SODIUM Trilogy Part One

by Stephen Arseneault

  When she had its attention, she darted into the cave opening and hid back in the chamber area. The demon had rushed up the hill and was now attempting to kill or disarm her by throwing rocks into her hiding place. The rocks would bounce around inside, but Susi's position kept her safe from being hit.

  We approached as quietly as we could, and the demon's focus remained on Susi. Bull then aimed and fired his .45, winging the beast and spinning it around in the process. The alien scout then ducked behind our defensive wall as it evaluated its situation.

  With the loud noise from Bull's cannon of a pistol, and with the fact no more rocks were coming into the cave, Susi decided it was time to make a move. She came back up to the cave opening directly behind the demon and opened fire with Kyle's 9mm, pumping round after round into the beast's body.

  The demon sprang upward in an attempt to move out of her line of fire and was immediately met with a barrage from Bull and Allie. As more and more holes formed in the demon's body, it twisted from side to side. Bull and Allie had each emptied a full clip into the machine before it finally slumped over the rock wall we had constructed.

  After a moment of silence, we all knew what was coming next. Bull yelled at Susi to get out of the cave. But... it was too late. The alien fogged the area with the green mist, leaving Susi with no choice but to move back into the underground chamber.

  We then retreated downhill as the green fog came rolling after us. We turned and headed to our left until we were certain the fog had passed us by. As with each of the times before, we would have to wait ten or fifteen minutes for it to dissipate before we could return.

  It was agonizing as the thought of my sister being slowly dissolved by the fog kept running through my head. Why had we left her alone? Why did we not try to lure it away so she could escape? As soon as I was able, I rushed back up the hill to the cave mouth and called out her name. I sighed with relief when she came out still complete, still breathing, and still my sister. She had defended herself well.

  With the third demonic machine destroyed, it was time for us to pack up our camp and move, as we were certain the aliens now knew our location. With two of them still out there, we would need to keep our position unknown if we wanted to maintain one of our only advantages. So, we talked about where we might go as we gathered up our packs.

  It was decided we would first move down to the position where I had been hiding at the beginnings of Woods Creek. It was where I had lured the second demon into our trap. We would make our way around Woods Ridge itself, looking for a new point for observation of the aliens.

  As we hiked down the hill, I repeatedly looked back to make certain we were not being followed. We had survived another encounter with the demons, and we continued to come out on top. It was encouraging, but the engagements continued to take their physical toll on us. We had at least lived to fight another battle, and that was what war was all about. The demons might be faster and have more advanced technology, but we had our guts, guns, and brains. And so far, those had been enough to keep us in the fight.

  Chapter 15

  * * *

  As we moved through the woods, I reminded Bull of the trap I had run into on the other side of the ridge during my attempt at recon. Had I not been lucky, I would have surely been crushed to death by the prearranged rock slide. We slowed our pace and began a thorough search as we moved along. If we could locate one of the demons' traps, perhaps we could figure out a way to use it against them. We were open to all possibilities.

  The next large gully we came to was rigged. We had to go down into it and then up and out the other side to get to where we were heading. The trip wire was well camouflaged, but we knew what we were looking for and found it in time to prevent its trigger.

  We would have to make use of our ropes, as the sides of the gully were too deep to simply climb into and out of. It was similar to the other gully, which made it the perfect spot for the rock-slide trap. There would be no way out once the trap was sprung. You could not outrun the big, round boulders in the rough, steep terrain.

  Once in the gully, Bull retrieved the rope we had climbed down with and set about rigging it so we could climb out the other side. We carefully stepped over the wire one by one and then each made our climb out. I struggled with my broken hand, but was able to make the edge with a heavy pull from my friend.

  After another hundred yards, we were due southeast of the Woods Ridge summit and approaching a smaller ridge that was again only a hundred feet below it in elevation. It was also heavily wooded, offering good cover.

  We dropped our packs and again planned out and implemented our defense. Our position was just under a thousand feet from the bulk of the alien base. From the new point we could just see the edge of the mothership. It was protected on two sides by large, rocky outcroppings and partially nestled under some large trees that kept it hidden from above.

  As the others began stacking up a new defensive rock wall, I made my way back to the gully. I sat for several minutes working out a strategy for how I might use the gully against them. I reasoned if I could lure one in by the rock pile, I might be able to set the trap off from further down.

  As I thought about it, my mind wandered back to when Bull and I were teens. At one point he had been interested in joining the army during WWII. At the time, I had decided I would be joining with him... if the Army would have me. We had set up a fairly decent obstacle course to train, so if we did get called into service, we would hopefully be in decent shape.

  One of my contributions to the course had been a rope tied to a thick tree branch next to a steep bank. You would have to run full speed at the rope. If you came in at the proper angle, grabbed it, and then contorted your body just right, you would swing around the tree and up and onto the top of the bank.

