by Tom Holloway
I am telling John on his cell phone, “Nikki and my mother are in the city. I have called them, no answer, and I will not leave without them. And no, I am not ready. I have to wait for them. I know the enemy starships are out there. Everybody can see them. How can you not see them? They are massive, like six countries orbiting Earth every thirty minutes. Yes, I know they are Henry’s enemies. I know you are angry.”
“Anna, this is serious,” exclaims John. “You are in real danger; we are all in harm’s way. Lives could be lost. We need to get moving. The convoy is coming for you. We need to go right now.”
“John, yes, I know. I am packed and ready to go, and as said, just waiting for Mother. I have called her cell several times, Nikki’s, too. Nikki is here because of me. They went to the bank for some money. I will not abandon either one.”
“Anna, we have a convoy ready to go. There is no time. We will drive nonstop to New York City to Henry’s place. You have the best chance there if the aliens come after you. We think a flight would tempt fate, so we are staying out of the air; we think it’s safer to drive. We expect the aliens to come after you. Call me when they get there.” He hangs up.
My cell phone rings again. I answer, thinking it is John again. I feel my face go pale. It is Anthony; he says he has Mother and Nikki, says to come to the vacant hotel on Maple Street, just down the street. Bring no one or he will kill them. I say, “Yes, I understand, and I will be there. I understand. I know! I will tell no one.” There is fear in my voice; I cannot panic.
I hang up. My voice is shaking when I call John Jacobs; I exclaim, “John, Mother’s car broke down about eight blocks from here. Her security team will stay there with the car. Triple A is coming for the car. I will go get her and Nikki. They are close, five minutes away. You don’t have to go; I will go get them, and then we can head out.”
John forcefully says, “No way. I will drive you. No arguments, and I will take one of our guys just in case there are problems. We need to radio the security team; forget the car. We need to hurry. I can’t believe it, of all times!”
I start to object, but I say nothing when I hear John’s reaction. He says he will be there to pick me up in a minute.
On the way to get Anna’s mother and Nikki, John drives the car fast, and is wondering about Anna, thinking she is not herself. Anna is looking fearful, distraught, and panicked. He asks, “Anna, what is wrong?”
“John, I am so sorry. I have lied to you. I’m really frightened. This is bad, really bad. Anthony has my mother and Nikki. He’s taken out the security guys, killed them. Anthony just called; he says he just wants to talk. He said for me to come immediately, by myself, with no security; otherwise he will kill both of them. I do not want you to face this, John. I don’t want to be responsible for your death. Let me try to save them. I have no choice. You do. They’re just around the next corner. He’s waiting for me. Please stop; let me go on; it’s the best chance to keep them alive. He is crazy. He will kill them. He really will kill them!”
“Damn it, Anna! You have made it worse. I can’t believe you are just now telling me this. We could overpower him with a lot of troops. He is too cowardly to face death. I am stopping the car. We are going back to the house!”
Before they can completely back up to turn around, three black SUVs come up behind them fast. The first one slams into their car, hitting one corner, spinning it like a toy. John is staggering out the door as soon as it stops, his gun out. He does not realize two more SUVs have come from the front. Two gunmen with black ski masks are shooting out the windows with assault rifles, then hitting John with several rounds, exploding into his chest, leaving ugly, bloody wounds. He never had a chance to get his gun up. He falls, bleeding from his mouth, gasping for air. His fellow officer, attempting to save John, shares the same fate, shot several times and hitting the ground, thrown back hard.
I scream. Fearless, I am out of the car, rushing to John’s body. I am tackled by one of the gunmen, and then roughly forced down to my knees. Anthony gets out of the SUV, walks over to me, and grabs my hair, forcing me to look at him. I can’t help it, I spit in his face. He wipes it off and bellows at me, “So, ya want to see your mother and sister?”
