Aphelion

by L. J. Higgins

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Meet you back here in twenty?” asked Reece as we arrived at my bedroom door.

  “Sounds like a plan,” I replied.

  He hovered on the spot for a moment, as though unsure if he should do or say something else, but a small nod from me sent him on his way. A private kiss was one thing, but I wasn’t ready for hand-holding and public smooching.

  After a quick shower, I plaited my long hair and pulled on my black Skywatchers body suit. I clipped on my belt, slid my feet into my black boots, and rose from my bed. For the past two years, all I’d felt the day of a mission was anger and hatred, but today was different. I still hated the alien scum who’d murdered my brother, and I was still determined to hunt every last one down, but it didn’t consume me like it had only weeks before. My body and mind were lighter for it.

  A knock at the door sent butterflies racing through my stomach, but they stopped abruptly as I swung the door open to find Ricko standing in the hallway.

  “Not who you were hoping for?” He must’ve noticed the disappointment in my eyes.

  “I didn’t realise you were coming to collect me. Reece should be here in a moment.”

  He stroked his chin in a silly attempt to look thoughtful. “You look… different. Happy, even. Should I be worried?”

  “It’s been a while since I’ve been out on a mission. I’m itching to get out there, that’s all.”

  “And this has nothing to do with a certain recruit?” He raised his eyebrows.

  I didn’t even bother to answer him, choosing instead to roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. “What do you want, Ricko?”

  “I’ve actually come with some bad news,” he said, frowning.

  My heart sank, and I swallowed hard. No. He couldn’t be cancelling the mission.

  “Don’t freak out on me. You’re still going out in the field.”

  I sighed with relief. “Well, what is it, then?”

  “Something’s come up, and I won’t be able to join you. Commander Kane needs me elsewhere.”

  “I thought you said it was bad news.”

  He shot me a mock-scowl. “Way to make a guy feel important. He was going to cancel your mission altogether, but I fought for you to go without me. No mistakes, Ky. This has to go down without a hitch. My ass is on the line just as much as yours.”

  “We’ve got this,” I promised. “Quit worrying so much. You’ll end up going prematurely gray.”

  Ricko’s rebuttal was cut off by the timely arrival of Reece. “Agent Rickson. I didn’t know you were meeting us up here.”

  “Ricko’s ditching us. He got a better offer,” I said.

  “We aren’t going out on the mission?” asked Reece.

  “Yes, you are,” Ricko said. “But as I just said to Ky, my ass is on the line as much as yours, so don’t screw it up. Got it?”

  “Loud and clear,” said Reece. “We’ll watch out for each other. I promise.”

  “Contact me as soon as you get back. I have to get going, so you two head down to the armoury and check out your weapons.”

  “We’ve got this,” I assured him. Again.

  “I know you do.” He nodded goodbye, then left down the hallway.

  “Guess it’s just you and me,” said Reece with a mischievous grin.

  “This is strictly work, remember,” I said. “No funny business.”

  “I can keep things professional. Quit stressing. Let’s go get our weapons and get out of this place.”

  Reece and I crouched behind a well-manicured hedge in a park across the road from our target’s brown brick home. A tall timber fence ran around the yard from the side of it and light shone through a front window that, according to our brief notes, was the kitchen.

  “Are you okay?” asked Reece.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, not taking my eyes off the house.

  The familiarity of the situation to the night Mr. Barth nearly shot us sent a shiver through my body I did my best to hide in the darkness. I squeezed my eyes shut and drew in a deep breath.

  “This is eerily similar to our last mission, isn’t it?” he asked, mirroring my thoughts.

  “Well, I hadn’t thought about it until you mentioned it,” I lied. “Should I be worried about you? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I’m sorry. I just thought…”

  “Stop it, okay? We’ve both worked hard to get here tonight. We just need to work together.” I held his gaze until he offered me a nod.

  Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to believe my words. We’d been put through our paces to ensure we were ready, and Ricko had trusted us to go out in the field without him. I’d killed my last target without a hitch. Yes, I’d hesitated for a moment. But now I was as ready as ever to continue riding the world of the vermin who’d invaded our world.

  “You don’t have to do this,” said Reece.

  “If you want to back out, go. I’m getting this job done. Ricko’s ass is on the line.”

  Reece scanned the house, which still showed no movement. “I’m with you all the way.”

  I gave him a sharp nod in reply before being distracted by the kitchen light flipping off and a dull glow appearing towards the left of the house. Why did this have to be so much like Mr. Barth’s house? Did the Commander know? Is that why he’d sent us here? To test us?

  No. I was just being paranoid. We needed to get in, get the job done, and get back to headquarters to tell Commander Kane he could trust us to go out in the field again.

  “Do we risk opening the fence, or do we climb over?” Reece whispered.

  “I say we climb over the side. That way we can make sure there’s no surprise pets on the other side and we can be as silent as possible. Once we’re in the yard we can draw him outside so we can get a clean shot. Any ideas?” I asked him not taking my eyes off the house.

  Reece didn’t reply. I turned to see bright blue eyes staring back at me.

  “We could make a noise? Knock on the back door?” he suggested with a shrug.