  Bull had quickly mastered the skill, but my best showing had been to grab a root protruding from the top of the bank and then to pull myself up the rest of the way. My usual attempt left me just short, where I would slam into the side of the bank and slide back down. It had been just one more thing I had blamed on my height disadvantage.

  With the rope swing being my only idea, I decided to set it up as close to what I had done so many years before. If I had to use it, I hoped maybe my increased weight and a downhill run would be the trick needed to propel me up and out of the deep gully. It was all I had, but at least it was something.

  I found a good, stable tree that would offer a similar setup. After rigging my escape rope, I made my way back to the others. I immediately told Bull of my idea. He gave me one of those looks with a half smile and his head cocked to one side. I was certain the picture in his head was of me slamming into the bank and then sliding back down just before being crushed by the rolling boulders. I brushed off his skeptical look, as the image in my own mind had been one of a narrow but heroic escape.

  With our defensive position once again set up, we turned our observance back toward the alien base. Through the remainder of the afternoon, we had only seen the one damaged demon and the mothership. We wondered if there was still another one lurking about looking for us. All we could do was guess.

  As the sun began to once again set, we talked about how we might take on the remaining enemies. "Divide and conquer" was still our best strategy. But we needed to know where the other demon was, if it existed at all.

  The damaged demon had continued its routine of processing samples and then carrying them around and stacking them beside the mothership. There was not much left in the pile of animal bones and other items around the front side of the camp. It made us wonder if the information-gathering mission was coming to an end. We would have to make our final move before they made an attempt at a getaway. We stayed up most of the night going over what we might do.

  It was decided that Bull, Allie, and Susi would lie in wait around the east side of the ridge for the damaged demon while I took up position in my previous recon spot among the shrubs, just below the mothership. It would be my job
to distract the mothership, if need be, once their gun battle with the damaged demon began.

  If the mothership made a move, I was to make it aware of my position and then run. With luck, we would be able to once again reduce their numbers by taking out the damaged demon. If successful, we would then make plans for our assault on the mothership itself.

  The one thing haunting us was the prospect that one other demon was likely still out there and unaccounted for. Where was it? What might it be doing? Was it observing us at that moment? We had no way of knowing. All we could do was to move forward with our best assumptions about each of those questions.

  At first light we once again broke camp, with Bull, Allie, and Susi working their way northeast while I went in a roundabout northwesterly direction. It took me forty-five minutes to get into position. The mothership was still in its previous routine, with the rotating eyes coming around every fifteen seconds.

  Scott was tied to the same tree, although he looked to be unconscious. I didn't see either of the demons moving about, so I guessed the damaged one was probably on the other side of the ridge. I watched for fifteen minutes, ducking my head back down every fifteen seconds for the first few minutes before finally deciding on just sitting and listening for the beginning of the action.

  I had taken Bull's binoculars and had used them to get a better look at the supposed severed hand. I was elated to discover that whatever flesh it was, it was not human. It meant Kyle might still be out there somewhere, and he might just be alive. It was a good feeling to once again have hope.

  As I continued my observance of the mothership, I next heard a small buzzing sound and poked my head up just enough to see what was happening. The mothership had stopped rotating its eyes. They were now fixated on the damaged demon standing before it. A moment later, a second demon emerged from behind the mothership as it released itself from its dome-shaped cutout.

  The second demon looked very different. It had a red body and protrusions coming from its top that had the appearance of multiple short antennas. I could only guess it was some sort of communications array. And I was not liking the ominous red color.

  I wanted to alert the others, but I had no way to do so. What if both demons made their way around to the other side and the others were discovered? If they were captured or killed, the only avenue left open to me would be to try to make it over to the Cherry Lake dam and to alert the world.

  What if the demons decided to leave while I was gone, and what if they took my friends and family with them? My blood pressure began to spike as the two demons turned and began walking toward the others.

  I was just about to spring up and give away my position by firing Susi's .22 when the red one stopped and turned in front of Scott. As the damaged demon continued its walk, the red demon began to poke and prod Scott in an effort to wake him, or to check that he was still living; I could not be certain of which.

  As Scott's head began to bob around and his face winced, the red demon turned and proceeded to walk back past the mothership and along the ridge in the other direction. This was the turn of events we needed. With any luck, the others would be waiting and would get the drop on the damaged demon, once again cutting down their numbers.

  As I watched, the mothership begin to rotate its eyes, the damaged demon disappeared around the ridge to my right. The red demon then disappeared around the ridge to my left. My remaining task was to wait for the gunfire to begin.

  While I stayed down in my brushy hideaway awaiting our attack, I noticed something moving in the rocks just above the ship. I only got a quick glimpse of it, so I was unsure of what I had seen. Was there a third demon? Were we still way outnumbered?

  My growing dread turned into pure excitement when I saw two human figures running up the hill behind the mothership. It was Craig and Kyle! Kyle was alive! In my elated state, I poked my head up just in time for the mothership's eyes to stop rotating and focus directly on me. I was had. At that same moment, the sound of gunfire could be heard from the other side of the ridge. The assault had begun!

