Desolation (Earth Evolution Series Book 1)

by K. D. Jones

  “Ow!”

  The man released her and she took off again, but a heavy body tackled her from behind. She hit the ground hard. She squirmed and wriggled, kicked and punched, but her assailant would not let her go. He flipped her onto her back and grabbed her hands, pulling them up and over her head. Just one of his strong hands was able to hold both of hers still. His knees pressed down on her legs, keeping her immobile. Fear raced through her body. Should she scream and let the others know where she was? Would it draw the attention of more like this man?

  The man spoke again but she didn’t understand and shook her head. “Let me go!” She finally yelled at him. He suddenly froze over her.

  “You are a woman?” He spoke in stilted English.

  “Let me go!” She demanded again without answering him.

  The man pushed the hoodie off her head, revealing her dark brown hair in a long braid. Then he tore her mask off her face. She struggled some more but stopped when she found the stranger suddenly wedged between her thighs. She could definitely tell he was a man. A new kind of fear spread throughout her body.

  “Please let me go,” she whimpered.

  The man above her used his free hand to remove his helmet. “Hello, human. Do not be afraid. I am Captain Liam Estro of the Drastan Nation and I am here to save you.”

  “What?”

  Chapter 6

  Liam couldn’t believe it. He had found a survivor and it was a woman. A very pretty one, with dark hair and blue eyes. She was small, but he could feel her feminine curves pressing against him. His body instantly responded. What was that Earth saying? Oh yes … shit!

  He knew he had been looking for survivors, but a part of him hadn’t really believed he would find anyone. He had started to think that some of the Earth people from the domes where just trying to mess with his crew. To find this scrap of a woman was a miracle. He hated that he had taken her down to the floor so hard.

  She was struggling to get free. He was worried that he would hurt her by restraining her. He needed to calm her. “Easy, little one. I am here to help you.”

  “Then get the hell off of me!” She glared at him with her pretty eyes.

  Liam slowly released her and stood up. He offered her a hand, but she refused it. “I mean you no harm, little human.”

  “Why do you keep saying human? We’re all human.”

  He shook his head. “I am Drastan. My planet is in another solar system. We received the message that your governments sent out for help. We did not get it until recently. But we came to see if there were survivors and if they needed assistance. Did I hurt you?” He tried to touch her cheek, which had a small cut on it.

  She pushed his hand away. “I’m fine. You’re from another planet?”

  “Yes. What is your name?”

  “Maggie.”

  He smiled at her. “You are safe now, Maggie.”

  ***

  She gasped at the beauty in the stranger’s smile. As she stood up, she realized he towered over her. He had to be at least six feet six inches. She stood at only five foot five and considered herself average height, but he made her feel tiny. His uniform stretched tight across his broad chest and hugged his muscular arms and thighs. She suddenly realized that she was checking him out and felt warmth build in her cheeks.

  “You don’t look like an alien.” Shit, she had said that out loud.

  He chuckled. “Neither do you. Our people are very similar in physical form. There are a few differences, though.”

  She tilted her head to the side curiously. “What differences?”

  He shook his head. “Let me take you to safety. There are radiation particles still in the air and I do not want you to be harmed.”

  “I have a mask.” She looked around and found the material she had used to cover her face on the dirty ground. “Well, I had a mask.”

  He reached for her hand. “Come with me.”

  She tried to pull out of his grasp. “No, let me go. I said …” She gasped as the stranger collapsed to his knees and then to the ground, face first. She looked up to find Ben standing there holding a crowbar. “What the hell did you do?” She knelt to check the alien’s pulse. He was still breathing. She sighed in relief.

  “He’s an alien and he was trying to take you away. You should be thanking me.” Ben stood over her, glaring down.

