I turned to Doc, still feeling uneasy. “Well, They could say the same thing about us. Angel and I are wearing different attire than the rest of you are. Obviously, we have seen their soldiers, and this one must be a civilian—non-military.”
“Makes sense,” Sandy said. “Every civilization I’ve ever studied had developed cultural as well as political hierarchies within their society.
“He is my friend, Mommy.”
The alien wore a gray and blue oversized top that had a piece of cloth that seemed to hang behind his neck. A yellow symbol which resembled a lightning bolt, stood at the center of his chest. His legs were covered in blue pants, and his feet were bare and bruised. I moved aggressively toward my daughter, and the creature staggered backwards, the heels of his feet and palms sliding against the dusty ground, prompting my daughter, the six-year-old to scold me.
“Mommy! You’re acting too bossy and it’s scaring him. You have to take baby steps, Mommy, baby steps!”
I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh or spank her bottom for speaking to me in that tone—but truth be told, she gave me good advice—something I preached to her with everything she learned. Yet, I was still angry at Forest, and it wouldn’t take much to piss me off. “Sorry.”
I couldn’t believe I said that.
“Okay, Forest,” I said. “Explain yourself, and it better be good.”
“Found him sleeping under a tree when I went hunting two days ago—near the wooden fences that surrounded this land.”
Another fire ignited inside of me. “Two days? He’s been here for two days and you didn’t think—”
“Mom,” Angel said. “Inside voice. When you yell, your eyebrows look mean and your body gets all bossy, which scares him.”
She looked down at the creature and caressed his head. “Don’t shake, Space Boy. It’ll be okay.”
I looked over to Doc with disbelief. “She has a point, Captain,” he said.
Forest walked over to the stack of hay next to the creature. “And I found this on his chest while he slept under the tree.”
He picked up the book, walked over, and handed it to me.
“It’s in their language, Mommy, but I haven’t been able to decipher it, yet. Open it. Look at the pictures.”
I did as my baby requested. Sandy and Doc gasped.
I recognized the images immediately. “This is a book of astronomy.”
Sandy leaned in closer to me. “Look, there’s the first galactic quadrant.”
I flipped through more pages. “I’m familiar with these celestial bodies.”
The creature made a sound with his mouth again and stood. Doc and Sandy took a step backward.
“I think he wants to share something with you,” Forest said. “Trust me Doctor, not only is he harmless but he’s weak. If he makes a false move just swat him away like a pesky insect.”
The creature walked cautiously toward me. When he made more sounds with his mouth, I realized that he was trying to communicate with us, but being that he was an alien, we couldn’t understand. He gingerly reached for the book and without taking it out of my hands, flipped the pages to the back of the book. It was a picture of a planet that orbited around a sun in a triple-star system.
Sandy stepped up and snatched the book out of my hands. “Captain, let me see that?” Shocked, she dropped the book, making the creature shrink away from us, covering his head with his hands.
Doc shook his head, slowly. “It can’t be!”
Angel ran toward the creature. “You’re scaring him!”
That’s when Nana screamed. “They’re back! They’re back!”
For a brief moment we all stood still, listening. There were no noisy aircrafts or monstrous land vehicles, only the rain slapping against the barn. Did Nana find a place to hide? We all knew the protocol—quiet, quick action. We’d been through it a million times, in simulation exercises, and here, on this farm. Only one speaks—me, until safety is secured.
“Quick,” I said, calmly. “Into the hidden room.”
Forest went behind the stable, slid a stack of hay out of the way with his foot, grabbed the little piece of twine on the edge of the trap door and lifted it.
“Go, go, go,” I said, ushering Doc and Sandy. “I left the flashlight right below the bottom rung of the ladder, Doc.”
Doc went down the steps into the darkness, Sandy followed, and then Space Boy stood staring down into the storage room.
“It’s okay,” Angel said, and touched his hand.
I winced, feeling so silly, but the thought of her touching him, unnerved me. “Go on, baby, Mommy will be alright.”
“No, Mommy. I’m not going without you.”
