WARNING! FLUFF ALERT! Yes, beware of the fluffy content of this chapter, general cuteness and sappiness abound! Ye have been warned!
Old Steef
The last Gloktogi fell as Stranger stuck it full off Stingbees. He looked around for Bailey, his crossbow ready. When he saw her sink to her knees and a bloodied blade in Sekto’s hand he finally felt what Bailey must have, all that time ago when she’d heard him scream while the Doc sewed up his legs.
It felt like his heart had been ripped out and stamped on. The sensation almost took Stranger’s breath away, but it was soon swallowed by a fury so powerful, he’d never felt before. It surged like an electrical charge through him, it rose like a giant tsunami wave, just about to crash on the shore.
Stranger roared, hoarse and furious. Sekto spun around and Stranger saw fear in his glowing yellow eyes but this was only a fleeting observation as Stranger charged at the water baron.
Sekto was frozen by the sight of a furiously bellowing Steef and had no time to react before Stranger ploughed into him. Stranger balled his fists and swung them at Sekto, sending him flying. Sekto tried to scramble to his feet but Stranger stood over him and knocked him down. Just as Stranger levelled his crossbow to turn Sekto into a Stingbee pincushion, the dam rocked violently, Stranger pricked his ears and heard Grubb voices outside the dam, yelling in triumph,
“Steef dude is here! Fire the catapults! Make him proud! Make him proud!!!” Stranger looked out of the wall window, something akin to horror on his face, the sun had disappeared over the horizon. The Grubbs were attacking.
Sekto took advantage of Stranger’s lapse and scrambled over to the rifle Bailey had dropped, Stranger whipped round but too late Sekto got to his feet with the gun.
“Like your ancestors before you, you will die by my hand!” Sekto roared as he aimed and fired. Fortunately for Stranger the dam shook again and Stranger was thrown off balance and the bullet whizzed past without grazing him. Sekto screamed with frustration and shot again, but Stranger had wised up and dived out of the way.
The dam quivered and with a crack, the window shattered and a huge crack ran down the dam from top to bottom, chunks began falling out of it, one of them right where the window used to be.
Bailey came too very slowly, fully aware of the excruciating pain under her collarbone. Wearily Bailey flopped over onto her stomach and slowly got to her knees. Scrabbling with bloodied fingers Bailey held onto Sekto’s desk and managed to peer over it. She shivered as pain swept over her but she concentrated to remain conscious. She watched as Sekto and Stranger battled.
The dam quaked again and made a tortured groan, a bit of the ceiling was shaken loose and it swatted at Sekto. He dropped the gun with a howl. Stranger charged at Sekto and bowled him over with his forelegs.
Bailey couldn’t distinguish which was which, just a tangle of thrashing, stamping legs and Steef bellows. Then, suddenly they broke apart, Sekto motionless and Stranger panting heavily. Bailey watched in silent awe as Stranger hefted the megalomaniac above his head and carried him to the crack where the window had previously been.
Stranger roared and lifted Sekto right above his head. Bailey, still behind the desk got a glimpse of what the Steef race had been and she sank down, so that only her wide eyes were visible.
This was the Stranger she’d joked around with? The Stranger she could command just as long as she scratched his neck? This huge, vicious, terrifying creature? Was that really her Stranger?
Stranger roared his triumph, Sekto motionless above his head. He could hear the Grubbs, shouting,
screaming his name in a throbbing chant; “Steef! Steef! Steef!” Stranger remembered his people, all the Steef Sekto had killed.
And threw Sekto from his own dam.
He backed into the destroyed office room, his chest heaving for breath, adrenaline and violent joy thrumming through him.
“Stranger?” he heard that one, softly spoken word, a faint sense of unease and doubt in the tone, and his volatile emotions faded. He turned quickly and saw Bailey stumble out from behind the desk and sink to her knees, blood smeared her cheeks and leaked from between her fingers on the hand she clutched her injured shoulder with, Stranger was at her side in under a second. Careful not to hurt the small human he gently lifted Bailey into his arms, nuzzled her cheek tenderly, purring softly, his eyes closed.
