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### Chapter 1: Chapter 1
A romance set on a distant planet where kindness needs no words.
Copyright © 2026 E. L. B. Smith All rights reserved
They came, they invaded, they killed. If they didn’t kill they made you their lab rats experimenting daily on your skin and body. When Annie escapes she finds herself relying on an alien who should be her enemy. Living on his planet and in his home they develop feelings neither of them expected.
Complete Chapters 20 Rating 4.8 ( 13 reviews ) Age Rating 16+ {"language":"en","storyId":1688351,"genres":[{"name":"Scifi","path":"/genres/scifi"},{"name":"Romance","path":"/genres/romance"}],"authorName":"ELB SMITH","authorPath":"/E_L_B_SMITH","status":"complete","lastUpdatedAt":1791360839,"chaptersCount":20,"rating":4.769230769230769,"reviewsCount":13,"ageRating":"16+"} Lab Rats It’s been two years since they came to Earth. Two years since my whole life changed into something from a Sci-Fi horror movie. They came, they conquered and they abducted.
They only abducted those with something special in their blood which accepts their crazy space serum. The serum changes our composition so we are able to breathe their air, assuming your veins don’t boil in a reaction. It causes a death so painful I wouldn’t even wish it on these evil aliens.
I should be thankful that I had the special blood they probed us all for when they arrived that day. If I didn’t I would have been vaporised on the spot to dust. Apparently we’re only useful to them if we can be their lab rats.
Those of us whose bodies accepted the serum and are now calling this planet home have one task. Sit in a chair and let them give us numerous injections or lotions as tests.
A high pitched beep sounded each side of my ears then I heard the click of my door. I opened my eyes to steam surrounding me, the glass door of my tube swung open. I stepped out of the clinical white pod that us humans call our bedroom.
At least its weird foamy sponge back is super comfortable, it sucks you in and supports all my limbs as though I’m laying on a cloud. There’s also not much time to complain about the fact it only just fits me as the steam that fills the inside puts me into a deep slumber.
A few guards were towering over us on raised platforms which overlooked all our pods. It was hard to tell exactly how they looked, they wore what they did when they invaded our planet minus the helmet.
Their faces though, I see them in my dreams every night, or nightmares I suppose. Their skin is a deep teal, in certain lights it glistens different colours. It was different for each alien I noticed, most glistened blue or green in the light. Their eyes were larger than ours and they hardly blinked and when they did a clear film shuttered across them in a spectacularly creepy way.
They had spikes on their head curving with their skull which protruded high into the air, similar to a mohican hairstyle, the tips looked sharp enough to cut. They had creepy slit noses which reminded me of Voldemort, although they make him look like an angel.
Their ears were pointed and slightly raised away from their head so they could turn and twist. And their mouths looked much like ours but inside all their teeth were fanged, at least that’s what I had seen quickly when one got angry.
I shuddered as I turned my focus on the humans and not on the creepy and terrifying aliens watching us like cattle. One step in front of the other, that’s all I needed to do. Walk, eat, sit. That was my life now, oh, and be quiet of course, which was truly the hardest of all, I do like to talk.
I began my walk to the human’s eating quarters. I was surrounded by the hundreds of other humans who have survived. Eight billion people lived on Earth, now there are only one hundred and thirty two humans left.
Again I should be thankful, I try to think of all those people who haven’t survived, my parents, my friends, yet I’m living in a horror movie. The only really good thing in my life at the moment is Frankie, my older sister. Even then, watching her drain into a fraction of the person she was is hard to watch.
The crowd of humans formed a line to queue for our breakfast rations. It was almost military standard, impressive really. We learnt very early on that it was better to not talk and do exactly as they asked otherwise they would happily turn us to dust.
Twice I saw people turn to dust in front of me here and it was two too many. I still don’t understand how they do it, they don’t have weapons that I can see. They merely raise their tail and point it at them and bam, they’re gone. Maybe the weapon is in their tail? Or is the weapon their tail?
I tried to look at one of their tails once and the alien angrily clicked at me in warning so I didn’t do that again. They seem to communicate in clicks and grunts. There’s only a few who speak to us in English, they’re the high up aliens, you don’t want them to talk to you.
