pulled against his stomach. He pushed the blankets off him with an unsteady hand. His right hand was lightly wrapped in black bandages, a stark contrast to the silver bracelet encircling his wrist. 

He had new clothes on; his regular blue sweater, a soft new pair of sweatpants, and fortunately, some socks. The thought that someone had to dress him in his sleep had heat creeping up on the back of his neck, but he had more important things to focus on.