“I love yer Bailey.” He whispered, feeling happiness well up in his chest and stomach as he said it, “All the time I was lookin’ fer yer, I wanted to tell yer that I love yer, so much. More then anythin’ in this world.” Bailey shivered and swallowed a sob, sniffling quietly, she put her arms around Stranger’s neck. “It’s alrigh’ liddle darlin’.” He murmured softly, “S’alrigh’, yer safe now. I got’cha.” Bailey swallowed and buried her face into the fur on his neck, she nodded and clutched at Stranger’s fur, getting blood all over him. Stranger noticed that her fingers were bleeding an awful lot…he took hold of her hand and frowned at it. “Bailey? What did-” he took a sharp breath. As he understood why.
Bailey’s fingernails had been torn from her fingers.
Bailey shuddered and she felt Stranger’s arms tighten around her. She choked on a sob, her eyes squeezed shut and tears leaked from under the lids. Stranger rocked her gently and held her close as he rubbed her cheek with his snout, stroking her back soothingly.
“Love you too.” She finally whimpered.
“I’m never gonna let anyone hurt you again. I promise Bailey.” Suddenly the dam shook again. Stranger pressed Bailey to his chest and looked around. The dam was collapsing. They had run out of time. Stranger knelt down and cuddled Bailey close, wrapping his arms around her protectively, brushing stray hair from out of her face. He touched her temple with his nose, kissed her cheek and smiled. A proper smile, even though it was slightly sad. Suddenly Bailey looked up,
“Meech.” She whispered,
“What?”
“I gotta get Meech.” Bailey struggled to her feet and with Stranger’s help she made her way over to the hanging cage. Inside Meech was panic-stricken with terror, he could sense their doom coming. Bailey tried to open the cage’s door but the blood made her hands slippery, she growled in frustration. Stranger gently pulled her back,
“I’ll do it.” Bailey stood back and Stranger took hold of the bars, with a grunt and straining muscles Stranger managed to bend the bars, Meech scrabbled out of the cage and jumped into Bailey’s arms, burying his head under Bailey’s chin. Bailey hugged the Meech and Stranger watched, smiling slightly.
The floor juddered faintly. Bailey looked around and pressed close to Stranger, the Steef put his arms around both Bailey and Meech and pressed his nose to Bailey’s hair.
The dam shuddered more violently and one side of the office suddenly dropped. With a yelp Meech, Stranger and Bailey tumbled across the carpet and through the crack in the wall window, the dam collapsing as they fell from the top of the dam, Stranger curled himself around Bailey as water rushed up to meet them as they plunged into the Mongo River.
The cold shocked both Steef, human and Meech as they clung to each other as the torrent of water held back by the damn roared down the dry valley, watering the parched land. An undercurrent tugged at them and washed them up on shore.
Bailey and Meech were wrenched from Stranger’s grip as he rolled onto the riverbank. He was flipped over onto his stomach and he coughed, expelling water from his lungs. He raised his dripping head and saw Bailey a little way from him, he crawled to her. Bailey slowly pushed herself up on her hands and knees and coughed, her eyes closed, head hanging. She felt herself being gently lifted and locked in Stranger’s warm, strong embrace. She opened her eyes slowly, Stranger smiled down at her tenderly.
“Hey liddle one.” He said softly, Bailey returned the smile tiredly and rested her head on his shoulder, utterly exhausted. Stranger stroked her head and rumbled a soothing purr, just glad to be able to hold his Bailey again. A bird-like chirrup of questioning and concern reached their ears as Meech nudged at Stranger’s leg with his segmented head. Bailey smiled and reached down to pat the Meech’s head.
“Steef, Steef dude.” Stranger looked down at the Grubb addressing him as it pulled off it’s helmet and tucked it under it’s arm. “Steef, we found, Sekto…” Stranger stiffened and his arms tightened around Bailey. Bailey’s eyes opened and she looked at the Grubb.