  “We don’t want to draw out any neighbours. One of the best ways to lure someone out of their house is to shut off their power. They come outside to check the power box and boom, we get them.”

  “Don’t you have to confirm he’s an alien first? We don’t want to shoot him only to find out he’s human right?”

  “Right. Before we shut off the power, we need to get a clear look to make sure he’s our target. The brief said the power box was on the northern wall of the house, so I think if we jump the fence on the left, make sure he’s our uninvited guest, then you can scoot around and shut off the power while I wait to take him out. Sound like a plan?”

  Reece hesitated for a moment.

  “I can’t take you in there if you’re not up to this. You need to be one hundred percent sure.”

  “I’m sure, Ky. There’s just something I want you to know before we go.”

  “Well, make it quick. We need to get moving.”

  “No matter what happens in there, I want you to know that the past few weeks with you have been amazing,” he said.

  “We’re supposed to be keeping this professional, remember?”

  “I know. I just wanted to tell you that, just in case things go pear-shaped. And I will always protect you, no matter what.”

  I suppressed an eye-roll. “If you’re going to go in there all mushy and gushy, I’ll be the one needing to protect you. Are you sure you’re good?”

  He nodded. “I’m sure.”

  Nagging doubt blossomed into full-on suspicion. I hoped I was doing the right thing taking him in there.

  “Ky, I’m one hundred percent sure,” he assured me.

  I eyed him for several more seconds, then exhaled. “Then let’s stop chit-chatting and move out. Follow my lead.”

  With my gun slung over my back, I sprinted across the street, hiding in the darkness of a large tree beside the fence on the other side. Reece at my side, I took a step back before springi
ng up and over the wooden fence, the bite of wood on my palms making me wince. I landed with a quiet thud on the other side of the fence, drawing in another deep breath, enjoying the fresh air and the adrenalin of being on a mission. This was why I became an alien hunter.

  Any fear I had melted away as we made our way along the fence line. We found ourselves in a dark corner of the yard beside a small metal shed where I could see directly into the target’s lounge room. Reece arrived beside me, peering around the corner. I turned to face him, our noses only inches apart. There was something in his gaze I couldn’t read, but I pointed at the gun strapped to his back urging him to draw it.

  He shook his head.

  “Not to shoot it,” I whispered. “You check if it’s definitely our alien.”

  Reece drew in a deep breath, his broad shoulders moving up and down, and pulled the gun from his back. He tentatively lifted the weapon’s scope towards his eye and peered through it.

  I moved my gaze to the window, though which I saw Mr. Crank sitting in his lounge room, oblivious to how close to death he was.

  “Well?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” he replied.

  “What do you mean, you don’t know?”

  “I mean I don’t know. How can we be sure?”

  “Is there a blue glow?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Here. Let me check.” I raised my own weapons scope to my right eye.

  He put his own scope back to his eye, but I was already staring towards the man inside the house. His silhouette shone bright blue.

  “It’s our target. Let’s move,” I said.

  Keeping to the shadows, we made our way around the back of the house. A lush garden occupied much of the space, but I found a spot to hide that had a clear view of the back door.

  I nodded towards the other side of the house where Reece would shut off the power. He held my gaze for a moment before scurrying away.

  As he disappeared into the darkness, I crouched down, raising the weapon to my shoulder and leaning my elbow on my raised knee. Peering through the scope I estimated where his head might be when he exited the house, where he might fall the quietest and with the least amount of mess. And I waited… and waited. What on earth was Reece doing?

  I held my pose for a while longer before pulling away from the gun and glancing towards the side of the house. Light still shone through the back windows. Where the hell was Reece?

  My heart thudded in my chest. What if the alien had caught him? What if I was hiding in the garden while he was being ripped to shreds by that monster? No, couldn’t be. I would have heard… something. Wouldn’t I?

  Keeping my gun raised, I paced towards the darkened side of the house. I edged forward, sweeping my weapon back and forward in case I might catch a glimpse of blue.

  Something moved at the end of the alleyway. I stilled, my hearing peaked as I stared into the darkness.

  “Ky?” Reece’s voice sounded from the shadows.

  My shoulders relaxed, and I let out a sigh of relief.

  “Are you okay?” I whispered, barely concealing the panic in my voice.

  “I’m fine. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He approached me. Finally, I could make out his blue eyes and broad frame.

  I punched him hard in the chest. “I thought the freaking alien got you.”

  “You were worried about me?”

  I punched him again, harder. “No. Maybe. What on earth is taking so long?”

  “I can’t work out the power box. The thing’s a mess of wires and stuff. Didn’t want to electrocute myself.”

  “You seriously don’t know how to turn off the power?” I hissed at him.

  He shook his head. “They don’t teach you that sort of stuff in training.”

  Mental note: Ask Commander Kane to add basic skills and common sense to the training schedule.

  I swung open the door of the power box and pointed to the large red switch. “I know it’s pretty hard to work out but flick down the big red button. Then, power goes out. Alien comes outside to check. I shoot it. Alien dead. Got it?”

  “Sorry. I don’t mean to be a pain in the ass.”

  “It seems like you were just born with the skill. You okay now?”