Another thug pulls Anna’s mother and sister out of the second SUV, dragging them over to Anthony. Nikki fights, tries to break free. Anthony raises his gun at her, then, hearing a shriek from their mother, points the gun at her as she jumps in front of Nikki, trying to protect her. He shoots her in the face twice. Their mother falls backward silently into Nikki’s arms, blood everywhere. Nikki catches her, letting her mother down slowly, moaning, and holding her.
I gasp. I can’t talk, and I feel the horror. I see my mother lying there in Nikki’s arms, without moving, her open eyes staring up, blood covering her. Nikki is screaming at Anthony, a wild look in her eyes. Anthony calmly walks toward her. At ten feet away, he raises his gun and shoots her in the chest twice. She goes down like a rock, bleeding out everywhere.
I feel pure rage. I can see John’s nine-millimeter gun on the ground next to me. The gunman holding me sees it, too, but not soon enough. I slam my fist into the gunman’s nose, knocking him backward off of me. I lunge over, grab the gun, and come up firing. The first shot puts a hole in the gunman’s forehead as he is trying to grab me again. I turn, aim, and fire at Anthony, who has turned toward me, the rounds hitting him in his chest; his vest protects him. I fire another round in one arm and a third in the same arm. Anthony, shrieking in pain, falls backward.
I see the gunman next to Anthony aiming at me. I fire at him before he is able to take his shot. My round enters his neck; he falls forward, splattering blood all over the pavement. I carefully aim again, catching another gunman ten yards behind Anthony. The round enters his forehead above the right eye. I know they have vests on and that the head shots are necessary. I shoot one more gunman in the leg, up high, blood spurting from an artery. I know I am out of ammunition as I end up trying to fire an empty gun. Then I feel the impact as a bullet slams into my shoulder, entering high and knocking me backward; I land flat on my back. The round has exited out the back of my shoulder, the hole gushing blood. The shock of the pain with the impact is incredible, and then all is dark and quiet.
I wake up; looking up to a ceiling of an airplane seat, see a dim reading light. I can’t move my arms, although I feel little pain. I hear the whine of jet engines and I know I’m in an airplane, maybe a small corporate jet. I am strapped down onto a seat that is laid out like a recliner, just about level, almost horizontal, like a bed. There is a plasma bag above me, feeding me blood, attached with a long tube stuck into my arm. I look around and see several men sleeping in seats spread out, here and there, in a long cabin, of a big plane. I can see the pilot’s cabin lit up with red lights. I notice one passenger is also laid out like me, hooked to a blood plasma bag up above him. He is moaning in pain. I laugh, knowing who it is. I can see him; it’s Anthony. Too bad he is still alive.
Then I remember: my poor mother, then Nikki, John Jacobs, and his friend. All are dead. I cry silently. The anguish of it all, the pain and grief hit me, and it is unbearable. Is my baby still alive? Why am I alive? Where am I? It must be Anthony’s corporate jet. He has kidnapped me. If I could get out of these straps, I would kill him, finish the job.
I’m thinking I have surprisingly little pain. I feel strong, and my shoulder is fine. I know I was shot there. It was not an illusion. It must be Henry’s little medical repair slips. They are working. I do heal, and I feel well. I know my baby is fine, too, as I feel the little guy. They have saved our baby and my life and more. I still have a chance to get Anthony for all he has done. Thank you for that, Henry!
If I could just do it over, of course, I should have told John immediately. I was so stupid. I lost the most important people in my life. My poor mother and sister are gone because of me. John died a horrible death. Then there is John’s family. His wife, how could I face Judy? And John’s friend died defending me.
My stepfather is gone. My whole family has been destroyed because of my actions. All because of me. I caused all this grief. Even Henry is gone.
I am sobbing, can’t control it. That damned Anthony. May he die a horrible death!
The cabin lights come on, startling me. Speaking of the devil. I am looking up into Anthony’s ugly face, now puffy, and his arm dressed and bandaged. His eyes are wild from the pain and the medication. He snarls at me, then in his awful New York accent, part Italian and part mongrel, “Good mornin’, Anna. You woke me up with your cryin’. Maybe ya’re learnin’.”
