Aphelion

by L. J. Higgins

  Then there was the rogue alien who’d tried to kill me. They were the only reasons I could think of that made sense as to why I’d do something so out of character. Even the old Ky wouldn’t have kissed a boy like that.

  My stomach grumbled, reminding me how stupid I’d been to skip breakfast. I couldn’t avoid Reece forever.

  I stepped through my door into the hallway, my eyes darting back and forth before I decided it was safe to leave my room. I paced along the hall until I reached the elevator and pressed the down button. I’d grab my food and leave before anyone even noticed I was there.

  The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. It was empty. I sighed with relief and stepped in.

  “Ky!” Reece’s voice came from down the hall.

  I mashed at the button that would take me down to the mess hall, my pulse racing, hoping the door would close before he caught up. They slid across and almost closed before an arm reached through, stopping them. My breath caught in my throat as the doors reopened, and in stepped Reece.

  “Did you even try to hold it?” he asked, panting.

  “I didn’t know you were coming,” I lied.

  The doors closed, and I crossed my arms. My heart was beating at a hundred miles per hour again. I couldn’t remember the last time it’d beat so hard as though it might burst through my rib cage.

  “So, how long do you plan on avoiding me?” he asked.

  “I’m not avoiding you,” I lied again.

  “You weren’t at training this morning.”

  “I wasn’t feeling well.” And that was lie number three. What was happening to me?

  “But, you’re okay now?”

  “Yup.”

  “I know you said you want to pretend nothing happened, but I think we should talk about it. You could’ve been killed.”

  “But I wasn’t,” I said. “You saved me, and the shock must’ve gotten to me. I wouldn’t go around boasting to all of your rookie friends about what happened, because they’ll never believe you. Maybe you should request to be assigned to a new hunter. It wouldn’t be the first time.”

  “I don’t know what sort of guy you think I am, but I’m not the type to kiss and tell. I understand we went through a lot that night. We could’ve been killed. I don’t expect anything from you except to be trained as an alien hunter. I don’t want anyone else to train me. You’re the best there is.”

  The elevator stopped, and the door slid open. In front of us stood Ricko, his eyes dark and hollow like he hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep.

  “Hey, are you guys doing okay?” He lowered his voice as we stepped out. “What you went through last night was pretty intense.”

  “It was full-on, but we got through it together,” said Reece.

  I gritted my teeth at his words.

  “How are you? Long night?” Reece asked him.

  “You could say that. This… mishap has caused quite a mess. But Commander Kane and I are onto it.” Ricko cleared his throat. “It’s good to see you two getting along,”

  “I’m training him, Ricko, that’s all,” I said with more defensiveness than I meant.

  “If you say so,” he teased.

  My brows pinched together. “What are you implying?”

  “I’m not implying anything. Why are you so touchy about the subject?” His eyes widened. “Oh, wait… did something happen?” He gestured between Reece and me.

  My body went rigid. “Nothing happened. He’s a rookie, for God’s sake.”

  “He’s just joking, Ky,” said Reece.

  I relaxed my shoulders a little. “I know. I just… Ricko, can we talk please? In private?”

  “Actually, I’m pretty tired. I was going to head up to my room and get some shuteye. But I’m sure I can spare a minute or two.” He stifled a yawn. “Where?”

  “Lunch in the mess hall?” I asked.

  Both Reece and Ricko’s jaw’s fell open.

  “You’re going to sit with us? In the mess hall?” asked Reece.

  I rolled my eyes. “Not you, rookie. Ricko. I need to talk to him about something important.”

  “I’ll leave you two to it then,” said Reece before stalking away.

  “What’s his problem?” asked Ricko.

  “Who knows?” I watched Reece as he disappeared into the mess hall, annoyed at the guilt tugging at my chest.

  “Maybe he finally realised that he has no chance with you. That you don’t have a heart. Poor boy.” Ricko gave a half-hearted laugh.

  “I have a heart,” I said, still feeling it hammering in my chest.