“Do as I say, Ang—”
Forest interrupted, touching my arm gently, asking permission to speak.
I nodded.
“Captain, she is right. If They have come in stealth, then They know we are here. I will stall them.”
I shook my head, and had begun to say something but he squeezed my arm—not hard but firmly.
“Captain, in order for our people to survive, you must go with them.”
He was right and there wasn’t any time to argue so I took Angel’s little hand and ran for the trap door.
“But Mommy we have to get—”
“Hush, sweetie.”
I pat her on the bottom and she went down the stairs into the darkness.
She turned to look at me. “But—”
“Sweetie, watch where you’re going. And no talking. You know the rules.”
I glanced back at Forest. Resilience was stamped across his face but his eyes were stained with grimness. We both knew the inevitable. I cautiously went down the stairs. Forest slid the stack of hay back over the trap door. I wanted to cry. It was foolish to come to this place. I regretted everything I'd done in my life up to this moment, except Angel—she and Hunter's memory were the only things I wanted to hold on to. Our time is up. Chills rippled down my spine. Forest took a step away from the trap door, his boot quietly tapping above, and immediately, They came into the barn, shooting their weapons. Scruffy barked, and then yelped.
“Mommy, Scruffy's still up there!”
That's what she was trying to tell me, a few seconds ago. Dammit. We left Scruffy up there, with Them. Scruffy let out a cry of pain, like he was being injured.
“Mommy,” Angel said, and hugged me, her eyes buried into my stomach.
Thunder clapped. It was so loud, the building rumbled and I jumped. More shots rung in the air; each one making Angel jerk, sending a jarring pulse to my heart. How could I be so stupid—so bone-headed. Forest wanted to bring weapons but I refused, wanting to show them how peaceful we were. Talk about dumb ideas. Another regret. Sometimes survival comes before integrity; a lesson learned too late.
They spoke their retched language in yells and sounds of rage. Feet stomped and clapped against the wood above us, and I envisioned a scuffle between Forest and those savage beings. Grunts, followed by smacks, thuds, and more grunts ensued until a loud crash, like something large (a body) being thrown through the barn's rotten walls thundered in our ears. Angel, and the others, let out whimpers of fear, even Space Boy. He sat in the dark corner with his head between his knees and his hands over his ears, rocking back and forth. Poor thing was just as fearful as we were.
More of Them trampled in, their footfalls multiplying but the scuffle continued. Forest gave Them a fight for their lives. More crashes, like something heavy breaking through the barn's walls, lit up the air full of dark and gruesome sounds of battle. And then, a sound cut the weak strand of hope that held us all together: Forest releasing a sharp, agonizing yell.
Angel's tiny fingers dug into my skin. “Mommy!”
My eyes shot to Sandy. Her wide citrus eyes were glossy, wet with tears. Doc fell to his knees and quietly sobbed, his face long with despair. The tussling and boot scuffing against the wood stopped. The silence of their struggle seemed eternal as the rain continued to
fall hard, beating against the barn. My heart hammered so hard, I felt it pulsating in my neck.
“Mommy, is Forest—”
“Shh,” I told her, and lifted her into my arms. My poor baby trembled. I felt her little heartbeat thumping hard against my arm.
Those beasts killed Forest. I was sure that Nana was dead, too. A heaviness came over me like a hundred-pound quilt, sewn with guilt and sorrow.
Why had I brought everyone here? Now we were the only survivors in the entire world. By some miracle, is there any way that we could still survive? Maybe find a safer place? Heels of very violent and savage creatures beat softly against the wood above our heads. Each step They took made me cringe. Sweat beaded on my nose, and ran down the back of my ear to my shoulder. They've discovered us.
They spoke in hushed tones, and then one-by-one left the barn. I waited. We all waited, motionless, for what seemed like hours but was only a few minutes. Finally, I set Angel down, and looked at the others. Angel lost her balance, a little and fell against the ladder, catching herself and steadying between the ladder and my leg.
