Barbarians of the Dying Sun: An Alien Romance
1
Alice I wake up naked in a strange bed. Not a stranger’s bed–not like a one-night stand–but a weird bed that changes shape each ime I move. I roll over, and the bed molds itself around me. Beds don’t do that, so I must be dreaming. I push myself out of the bed, and as if the bed can tell what I’m trying to do, it releases me. I fall hard onto the ground, right on my ass. Pain shoots through my body as my butt cheeks don’t manage to absorb the full force of the impact. I wince and suck air through my teeth, but then I realize I’m notdreaming. It all feels too real. The pain is too specific to be a dream. I look around and see that the walls and ceiling are beginning to glow with a dull, pink light. The bed I was on has changed shape to become completely flat, and I see four other beds–one in each corner of the fairly small room. But all the other beds are empty. I’m alone here. “What the hell,” I whisper, my voice sounds shaky and desperate.