by Zara Zenia
“Voland! I scream. Don’t leave me out here!”
A few of the farmers notice me but they’re too caught up in their own fear to pay me much attention. Standing up on tiptoes, I can just about make out the vague outline of large ships in the distance. They’re mainly cloaked by the high corn with only the tops visible but that’s all I need to see to realize how big they are.
“How many aliens are there out there?” I whisper to myself.
One of the farmers overhears me and I flinch, not realizing he was standing so close to me.
“Old Gerry says there are hundreds of them out there with about a dozen on each ship.”
“What?”
I turn to him aghast. The old man beside me is the wrinkliest person I’ve ever seen with lines that are so deeply etched into his face you could push a finger into his skin and lose it forever. His lips make a weird slapping sound as he talks, the result of having no teeth.
“Yeah, hundreds,” he continues.
“Has anybody actually seen one of them?”
He nods enthusiastically.
“And what do they look like?”
“Devils,” he says. “They look like Goddamn devils.”
“Voland, you’re going to have to do something!”
I burst into the room in the hope that he’s raring into action but he’s not. He’s lying on his back with his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
“Voland!”
He doesn’t respond. I jump on the bed and straddle him while shaking his shoulders.
“For Christ’s sake! They’re here for you! You need to do something.”
He remains silent but grabs my wrists and pushes me off him. I’ve not seen him like this before. Through all the troubles we’ve had, he’s never been so despondent.
“I think I know what to do?” he says.
His voice is so quiet I need to lean in close to hear him.
“I’ve figured it all out. I know what I must do.”
He sits up and swings his legs around, staring out the window to the horizon. From where we’re sitting we can see the ships better, can see their immense size as they sit amongst the fields like wild animals stalking their prey.
“I’m going to hand myself over,” he says.
It takes me a moment to realize the severity of what he’s saying.
“Hand yourself over?”
He nods.
“It’s the only way to save you, to save this town, to stop anymore destruction.”
“No!”
“Yes, Felicity. If we carry on running, they’ll tear up this country to find me and they’ll hurt you in the process. They’ve come this far to find me! Who knows what they’ll do next?”
“I can’t let you do that. There must be another way.”
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot but I don’t think there is. I’ve been running all this time, dragging you into this terrible and dangerous situation when I should have given myself up a long time ago.
“Don’t say these things! Please!” I beg.
“But it’s true.”
“But it’s not. If you gave yourself up all that time ago, we would have never met, or had all this time together.”
He looks away from me, unable to hold my gaze.
“The time we’ve had together has been so precious to me,” he says
He gulps as though he’s trying to hold back tears.
“But I must do the right thing,” he continues.
“No. I won’t let you leave this room.”
He stands up and makes for the door.
“No!” I scream.
I lunge after him and tackle him to the ground.
“You are staying here!”
“You said I had to stay outside and sort out the problem and now you’ve changed your mind. Human women are so confusing!” he shouts as he rolls on top of me.
Now he’s straddling me and pinning my arms to the ground above my head.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Just don’t hand yourself in.”
I shake myself free.
“Where are you going?” he asks as he tries to grab hold of me.
I shrug him off and head out the door. He’s close behind, jogging to catch up as I hurry down the hall and out the main door.
“Stay here!” I say.
“What are you doing?”
“You’ll find out,” I say without looking over my shoulder.
The sun is high in the sky with its brilliant light hitting off every reflective surface. It glints off the side of a nearby tractor and for a moment I’m blinded. I shield my eyes with my hand and carry on moving. My legs growing tired as I traipse through the corn.
I’m getting closer to the ships and can start to see some of their peculiar features. It isn’t until now that I realize the sheer size of each one as they eclipse the landscape with their gargantuan, onyx black walls and circular lights that make the sun look dim.
In the distance, farmers are sitting idle in the pickup trucks, waiting for the right moment to strike. As I stare up at them, I can see shotguns poking out through their open windows and the sight is almost laughable. Human bullets would do nothing to a megalithic structure that flew through space and time piloted by super intelligent beings who can shapeshift. There must be another way.
Looking at the farmers, I can’t help but shake my head and laugh at their ignorance. Country folk… They’re always reaching for their shotguns but they’ve never seen a city kid battle before, never seen a street kid fight dirty. I know all the tricks.
I search all around the ships, making sure to stay as low down and close to the ground as possible. One thing I notice is that the ships landed right beside a river and that’s when I see them. I gasp in shock but they’re not like what the old farmer said, they’re not like devils. They look like Voland when he’s not in disguise. For a moment, I relax feeling as though I’m not too threatened by them but then I spot the security guards that stand on either side of the entrance to the nearest ship.
They’re holding guns that are nearly as tall as I am with long barrels made from the blackest metal. Looking up, I see that I’m beside the biggest ship. This one must be carrying previous cargo.