I respond with acid in my voice, “Good morning, Anthony. I am delighted to see you are in a lot of pain. Dear me, what happened to your arm? You would be dead if you had not been wearing a vest. You are going to wish you were dead before this day is done.”
Anthony, grimacing, responds, “Anna, same for you. Since you are feelin’ better, you will be able to service my needs. Then ya get to see some aliens. I sold you to them. Since ya like aliens, I am doin’ you a favor. They are comin for ya. We have just enough time for some fun.”
“You fool! Do you think they will let you live? How did you contact them? They will track you now.”
“Anna, you will never learn to be a good girl with that kind of attitude. I called them on this plane’s communications equipment usin’ all channels. They actually responded! They had a translator who spoke American. I told them ya are Henry’s girlfriend, and they said they would pay me whatever I want. I am gettin’ as much gold as this plane will carry. We meet them in Rio, Brazil, at the airport. We will be there in two hours. They must want you bad. I did not tell them about ya bein’ pregnant, and since you are not showin’ much, maybe you will be able to hide it. See, Anna, I am not that bad a guy.”
Two of Anthony’s guys get up, coming at his waving for them. They grab me, holding me down, releasing the straps enough to turn me over. I fight, yet they easily overpower me, and they tighten the straps again. I am now facedown on the seat, pillows under my belly, causing my bottom to be up in the air.
I feel the dread of what he is going to do, knowing he will show no mercy unless I give him what he wants. I feel him pulling down my jeans, then pulling my panties down slowly, with his good arm he spanks my bottom hard, trying to humiliate me. I fight, scream at him to stop, that I will kill him slowly, that—
Baaaammmmmmm!
The explosion is loud and massive. I grab the seat for dear life as the plane jolts upward out of control!
The plane has crashed into something, causing it to violently surge up, maybe a hundred-foot bounce up, then drops down fast, sending Anthony and his men flying into the air with the loose baggage. Another explosion!
Boom…bisaaaaaa…ah!
The continuing explosions are ear splitting, painful, disorienting everyone, then causing overwhelming horror as the plane partially tears apart, still lunging up and down. The wings are coming off from the pressure of some kind of force field slowing the plane down. The forward momentum is ceasing; instead the plane is rising, slowly gaining altitude, going straight up, pulled up by some gigantic force. Then there are more unidentified loud noises, wild snapping sounds, wind blasting through the plane, the air pressure lost to the outside atmosphere, making it hard to breathe.
Another big bump, and the plane has rolled onto its side, the pilot’s cockpit now slanting down. Anthony is trying to move up the aisle, howling in pain, frantically holding on to a seat. The rest of the passengers are hurled up into the upper cabin space as the plane is turned over, everyone feeling it rising in midair. The pilots are screaming. The passengers are screaming. I am screaming. I am desperately hoping it might be the Cyclone: Maybe, could it be Henry? Maybe the locket called him. It is still around my neck. Could I be so lucky? Although I would not want him to see me like this; my bottom is still bare; it’s embarrassing, to say the least. Henry, is it you?
The seats are overhead now. The plane is upside down, still rising up higher in attitude. It is entering into some kind of hangar, pulled by some force, drawn into a hangar of some sort. It has to be a starship. Just who’s starship? It is too dark to see much of it, just some light from the hangar shining through the window portholes of the plane. The pungent odor is awful—must be coming in through the broken holes in the hull. It is like something died, a revolting odor. The plane is finally resting in the hangar now, the jolt of landing obvious.
I realize this is not Henry saving me. These are the aliens that attacked Henry. I am sure now as I can see them outside the jet’s portholes, looking into the cabin. These guys are the real thing, really bad-looking beings, just really ugly. Henry was right—I am not cut out for this kind of thing. I am terrified. My heart is racing, and I want to run but run where?
