by Anna Hackett
“Another one bites the dust.” Levi smirked and pointed a finger at Dom, then Tane. “You guys are next.”
“How about we focus on Indy, out there, alone?” Griff suggested.
Tane lifted a comp screen. Indy had a hidden camera inside the pendant on her necklace.
“She’s not alone,” Tane said. “We won’t be far away.”
They all crowded around to watch the feed from Indy’s camera. Right now, Griff could see her walking along, the image bobbing with each step. She was moving through some trees.
“I’ve reached the outskirts of the town,” she murmured.
The first houses came into view. He tapped his boot impatiently on the floor of the Hawk. This had to be a taste of what Indy endured daily, being a comms officer. Sitting far away, listening in, but not a part of the action. It sucked, and he felt a sudden, new admiration for the job she did.
She peered around, taking everything in. Then Griff heard her indrawn breath.
Several figures stepped out of an abandoned house.
Indy waved. “Hi.”
The people watched her, wary, but finally they nodded.
As Indy strode forward to meet them, she purposely looked all around, so the camera could pick up a good view of her surroundings.
“Good girl,” Tane murmured.
More people appeared out of the houses like ghosts. Griff frowned. They’d searched those buildings. The people had to have built hidden entrances to their tunnels.
“Wait.” Griff spotted something. “There.”
Tane froze the screen. In their earpieces, they heard Indy calling out hello and giving her name. Tane zoomed in.
Griff sucked in a sharp breath. Lurking in the shadows of an alley, just fucking meters away from where Indy was, was a canid.
Dammit. He had a really bad feeling about this.
Indy glanced around at all the people. There were a fair number of men, women, and children. She studied each person carefully as discreetly as she could. They all seemed mostly healthy, though in general, there was a faint whiff of despair about this group. She guessed that was understandable, having survived the invasion and resorting to eking out their lives any way they could.
A small gaggle of kids nearby was eyeing her curiously. Two little girls met her gaze and giggled. Indy couldn’t help but smile. Kids were like Teflon, so much crap slid right off them.
A man stepped forward. She pegged him for late forties. He had salt-and-pepper hair, a face lined by the sun and stress, and a hard body.
“I’m Jasper. Leader of this group.”
“Indy.” She nodded. “Former uni student.”
“Come,” a woman with scraggly blonde hair said. “We’re just starting to prepare dinner. You must be hungry.”
Indy smiled again, following the woman over to where some others were setting up some rickety camp chairs. Two men had started a fire.
Jasper sat on a small stack of boxes nearby, his dark gaze on Indy. There was nothing sexual in it, but regardless, it made the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She chalked it up to him being suspicious and protective.
“Where did you come from?” he asked.
She perched on the edge of a chair. “I’ve been up in the mountains. For the last few weeks, I’ve been working my way down here, avoiding the fucking aliens. Trying to find others.” She saw several people trade glances. “I heard there was some kind of a base around here somewhere. Is that true?”
Silence. Only the crackling of the fire.
Another man nearby shifted in his chair. He was older, his hair pure gray. “We take care of ourselves around here.”
She nodded, glancing around at the tired, drawn faces.
Several women were getting large pots out, ready to put on the fire. She saw some others chopping up vegetables.
“That looks great,” Indy said. “I haven’t had fresh fruit or vegetables for a really long time.” That was a lie—the Enclave’s Garden was well-stocked—but she needed to stay in character.
One of the women smiled at Indy, her brown hair cut in a messy, short style—more from necessity than stylishness. “You’ll like it here. We have great fresh food.”
Indy smiled back, but something about the woman’s words felt forced. “Great. What’s your name?”
“Kath.”
“Um, aren’t you afraid of the aliens?” Indy asked. “Do you have soldiers or weapons?”
Kath glanced away. “Jasper takes care of us, no matter what.”
Indy kept the smile pasted on her face, but inside, her belly was churning.