  He nodded.

  “Give me a minute or two to resume my post, then flick the switch okay?”

  “Yes ma’am.” He gave me a mock salute.

  I shook my head as I strode back down the dark alley, away form him. Creeping across the yard, I returned to my spot in the back garden across from the back door among the foliage. How the alien hadn’t heard everything going down outside his home, I had no idea. But it hadn’t.

  Kneeling down, I got into position just as the dull glow of light spreading across the lawn disappeared and the house was plunged into darkness. I drew in a deep breath and held it for a moment before letting it out slowly. It didn’t stop my mind and heartbeat from achieving breakneck speed.

  I narrowed my eyes, staring down the scope.

  The door creaked open.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Our target poked his head around the doorway. The beam of a torch shone out into the yard, missing my hiding spot by less than a meter. He stepped through the open doorway, scanning the yard with the light. Did he know I was here?

  I held my breath as he swept the light back and forth, fighting the urge to shrink further back into the garden in case my movement caught his attention. He mustn’t have spotted me, because Mr. Joseph Crank instead took a step away from the house towards the side alley.

  I heard a shuffle in the bushes beside me. Jerking my head around I spotted Reece crouched low behind a bush of his own. The urge to scold him for being so noisy came over me, but I snapped my mouth firmly shut as the alien scanned the garden with his torch once again. I crouched lower as the light swept over us, hoping Reece would follow suit. Tilting my head forward, I hoped my black hair would disguise me in the darkness.

  The light moved away, and I lifted my gun back to my shoulder. I peered down the scope, aiming at the side of Mr. Crank’s head, inhaling deeply as I held my finger over the trigger.

  Something hit me hard from the side, knocking me to the ground and forcing my finger down on the trigger. My skull hit the trunk of a tree sending pain racing through my temple and light dancing across my vision. The sound of a door slamming shut rang in my ears as I attempted to right myself.

  Hands slid under my armpits, lifting me to my feet. I took a few groggy steps before the dizziness faded and I could walk on my own.

  “Quick, we need to get out of here,” whispered Reece, guiding me towards the fence.

  I picked up my pace. Reece opened the gate as we reached the fence, which opened with a loud squeak. Now fully aware we’d given ourselves away, I sprinted across the road behind the bush we’d hidden behind earlier.

  “Something hit me,” I panted, as we crouched down.

  “I’m sorry I…” Reece began.

  “You.” I pointed in his face. “You knocked me over?”

  “It was an accident…” he said, stumbling over his words.

  “An accident? What the hell happened?”

  “I lost balance and fell onto you. I’m sorry.”

  “No. You’re not that clumsy. I’ve seen you in training. You have amazing balance.” I eyed him, my hand holding my pounding head.

  “I must have tripped over a branch or something.”

  “Whatever happened, you almost knocked me out. And you cost us another target. Why is it every time you get near one of those things, you turn into a bumbling idiot?”

  “Kylah…”

  “It’s Ky! Only my brother gets to call me that! And because of those monsters, he’s dead!” Tears welled in my eyes and anger tightened my throat, making the throbbing in my head worse.

  “But was it them?” he asked. “How can you be so sure?”

  Something lurked behind his eyes that wasn’t fear or regret. He was keeping so
mething from me. The boy I’d trained, fought for and been kissing, was lying to me.

  I dove across the grass, ripping my weapon from my back. I knocked him over, straddled his torso, and aimed the gun at his heart. His hands shot up in defence.

  “You’re trying to save them, aren’t you? Who are you?” I pressed the tip of my gun hard into his chest.

  Fear filled his eyes, and he reached for his belt.

  “Don’t even think about it,” I growled. “Is your name even Reece? Who are you, dammit?”

  “You’re not ready,” he said, a slight tremor in his voice.

  I opened my mouth to ask him ‘what for?’ but he took the moment to swipe his arm across his body and knock the gun from my hands. I fumbled to regain my grip, but it was thrown across the grass.

  Reece locked onto my wrists in his firm grip and flipped me onto my back, straddling me.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I yelled. “Get off me!”

  “Crap. I’m so sorry about this, Ky.”

  Anger surged through my veins, and for a moment, the tension in his muscles eased. I used the slight relaxation of his grip to shove him sideways and off me. He hit the ground with a thud, and I lunged towards my gun.

  I reached out to grab the barrel, but stopped short as Reece grabbed hold of my ankle and yanked me backwards. Swinging onto my back, I whipped my leg around, catching him across the face with my boot. He fell sideways, dazed.

  Scrambling forwards again, I wrapped my finger around the gun’s stock and pointed it at where he writhed on the ground, cradling the side of his face.

  “Who are you?” I growled at him.

  Betrayal and anger coursed through every inch of my body. I’d trusted this boy, let him in, and he’d repaid me by what? Saving the aliens they’d trained me to kill? Tricking me into kissing him? Into falling for him?

  “I said, who are you?” I seethed. “You owe me at least that answer before I blow your brains out.”

  He kept his hands raised. “Ky, please. Put down the gun and we’ll talk about this.”

  I aimed the barrel right between his eyes, making like I was about to pull the trigger. “Is your name even Reece?”