Cost of the Heart

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  • Under a Dark Star- Talas:

    Under a Dark Star- Talas:

    Horror and unimaginable fear wracked Talas’s mind and body. With such fear the thoughts physically caused Asha to wince and step back; You LOVE me because I am not food!!

    Talas’s body continued to shiver and shake both in pain from the wound but more and deeper from the terror that faced him.

    Slowly and tentatively Asha creeped physically closer to Talas as well as quietly crawled into his mind again between thoughts as a spider traversing a delicate web.

    Talas, she began soothingly and softly, you showed me. I saw it in your mind. You want to find a mate and love her. You can love me. There is no one else here. Please, I want to know love.

    Blankly Talas stared back at the creature with 6 eyes, 8 appendages, two antennae, and a fanged lipped mandible. To say she was arachnid would be wrong, arachnid like yes, but no abdomen like a crab but thin like a wasp not round. Looking at her was unsettling. Talas could not look away.

    Asha gently pushed here and there on the optical centers of the mind, slowly she could see what pleased the eye of a human. Suddenly wincing at the hideousness she was to him she felt it through her being and let out a cry of true pain.

    A low screech escaped her mouth of such sorrow, “Sccaaa….” Talas, you see me as this?!

    She had been so proud of her shiny chitin, her glowing eyes, the gentle twitch of antennae for affection, to include her dancing gate of a hop skip from rock to rock. If her kind had tear ducts all eyes would have teared.  

    Talas just watched petrified. Again, the same low screech then she ran off into the night to hunt. Leaving his mind to his own thoughts.

    He shuddered as he heard her screaming as a banshee of earth folk, her voice fading as she continued into the night. He felt the children chewing at the corners of his mind. He forced himself into a fitful nightmare filled slumber.

    Asha’s voice raspy and her small vocal cords ached from wailing for at least an hour as she ran jumping from cervices to crag she killed with abandon, becoming the monster that Talas saw her as. She killed mercilessly, throwing pieces and carcasses to the horizon, she kept none of it, the slithery things and diggy things can have the food tonight. The babies will be hungry, but she did not care. Maybe she will get caught by the Didon and finally die. She did not know how old she was, she could not remember being a hatchling. Only always with children, hunting, feeding, taking to the reaping. Her thoughts, dark and of her babies eating Talas stopped her cold. She hunched over, sobbing without the soothing release of tears. Just the raw pain in the middle of her body. A heart a poet might say. Feeling the pain and sting of rejection but not just rejection, repulsion. She lay on the ground sobbing and flailing with no tear to fall.

  • Under a Dark Star

    Under a Dark Star

    Hello all, I apologize for the delay in posting the continuation of our story. I had to work on the Cost of the Heart typeset files which took quite a bit of time. I have a work flow now so when my next file set comes back it will be easier to process.

    Also it took for ever to get the image for the post created with Ash. I did upload it with this post. Unfortunately this image will not be the one with the poem for the today’s scene post. Ash and I went round and round.

    Big NEWS: I have an appointment with Barns and Nobel for book placement. I hope if things go forward maybe I will be able to do book signings at B&N.

    Thank all of you who interact with my page, go to my blog, interact with me. You are who I write for, me and you.

    Remember; Not all hearts have to Break, they CAN BURN! the choice is yours.

    -d²

  • Under a Dark Star

    Under a Dark Star

    Asha

    Asha came upon Talas’s passed out body with limbs sprawled out. Kicking him with her forward leg/arm she muses, hmm hard shell. Will sharpen children’s teeth. What is this? The head-thing still warm, still making sound. Asha cocked her head as she listened to the faint thump of Talas’s heart, still strong but faint beneath the jumpsuit composite armored shell. As she listened to the heart, she then moved closer to the large hole in the faceplate. Breathing in through her nostrils she could smell the carbon dioxide he exhaled. Food, the children will be sated today. Sniffing more over Talas the iron smell of blood filled her nostrils. Not from here, from out there. Too bad food, may have been play thing. Oh well.

    Looking at the horizon the deep red glow crept across the craggy expanse. Nightfall, must get home before star see me. Asha grabbed Talas’s broken leg with one of most hind feet/hands and began dragging him as she made way in the opposite direction of the rising dark star. A popping sound from Talas made Asha look back over her shoulder as she kept crawling forward on the seven leg/arms she had with one pulling Talas. The pop had set Talas’ compound fracture of his femur. Cocking her head a faint gasp reached her ears. Dropping the leg she was pulling she rotated on all eight legs to face Talas’s body laying face up on the dusty floor of the baren cavern she was pulling him through to get to the home. Rising up on her back four leg/arms she looked down on the slowly moving grunting thing.

    Talas started gaining consciousness when his bone was inadvertently set and the enviro-suit started to treat the wound.

    “Wha, where, Pia, status.” Pia was silent, just the wind made a sound he could hear through his helmet even with the faceplate damage. Hearing a rustle Talas tried to raise up on his elbow a managed to roll on his side in a fit of blinding pain. He saw her then, Asha.