Soon, they were all munching on their surprisingly tasty food, and she listened to the murmurs of conversation around her. Several men were discussing the crops and what they were going to plant next. Kath was talking with another man and woman, discussing school lessons for the kids. The blonde from earlier and some other women were coaxing the kids to eat their vegetables. Some things never changed.
What wasn’t discussed was the Gizzida. Indy didn’t hear a single mention of the aliens.
She felt Jasper watching her several times with what seemed like a laser-guided stare. Like he could see through her act, and knew all her lies. It left her unnerved. She popped a piece of fresh carrot into her mouth and tried to act calm.
Some of the men were looking at their watches and muttering to each other. Indy kept eating, but angled herself so her camera was catching them. There was an itchy feeling surrounding her, sending her instincts into overdrive. Something was definitely up here. She just couldn’t figure out what it was.
“So, where are you from, Indy?”
She glanced up at Jasper. “Well, my family originally came from the United States, but I spent my teens in Singleton in the Hunter Valley.” She’d carefully constructed her cover story before the mission. “I was at uni in Sydney when the aliens attacked. Ended up with some survivors in the Blue Mountains.”
Jasper grunted.
“Is everyone from around here?” she asked.
Kath nodded. “Most of us are locals. A few stragglers have come in from Wollongong and beyond.”
“And you haven’t gone to this base that’s around here?”
“No.” Jasper rose. “We take care of ourselves, and won’t put ourselves at risk by trusting strangers.” He shot her a hard look, then strode off.
“Don’t mind Jasper.” Kath cleared away some dirty plates. “Being in charge is a stressful job.”
Indy nodded.
Coffees were handed around and Indy did her best not to wince at the horrible brew. Dishwater would have tasted better. Eventually, parents and caregivers herded the kids into the nearby houses.
Kath waved a hand. “Come on, Indy. Let’s find you somewhere to bed down for the night.”
The woman led Indy into a house. Once, she suspected it had been a cozy family home. Now, it held an air of ruin and neglect. Kath moved to the wall, and Indy watched the woman pry off a sheet of drywall.
“What the…?” Behind it, hidden in the frame of the walls, were pillows, blankets and clothes.
“We keep all our stuff hidden. Don’t need any scavengers stealing our things.” Kath handed Indy a pillow and blanket.
Indy managed a smile. “Kath, I’ve heard good things about this local base. It has food, medical supplies—”
“We haven’t.” Kath glanced out the window. “Don’t let Jasper hear you talking about it.”
“What have you heard?” Indy asked quietly.
“That base works with the aliens.”
Indy bit her lip. Shit. Once, the Enclave had worked with the Gizzida. Had these people heard about Howell and his treason?
“Who told you that?”
Kath flicked out a blanket, laying it on the floor. “It doesn’t matter. Recent talk says the Enclave isn’t safe. You need to stop talking about it.” Kath smoothed her hands down her rumpled shirt. “There’s a place for you here, if you want it.”
“Okay.” Like hell Indy woul
d spend any longer here than she had to.
“Dinner was great.”
That got a smile from the woman. “I used to cook at a pub in Wollongong.”
“Really? I used to run a nightclub.”
Kath frowned. “Thought you were a student?”
Shit. “I was. I worked at the club on weekends.” She tried to look sheepish. “I didn’t really run it, I was just an assistant manager.”
Kath nodded and plumped up some pillows.
A few other survivors came in, calling out goodnights as they set up their beds.
Indy lay back on her pillow, staring at the ceiling. She wondered what the berserkers were doing. What Griff was doing.
She wasn’t certain how many minutes had passed, but suddenly, a roar of sound tore overhead. She jolted, flying up into a sitting position
What the hell? Pulse thundering, she leaped up and ran to the window.
“Indy—”
She ignored Kath. She saw the lights in the night sky.
A ptero.
The distinctive shape of the alien ship swiveled overhead. It was landing.
“Fuck. We need to get out of here!”
“It’s okay.” Kath gripped Indy’s arm. “It’s fine.”
