“I understand what it’s like to feel stressed out.” He reached out and touched her arm. “I just want you to know it’s going to be alright. The Annunaki will make sure no one else will vanish again.”
The server smiled and visibly relaxed. “You’re right. It’s good they showed up when they did, huh? Who knows if there’d be any of us alive today if those greys succeeded?”
“Exactly,” he said. “As horrible as losing all of those people and world leaders were, we’ve been saved. And it’s even better than being physically spared from death. One of the Annunaki visited me last night. She opened up my mind. It’s hard to explain, but I feel as if my whole life, I’ve had a blanket covering my eyes and now that blanket’s been lifted. I can understand things I’ve never understood before. For the first time, everything makes sense. How we got here. Where we’re going. It’s amazing.”
Autumn pinched herself to be sure she wasn’t dreaming. How could he think everything was okay when things were getting more bizarre?
“You are so right,” the server said. “I feel it, deep down.” She turned her attention to the pad in her hands. “May I take your order?”
Once Alex and Autumn ordered their meals, the server left, looking notably more relaxed than before.
Autumn’s gaze went from their server to Alex. “Aren’t you the least bit concerned that we could vanish next? First, I lost my sister, and today Alicia’s gone.”
“Sure, it’s a shame. The greys abducted far too many people, but the Annunaki will put a stop to it. They won’t let the greys torment us anymore. Autumn, the Annunaki are amazing. They can do things that we can only dream of. They’re so far advanced from us mentally, emotionally, and physically. You have no idea what they can do.”
Shrugging, she admitted, “You’re right.”
“Last night, I saw our creation. Way back in our history, they came here to mine for minerals they needed on their world, and they took some of their DNA and blended it with our primitive ancestors’ DNA. Back then, we weren’t ready to be fully like them, so they promised to come back and finish what they started. Only, the greys came before them and tried to deceive us into believing they were our creators. Did you know the Annunaki had created them too? But the greys failed to put aside their political and religious differences, so they couldn’t evolve. The greys resent us because we’re now unifying our governments and our religions. The greys figure if they can’t evolve, then we shouldn’t either.”
Autumn took a deep breath and tried to figure out a way to say she couldn’t believe any of this. “Is it possible you had a dream?”
“I didn’t dream that grey alien, and I didn’t dream the Annunaki’s visit. I knew those greys weren’t good. You knew it too. We’ll never forget those we lost. First Marianne and now your friend Alicia. They’re dead. A group of a thousand people were found aboard one of the grey’s ship after it crashed. All were dead. It’s only logical to assume more people will show up dead as we search through more ships.”
Autumn swallowed the lump in her throat.
Alex squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry, Autumn. Marianne and Alicia aren’t coming back. If they’re found, we can give them a decent burial. I’ll help you with all of that.”
Something didn’t seem right about it all. Deep in her heart, she knew Marianne was alive. She hoped Alicia was alive. Autumn had no doubt one of those new creatures called the Annunaki, be they aliens or something else, visited Alex, but she suspected this entity wasn’t telling him the truth. As much as she hated to agree with Hampton, she suspected there was a ‘good cop, bad cop’ scenario going on. And if that was the case, then it was possible that the Annunaki were lying about finding dead bodies of the people who vanished.
She took another deep breath and listened to Alex as he continued to ramble on about how great life was going to be. For all their sakes, she hoped he was right. But deep down, she feared he was wrong, and that scared her to no end.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Three months later
Devon glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was following him. It was getting harder and harder to get away to Alaska to check on his cabin. The second vanishing had pretty much wiped out any vestiges of privacy. Though he returned to Bismarck without incident, he was becoming paranoid that all of his gadgets weren’t enough to block them from tracking his every move.
What he needed most was guidance, and he couldn’t think of anywhere to get it except from one person. In the past three months, he hadn’t felt any presence beside him. While the demon was no longer lurking around him, there wasn’t an angelic presence guiding him either. With the things he’d seen and heard, he understood the world was hurling fast toward something big.
He drove to the mall and checked his watch. Autumn might be at work. He didn’t know the hours or days she worked, but he knew the department store opened at ten. As he drove from the airport, he turned on the radio to hear more news of a pending financial meltdown. This wasn’t exactly new. It was why the currencies around the world, particularly the United States, were losing value at breakneck speed. It cost him three times as much to travel as it had last year, and with the talk of freezing wages, he was feeling the constriction in his budget. So news of the collapsing U.S. dollar didn’t surprise him.
What surprised him was An’s statement. An was claiming the meltdown was being orchestrated by a group of elite people who controlled the world’s financial institutions. Devon slowed the car and pulled over to the side of the road so he could better concentrate on the radio. He couldn’t believe it. An was giving away the plans of the wealthiest people in the world—something he never imagined anyone in a position of authority would do.
But there it was on the radio in An’s speech. He was exposing everything, even their plans to remove 80-90% of the population to maintain control over the world’s remaining people. Everything he and Vanessa had discussed was being brought out before the entire world.