    “AHHH, what in bloody hell is that!!?” Talas screamed in fear and pain as he tried to push away with his good leg dragging the broken.

    Asha gazed upon Talas with curiosity as he scream and was pushing his way across the hard ground. Where are you going food. You are broken, I am not.

    Asha bound like a jumping spider. As she lands her center four hand/feet pin each limb by the ankles or wrists. Her other four arms begin to look for ways to tear away the dropsuit armor.

     “No get off.” Talas struggles but to no avail. Asha now gazes into his face.  Talas completely silent now in fear he has never felt. The urine bladder of the suit fills as he screams and Ash screams back.

    “AHHHHHHHH” Ash screeches into Talas’s helmet, this can come off, quite food so we don’t attract attention. Be quite, we can be eaten. She thinks as she fumbles with Talas’s helmet. Yes, releases, ah from way beyond, not red hole place. Must get you home to my babies, they are hungry. The helmet flies off into the coming blood dawn as she looks for the first time fully into Talas’s green eyes. What, you.. Asha freezes.

    Talas squirms, fighting to get away from the iron grips binding him to this creature. My helmet, have to keep it from getting it off. A whimper escapes Talas’s mouth, images of being eaten by small creatures like this flooded his mind.

    No, no what no! Please I don’t want to die being eaten. Emperor’s Beards, not like this, I wanted to at least love once. Please! My helmet, oh, oh my god… His helmet gone from time now as he stared into darkness within the two predominant dark orbs that pierced his mind and heart like a laser through the night.

    Dark primal thoughts intertwined with those of Talas’s warmest and cherished. NO, these are mine, my thoughts. Laid bare was the raw emotion behind each of those thoughts of love. ‘Mine’ Invaded his thoughts, repeatedly, That’s not me, that’s not my thought. Raw, sharp. Dark as obsidian. His thoughts turned over at the invasion of his emotions, he was now just an observer of the logic while his heart was detected repeatedly. He broke and sobbed in a deep mourning of loss quivering for what seemed an eternity.

    Asha fell deeper and deeper into this well of passions never felt, devotions never believed possible, a oneness never hoped for. Her dark primal cold existence felt emotional warmth for the first time. “Ahh, ah, mmm.” She sobbed as Talas sobbed and she tore into his most cherished memories and love. Need it what is it, warm, dark and light at same time, Love!! I want it. This food thing will give me love. I will love it. Babies will be hungry another night. Will hunt again tonight. Have to go now!

    Franticly and now efficiently after probing Talas mind of his suit she was able to rip his armor away in seconds with all eight arm/legs working.

    With all the armor off Asha started to lift Talas onto her back.

    “No!” Talas shouted with a painful twist which caused him to land on the ground.

    “Humf. That hurt, no!” He shouted at her. Looking deep into his eyes she sent a piercing thought into his mind.

    Like a sledgehammer Asha’s thoughts pealed back his resistance, ‘We go, I put you on back. Star kill, trsickls kill, we go home now; babies alone!’  Talas went limp with the psychic blast of pure fear and was completely compliant as Asha held him with her middle four arm/legs tight to her back as she ran across the scrub and scree on the other four arm/legs. He felt the heat from the rising sun, but the dawning light was dark and heavy. He closed his eyes and slept as she cradled him on her back running to safety.

    Pain shot through Talas’s body as he felt himself being set down on a soft silky bedding. Not once did he open his eyes. Once fully resting on the bedding he grunted and gave into the deep sleep his body needed.

    Sleep slowly drifted away as Talas heard a strange screeching muttering just out of earshot. In his mind a buzzing nagged him at the edges. He heard the thing No Asha, she was coming closer but was not muttering anymore. Where am I what are these things.

    ‘Talas, you are awake’ she pushed gently in his mind he felt. Thoughts not as primal but still raw and pure.

    ‘What do you want? Am I food, why didn’t you just kill me?’ dark thoughts of being eaten by thousands of tiny, fanged mouths echoed through his mind.

    ‘No, you no food. I love you. You love me. We have love together. You want love, I want you to love me.’ His mind reeled as these strange dark thoughts crawled into each hope he had of love. How can I love this, this thing, this horrendous creature.

    Talas shuddered with the last thought.

    ‘I not thing, I Asha, your wife. You love me. I love you.’

    With every fiber of his body and mind he screamed, “HOW CAN YOU LOVE ME? Or I you!”

    Gently, silently, Asha’s silken voice seeps into his mind; ‘I love you because I don’t want my babies to eat you. You are mine, husband and you will love me.’

    -continued

    -d²

  • Under a Dark Star – Planetfall

    Under a Dark Star – Planetfall

    Under a Dark Star

                    –Forever locked in an orbit eclipsing the sun so daylight never is beyond a blood sky of shadows in the darkness of the void. Those that gaze upon the star’s crown, darkness falls forever. Only the night is safe, to roam about, to look, to hunt. – proverb for survival

    Blaring alarms woke Talas in midair, What the, hey why am floating, wait no! The ship is falling! The sound of screeching metal being torn was added to the alarms.