  The demon mothership then began to stand fully up, which gave it a height of fifteen feet. It was much larger than its demon offspring, and my bat would only be able to reach its legs, if I had to fight.

  It lifted one leg slowly in my direction. This was the first time I had seen it move, and a chill suddenly went down my spine. I realized this thing could be just as quick and agile as the smaller ones. And it could possibly fly...

  At that same moment, a thunderous explosion went off just behind the ship. The large boulders that had once been its protectors suddenly became its captor. One of the boulders slid down, pinning two of its legs to the ground. The metallic ship was thrown hard onto its side.

  The blast also sent a concussion wave in my direction, knocking me backwards onto the ground. I lay there stunned for several seconds before the fog began to clear from my head. Somehow Kyle and Craig had gotten hold of dynamite and had managed to use it against our biggest foe.

  As the mothership struggled to free itself, both Kyle and Craig ran back down the hill to set Scott free. Luckily, Scott had been tied to a large tree facing away from the blast. Once the two attackers had Scott loose, they began to make their way east around the ridge toward the others. They were just moving out of view when the red demon came sprinting back toward the mothership.

  I turned and ran back down through the brush gully I was in and began to make my way back around to our new camp. I had not heard any further gunfire, so I was hoping the others were successful in their assault. If so, we now had everyone free, and we could get out and let the proper authorities handle the rest.

  I felt proud of our accomplishments as I ran through the woods toward our camp. We were heroes. All of us. And the world was going to know of our battles and our victory over these intruders.

  As I made my way into camp, I heard more gunfire and immediately pulled Bull's binoculars out to look for the others. They should have been coming back toward me. Instead, what I saw was Bull and Susi lying on their backs and Allie crouched behind a tree with her 9mm. I saw her reach around the tree and fire off a round. The sound was heard a second or so later.

  This new demon had a weapon the others did not have. I could see a wave go out from it that slightly distorted the air. When it reached the tree that Allie was behind, it would blow bits of bark from its trunk. The battle lasted less than a minute as Allie was knocked backward onto the ground, just like the others. The red demon immediately moved over to her and sprayed out a red mist.

  I then scanned the ridge heading back around toward the mothership. Once again I got that feeling of dread when I came across Kyle, Craig, and Scott also lying on the ground motionless. I had no way of knowing if they were dead or only unconscious. I wondered if perhaps the red mist was what had been used to drug Scott.

  I moved my gaze over to the mothership. I could see that with its one free leg it was busy chipping away at the boulder that pinned it down. It was not out of the question that if it were able to get free, it could then repair itself. It could still leave with all its treasure... including my family and friends.

  As I moved the binoculars back toward the others, I was stunned. The red demon had picked up Allie and Susi and was walking with them toward the mothership. Instead of having the normal panic arise in me, a great anger was welling up. I was not going to sit idly by while my friends and family were abducted. Not this day.

  So, I put into play the only plan I had. I pulled out the signal mirror of Allie's I still carried. I began to flash the red demon with it from my position on the lower ridge. Several flashes later, my efforts were rewarded. The demon stopped, looked at the reflected brightness around it, and then turned its red, devil eyes slowly toward me.

  The red demon stood still for almost a minute, evaluating its situation. It then carefully set Allie and Susi on the ground and turned fully toward me. I continued to signal away at the mechanical devil until it began running at me
in a full sprint.

  I had a hundred yards to cover to get to the gully and the rope I had prepared. It was a straight shot and slightly downhill. My timing would have to be perfect, if I was to lure the red beast into its own trap. It was my only alternative, as my armaments were Susi's peashooter .22 and my trusty bat, neither of which was worthy of going up against the red demon without the element of surprise.

  I gripped my bat tightly in one hand while I continued to signal with the other until my nerves said it was time to go. I ran like I had never run before, and I reached the top of the gully just as the red demon topped the ridge into our camp. This time I just waved my bat and shouted obscenities.

  The demon once again began its full pursuit of me. I slid down into the gully, ever mindful of the trip wire, and began my run down through it. The demon closed fast and was about to enter the gully after me just as I was approaching the rope.

  I reached my bat down and banged on the wire, setting the trap in motion just as the red-devil entered the ravine behind me. The rocks tumbled in after it with gravity now being my friend. I reached the rope in full stride and clinched it with both hands while still attempting to hold my bat.

  I could not get a firm grip on the rope with the bat and my broken hand. My grip slid down the rope as I attempted to secure my hold. I had tied a knot in the end, and when my hands had slipped to that point of no return, my grip on the rope held. I was propelled upwards and to the right in the most beautiful arc I could have ever imagined.

  My speed and my angle were perfect as I swung up and exactly onto the top edge of the gully bank fifteen feet above. As I landed, I turned to look at my pursuer just in time to see that the rocks were not gaining on it fast enough. It was going to outrun the avalanche and come out the other end of the gully unscathed.