Zardox Yeslek (A Short Story)

Hello, lovelies! Today I thought I'd share a piece of writing that I had to do for school. It had to include a character, place, time, and conflict that we chose from a list given to us. It was difficult to use something we couldn't change and create a story out of it, but that's what I managed to do. I was restricted to a three page limit, but I'd say it's not so bad. Definitely not my best, but not too shabby either.

Here's what I chose from the list:

1. An alien from outer space

2. At a polluted stream

3. After a big thunderstorm has passed

4. A secret needs to be confessed to someone else

A Galactic Secret

            Zardox Yeslek slumped next to the river, his light purple eyes glazing over as the last of the rainstorm drifted east. His mind raced as he ran a hand across the jumble of things on his lap that would be illegal in most countries. This secret was going to destroy him. The longer he carried it, the more distant and more isolated he felt towards the humans he had come to love in his time on earth. He buried his face in his hands. Never mind that it was going to destroy him. It already had.

            Idly he picked up an oddly shaped box that held the most deadly part of his secret, amusing the idea of hurling it into the stream, never to be seen again. But he couldn't do it. He lost his meager courage and gently set it back down again. A rueful smile flit across his face. A resident alien from Antediluvian who wasn't courageous? It was unheard of. It wasn't supposed to happen.

            “Zeke?” A voice behind him hissed. “What on earth are you doing?!”

            Zardox jumped, scattering his various illegal items. He hastily scooped them into a pile and began attempting to shove as many as he could into his pockets, ignoring his friend's suspicious gaze and doing his best to look nonchalant.

            “Why, hello, Edeline. What brings you here this lovely afternoon?” he asked, cringing as his favorite plasma ray gun fell into the already polluted stream.

            Edeline raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think I'm here? You've been acting ridiculous lately, and I want to know why. When someone steals my car and heads out during the most freakish thunderstorm with a sack slung over his back like Santa . . . ” she drifted off with a shrug. “Zeke, I'm your friend. You can tell me if something's wrong.”

            Zardox couldn't look her in the eye. He had lied to her so much already, not even telling her his real name. How could he tell her the truth now? She wouldn't understand. She was . . . a pitiful human. Just another of the pathetic creatures from this planet, another human he had been sent to destroy.

            Slowly, ever slowly, Zardox raised his glance to meet hers, his gaze fierce and sad at the same time. “Edeline . . . you just wouldn't understand. You couldn't understand.”

            “Try me.”

            He sighed. “What if I told you that I'm an alien citizen from the planet of Antediluvian who has been sent here to destroy the human race?”

            “I would assume that you're an insane guy who really needs to take a lap and get his act together.” She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, hard. “Zeke, you're not an alien. Snap out of it. I don't know what you're talking about, but I can promise you that you're not an alien.”

            He swatted away her hands, his lip curling in disgust. “Do not touch me, filthy human,” he spat in a voice that didn't sound like his. His hands clenched into fists as he jumped into a fighting stance. He swung a punch at her side, which she barely managed to block.

            “Zeke, stop! What are you doing?!” she shouted, her dark brown hair falling forward like a curtain, hiding her face from view.

            Suddenly all the fight seemed to drain out of Zardox. His fists unclenched and his shoulders relaxed. “I can't do this anymore,” he whispered. “I can't take this. It's in my head, giving me orders and controlling my body. Controlling me.” He slumped over on the ground, trembling.

            Edeline let out an involuntary shudder. “So it's true. You are an alien.”

            “As if I chose to be one!”

            “Who's controlling you? There has to be some way to stop it.”

            “There is nothing I can do. Look here,” he said, picking up the strange box once more. Its intricate pattern shone as the meager sunlight bounced off of it. “This is the worst part of my secret.” He gulped down a shaky breath and handed her the box. With trembling hands, she opened it.

            Edeline gasped. “Zeke why didn't you tell me?”

            “I couldn't.” He hung his head. “And . . . Zeke's not even my name. My name is Zardox Yeslek, trained warrior of Antediluvian. Edeline, I was born to kill.”

            “Zardox . . . ” she began, the name feeling strange on her tongue. “We can destroy it. All we have to do is find some sort of pointy object or, or something!”

            Zardox's eyes drifted to the stream next to them, noting how it was choked with pollutants and was turning acid green, reeking from who knows what. “What would happen if we threw it in there?” he wondered aloud.

            “There's only one way to find out, alien boy,” Edeline said, a teasing smile ghosting across her face. She held out her hand. “Give me the box. I'll throw it in.”

            Zardox shook his head. “No, I should be the one to do it. I got you into this mess, I should be the one to get us out.” He turned the box over in his hand, his breaths uneven. This could be it, he thought. He could finally be free. Free.

            He summoned every ounce of courage that he could find inside himself, fighting against the orders he was receiving, fighting the urge to simply put the box down and start his killing spree like he was originally supposed to.

            With a scream of pure agony and triumph mixed in one, he hurled the box into the stream, where it cracked against the bottom and toxins seeped into it, eroding and destroying its content.

            Zardox took a deep breath. It was over. He was free. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned, meeting Edeline's steady gaze.

            “Wanna know something, alien boy?” She smiled.

            “What is it?”

            Her smile disappeared. “It looks like I won't be controlling you anymore. Agent Zardox, you have failed your mission. Please report to Antediluvian, immediately. I must have a word with you.”

The end. (Dun dun dunnnnn.....)

What did you think?