The Final Moment Is Always The First (By John Henry)

“Ziiiicaaaaam” John yelled, cradling the pudgy little alien near the downed spaceship. There’s little to no blood in a blaster fight, because the lasers cauterize the wounds instantly. There was no blood, but there was the sickening smell of burned fur and flesh.

“You better not go, you ugly little gremlin.” Zicam’s tremoring stopped as quickly as it started it. His eyes slowly rolled over to look at John, and he whispered haltingly in his alien tonge: “know…what…life…is worth.” With that final comment, Zicam’s body deflated into a sac of loose bones.

It would take years for John to understand what Zicam’s final words meant. Years until the rage died out of him. Years until Zicam’s killers were slaughtered by the bone-weapon John created from Zicam’s ribs and tossed into the crags of Nardrul. But in Time and Tears, it would come.