  “I’m joking. You really need to lighten up. What did you want to talk about, anyway? I do need some sleep, but I guess I need food too.”

  We walked towards the mess hall. “I want to get back on the horse,” I said.

  “You ride horses?” he asked.

  I grunted. “You know what I mean. I want to go out into the field and kill an alien.”

  “Commander Kane thinks you need some more time off. You know, after everything.”

  “Don’t you think that’ll make it worse? If I get back out there and kill one it’ll give me my confidence back. But I have one request.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I want to go out in the field with you. You trained me, you gave me the confidence to kill my first alien.”

  He yawned. “It’s been so long since I’ve been on a mission.”

  “Then come with me. Talk to Commander Kane, he’ll listen to you.”

  It’s the only thing I could think of that’d get the kiss out of my head and help me refocus on the objective. Ridding the world of the vermin who murdered humans.

  He scratched his stubbly chin for a few moments, considering. “I’ll talk to him.”

  “Thank you.”

  “After I’ve eaten and had some sleep. But, no promises,” he added.

  “Of course. Thanks, Ricko.”

  “Now are we going to go have lunch?”

  “We’ve talked now. I think I’ll take mine to go.”

  “Of course.”

  Chapter Eight

  Ricko held out the envelope to me. I wrapped my fingers around it, but he didn’t release his grip. “The Commander took some convincing, but I convinced him to let me take you out on a mission,” he said. “Are you sure you’re okay to do this?”

  I snatched the envelope from his grip. “Yes. It’s not like I nearly died. I got a scrape, that’s all.” I looked to where my arm was already healing before tearing open the envelope and reading over the details inside. Our target was named Ruby Alex. “Have you asked Olivia for details?”

  “She’s working on it now. I’ve asked her to send me the details as soon as they become available.” As if on cue, his phone dinged. He pulled it from his pocket. “Perfect timing. I’ve got the address from Olivia. Let’s get kitted up and head out.”

  Excitement swelled through me at the thought of being back in the field. Back to normalcy. Ever since Reece had arrived, things had been a mess. Killing an alien was exactly what I needed to feel like myself again.

  “Meet you in the foyer in fifteen minutes?” I asked.

  “It’s a date,” he replied.

  I shot him a glare. He laughed as he closed the door behind him.

  Wasting no time, I pulled on my black body suit, tied my hair back into a ponytail, and wrapped my belt around my waist.

  After slipping on my boots and gloves, I made my way down to the armoury where I checked out a sniper rifle with a scope and flat edged knife with a black leather handle. With the rifle slung over my shoulder and the knife tucked into my belt, I made my way to the foyer to meet Ricko.

  Stepping out of the elevator, I spotted Ricko leaning on the service counter chatting with a young lady with a slicked back blonde ponytail. He wore long black pants and a black t-shirt, his own weapon draped over his shoulder. I cleared my throat as I approached, and he stepped away from her.

  “Ky, our ride is waiting out back,�
�� he said.

  We walked through the back door, where a black sedan was parked. We stowed our rifles in the trunk, then hopped into the front seat.

  “Where are we off to?” I asked as he started up the car and pulled away from Skywatchers.

  “A cattle property in Bowerbon. Here’s our target’s photo.” He passed me a picture from the centre console.

  Ruby Alex looked to be in her forties, with close-cropped, light brown hair and dark brown eyes. It didn’t matter how many missions I’d been on, it was hard to ignore how human they looked. I let the familiar feeling of disgust and disdain fill my veins, reminding myself of what they were capable of. What they’d done to my brother.

  “How far out is it?” I asked as we hit the highway.

  “Not far. You sure you’ve got this?”

  “I was going to ask that about you. When was the last time you went on a mission?”

  “Don’t you worry about me, I’ve still got it.”

  “When was the last time you got sleep?”

  He seemed much perkier than he did the morning after the alien had attacked Reece and me, but he still had dark smudges under his eyes.