“Hey, did you hear that?” one of them says.
“No.”
“There’s rustling in the field over there.”
He points right at me and it feels as though my heart stops. I bite down on my knuckle to stifle a scream.
“It’s probably just another Orban, don’t worry about it,” the other guard says.
“Look, it’s our job to check everything out.”
“Sure thing, buddy. Go right ahead, I ain’t moving.”
I run, I run like I’ve never run before, dashing through the corn as it whips my ears and pulls at my hair. Glancing into the field, I see the guard is searching for me, looking for the source of the noise but he hasn’t spotted me yet. I gulp down some fresh air and pump my legs hard, running up the hill until I reach the pickup truck.
The farmers are all staring at me with old, crinkly faces. One of them is smoking a pipe, a trail of blue smoke drifting out his nostrils as he sucks on it.
“You saw them didn’t you, girly?” one of them says in an almost incomprehensible drawl.
“They’re blue and they’re big…” I gasp.
“They’ve been sent from hell!” a farmer chimes in from around the side of a truck. “Devils!”
“They’re not devils, they’re just like us. Well, not quite like us but… they’re living beings, vulnerable living beings in a way.”
“Have you seen the size of the guns on those fellas?” another crinkly face says as he looks down his nose at me.
“Yes,” I’m still gasping. “It’s enormous, totally terrifying but we’re not going to fight this war with weapons. Put your shotguns away and hand over your bourbon.”
“Excuse me?”
I knew they wouldn’t be impressed with my
suggestion but I was not expecting the deadpan, hostile faces that are staring back at me.
“I have a plan,” I say.
“Oh! You never said you have a plan. Here you go.”
The nearest farmer hands over his hip flask.
“Don’t you wanna hear what it is?” I say as I take it from his callused hands.
“Sure!”
“Look.”
I point over at the ships. From where we’re standing there are Orbans siphoning water out the river through large glass tubes. The farmers all gather around me and narrow their eyes to see through the strong sunlight.
“The water,” one of them says. “They need the water.”
“Exactly! But what good would the water be if we poison it?”
I shake the hip flask of bourbon in his face and his lips spread into a wicked smile.
“I like the way you think.”
He claps me on the shoulder and leans into my ear.
“I’ve got some dynamite moonshine up in my farm you can use instead. It’ll knock ‘em dead.”
We smile at each other and he nods to get into his truck.
“Come on,” he shouts as he revs the engine. “We’ll kill ‘em country style.”
I’m further upstream with twelve barrels of moonshine and a crowbar. The farmers are all back down at their original place waiting for the sweet and perfect moment when the Orbans get flat out wasted.
“Flick!”
A voice comes from behind me but for a second I’m certain it’s in my head.
“Flick!”
I turn around and see Voland wading through the corn.
“Hey! What are you doing out here?”
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
He runs over and hugs me tight.
“I was worried you’d be trying to do something heroic,” he says.
“I am.”
I point to the barrels with my crowbar.
“Remember that moonshine stuff I told you about?”
He takes one look at it then at the river that leads down to the ships.
“You really think it’ll work?” he asks.
I shrug.
“It’s worth a shot. This stuff makes the best of us go blind.”
For a minute, we stand on the bank of the river with our shoes getting muddy as the water laps our feet. I'm looking at the movement of the Orbans as they walk in and out of the river with the large tubes resting on their muscular shoulders. But I see that Voland is looking at something else. His eyes are focused on the front window of the largest ship, his brows furrowed and his hands tightened into white-knuckled fists.
"What's the matter?"
He's breathing hard, his chest the only part of his body moving up and down.
"Saurad..." he breathes, "I'll kill him before he can get me."
I follow his gaze and see a strong and tall Orban at the front of the ship. I can only assume that it's the captain's deck with this Saurad person clad in a long robe. He's shouting orders at his minions, yelling so loud he's spitting in people's faces.
"He's the one who's been tracking us?" I ask.
"Yes... but it was never supposed to be like this."
I think for a second.
"Voland? Is he the one you were speaking to on that little earpiece?"
His eyes slowly swivel in his head until he's looking at me. He nods.
"Yes but if he is here I know one thing; he's not following the rest of my crew. So long as he's here, they are safe."
Ahead of us the sound of the pickup trucks' engines begins to roar through the wind. I crane my neck to see them get even closer to the ships, obviously wanting to get nearer to the action for when I poison the water.
"I think it's time," Voland says.
"I think so too. Care to join me?"
He smiles and tears the crowbar from my hands before smashing it into a barrel. The pungent fumes of the moonshine permeate the air and we watch as the liquor cascades down into the water, mixing with the river as it flows away from us.
"Ok, the next one," I say, kicking at another barrel.
It smashes against a rock and splinters into a dozen pieces.
"This is kinda fun," Voland laughs.
