Kristi Helvig - Burn Out

“Don’t think about it too much,” said Britta. “Sadness just slows you down.”

My thoughts exactly. Maybe we were more alike than I’d realized. We trudged the short distance to the door with our guns powered up, just in case. I kept my eyes straight ahead, ignoring the carcasses littering the perimeter of the entrance.

The door opened easily enough now that the place was empty. The streets were deserted. Rows of empty pod houses lined the streets. It reminded me of the hide-and-seek dream I had about my sister.

“Creepy,” Britta said.

“He said he’d be in the first building on the right,” I said through the helmet com.

Britta turned to look at me through her faceplate. “You sure this isn’t some kind of trap?”

“Yeah, how well do you know this guy?” Markus added.

“No, I’m not sure. I’m not sure of anything anymore. It’s not like we don’t have guns.” I shook B.K. in the air to prove my point. I didn’t tell them about T.O. hiding in my bag.

Markus stopped five paces in front of me. “This is the first building on the right. I guess we go in.”

I pushed past him. “I’ll go first. It was my idea, right?” No one argued with me as I knocked, then opened the door to the pod building.

“Hello. Alec? Anyone here?” I called through the empty front hall. Britta and Markus followed behind, their guns drawn.

We cautiously removed our helmets and the oxygen seemed okay in here. I moved a few more steps before hearing something. Footsteps. Quick ones. Too quick.

A big, furry thing rounded the corner and headed straight for me. Britta squealed in fright, and I aimed the gun in its direction. My mind raced to sort through the catalog of creatures I’d seen on the GlobalNet. This one flew at me and would reach me in seconds. I didn’t have time to think. I positioned the beam at its head and moved my finger to the firing panel.

“No, don’t shoot! It’s harmless.” I jerked my head up to see a guy running down the hall. I hoped it was Alec. He yelled again. “Stop!”

The thing was almost on top of me. “What the hell is this thing?”

He looked sheepish. “ Perro . Lucy. She’s a dog.”

LUCY-THE-DOG JUMPED ON ME, LICKING ME AS FAST AS SHE could. I jerked back and gaped at the dark-haired boy in front of me. “Is she trying to eat me?”

He laughed. “No, she likes you.” He looked around at us. “Sorry, I’m Alec, obviously. Are you Tora?”

I nodded, while Markus and Britta introduced themselves. Lucy nudged my hand with her head. “I don’t get it. What is she doing?”

“She wants you to pet her.”

“I’m sorry. Pet her?”

“Yeah, like this.” Alec walked over and ran his hand down Lucy’s head and back. “Who’s a good girl? Yes, you’re a good girl.” Lucy’s tail wagged like she was on drugs. Alec smiled at me and stepped away. “Go ahead. You try.”

Britta and Markus watched in stunned silence. I put my hand on Lucy, patting her awkwardly on the head a few times. This was beyond surreal. All the animals were supposed to be dead. “She’s soft,” I managed.

Alec smiled down at the dog. “Yeah, she’s a real sweetheart.” He beamed at me. “You, Tora, have no idea how happy I am to see you.” His lilting accent caught me off guard. When Alec gripped me in an unexpected hug, I gasped, staring at him with my mouth wide open. The last person who had hugged me was my sister. Who was this guy?

I tried not to stare at him while he answered Markus’ questions about how he’d survived on his own. His black hair and dark eyes were a complete contrast to James’, which was a plus. I didn’t want to think about James. He seemed very sure of himself, even his hug had been confident—and strong.

Britta inched her way over to Lucy and reached out a tentative hand. The dog slurped her tongue across the back of it.

“Ugh!” Britta wiped her hand on her sunsuit, but bent over again to touch the dog.

Alec looked uncomfortable. “Sorry for not telling you ahead of time. I was afraid you wouldn’t take her if you knew.”

“Wait, back up a second,” said Markus. “You think we’re taking that thing with us?”

Alec stood straighter. “Yeah. It’s the last animal alive down here, so I’d say we’re taking her. Trust me, she’s more loyal than any person you’ve ever met.”

I stared into Lucy’s deep brown eyes and watched her tail wag forcefully in response to Britta’s hand on her long golden fur. She certainly seemed happier than any person I’d met. I wasn’t sure what the dog had to be happy about, but I guess she wouldn’t know that she was the last of her kind around.

I reached down to touch her again, but had to jostle with Britta for petting space. “How is this possible? I’d heard rumors that a few animals and plants were kept in secret by the Consulate, but we’ve never seen any of them in Sector Five.”

Alec sighed. “Yeah, most of the animals died out a hundred or so years ago, but the Consulate kept a few species alive in case they ever found a new planet. When the water problem got worse, I heard they put most of the animals down to conserve water—you wouldn’t believe how much this one drinks.” He pointed at Lucy. “Don’t worry though,” he rushed on, “I have plenty of water and energy packets for her.” He gestured at a bulging duffel bag. “Like I said, I’m the only one here and I’m a great scavenger. Everything left behind is mine, well, ours now.”

Markus still stayed far from the dog. “And you got her how?”

Grief crossed Alec’s face. “When I realized everyone left, I started checking out all the buildings. I broke into a Consulate building one day, and they had this huge area with metal holding cells. Most were empty but a few had animals in them.” His jaw tightened and his fists clenched. “They weren’t alive. Looked starved to death … like they were just left there. I heard whimpering and found Lucy in the last cell. She was emaciated and really dehydrated, but I got her healthy again. She was the only one alive.”

Britta scratched behind Lucy’s ear, and Lucy licked Britta’s arm in response. Britta didn’t pull away this time. “So sad. She’s a pretty cool little creature. Do you know if the Consulate took any with them to Caelia? James and I didn’t see any, but we only stayed in one colony.”

Alec shook his head. “No clue. With how much those jerks screwed everything up, I’m surprised they made it there at all.”

“Speaking of Caelia, we should head back and get the others so we can show Tora and Alec the wonder of oceans,” Markus said.

Alec flashed a lopsided grin. “ Sí . I plan on jumping into one as soon as I can.” He turned toward Lucy and his eyes darkened. “And then I’m going to find me some Consulate burners and see how they like being put down.”

His anger was raw and bitter—it reminded me of my own after my sister died.

Britta nodded. “I’ll definitely help out with that.”

Alec pressed a button on a small square device and a long thermoplastic strip emerged from it. He attached it to a ring around Lucy’s neck. “It’s a leash and collar,” he explained. “For walking.”

Britta did her weird half-smile. “I’ll do it. I’ll walk her.”

She led Lucy toward the door, where Markus stood with crossed arms. “Oh, tell me you don’t think she’s the tiniest bit cute.”

Markus shrugged. “Fine. I don’t think she’s the tiniest bit cute.”

Britta punched Markus on the arm and laughed. “No way. Pet her, then tell me that.”

Markus frowned. “I’m not touching that thing. Who knows what diseases it has?”