We all froze, my eyes shot up, expectantly, tracing every dark crevice and line along the ceiling. Suddenly, we heard sniffing and then a low-sounding whimper-like growl.
Scruffy.
My heart sank. Were They standing there watching as the little rascal told them where we were?
No.
There were no footfalls. No communication between them in hushed tones. Just Scruffy; begging to join us
And then, silence.
I was so scared, I thought if I blinked too hard it would make too much noise. Angel hugged tighter. She knew, just like all of us knew, They could be up there and we didn't want to let them know we were right below, unmoving, like vermin backed into a dark corner.
Finally, we heard sniffing again, and for some reason, it made me relax. I looked at Sandy and her face was wet with perspiration.
“I think They've left,” Sandy said.
Doc was sitting, now, shoulder-to-shoulder with Space Boy, the white of the strange beings wide dark eyes stared upward. His eyes jerked to the trap door when Scruffy scratched his paws against the wood, again, and whined.
Sandy pulled me away from the ladder, her hand on my arm. “Captain, do something. The little guy's gonna give us away.”
Angel came over and held my hand. “Yes, Mommy, please … let him in.”
I yanked from my baby's grip and tore away from Sandy's hand. Not mad at either of them but frustrated at myself for getting us into this grave situation, for getting Forest killed.
I turned my back on them toward the corner full of shadows and boxes. “And what if They're waiting up there, quietly?” I put my hands through my hair and squeezed the back of my neck, my elbows pointed into the darkness. “Their weapons could be pointed down, as They stand ready, ready to kill us all?”
“They're gone, Mommy,”
Just then, I heard someone climbing the ladder and spun around. It was Space Boy going up the ladder. What the hell is he doing?
“Hey, hey?” I spoke in vain, knowing the creature could not possibly understand me. I rushed toward him but he had already started pushing the trap door up. He stuck his hand through the crack of the opening and with a grunt, slid the haystack over.
“Mommy, no. Let him try.”
“Try what? Warn his people that we've kidnapped him?” I asked her, and shoved her aside.
“No, he's not, Mommy. I promise.”
I started to yank him back down but realized if I did the trap door would smack down, and perhaps make noise that would travel out far enough to alert Them to come back, so I did nothing, but silently pray.
Space Boy kept his left hand up, holding the door, and reached for Scruffy with his right. Cool air rushed in, along with the smell of smoke, and something burning. Space Boy caught Scruffy and was pulling him by his front legs. And then Scruffy did the unthinkable: he let out a series of snippy little barks. We all jumped, including Space Boy, and Scruffy scuttled backwards out of his grip.
“No Scruffy, not play time,” Angel said, but Scruffy paid her no mind.
Space Boy climbed through the opening, and ran after the little barking pain-in-my-neck. Scruffy's feet went pitter-patter across the barn. Thunder boomed, and the wind howled, as the rain came down harder.
Doc stood up and wiped a hand over his mouth in frustration. “Scruffy's going to get us all killed.” I had to do something. I climbed up the ladder.
“Mommy, no!”
Immediately, I saw Forest, and felt a sharp pain in my heart. A lake of blood formed beneath his still body. Beyond him lay two other men, also dead. There were large openings the size of Their small bodies in the barn's wall where Forest probably tossed them. Through that opening, I saw Space Boy chasing after Scruffy. I ran to the opening and cautiously peered out. Four men dressed in helmets and combat gear moved quickly in the downpour carrying something in a plastic body bag.
What was that they were carrying out of the house?
When an arm plopped out of the body bag, I fell back, with a lightheaded sensation that almost made me pass out. It was Nana. One of Their soldiers pointed at Scruffy, and They all dropped Nana and pulled Their weapons when They saw Space Boy.
Blam—blam—blam!
Shots were fired. Scruffy yelped. Space Boy collapsed to the ground.
“No,” Angel screamed.
I looked down, and she was standing beside me. “Go back into the—”
Something crashed against the back of my head, stars flashed in my mind, and I went down, face first. Half of my body sprawled outside of the barn, and onto the cold wet mud and weeds. My head burned like someone had set my hair on fire. “Angel,” I said, muttering, and forced myself up on my elbows.