“Stranger,” she said, her voice was quiet and sounded hoarse, as if she had fallen out of practice in using it; “Put me down.” Stranger hesitated, Bailey looked at him, eyes pleading. Neon green locked onto hazel. Finally Stranger nodded and set her down. Bailey locked her knees and Stranger followed her as she, with Meech trotting at her heels, walked after the Grubb who led them over to a clump of the armoured Grubbs crowded around, something.
As they approached Stranger saw, for the first time, the extent of Bailey’s injuries, the cold water had washed off the blood and thankfully clotted the blood in her abrasions. She had long, thin cuts, one across each of her cheeks, along the line of her cheekbones. On the backs of her hands she had three parallel slashes and on the inside of her forearms were several jagged lines like lightning, made, Stranger thought, but what ever Sekto had used to rip out her fingernails.
He felt a spark of anger ignited again, if Sekto wasn’t dead now, then Stranger’d make sure that the water tyrant would have his innards ripped out and he would experience as much pain as he had put Bailey through, or if not that, then Sekto would spend the rest of his life running, petrified every moment for the rest of his sorry life that Stranger would come and extract revenge.
The Grubbs parted to let Bailey and Stranger through. Sekto’s body lay on the riverbank. Bailey and Stranger looked at each other. Slowly Stranger took hold of Sekto and turned him over. Several of the Grubbs gasped and covered their faces, Stranger flinched, Bailey grabbed a handful of Stranger’s fur.
Sekto was a Steef.
Bailey threw off the horror first, her mind racing.
“It’s impossible!” her mind rebelled against what she was seeing
“Sekto can’t be a Steef… Can he?”
Determined to find out once and for all, Bailey took a hesitant step forwards and went down on her knees beside Sekto. The fall had shredded the suit Sekto had always worn and Bailey saw the four Steef legs clearly.
“Oh no,” whispered one of the Grubbs, “It’s the old Steef…” Bailey frowned and touched where the Steef’s horns should have been. All that was left were shorn off stumps, hidden in the mass of dark brown fur. Bailey noticed rows of suction marks around his forehead, like something recently suckered on had released it’s hold and left the old Steef to his death.
“Parasite…” whispered Bailey, “Sekto’s a parasite. Using the Steef’s body, controlling the body by suctioning onto his head. He had all other Steef killed to prevent them coming after him and ruining his plans for unrestrained capitalism…” it was starting to make sense, if you were a parasite and you wanted to take over, your host would have to be a strong creature that could be disguised. A Steef was the obvious choice; Stranger had proved that they could be hidden and that they were definitely strong enough.
Bailey sat back on her heels and let out a breath.
“Damn you Sekto, you couldn’t leave them alone could you? Could just let them die in peace. You had to use the Steef for your dirty work as well…” she murmured. Just then the old Steef coughed weakly and it’s eyes opened, Bailey knew that in other circumstances the Steef’s eyes would have been as bright and fascinating as Stranger’s but they were dulled now. Even so Bailey could clearly see the deep red and burnt orange colouring and found them just as compelling.
For a second Steef and human gazed at each other. Bailey was quiet, eyes wide. Stranger and the Grubbs were still and silent. The old Steef smiled weakly,
“Ah, so you return at last human.” He said. Bailey’s brow furrowed and she cocked her head, but before she could ask any questions the Steef spoke again, but this time he did not look at Bailey, but over her shoulder, “Is the water free?” he asked, Stranger came up beside Bailey and went down on his knees.
“Yeah, it’s free.” The old Steef let out a sigh and nodded, smiling, he closed his eyes and slept. Bailey went back slightly, getting off her knees and stting on the dirt.
“We have to take him back with us.” she said, looking at Stranger who hadn’t taken his eyes from the old Steef. Stranger nodded absent-mindedly.
Bailey felt a sudden pain in her head and weakness in her joints, the exhaustion and blood-loss had finally caught up with her. Bailey sank to the earth and just before she joined the old Steef in blissful oblivion she heard Stranger’s voice murmur in her ear.
“You can rest now Bailey. It’s over.”
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And that my dear readers, is it. The End.
…
…
…Of Stranger’s Wrath at least,
had yer goin’ then didn’t I.