“What?” Indy stared at her, feeling like her eyes were bugging out of her head. “It’s the aliens. We need to run. Hide.”
Everyone in their house was awake, watching her with blank eyes.
“It’s fine,” Kath insisted.
The ptero touched down at the edge of the town, and Indy could barely believe her eyes. Not a single person moved to hide or run.
She saw Jasper and a few of his men exit a house. They looked tense, but no one seemed scared or terrified.
Then, a woman’s sharp scream cut through the night. Indy rushed to the door. As she stepped onto the front porch, she saw two men dragging a woman out of a house. She was shouting at them, dragging her feet, and trying to yank her arms out of their hold.
“You assholes!” she shouted. “You’ll all burn in hell.”
Indy frowned. “What’s happening?”
“It’s the Giving,” Kath said. “Every two months, we have to give to keep our community safe.”
Indy’s chest locked. “Give? As in a person?”
“That’s the deal,” Kath said sadly.
Her heartbeat thudding like a drum, Indy turned her attention back to the imprisoned woman, and saw four giant raptors had exited the ptero. They were walking down the center of the street, their giant boots thudding on the cracked asphalt.
Fear and anger tore through her. “This is insane!”
Kath turned to her. “The aliens came, but they didn’t kill us. We were terrified, but they said they’d leave us be…if we gave them some humans. A human every few months in return for them not invading our community. They told us we couldn’t trust the Enclave, that we couldn’t trust anyone.” The woman’s eyes pleaded with Indy for her to understand. “We had to make a sacrifice to keep the children safe.”
Screw that. “You use your children as a damn excuse for cowardice.”
The woman being dragged toward the Gizzida screamed again, her dyed red hair tumbling around her shoulders. Indy had seen enough. She charged forward. She leaped down the steps, flew down the front path, and out onto the street.
“We’re humans,” she yelled. “We work together, work with each other to survive. Not with the enemy who want to destroy us.”
“Indy.” Kath gripped her arm. “Stop. Be quiet. Any drifters or dissenters—”
Indy spun around. “Will be next? Is that what you’re saying?” She shot an enraged look at Jasper. “Say anything in dissent, and I’ll be chained up underground until you can give me to those fuckers? You’re all sick.”
Jasper’s gaze narrowed. “How do you know about the chains underground?”
Indy ignored him. The raptors had halted some distance away, watching the proceedings with almost bored looks. She rushed forward, and landed a hard kick to the knee of one of the men holding the woman. With a grunt, he went down on the ground. Indy grabbed the sobbing woman, and threw a punch at the other man. She’d trained with the berserkers and she knew how to throw a damn good cross.
He staggered back. Indy tugged the redhead closer and she started to sob.
Jasper strode forward and backhanded Indy in the face. She flew to the side with a cry, crashing to the ground.
Ow.
“Maybe we’ll give you to the raptors instead,” Jasper said.
Indy lifted her chin. “You made a big mistake, asshole. Huge. Colossal.”
Jasper snorted. He snatched some chains from one of his men. Roughly, he grabbed her wrists and slapped the chains on her.
The cold metal made her mouth go dry. Griff and the berserkers would come. Then, Jasper cinched the chains so tight she cried out. The raptors’ guttural sounds came from close by. They started forward again.
As Jasper yanked her up onto her feet, the chains clanked, and suddenly, Indy tasted fear.
Chapter Eight
On screen, Griff watched the bastard hit Indy. He surged up out of his seat.
“Cool it,” Tane warned.
“He’s dead.”
Tane released a breath. “Keep your shit, Griff.”
“They’re sacrificing humans, Tane.”
“And they’ll regret it,” Tane said darkly. “Thom, get us down there.”
“With pleasure,” the Hawk pilot called back.
The quadcopter rose smoothly, shooting forward. Griff shifted in his seat, carbine in his hands. His fingers clenched and unclenched on the metal. The Hawk’s illusion system was up, keeping them camouflaged as they flew in over the town. He craned his neck, looking out the window.
Down below, he could see that bastard, Jasper, dragging Indy towards the raptors.