  “He was trying to help me … I think.” She brushed dark locks of hair off the alien man’s forehead. She turned his head to the side and reached behind him to feel the back of his head. There was a bump, but at least it wasn’t bleeding. Ben was now distracted with talking to the other tribe members gathering around them, so she quickly grabbed the objects tucked into the side pockets of the alien’s uniform. She wasn’t sure what they were, but she didn’t want Ben to get his hands on them.

  “Tie up his hands and feet,” Ben ordered his tribe members.

  “What are you going to do with him?” Maggie watched in horror as the others roughly tied the alien up with some rope.

  “Take him back down below and question him. See if he has supplies that we could use. Maybe some alien weapons.” Ben’s eyes took on a gleam.

  She shivered at the image of Ben holding better weapons. He was dangerous enough with barely anything; that would make him nearly unstoppable. She was grateful that she had taken the objects from the alien’s pockets so Ben wouldn’t get his hands on them.

  “Wait a minute, I found him first. He should come back to my tribe for questioning.” Maggie stood up to glare at Ben. Ben was clearly about to argue, but a new voice from the doorway interrupted him.

  “Maggie is right. She found him first, which makes him the property of my tribe.” Jerry spoke with authority. Maggie sighed with relief. Her tribe outnumbered Ben’s. There was no way he could win a fight with them.

  Ben smiled at Jerry, which made Maggie’s nerves stand on end. “Of course, Jerry. But since I did save Maggie from being taken by the alien, I would like to help question him.”

  Jerry didn’t look happy about it, but he agreed. “Fine. Corey, Mark, and Leander, I need you three to carry the alien back.” The three men grumbled, but went over to the unconscious alien and lifted him up.

  “Untie him,” Maggie insisted.

  Jerry shook his head. “Let’s make sure he’s truly no danger before we set him free.” He followed the tribe members carrying the alien out of the building.

  Ben grabbed her arm and stopped her from following. “I should get a reward for saving you from the alien.”

  She jerked free of his grip. “Touch me again and I’ll kill you.”

  He chuckled but let her go. She could feel his eyes on her. Maggie focused on the body being carried up ahead. For the alien’s sake, she hoped he cooperated.

  ***

  Liam woke to a sharp pain in the back of his head. What happened? His memory was a little foggy, but he remembered looking into a pair of beautiful blue eyes. The young woman, Maggie. He sat up straighter in the chair and found he was tied to it. His head hurt even more. He stopped moving, hoping the dizziness would fade. He felt cool air against bare skin. His uniform top had been removed and he was bare-chested.

  “Easy, you were hit in the back of the head with a crowbar. You have a nasty bump, maybe even a concussion,” an unfamiliar woman’s voice said.

  Liam focused on the new woman. She wasn’t the one he had seen earlier. This woman was still pretty, though. She had dark black hair and green eyes. She approached him and brought a cup up to his lips. He wasn’t going to drink it.

  “It’s just water. I promise. I know your mouth has to be dry,” she said reassuringly.

  He looked into her eyes and saw nothing but compassion. This person meant him no harm. “Where’s the young woman, Maggie?” He took a sip of water. His mouth was dry. The woman backed away as an older man approached from the darkness.

  “I’ll be asking the questions. Who are you?” Jerry asked.

  “Captain Liam Estro of the Dr
astan Nation.” Liam answered. He tried to get his eyes to focus so he could see better in the dark room.

  “You are from another planet?”

  “Yes.” Liam thought he spotted movement against the wall. He focused his attention there. He pulled on his restraints. “Release me.”

  “Easy, once we know you are no danger to my tribe, we will release you.” Jerry told him. “Why are you here on Earth?”

  “My people intercepted a distress call that your Earth governments sent out five years ago. We thought we would see if there were any survivors.”

  “So you could sweep in and finish us off?” A younger man with blond hair and an angry face stepped forward. Liam didn’t like this second man at all.

  Liam shook his head. “No, so we could offer assistance.”

  “Assistance? That’s why you were trying to kidnap Maggie? To assist her?” the blond man said.