  “Enough to complete our mission. I promise.”

  I wound down the window and let the wind blow over my face, staring out at the starry sky. I’d spent so much time inside over the past two years I enjoyed every moment out on a mission. The fresh air, the wide open blue sky, the greens of the grass and trees. I’d taken it all for granted before becoming an alien hunter.

  I caught Ricko smiling at me and shot him a glare. “What are you grinning about?”

  “This is nice,” he said.

  I shifted in my seat. “What’s nice about it?”

  “Just hanging out with you. Going back out on a mission with you.” He shrugged. “It’s nice.”

  I rolled my eyes and resumed staring out the window again, unsure what to say. It was nice to be out of Skywatchers, and the familiarity of heading out on a hunt with Ricko definitely made me feel more at ease. I wasn’t going to tell him that, though. Instead, I fixed my gaze down the dark road ahead of us.

  It wasn’t long before we were pulling down a dirt road. Ricko turned off the headlights, driving in darkness for a short distance before stopping the car. We retrieved our weapons from the trunk and slung them over our shoulders.

  “Anyone else in the house?” I asked.

  “Her husband died a year ago. She’s out here on her own. There’s a dog, but she keeps it locked up. I brought some food laced with a sleeping draught, which should knock it out.” He held up a Zip-loc bag containing a small hunk of meat. “Then we’ll draw the target out of its home. Less messy if we can take it down outside.”

  The image of the alien who’d attacked me flashed across my mind.

  “Do you think maybe they aren’t as dangerous as we thought?” I asked.

  His brow scrunched in confusion. “Are you serious? You’ve watched the videos. You know what happened to Tyson.”

  His name sent a pang of pain through my chest. “I know. But the one who attacked me needed a gun. And I overpowered him much more easily than I expected to.”

  “I don’t know why he didn’t go all alien on you, but you’re aware of the terrible things they’re capable of. That’s why the government have Skywatchers. To hunt them. Would they do that if the aliens weren’t dangerous?”

  “I guess not.” I cringed at the lack of confidence in my answer.

  Ricko grasped my arm tightly, forcing me to look into his eyes. “What the hell’s going on with you? It’s not like you to doubt Skywatchers.” His mouth pressed into a straight line. “Maybe the Commander was right. It’s too soon. It’s not too late to head back, he’d understand.”

  “No. We aren’t heading back, and it’s not too soon. I’m just overthinking it. I’m not doubting Skywatchers. I’ve given the past two years of my life to them. Let me kill this alien and I’m sure I’ll be fine.” I squared my shoulders and straightened my spine, hoping my words had convinced him.

  “I don’t want you freaking out on me. We can’t afford any more complications.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not going to freak out. Let me prove to you I’m okay to go back out in the field full-time.”

  He studied me for a few moments, his eyes narrowed into slits. “You’re certain?”

  “One hundred percent.”

  He released my arm, then nodded. “Let’s do this then.”

  We crept through the long grass surrounding the property, stopping short of the edge. A wide lawn stretched out towards a small wooden house fronted by a veranda. A dim light shone through a side window across the shorter grass.

  “I’ll go feed the dog. Once it’s asleep, we can draw our friend out,” offered Ricko. He crept away, toward the back of the house. I watched as his large frame disappeared into the darkness.

  Movement in one of the front windows stole my attention. There, fussing about in what looked like a kitchen, was our target.

  I slid my rifle from my shoulder and lifted the scope to my eye. The familiar blue glow silhouetted her as she moved about the room. She appeared to be completely oblivious to our presence, with no clue that she wasn’t going to survive the night. My throat tensed at the thought and I drew in a deep breath. What the hell was going on with me?

  I needed to get my head in the game. Lowering my weapon, I shook off the weird feeling that’d crept over me, waiting for Ricko to return.

  A slight breeze rippled through the shards of grass around me. I ignored the cool shiver that raced over my skin. I crouched lower, waiting. Ricko’s silhouette reappeared in the distance. I watched as he made his way back to my hiding spot.