I remember one of them talking to us when they abducted us and gave commands, his accent thick but his voice high and musical. It would have been beautiful if not for the fact they invaded our planet, then killed or abducted us and I was literally trembling in terror. The alien spoke perfectly but as soon as someone asked a question bam, he was dust.
No warning, nothing. That’s why we don’t talk. We don’t bother them, we do exactly as we’ve been shown.
The alien at the counter distributing breakfast was, I assume, a female. Her frame was more slender to the others, more feminine, unlike the others who were built like bricks. She was different to the aliens who stood guard over us.
She was purple, her skin wasn’t like ours, it was almost like fur. Soft tufts which grew longer nearer her torso where it grew as long as my hair it almost sparkled in the light that shone into the room. It swished with her every movement, it was rather mesmerizing.
Her clothes aren’t that different from our white slip dresses, hers is a dress but it’s navy not white. Perhaps she’s not from this planet either. Her composure isn’t timid like ours, she holds her chin high, but never takes her eyes off her task. I wonder if she was abducted too.
When I got to the front of the queue I took my bowl and went to find Frankie. My fingers gripped the bowl tightly, its smooth texture almost too smooth. It felt like it could slip out of my hands at any moment.
I’ve got used to all their strange textures, the slightly bouncy floor. The spongy bed I sleep in. The smooth bowl and squishy seats. Even the walls of the room are strange, similar to sand but if you touch it the texture is wrong, it’s more similar to grass.
I couldn’t stop my smile from forming on my face when I saw Frankie. Her auburn hair was in one braid hanging down her back, we both had the same hair, except hers was shorter and had a beautiful wave to it when it was loose. Her eyes were green like mums, I had dad’s brown eyes. She was always the prettiest in the room and she has a presence which commands attention.
Frankie was always the very best person in my world and this world too. She was talking to the people around her in a way to not draw attention, she and the friends she made here learned ventriloquism so the aliens wouldn’t notice.
I slipped into the squishy seat next to her and grabbed a spoon and began to eat my soup. I call it soup because it’s the closest thing I can call it. To be honest it tastes rather yummy, it’s more like a smoothie but with rich deep flavours too. The food is probably the best thing here other than Frankie.
I sighed when I took my first sip and Frankie nudged me smiling. ‘You and your food Annie.’ I nuzzled into her side and continued to eat happily. This was my favourite part of the day, my little piece of peace. Frankie and food.
When I was close to finishing I finally took note of what was happening around me at the table. Something was tense yet there was a little buzz, I glanced at Frankie, she winked.
‘We’re getting out of here sis. I have a plan. Be ready at dinner. I said I’d protect you and I will.’ Her eyes shone with determination and love. I would trust and follow her anywhere, she was my rock.
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### Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Today was different though, today would be the last day they torture me, because my big sister is going to get me out of this place.
When the alien came into the small room, I tensed. In its gloved hand was a pot of something gloopy and green. It almost looked alive, bubbling and popping away.
I flinched away in response, but the alien clicked through its mouth and the air pressure was on my wrists and ankles. I was restrained but with something completely invisible to my eye.
With a few grunts and clicks, the alien approached me and grabbed a flat stick and placed some of the gloop on it. It sizzled on the surface. Oh, that’s not a good sign.
I watched the alien approach and lift the stick. I squeezed my eyes shut and began to sing a song in my head, something to distract myself. Louder I sang it and bit the side of my cheek as I felt the gloop touch my skin.
It sizzled and then burned. It burned as though it was going through my flesh to my bone. I screamed as the agony of my skin burning away rippled through me. My eyes opened wide, tears formed and the alien just clicked as though it was annoyed.
My fingers tightened on the chair, the whites of my knuckles showing. I continued to scream as the gloop continued to burn. Then I felt the needle in my arm.
I was healed instantly, no more burning. This is what they do. Test, heal and test again. A vicious cycle of pain until they get the result they want. The alien clicked to itself and got a new pot, a different one but equally as bubbly.