We smash and kick our way through the entire batch until there's nothing left but broken pieces of wood floating along the top of the water.
"It smells terrible!"
He holds his hands over his hands and mouth.
"How can people drink this stuff?"
"I know it's grim. I feel like I'm getting drunk just smelling it."
We both look down to the ship and see there's a commotion between the Orbans. Some are running in and out of the water while others are fumbling with their tubes. Out the main door, a couple stumbles out onto the field and fall to their knees.
"Oh my God... it's working already."
I can scarcely believe my plan worked so soon.
"It looks as though a couple of them have drunk the water already," Voland says. "Look at them, they can barely walk."
He's chuckling to himself, clutching at his heaving belly as he watches the spectacle. Meanwhile, I lay low amongst the reeds and bushes as I crouch behind a rock.
"Don’t laugh so hard, they'll hear you!"
I pull at his pants leg to shut him up but he only laughs harder.
"Voland!"
I kick him in the shin and he stops immediately.
"Hey!"
"Get down here or they'll see you."
He kneels beside me and we both poke our arms through the foliage to make a little path we can see through.
"I like this lookout post," he says. "You picked a good spot."
"Everyone always wanted me on their team when we played water bomb fights," I remember. "I was the best at hiding."
I can't help but smile at the memory of hiding in the long grass in the woods behind my house with a basket full of water balloons, ripe and ready for throwing.
"So you've known battle before?" he says.
"In a way," I smirk. "But anyway, what's going on now?"
He squints to see through the sun glinting off the nearby water.
"There are a couple more staggering about now and..."
He licks his lips and pulls nervously at a blade of grass, tangling it around his fist as though it'll anchor him to the ground.
"What is it?"
I nudge him in the back.
"Saurad is out there now and he's really, really mad."
He jumps up to see better.
"Get down!" I beg.
"Shhhh...."
He holds me down in the grass by pushing down on the top of my head.
"They know they're being attacked," he explains. "But Saurad is stupid..."
I manage to push his hand away and look up to Voland's face. He looks amused by something.
"For the love of God will you tell me what's going on?"
"They think the farmers did it, looks like they're getting ready for war."
I jump and see all the Orbans facing away from us with their rifles pushed up tight into their shoulders as they face the poor farmers.
"Hey, those old guys are pretty tough."
They're raising their shotguns with looks of grim determination on their faces. I can see a wisp of gray smoke drifting up from the pipe smoker. He looks as though he's enjoying himself. But then I see something else too.
"Voland? What are those guys over there doing?"
Behind the standoff are a few soldiers around the back of the ships. It looks as though they're pulling up walls but my eyes can't focus properly. It's as though the ships are disappearing in front of my eyes.
"They're putting up the invisibility walls," Voland explains. "In case of further attacks."
Meanwhile, the Orbans and farmers are advancing on one another.
"This is going to get bad really soon," I say.
"No, it's not," Voland says defiantly. "You stay here. I have an idea
."
He strides away from me, marching through the field like a big open target.
"Hey, come back!" I scream.
But he's not listening. I'm about to run after him, pounce on him and tell him that he's crazy but before I get a chance a shot is fired and I hit the ground.
Chapter 18
Voland
I'm fast approaching the control ship when I hear gunfire and a bullet whooshes in front of me before smashing into the side of a tree. One of the farmers had aimed his shotgun at an Orban not realizing his pathetic, human bullets could so easily be deflected by the Orban mind. The old men are all yelling with their fists in the air, desperate to take down the alien creatures that are invading their space. This is going to end in war, but not if I stop this first.
A quick look at the entrance to the ship proves what I thought, all the guards have been distracted by the moonshine and the farmers and are nowhere to be seen.
"Idiots," I laugh and shake my head.
Running on board, I know exactly where I should be and know that I only have seconds to get there before the Orbans begin to retaliate. The captain's deck, it's exactly three floors up from here and I leap up the stairs taking three at a time until I reach the top and feel my thighs burning. My human body was not designed for moving at such speeds on board an alien craft and I'm out of breath and exhausted as I burst through the door to the control room.
The red object is now in front of me, beckoning for me to come closer. I feel energized just knowing what it can do. I can't stop the grin of satisfaction pulling at my face as I think about the chaos it will create. The self-destruction button. It will end this all. Without wasting any more time, I jump forward and smack my fist into it. Above me, a whirring sound starts and the emergency lights begin to flash. The deafening warning siren begins with its wailing so loud it makes me dizzy and I must stagger and crawl to get away.
"Sixty seconds until self-destruction," the voice says as it booms out the speakers.
Sixty seconds until anyone in the blast zone dies. I struggle to my feet and run so fast it feels like acid is flooding my lungs with my legs buckling beneath my weight as I tumble down the stairs. Then once again I'm outside, waving my arms and yelling:
"Felicity! Get outta here!"