Devon didn’t know what to think. As much as he wanted to believe this was good, something about it seemed wrong. But what? And why? What exactly did these aliens, if that’s what they were, plan on doing? Was the big event a war against the global elite? Nothing in the elite’s plans included the return of the Annunaki, unless that was classified information even he wasn’t privy to.
The angel. He had to ask Autumn to talk to her angel. Turning down the volume, he waited for the traffic to clear before he started to drive again.
When he finally reached the mall, he parked the car and tried to detect the changes that had occurred since he’d last been here. For the most part, not much had changed except for pictures of lost loved ones that littered the walls. He wondered if Autumn was one of those who disappeared. He hoped not.
He got out of the car and scanned the entrances, wondering if she might be taking a smoking break, but she wasn’t. If he knew her phone number, he could call. It was just as well that he didn’t. There was no sense in leading his superiors to her. She needed to stay as safe as possible.
He strode into the mall, aware of the scanners as soon as he walked through the entrance. So machines had replaced the guards who’d been checking IDs. He wondered if the same thing had been established in the parking lot, except those were far more subtle than these tall columns with red scanner lights that ran down the length of anyone who walked into the place.
As he headed for the department store, he caught sight of some signs on the stores announcing they were going out of business. This was not a good sign, but considering the economic climate, he couldn’t say it was completely unexpected. He just hoped Autumn was still at work because he couldn’t think of anywhere else to find her. The angel wasn’t showing up to him and giving him guidance. The angel was showing up to her.
When he entered the department store, he scanned the area and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Autumn ringing up a customer’s purchase. He went over to the counter and waited while the customer ar
gued with Autumn about not being able to use cash.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but my hands are tied,” Autumn said. “I understand your frustration. I felt the same way when I had to get a debit card, but it’s all over the place now. I don’t see how anyone can buy anything anymore unless they make their purchases electronically.”
Now this was what Devon had expected. This was in the plans as the elite moved the world toward a one world currency. He wondered how the exposure over their plans would affect the economy. Would these new aliens still insist on a one world currency or give up on it?
The customer sighed and pulled out a credit card. “Will you still take credit?”
“It’s getting to be less and less that places are doing that, but yes, we still take credit,” Autumn replied, glancing in Devon’s direction.
He offered a slight wave, but she turned her attention back to the customer and completed the transaction. Once the customer left, he approached the counter. “When can I talk to you?”
“I didn’t think we had anything else to discuss,” she said, her attention turned to the computer in front of her.
He didn’t know why her standoffish attitude should sting. He hardly knew her, and the couple of times when they did see each other, it wasn’t like they developed a friendship or anything.
Glancing at him, she sighed. “I’ll get a break in half an hour. I’m not allowed to talk unless it’s business while I’m on the clock.”
“I’ll be back in half an hour then.”
She nodded and then left the counter so she could organize the shirts on one of the racks.
Maybe he shouldn’t have been surprised by the reception she just gave him. Maybe he was lucky she was willing to talk to him at all.
He spent the next half hour at the food court, not particularly tasting anything he ate. As he watched the people around him, he wondered if there were any super soldiers among them. Were there people in the mall who were unaware that they’d been experimented on? He didn’t recognize any of them from his time at Area 51. But then, he’d worked on people from all over. Sadly, he didn’t know the nature of the tests he ran, nor had it been safe to ask. Those who asked too many questions were disposed of well before their time.
He rubbed his eyes. The weight of all he’d done pressed heavy on his shoulders. How many lives had he destroyed during his career?
His watch beeped. Picking up his tray, he stood up and tossed the half-eaten food into one of the trash bins before dumping the tray on the shelf above it. He made his way back to the department store, once again surprised when he saw Autumn waiting for him. When she saw him, she headed toward the exit, and as she probably assumed, he followed her until they reached the bench where she usually sat.
She pulled her coat tighter around her and dug a package of cigarettes out of her pocket. “Yeah, I know. It’s a filthy habit. Save me the lecture.”
“I won’t lecture you,” he said as he sat beside her.
“Good.” She took a cigarette out and shoved the pack back into her pocket. “What do you want?”
“Have you talked to your angel recently?”
Using a lighter to light her cigarette, she chuckled. “He’s not my angel.”
“Well, he never shows up to me.”
“He hasn’t shown up to me either since we last talked.”
Disappointed, he sat back and scanned the parking lot. Even during this time, people continued to shop for items they didn’t need. Why weren’t they all investing in things they’d eventually need, like food and water? Something big was coming down the pike, and this was the time to stock up on necessities. Turning to Autumn, he asked, “Do you have enough food and water saved up for at least six months?”
Exhaling smoke, she laughed. “What?”
“Have you been stocking up on food?”
“If you saw my paycheck, you’d understand that isn’t an easy task.”
“Yeah but it’s not impossible.”