Hours I sat in that chair while the gloop burned to my bone. Hours of screaming in agony until finally I was done for the day.
After grabbing my bowl from that same alien from this morning I sat next to Frankie, she said to be ready ‘at dinner’. I studied all of her friends, each of them eating their soup far too quickly.
‘Eat fast.’ Frankie muttered to me. I did as she said, I spooned the soup into my mouth so fast I couldn’t enjoy it at all. I glanced up to look at her friends.
They were an odd bunch, they definitely wouldn’t be friends under normal circumstances. Two of the men were easily in their late forties, Kurt had tattoos spanning his arms up to his neck, he would have been loud back on Earth. The other one, Greg, was more reserved as though he could have been an accountant back home, clever and quiet.
The girl, Freya, was a similar age to Frankie, late twenties but not like Frankie at all. I could imagine this girl being in a gang back home, the kind of person you see walking down the street and you cross the road.
Me and Frankie, we were just normal girls, I was still studying at university and she was working in a clothes shop, she loved it. She was always bringing me home new clothes she got at discount prices.
I noticed the guys subtly nod at Frankie and my hand tensed round my spoon. ‘Follow me, do not leave my side Annie.’ I gulped and stood with everyone else.
They ever so casually began to move out of the hall towards the room our pods are in. Tearing me away from the group was an enormous crash, several of the older members of the humans were on the floor, their bowls and food splattered everywhere.
I stopped instinctively, Frankie immediately grabbed my arm and firmly led me away. My eyes were on them as I carried on walking and I saw one of the old men wink at me before he started whining at his pain and discomfort.
Almost all the aliens keeping watch moved towards them to see what had happened. They were our distraction. The elderly men and women have put themselves in harm’s way to help us.
I swallowed hard and focused on what we were doing, even though I had no idea what we were doing. Perhaps I should have asked for the plan.
We all stopped in the narrow corridor while Kurt felt the wall. I tried to peer around Frankie to see what on earth he was doing when I felt a small gust of wind. I had to cover my mouth to stop myself from gasping loudly.
I followed everyone through the hidden door and Frankie carefully and quietly closed it shut. My eyes widened in shock, we were outside. Each of us stood with our backs against the wall and breathed in the air and felt the wind on our skin.
For two years we’ve been stuck inside there, no wind, no fresh air, no sky to look at. I smiled at Frankie and noticed we were all smiling, all of us having a moment of happiness.
Greg pushed himself off the wall and handed each of us a sharp stick, the one they use to put things on our skin. Each one had been sharpened at one end making it look like a dagger. How did he manage to get these and do this?
Gosh these people were resourceful and clever. If it wasn’t for Frankie I probably would have just spent my life in there doing what I was told. I need to get myself together, offer something to this group, to Frankie.
‘There’ Freya said quietly pointing to a line of trees in the distance. I say trees because they look a bit like trees. Except the fact they have huge balls on the end of the branches and they’re pink, so wonderfully amazing yet utterly bizarre. Then again we are on an alien planet everything is going to be weird.
We all sprinted towards the cover of the trees, Frankie stuck to my side constantly checking I was still with her. Forever my protector.
Under the trees the ground was more bouncy than inside the building they kept us in, if it wasn’t for our lives being in danger I would have enjoyed bouncing around a bit.
I looked at my feet which were surrounded in clear gloop they call shoes. They looked so pale compared to the deep purple ground which looked as though it was sandstone. It wasn’t rough like sandstone though it was soft and springy.
We all moved up and down slightly as we crouched low making sure we weren’t seen. We all let out a sigh of relief when nothing was following us.
‘We need to get away from here.’ Kurt said, scanning the area around us.
‘Let’s go before they realise we’re gone.’ Frankie added slowly moving to her feet.
We each rose and walked briskly but delicately through this unknown terrain. Each step took us deeper into the forest of trees.
The plants on the floor were brightly coloured, they looked beautiful and I wanted to touch them but Frankie instantly slapped my hand away each time. Probably a good idea, they could be poisonous for all we know.
Then we heard the familiar click and grunt. We weren’t alone.
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