“Now!” Tane yanked the side of the quadcopter open.
The Hawk was hovering several meters above the ground. Griff shouldered on past Levi and Ash. He leaped out of the quadcopter. Before his boots hit dirt, he was firing on the raptors.
The berserkers charged after him. Dom moved in beside Griff, face composed but dark eyes scary as he aimed at the aliens.
Griff kept firing, pissed beyond belief. One raptor went down in a hail of laser fire. Another ran for cover.
Two raptors returned fire, and their poison splattered all over the ground. Griff dived and rolled, coming up shooting. People were screaming somewhere nearby.
Then he heard a fierce growl. He swiveled and spotted a canid running down a side street. Hemi let out a roar and turned to meet it. It leaped into the air and Hemi fired. When the alien dog got close to him, Hemi gripped it with his gloved hands, and yanked it to the ground.
All around, more people were screaming. But Griff’s eyes were focused on Indy and the bastard holding her. Jasper had a hand in her hair. Then Griff spotted the chains around her wrists. Asshole.
Anger ripped through his gut. He hated seeing the ugly, heavy chains on her smooth skin.
Griff strode up toward them, his carbine raised. The man’s face shifted, belligerence giving way to fear.
Good.
“Griff—” Indy said.
Griff kept coming and raised his fist. He punched the man right in the face. Jasper crashed down to one knee with a cry. Griff leaned over him and hit him again.
Nope. He still didn’t feel any better. He punched him again.
“Griff.” Indy gripped his arm, trying to pull him back.
He spun to face her. She reached up and cupped his cheek. The chains, pulled so tight they were cutting into her skin, clanked.
“He’s not worth it,” she said.
Griff’s arm shot out, and he yanked her close. Apart from the abraded wrists and the faint swelling on one cheekbone, she looked fine.
“I’m okay,” she whispered.
He lifted a hand, gently touching the swelling. Then he turned and saw Jasper was still kn
eeling, watching them. Griff kicked him, and the man fell down, curling into a ball.
Jasper looked up, face twisted. “You aren’t welcome here—”
Tane stepped into view, looking fierce. Jasper took one look at Tane’s face and shut up.
“You don’t get to say anything else,” Tane said.
“Selling out humans—” Hemi shook his head. “Motherfuckers.”
Tane touched one ear. “Arden, I need Hell Squad and Squad Nine. We have prisoners to bring in, survivors to re-house, and we need some cleanup.”
“On it now,” Arden replied.
“Hemi and Dom,” Tane said. “Get in that ptero and scavenge anything useful. Tech team’ll want any data cubes.”
Hemi flicked a small salute. “On it.”
“Then I want you to blow the fucking thing sky high.”
Hemi’s smile was wide. “Be my pleasure.”
Griff pulled Indy closer. He swung his carbine onto his shoulder and started unfastening the chains. Around them, the rest of his squad was tying up Jasper’s men, and Ash was trying to reassure the frightened survivors.
With Indy so close, her coconut scent in his senses, he finally felt his pulse start to slow.
She was okay.
He watched as people crept out of the shadows. They all had a beaten look about them. A brunette who’d talked to Indy earlier appeared. The woman approached cautiously and Indy stiffened.
“They protected us,” the woman whispered. “They did what they had to.”
Griff scowled. “Giving fellow humans to invading aliens to keep yourself safe is fucked.”
“He’s right, Kath,” Indy said.
The woman flinched and backed away.
Another woman strode up. She was older, with hair dyed bright red, and her clothes were streaked with dirt. He realized it was the woman the humans were going to give to the raptors before Indy intervened.
She shot a venomous look at the other woman. “Crawl back into your hole, Kathleen.” She lifted her chin and looked at Indy. “Thank you.”
Indy nodded. “You’re welcome.”
With a nod, the woman boldly strode over to the survivors. A teenaged boy ran at her, throwing his arms around her.
“Mum!”
“I’m okay, baby. We’re okay.”