Something kicked me in my jaw. I spun and landed on my back. The sky was dark. The rain tore into my eyes, and the more I blinked to see, the more they stung with irritation.
Blam—blam!
I felt something fall onto my legs. I tried to lift my head, but the pain was too much to bear. No, try again. I did and screamed, “Angel!” I started crawling toward her. Tears streamed out of my eyes, joining the river of rain that drowned me in sorrow.
“My baby!”
Blam-blam! Rat-a-tat-tat!
More shots were fired inside of the barn.
“No! Stop it! We only come in peace!”
Bladda-badda-dat!
“Please, don't kill … them. We're all … that's … left.”
Legs walked past me. And then Angel's lifeless body followed. The beasts drug her on the ground like she was an animal—not even worth the dignity of being carried.
“No!” I reached out for Angel and caught hold of one of her legs.
One of Them stepped on my wrists, and dug his heels down until I let go. That's when I stood up, pain or no pain, enough was enough. They were much shorter than I had anticipated, not having been face-to-face with them this close up before. One raised his weapon but before he had it leveled, I'd grabbed it from him and knocked him easily to the ground. He tried to get up and I kicked him hard in the head, knocking him out. Another had his weapon trained on me, I slung the one I took from the fallen soldier at him, the gun smacked him hard in the face and the gun went off, making all the others take cover.
Two came from out of the house behind me, and grabbed my arms. I slipped from Their grasp and had both of savages by the throat. I lifted Their puny bodies off of the ground, squeezing their tiny necks. The strange white of Their eyes showed panic, and they made wispy sounds through the orifice below their nostrils; their beastly mouths.
Lightning flashed. The dark skies let out a parade of booming thunderclaps, and the rain washed the tears out of my face. They want a war. Then a war They will get.
Bladda-dada—dat!
Blam-blam-blam!
They missed. I dropped the creatures easily.
And then felt fire in abdomen, and clasped my
stomach. It burned so badly that all my thoughts went to that pain. I'd forgotten about Nana. I'd forgotten about Doc and Sandy. Blood spilled through my fingers, my knees lost all control, and my cheeks met the cool dirt again, along with darkness. I was a fool to think that there were other intelligent life forms in the universe. They put a plastic bag over my body. It became hard to breathe. I struggled, inhaling air through my nostrils—the plastic of the bag pushing in and out against my face.
I could still see through the plastic, but everything was blurry. They tossed me into the back of one of their land vehicles. Someone was next to me. Oh no. Oh no. It’s my baby. Angel. Oh, Angel. With every ounce of strength left in my body, I screamed, and in an act of desperation, tore through the plastic, touching her stiff body. Angel was in a body bag, too. I'm so sorry, Angel. Oh, baby, please forgive, Mommy. It was the first time I didn't rescue Scruffy when he was in trouble.
****
I'd been in many battles, Afghanistan, Iraq, even Desert Storm, but never anything like this: men losing their marbles at the sight of them, world-wide pandemonium, collapse of the American government over how to handle them. I passed by a garbage so wretched with odor, I almost gagged and glanced down into it, wincing.
What’s this? A can full of…rotten rabbits, birds and squirrels—they look like every ounce of blood and liquid was sucked out of them. What did they do? Suck the life out of the animals?
Damned alien invasion.
Well, it seemed it was over for now. We finally found the last of them, but it wasn't easy. Six of them holed up, here in this farm, for lord knows how long. “The female is still alive, somehow, huh, Jacobs?
Private Jacobs nodded his head, walking beside me. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. She's badly injured, but we'll keep an eye one her. I'm sure FBI, or National Security, or somebody will want to study her when we get back to the base—if she stays alive.”
“Strange, huh, Sarge.”
“What’s that, son?”
“The way there’s no white to their eyes, and one of them even had orange eyes—kinda creepy—gives me the willies.”
“This whole last few weeks have given me the willies.”
9 Tales From Elsewhere 3 Page 6
