Chapter 45: A thank you.

Chapter 45: A thank you.

NOW THAT NIGEL had tossed out the snake, he strode across the room, his steps purposeful, stopping in the center of his treehouse next to his sleeping tent.

While eyeing Pete, he wiped his blade on his filthy shorts, the fabric gritty with dried slime and blood. He needed to get clean. Dark splashes from the snake colored the wooden floor, and a mix of all the things Pete had endured trying to survive on Umicore Prime coated the Dagerstanteen. They both, reeking of fresh kills and fear, would be a predator’s dream come true right now.

Oi, the pervasive mess made Nigel shake off his odd, unsettling sensation of enjoying Pete’s presence in his home. They didn’t have much time. Nigel needed to give the Dagerstanteen directions and get the alien moving.

Nigel regarded Pete, then scanned the one room he called home, taking stock.

“We sleep here.” Nigel waved a tentacle toward the square shelter in the middle of the floor. “For protection.”