Alien Terrain Read Free Page A

his
clothes. He seemed at peace and unconcerned, but that could just be shock.
Could he die from that? She didn’t know. “Let’s take some of this off and get
you into bed.”
    She knelt and fumbled with the catches of his half boots,
slipping the soft leather over one heel, then the other, before setting them
aside. Mechanically, he worked the buttons of his tunic open. The torn black
fabric slid over his shoulders, and she took it from him, wondering idly if it
could be salvaged. They both glanced at his trousers. He lay back without
making any move to take them off. Jane was glad of that. Enough
jarring reality for now.
    He looked a little like a corpse on a mortician’s slab the
way his arms lay stiffly at his sides. The lack of movement worried her, but it
was better than to see him doubled up in pain. She felt his forehead, which was
cool and dry. Maybe he would be okay. Only the swelling in his eye looked truly
painful. Jane cupped it with her hand. “I’m sorry.” And she was. But he’d get
better. Once she cleaned him up and tended to his wounds, he’d be okay.
    Jane started off the bed. His arm shot out and neatly
grabbed her wrist.
    “Who are you?”
    “Jane.” She said the name like he should know it. As if
they’d been together all their lives. But of course he wouldn’t know. Couldn’t
know who she was or where they were or why.
    “Jane,” he said in a low voice, “have I put you in danger?”
    “No.” A gentle pull against her wrist told her he wanted
better than that quick dismissal.
    “We’re okay as long as we stay out of sight.” The second
time she said it, he accepted it and let go of her
wrist. “Let me get something to dress those wounds.” Jane stroked his hand
against the nubby cotton bedspread before getting up and moving back into the
kitchen.
    Midafternoon sun poured through the window. While she filled
a pot with warm tap water, she let her gaze roam over the small yard. Beyond
the drying patch of grass, a bougainvillea spread over the back fence, and its
deep red flowers fanned out beautifully against the rocks and sky. She was free
now. That was worth remembering.
    Jane turned the tap off, went into the pantry, and rummaged
till she found the bag that held her medicine. The small cosmetics case was
full of remedies for minor ailments—head and stomach, cold and flu. There
wasn’t much for someone who’d been beaten bloody by a bunch of morons from
Earth First, but it would have to do for now. She fished out her ACE bandage,
medicated ointment, and some ibuprofen, setting them down on a small, round
platter. She went to the freezer and dumped the contents of her plastic ice
trays into two different dish towels, pulling out a third just for good
measure.
    When she got back to the doorway, Jane hesitated. Maybe he
was sleeping. She crept closer, lowered herself gently beside him on the bed.
He drew a long, deep breath and turned his face toward her.
    “Are you all right?”
    “Yes, thank you.” he replied. Jane rolled her eyes at her
own stupid question.
    There was a wooden chair in the far corner of the room. She
pulled it to the bed and sat. The washcloth floated in the pan of water, so she
picked it up and wrung it out. “I’m going to clean away some of the blood and
dirt. If it stings, I’m sorry.” Carefully, she wiped the grit and blood away,
murmuring soft apologies as she went. “Tell me if I’m hurting you.”
    “Hurt me,” he invited.
    Jane stopped. The movement made some water splash out of the
pan onto the floor.
    “Backusians don’t mind pain.” He tried to smile. Failed. A purplish line of dried blood down the center of
his lower lip made Jane wince indignantly on his behalf. A split lip was so
painful. Why had they beaten him that way? What was the point of it? She
fumbled on the tray for medicated ointment and squeezed a little out onto her
finger. With great care she spread the balm over the contours of his mouth.
    It was a good