  “I was not kidnapping anyone.” Liam said. Where was she? Was she okay?

  “You had your hands on her and she told you to let her go,” the blond man insisted.

  “I was not hurting her,” Liam stated again.

  “I say you were. We should just kill him.” The man tried to pull out his weapon but the older man grabbed his hand to stop him.

  “No!” a woman yelled out.

  Everyone turned to the dark corner. Liam’s breath hitched when the young woman from before stepped forward. She had cleaned up and changed her clothes. Her thin, worn shirt molded against her chest in a way he couldn’t help but notice. The young woman was not a child as he had first thought, but a full-grown adult woman. A sexy woman, with the prettiest blue eyes. He felt warmth travel to his lower region as he grew aroused. He frowned. This was not the time or place for such feelings.

  “Stay out of this, Maggie,” the blond man said, trying to step between Liam and her.

  “I found him Ben. I have a right to say something here. Captain Estro didn’t hurt me. He wanted to take me somewhere safer because of the radiation.”

  “He hurt you,” the man named Ben insisted.

  “No, he did not Ben. I know what it’s like to be hurt by a man. I would not defend one who hurt me. Captain Estro is no threat. We need to let him go.” Maggie glared up at the one named Ben.

  All Liam could focus on was that some man had hurt Maggie. He wanted that man’s name. He suspected that it was this Ben. Liam was determined that he would find out.

  Ben turned back to Liam. “Why were you going through the rubble area instead of to the domes?”

  “We made contact with your president. We visited the dome survivors and are now looking for survivors we heard might be living in the subway system.” He looked around and noticed that the walls were concrete. He was definitely underground. “I guess that would be you.”

  “What do you want with us?” Jerry asked.

  “We want to help you. Provide supplies and medical treatment. Offer to relocate you to a healthy planet.” Liam shot a look at Maggie. She was watching him intently.

  “The president would never agree to let you take our people off the planet.” Jerry shook his head in disbelief.

  “He did not want to agree to that, but he knew the right thing to do was to allow us to offer it as an option to his people.”

  “We’re doing just fine where we are,” Ben told him, folding his arms across his chest.

  “It has only been five years. Can you see yourself living here for another twenty years? How about another fifty years? A hundred?” Liam raised his eyebrow.

  “What are you saying?” The kind woman with the green eyes who helped him earlier asked him. She was so soft-spoken he almost didn’t hear her.

  “Topside won’t be livable for many, many years. Most of you will be dead, along with your children and grandchildren, before a whole village of you could live up there and farm enough to sustain life.”

  “He’s lying. He just wants to scare us,” Ben said, pacing.

  “I don’t think he’s lying,” Maggie said.

  Liam watched as Ben glared at Maggie with anger and lust. “You have the hots for an alien.”

  Maggie didn’t address Ben’s claim. “He said that he wanted to help. I believe him. We need to give him a chance to prove that.”

  Jerry nodded his head. “We can’t pass up a possibility that the alien is telling the truth. We need to give him a chance to prove it.”

  Ben walked over and leaned down until he was an inch away from Liam’s face. “If you are lying, I will kill you myself.” Then he stalked over to Maggie. “I want to talk to you privately.”

  “No,” she responded immediately. He would have said something else, but another man with red hair stepped between them. The two men glared at one another and then Ben stormed away. Several others moved away from the shadows and followed him out.

  “Thanks, Corey.” Maggie touched the red haired man on his shoulder.

  “Stop antagonizing him. If you want me to kill him, just say it.”

  “Don’t, Corey. I don’t want you to be put in that position. I’ll just keep my distance from him while he’s here,” Maggie promised. The man named Corey still did not look happy as he turned and walked out.

  Jerry came a little closer to Liam. “I’m Jerry, the tribe leader in this area. You will follow my rules or you will suffer the consequences.” He turned to the woman with the green eyes. “Lily, feed him and give him water. I will have Corey come later to release him from his bindings.” Jerry then left.