She rolled her eyes. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m doing good to make ends meet. Retail doesn’t exactly pay a whole lot. Not like your fancy job.”
“My job isn’t fancy.”
“No? You’re not exactly hurting for money.”
Considering everything they did to him, he didn’t get paid enough. He was no better than a glorified lab rat. “Anyway, try to save an extra item or two when you shop, okay?”
She took another puff from her cigarette and shook her head. “It won’t do any good. If we’re going to die, we’re going to die.”
“That’s a morbid attitude.”
“Well, it’s the truth, isn’t it? I’m tired of worrying all the time. I’m tired of being scared. Some people are convinced things are about to get better. Others think things will get worse.” She shrugged. “The way I see it, thinking one way or the other isn’t going to change how things will be.”
Noting the weary tone in her voice—the tone that told him she’d given up and would go along with whatever the Annunaki wanted—he leaned forward and whispered, “Maybe it won’t change how things will be, but it’s still a good idea to prepare as much as you can.”
“Why? So I can end up dead like all those people who vanished did?”
“That’s the official story.”
“Official story?”
“Yeah. It’s what the Annunaki and those they put to head up the countries around the world want us to believe. He who controls the media controls the masses.”
“So what are you saying? That the people who vanished are still alive? Did you see the wall where the pictures of vanished loved ones are hanging? Those with the red X on it are for those who were found at the crash sites.”
“I’m not saying some people weren’t on board the ships. That could be for decoy purposes.”
“Either way, it’s not going to change anything. We’re stuck in this mess, and there’s nothing we can do to get out of it.”
He shook his head, leaned back, and crossed his arms. “Wow.”
“Wow what?”
“Of all people who’d give up, you were the last one I thought would. I mean, you went down into the capitol building which was locked. You came up to me and demanded answers when that bomb went off at the main entrance of this mall. I thought you had it in you to tough it out.”
She glared at him. “You’re one to talk. You’ve sold out your humanity to treat people in Area 51 like a bunch of cattle to be bred and numbered. Then you go around setting off bombs to get the masses to cooperate into being slaves for the so-called aliens. I may not be standing up and fighting against the system, but at least I’m not helping the system along.”
“I told you I thought I was making humans who could fight the greys and the global elite. I didn’t know the greys would be taken out or the elite exposed.”
“Exposed?”
“It’s all over the news. The Annunaki have exposed the elite’s plans. It’s just a matter of time before the elite are taken down.”
“Does that mean you’re out of a job?” she asked, not hiding her sarcasm.
He resisted the urge to groan. “I’ve had enough of the third degree from you, alright?”
She rolled her eyes and put out her cigarette.
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but everything I’ve been told has been a lie,” he said. “I thought I was helping people. And before you say it, I’m aware that helping involved doing some damage along the way.”
“I heard this before.”
She stood up so he reached for her arm to stop her from leaving. “Well, here’s what you haven’t heard. These children at Area 51… I don’t think they were created to defend us even though that’s what I was told the last time I was there.”
“Then why am I going to worry about it? All worrying has done is made me sick to my stomach. I’m tired of it.”
“I understand. I’m tired of it too. I’m tired of not being able to look at myself in the mirror becau
se of what I’ve done.”
She eyed him for a moment as if judging whether or not to believe him.
“I’m quitting. I’m turning in my two weeks’ notice when I get to work today.”
She sat back down. “You’re quitting?”
“I can’t take it anymore. And to be honest, I don’t think we have much time left. I’m not sure how it’s all going to play out, but I suspect things will get worse before they get better. I plan to lay low and wait for it to pass.” He took a deep breath. “I need to go back to work for another two weeks and then I’m done.”
“That’s good.”
He didn’t dare tell her anything else. He’d wanted to ask her angel for protection, but that obviously wasn’t going to happen. A big part of him wondered if his superiors would let him walk out of his job. Putting in his notice was a huge risk. He could only hope he’d make it to Alaska. Once there, he could hide out until the ‘big event’ took place. Then he’d decide what to do from there. If he lived that long…
Autumn cleared her throat. “I don’t know where the angel is. I haven’t seen him since that night of the second vanishing. Maybe the angels disappeared along with some of the people.”
That didn’t make sense, but Devon didn’t argue the point. “Thanks anyway.” He stood and checked his watch. “Look, I don’t know if I’m going to see you again, but I’m sorry about your friend and what happened at Area 51. If I knew what kind of children were being created—” He stopped himself. She already knew more than a lot of others, but he figured it was still best she not know anything else.
“Actually, Alex is doing great.”
Devon tried not to show his surprise. Of all the people who’d been taken to Area 51 for the many experiments the government wanted to do to them, he had yet to hear that one of them was doing well. He recalled seeing Alex when Vanessa saw Dr. Reyes. Alex had looked like a wreck.
Autumn shrugged. “He said one of the Annunaki came to visit him and healed him.”
“Yeah, I heard they’re going around performing miracles.”
Return of the Aliens Page 17
