Winter Kill – Chapter Six

Previous installments in Winter Kill:

1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5

Previous installments in The Azren Chronicles:

1. The Trouble with Pies (And Why they Are Necessary)

Blogger characters that have appeared so far:

• bottomlesscoffee007 as Steve Bond.
• jmshistorycorner as Jones.
• Rakkelle as herself.
• Britchy as herself.
• Rue as Rue the Avenger.

‘Azren’ is referring to the planet Azren, where me, jmshistorycorner, bottomlesscoffee007, and Rakkelle live, and Azren is in the fictitious Imdali Nebula System. Let’s get on with it.

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Racquel stood there, watching her. Head buried in her knees, perfectly still, Rue did not even seem aware of her presence. She was sitting in a corner in the ship’s kitchen.

Rue’s head suddenly shot up, as if suddenly becoming aware of her presence, and her red-rimmed eyes locked onto her.

“How is he?” she rasped, then cleared her throat.

“In a stable condition,” Racquel replied. “Uh…I bought you and I a couple of coffees and a plate of doughnuts. Want one?”

Rue nodded and began playing with her shoe laces.

Racquel went over and sat down on the floor next to her. She offered Rue the plate of doughnuts. Rue glanced at her…then grabbed two. Racquel chuckled. “Greedy,” she teased.

“Necessity,” Rue replied, bits of doughnut spitting out of her mouth. Racquel took a bite out of hers and then sipped some of her tea while Rue took a slurp. “So,” Rue swallowed, “did he say who he was?”

“He called himself Enzo. No last names. Simply ‘Enzo’.”

Rue did not seem to hear her, but simply stared off into space. Racquel was about to repeat herself, when Rue nodded. ” ‘Enzo’ is Italian. It’s also a shortened version – can be – of the names ‘Vincenzo’ and ‘Lorenzo’,” Rue rattled off.

“Didn’t look Italian, though,” Racquel commented.

Rue finished off the first doughnut and started on the second one, then downed her coffee, placing the cup on the tray. “Maybe.” She was silent as she chewed on her doughnut. Racquel finished her doughnut and brushed the crumbs off of her clothes. Drinking more of the coffee, she cleared her throat.

“Ahem. Enzo said that Ver’thad had kidnapped him a year ago, making him his slave,” Racquel added. She noticed Rue stiffened slightly at the name ‘Ver’thad’, but she kept silent. “Ver’thad had ravaged his planet, taking everyone who was able, as slaves. He’s the only one still alive.” She paused, not wanting to continue. Rue leaned her head away from Racquel, now playing with her hair. Racquel went to continue – then froze.

Where did she get that scar?

She then became aware that Rue was watching her like a hawk out of the corner of her eyes. Racquel swallowed and looked away, grabbing another doughnut. Rue straightened and leaned over, grabbing a doughnut. “Sorry,” Racquel said. Rue shrugged.

“It’s okay.”

Racquel wanted to ask more, but she did not want to intrude. “Anyway, when Ver’thad’s ship latched onto ours, he saw the captain and his men murdered. He managed to steal a spacesuit and sneak out while Ver’thad and the rest of his group were distracted.”

They were silent for a while as Racquel let Rue absorb the news. She herself was thinking of earlier. When the doctor started to look at Enzo. “Rue, if you don’t mind me asking, what was the matter earlier when you looked out the window?”

“I saw the ship detaching,” Rue replied.

“It was more than that, though. Wasn’t it?”

Rue shrugged, then looked at her in the eye. Racquel saw her eyes were a stone mask, unable to be read. “Thanks for the coffee,” she grunted as she pushed herself off of the floor and exited the room.

---

Britchy looked up as Rue entered the room. She had a haggard but determined and fiery blaze in her eyes and posture. “So, who’s going to pilot the ship?” Rue whispered as she knelt down beside her and Bond.

Britchy sighed and shut the book she was perusing. Why was she always disturbed when she tried to read a decent novel? There had to be a conspiracy against Agatha Christie Novels. There just had to be. Because bloody EVERYBODY timed it so that they interrupted her when she had a Agatha Christie – and at the most tense part, too. There had to be something against that in the Constitution.

“I’ll do it,” Bond offered.

“I’ll do it.”

What? Seriously, why were they gawking at her as if she had grown two heads? I haven’t grown two heads, have I?

“Seriously. I’ll get you guys there in half the time.”

“And with a hefty medical bill afterwards,” Rue deadpanned.

“If we survive the heart attacks,” Bond added.

“Along with champagne, first class seats to the best roller coaster ride of your life. The first ride’s free,” Britchy retorted.

Bond smiled – at least someone had a sense of humour – and stood up. “I’ll go. And I’ll call Photoria, get them to come out and help bring us in.”

“And I’ll go and check on Enzo,” Rue said and left the room.

Sheesh. Talk about needing to lighten up.

But, Britchy concluded as she reopened her novel, that’s why they’re with me.

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In case anyone is wondering, I have closed off the comments as I need a break.

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