  Lily looked at Maggie. “What do aliens eat?”

  Maggie shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. He said they’re physically similar to us.”

  Liam frowned at the two women and grumbled, “The alien is right here and can answer your questions.”

  Both women laughed. Maggie nodded at him. “He even sounds like one of our men. Come on, let’s get him something to eat.” As the women walked away, Liam could still hear them talking. They must be standing right outside the doorway.

  “Maggie, do you think Ben will sit back and let Jerry handle the alien?”

  “No, I don’t. I need to find out what Ben has planned,” Maggie said.

  “I’m worried. Ben has been watching you a lot more lately. Please be careful around him. It was sweet of Corey to stand up for you like that,” Lily commented.

  “He didn’t need to. I can take care of myself.”

  “But he’s is in love with you.”

  “What?” Maggie sounded surprised. But Liam could see that the man named Corey would have fought the other man for her. It was clear to even him that this Corey cared.

  “He has been for years,” Lily confirmed.

  “But he never said anything … That explains the kiss he gave me a few days ago.”

  “He kissed you?!”

  The man kissed her? Liam growled with anger. He tried to break free of his bindings but couldn’t.

  “It was nothing. Anyway, I need to go hunt down Ben and see what he is planning.”

  “Just be careful.”

  “I will.”

  Chapter 7

  Maggie crept closer to the subway car that Ben and his tribe were being allowed to use temporarily. She still couldn’t hear anything and knew she had to get closer. She got on her hands and knees and crawled until she was underneath the car. She could hear them better now.

  “What do you think?” a man’s voice from inside the car asked. It sounded like Taylor.

  “We need to take him with us. He might know where more supplies and weapons are. All Jerry will do is feed him and get no answers,” Ben said.

  “What if he doesn’t have any information?” Taylor asked.

  “We might be able to trade him. He’s a Captain, someone is bound to want him back. His family or wife will pay for his return,” Ben told them.

  “What if there’s no one to make the trade?” Taylor asked, still unsure.

  “Then we kill him. He’s useless to us unless he can get us supplies,�
�� Ben stated plainly.

  “When do you want to take him?” one of the other men asked.

  “A few hours before dawn, when we know the tribe will be asleep. There will be fewer people standing guard. It’s the perfect time.”

  “He might fight us and wake everyone,” Taylor warned him.

  “So we’ll knock him unconscious before taking him,” Ben replied.

  ***

  Maggie had heard enough. She had to get Liam out of there before Ben came to take him. She made her way back to the subway car she shared with Lily and Thomas. Corey was waiting for her outside. She motioned for him to follow her in. She was glad to see that Thomas was already asleep.

  “What’s going on?” Lily asked.

  “I need to get Liam out of here right now.”

  “Liam?” Lily looked confused.

  “The alien, Captain Estro,” Maggie explained.

  “Why?” Corey asked.

  “Ben is planning on taking him after everyone falls asleep. If they can’t get what they want from him, they’ll kill him.”

  “What do you need me to do?” Lily asked.

  “I want you and Thomas to leave here for a while.”

  “And go where?”

  “Corey’s mother is visiting the Newberry tribe two tunnels over. I want Corey to take you and Thomas there to stay out of the whole mess. Ben might try to question you about where I’ve taken the alien. I want you safe.”

  “I don’t want to leave you, Maggie,” Corey said with concern.

  Maggie looked at him pleading. “Please, Corey. Lily, Thomas, and you are my only family. I need you three to be safe. I’ll take the alien to the subway entrance and set him free. Then I’ll head to the Newberry tribe and meet you there. I’ll claim to have no knowledge of the incident and maybe they will think the alien escaped on his own.”

  “This is insane,” Corey muttered.

  “Please.” Maggie looked at him with tears in her eyes. She never cried. Not since she had lost her Darla. But the fear that something could happen to her friends scared her enough to make her emotional.