    “Sarah! Where are we, why are we falling?” Talas shouted competing with the screeching alarm.

    The ship answered in a female voice crisp and professional, “We are in a gravity well of a local planet. I am unsure where we are. The skip-drive failed and no stars are available for triangulation.”

    “What do you mean no stars? We were dead center of the spur. Edge of the empire but in the center of the sector.” Talas’s voice cracking slightly from the dryness of his throat. He had not completely recovered from his last planet drop.

    “Sarah!” Talas shouted as he looked for a hand hold towards the pilot seat. A thunk and sever vibration began.

    He was no longer floating in a free fall with the ship but being thrown about like a rag doll. Talas hand just about to grab hold slipped. “Argg!” A frustrated yell escaped his mouth keeping cool was no longer in the cards.

    “Sarah! What was that!” The blaring alarm was replaced with screeching atmosphere escaping or getting in, Talas could not tell. Bright light, Talas throws his hands up in time to block flying shrapnel as the nose of the ship began to disintegrate.

    Chaos erupted in the small ship cabin as atmosphere poured in through growing rents in the exterior walls, suddenly the keel bent.

    Flying backwards the long-range patrol soldier grunted as he hit the back bulkhead.

    “Emperor’s Beards!! Well to the drop suit. Well Sarah go into the void with peace.” Speakers came alive with a static for a moment, faintly a reply came back.

    “Talas, good hunting.” There was nothing else as Talas fought his way through the disintegrating ship to the safety of his drop suit.

    Calm surrounded Talas as he fell away from the forming fireball that was home in the coldness of the void. Into the upper atmosphere of a faraway planet forever unknown he plummeted down.

    “Pia, give me rundown.”

    The suit’s computer came alive showing a display HUD across Talas’s visor.

    “Suit temperature nominal but rising, internal temperature in specifications, reaching planetary terminal velocity, five kilometers from surface.”

    “Roll so I can see the sky.”

    Talas felt the pressure and vibration as each little jet fired off rolling him so he was looking up and falling backwards.

    The suit rocked from an explosion and the visor darkened to protect his eyes. “Goodbye Sarah.”

    “Pia, clear visor.”

    “It is Cpl. Talas.” The metallic whisper came in his ear bud.

    “There are no stars, where are the stars? Pia, does this planet have a moon?” His voice starting to have a bit of concern.

    “Searching loaded scans prior to termination. No, it is a moon of large planet. Currently the dayside is experiencing a full eclipse of the sun from the planet.” The cool crisp voice was of no comfort. It was pitch black up and pitch black down. No lights, no intelligent life, fortunately? Talas wondered.

    “Prepare for landing” Pia, said as reto-jets started firing slowing Talas down and righting him for a rolling landing ending with him standing. That was the plan anyways.

    Three jets gave out at once on his left side. “What’s going on” A flashing HUD filled his faceplate. “Out of fuel, how high up are we?”

    “You will survive.” Pia answered mechanically.

    “You didn’t say ho…” Talas didn’t finish, he felt the ground hit and a bone snaping vibrate to his teeth. “Medical protocols…” was the last thing he uttered as the grayness took over his mind.

    Talas heard through the greyness as he fell deeper into unconsciousness, “Approaching lifeform detected.”

    Across the plain, a local inhabitant followed the arc of Talas’s decent.

    Hmm, food? Children are hungry. Last night hunt.  The creature looks down at a forward arm most arm. Colors pretty. Hmm if not food maybe keepsake from out there.

    “ahh!” The exploding ship temporarily blinded this creature that saw in full spectrum of the electromatic spectrum. She had stood up to extend her upper torso that crudely resemble a humanoid female. Blocking the rest of the following wavelengths with her hands she rotated away from the explosion in lightning speed on the four legs she still stood on.

    Shaking her head her eyesight cleared. Now to find that maybe food.

  • Cost of the Heart: Under a Dark Star

    Cost of the Heart: Under a Dark Star

    –Forever locked in an orbit eclipsing the sun so daylight never is beyond a blood sky of shadows in the darkness of the void. Those that gaze upon the star’s crown, darkness falls forever. Only the night is safe, to roam about, to look, to hunt. – proverb for survival

    The following posts are stories I will write and post as I finish out a scene. They are raw and loosely edited. Even after posting I will be doing some editing as the week progresses into the story. What I would consider ready to send to my editor, Marie O.. These stories are just another avenue for me to write full closed stories while I work on writing/publishing current and future books.

    Thank you for stopping by, please stay a while, get comfortable and let me spin you a tail of bitter sweet love.

    -d²

  • Posts for a Heart Felt Universe

    Posts for a Heart Felt Universe

    Hello all, thank you for making your way here to Cost of the Heart. I will blog about my writing inspiration, announce upcoming books, post raw short stories, and inter act with you my readers. Thank you with much gratitude for stopping here in this crowded Internet where one still can feel alone. ;P -d²