Forever an Anerian?

Chapter 14

Forever an Anerian?

 

            As each Sneilian signed the Anerian Freedom Proclamation, they gave Fred a look of disgust. Fred never met their gaze full on, as he had just condemned an entire race of creatures to eternal galactic exile. After all of the signatures were done, the document was framed inside the government building.

            Fred rounded up some of the surviving Anerian generals, including Ed, and commanded them to escort the Sneila criminals back to Esab. 50 Anerians, forming a ring around the Sneila, took off out of the central plaza and into the Anerian sky. As Fred watched them fly away, he thought of one last thing he had to do.

 

•••

 

            Fred rushed back to the central plaza, where the freedom party was just getting started. Anerians shouted and jumped for joy, dancing and singing songs of folklore in the highest octaves.

            He had done it. He was the king of a strange race of people, thrown into the mire of war, and yet he still came out victorious and alive. He had accomplished what the prophecy had said. But what next…

            Fred reached down and felt the flash drive in his pant pocket. No one can ever know.

            A hand tapped Fred on the shoulder. Fred whipped around to look in the face of Nas. A tear rolled down Fred’s cheek as he wished his friend could truly be there with him. As he looked at Nas, he noticed that Nas wasn’t looking at Fred. Instead, he was glancing at something in the fountain. Fred looked down, and saw the red collar, not even wet, sitting at the bottom of the fountain. He reached down and pulled it out of the fountain, holding it in his hands. He looked up, but Nas was nowhere to be seen. Fred looked back down at the collar, and up at the sky. Well, here goes nothing…

 

Afterword

 

            Sulawesi sat in the darkness of the extra room in the old, boarded-up shack leading to Fred’s house. He paced across to the other side of the room where Ty was bound and gagged, squirming and trying to escape. With a quick flick of his tail, Sulawesi knocked him out cold. He returned to his original position, sat down, and smiled with pride as he gripped the Taqar to his scaly chest…