  “How’d it go?” I asked.

  “Dog’s out cold. How do you want to draw her out?” he replied.

  “How about a distraction? We could shut off the power. She’d have to come out to turn it back on.”

  Ricko shot me a smirk. “Perfect. I’ll shut the power off. You get in position to take her down.”

  I nodded, and he took off again towards the house. Once he vanished around the corner, I began making my way through the long grass, finding a vantage point where I could see both the front door and the power box. I slid into position, crouching down on one knee, the butt of the gun against my shoulder. I could do this.

  I locked eyes with Ricko, giving him a thumbs-up. He flicked a switch, and the light flooding through the window disappeared, plunging the house and yard into darkness. The only illumination came from the almost full moon above.

  Ricko made his way to my side, and we waited. Long seconds passed, then came the squeal of the front door opening. There, bathed in silver moonlight was our target. I lifted the scope to my eye, training the weapon on her head, a blue glow emanating from her. She made straight for the the power box, giving no indication she’d detected our presence. I readied my aim.

  “Now,” whispered Ricko.

  My finger twitched but I didn’t squeeze the trigger. The memory of Mr. Barth played in my mind. He’d been so weak. Why hadn’t he killed me? Torn me to shreds or drained me of my blood?

  “Ky, shoot,” Ricko growled, more urgently this time.

  I drew in a deep breath and took my finger off the trigger.

  “You’ve got this. Remember the training. Remember why you’re here.”

  The images from the Skywatchers video flashed through my mind, followed by my brother’s smiling face.

  Ricko placed a firm hand on my shoulder. “If you don’t take out this target, you’ll be taken off hunter duty. Permanently,” I didn’t have to see his face to picture his disappointed scowl. “I risked everything to get you out here tonight. Don’t you dare let me down.”

  I gritted my teeth, straightened my spine, set my aim, and squeezed the trigger.

  The butt of the gun pushed against my shoulder. The familiar quiet bang of the gun met my ears, and the target dropped to the ground. I’d do
ne it. I’d killed our target. One small movement of my finger and her life had been snuffed out.

  Ricko slapped me hard on the back, snapping me out of my daze. I turned my head, seeing his proud grin. “For a second there, I thought you weren’t going to do it.”

  ‘Me too.’ I wanted to say. Instead I offered a weak smile. “We best get it cleaned up.”

  “I can take care of that. Take a minute to collect your thoughts, then head back to the car.”

  Relief washed over me. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. Off you go.”

  I made my way back to the car, placed my weapon in the trunk, and climbed into the passenger seat. My head fell against the rest, and I released a long breath. I’d done it. I’d fulfilled the mission. Now I could move on from all the bad luck I’d been having. But why didn’t it feel as rewarding as it had before?

  It was the rookie’s fault. Ever since Reece arrived, he’d questioned things and screwed up our missions. Then I’d been stupid enough to kiss him.

  “All done.” Ricko’s voice pulled me from my thoughts as he jumped into the driver’s seat.

  “That was quick. How’d it go?” I asked.

  “Smooth as silk. You had worried me there for a minute.”

  “I was waiting to get the perfect shot. That’s all.”

  “Commander Kane will be happy to know his best hunter is back in the game. I think we should celebrate.”

  “Celebrate how?”

  “I may have packed you a dress and shoes. We could go grab something to eat, feel like normal people for a bit.”

  For some strange reason, I didn’t feel like celebrating. The allure of my bed and some time alone to gather my thoughts pulled at me. “I don’t know…”

  “Come on. It’d be good for you, and it’ll make the Commander happy to know you’ve moved on from what happened.”

  Part of me wanted to say no. I’d been saying no for the past two years. But there was another part of me who wasn’t ready to go back yet, wasn’t ready to see Reece. And he was right that it would make the Commander happy.

  “Okay.”

  “Fine, we’ll head back and…” His eyes widened. “Wait, did you just say yes?”