Monsters Win Wars: A Novella by Edward Punales Read Free Book Online Page B

stood in the doorway.
    “What did you do?” Rand asked. The
president’s body remained rigid.
    “Sallis,” Henry said. The president turned to
him. “Mr. President, I am so sorry.”
    “Who did you call?” Rand asked. Sallis still
did not acknowledge anything that anyone said. He just kept
staring, with those wide, damaged eyes.
    “Mr. President, are you still there?” Asked a
voice that came through the speakers mounted on the console. Rand
cursed in his lizard tongue, as he and one of the commandoes walked
over to the console. “Mr. President, we have received your
coordinates and are sending help now. Do you copy?”
    “I swear if I’d known, I wouldn’t have let
him do this to you.” Henry said to the president, a cold churning
feeling spreading through his chest and stomach.
    “Mr. President, are you alright?” the voice
on the radio kept talking. Rand turned it off, and looked over at
the chair Sallis sat in.
    “You little worm.” Rand said.
    “I hope they skin you alive.” Sallis
said.
    “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.” Rand
began to walk toward Sallis, and Henry stood up right in front of
Sallis.
    “Get out of the way!” Rand barked.
    “You want him; you have to get through me!”
Henry said.
    “Fine.” Rand swept Henry’s legs, and the
rebel leader fell to the ground. With his lizard claws, Rand picked
him up, and tossed him to the other side of the room. He took one
look at him to make sure he hadn’t broken any bones, before moving
back to the president. He leaned down until his scaly face was mere
inches in front of Sallis’ face.
    “You know what?” Rand asked. He playfully
dragged the claw of his middle finger across the president’s
neck.
    “Rand stop!” Henry shouted. The other
commandoes were already on top of him. They held him back as he
tried to run toward Rand.
    “I think skinning you wouldn’t be a bad
idea.” Rand said. The president didn’t respond.
    “Rand stop this now!” Henry pleaded, as the
other commandoes held him back.
    “But sadly, we really don’t have time for
that.” Rand shook his head as he spoke. “So, we’ll have to do
something a little less elaborate.” The claw that sat on the
president’s neck moved like a flash of lighting in a storm. A red,
wet gash appeared there, and Henry watched the small river of blood
that flowed down the president’s shirt. He sputtered a few wet
breaths, before falling out of the chair, and hitting the
ground.
    “No.” Henry said under his breath. The other
commandoes let go of him, and he could again move freely. He stared
down at the body on the ground, watched as its blood formed a
puddle at Rand’s feet.
    In the background, he could vaguely make out
Rand telling the other soldiers to prepare for battle. But all his
attention was on the pair of dead eyes that stared up at him. His
guilt-ridden mind was hypnotized by those eyes. He could only
imagine the pain and misery those eyes had witnessed.
    “Hey!” said a gruff voice. Henry looked up to
see Rand’s yellow eyes staring at him. He looked around. All the
other soldiers were gone. “Were you listening? We’re going to have
enemy troops on our doorstep any second. You need to get to your
quarters.” Rand’s tone sounded calm, but a little annoyed. It was
as if he hadn’t just killed an unarmed man.
    “You son of a bitch.” Henry spat.
    “Oh please.” Rand said. “You humans are the
most pathetic warriors I have ever seen. So easily do you allow
petty details, and romantic fantasies of nobility get in the way of
doing what needs to be done.”
    “You won’t get away with this.” Henry said.
“When I tell Aric-”
    “He already knew!” Rand said. Henry was
silent. “Aric has been my superior for over twenty-years,
forty-years by Earth time! You think he doesn’t know my methods?”
Henry was again silent. “I still don’t know how he can stomach your
human nonsense! And I’ll never know what possessed him to join