The plane starts to shudder, vibrating terribly. A laser saw is cutting down the middle, starting at the tail, moving fast. Everyone conscious is moaning or saying prayers. I can hear the pilots trying to use the radio, yelling, “Mayday,” asking for help. They are more than panicked, truly freaked out. I hear Anthony actually weeping. I know he is hiding in the restroom and has probably pissed in his pants. I hope I live long enough to see him get it. I have given up on the locket saving me and then remember I am still strapped to the seat with my bottom up in the air.
The aircraft simply falls apart as it is forced open, each half separated, and you can see the ceiling of the hangar about forty feet up. Then three god-awfull ugly real-life aliens climb in, ducking their heads, staring at everyone, using torch beams to shine down upon them. There is a little light in the plane. They are speaking in high, shrieking voices, grating like cat screams, not even close to English. No one understands what they are saying.
Four large drones, about the size of huge dogs, are now hovering around Anthony’s men. The drones attack randomly, spitting an acid-like liquid on each man and seeming to be energized by the shrieks of their victims’ extreme pain. Within minutes the men are turned into a jellylike substance; then each is sucked up into the drones’ large mouths; they look like large fish mouths, measuring about three feet wide and lined with sharp metal teeth. The drones chew with gusto. It is an efficient process, leaving no waste, although blood is everywhere.
It all sickens me as I watch everyone trying to get away from their imminent fate. I laugh as I think of that dumbass Anthony, who is thinking the restroom will protect him. The odor and the sizzling of the acid on human flesh is unbelievable, truly horrific; the pain must be intense. This is unreal; it is some kind of gruesome nightmare.
I can hardly wait for my turn! I think, Damn, Henry, where are you?
All are gone, except for Anthony, still in the toilet hiding. They are all dissolved, all eaten, yet the aliens and the drones continue to ignore me. One of the bigger aliens now comes down into the craft. The other aliens treat him with respect, maybe afraid of him. He has to lean down, as he is so huge, maybe nine feet tall, with long side limbs that are like big arms with long tentacles for hands, if you could call them hands. He looks like a big muscled rat with two long legs, not four legs, and no fur on him, as the skin is comparable to skin on a big dark-yellow hog. The clothing is some kind of filmy, gel-like covering with weird colors. On top of huge shoulders he has a massive head with a huge mouth, long jaws with a lot of wicked-looking teeth, no ears, no hair anywhere, and he smells bad. Surprising, his nose is like a human’s nose yet flat against his face, with really big eyes above his nose that could actually be called handsome.
He walks right by me, and then he comes back. He’s petrifying, and I almost pass out. My bottom is up in his face, embarrassing as hell. He squeaks something, and amazingly enough, totally unbelievable, I can understand him. I am connecting, as he is using telepathy. I have to smile; Henry’s slips are now working. I guess they must be energized by this starship. I can hear the alien’s thoughts resonating in my mind. This is so weird.
Astonishing enough, he is saying, “Calabra!”
I can�
�t believe it! Who would think? Absolutely crazy. I respond in kind: “Calabra!”
I hear him mentally when he asks, “Are you OK? I am going to remove your straps, thereby releasing you.” He unties me, saying, “Do not try to run from me; never try to escape; always stay close to me, especially when we leave here, as it can be hazardous here on our starship.”
I thank him and tell him I am fine. I try not to stare at him. My fear level is off the charts.
He nods his head. He asks, “What do you want to do about Anthony? He’s hiding in this little room here. I know you know him, as he told us about you. We have some of his memories concerning you. We know he killed your stepfather. One of our drones, like Henry’s, has downloaded many of his memories from his brain. The recent memories of your mother and sister are there, too. We do not need him alive, and his proteins and body chemicals will be recycled. Do you want to save him?”
I can’t believe it. Who would think he would ask me about saving Anthony, after telling me he knows Anthony killed my father? Did not see that coming. This is all so surreal. I stare at him, repulsed by his smell, thinking, Lord, he will take some getting used to!
He continues to look at me, expecting a reply. I am remembering my mother, Nikki and John.
I quietly respond, projecting my thoughts like I used to do with Henry. I respond, “No, I certainly do not want to save him. He is a hideous man and deserves a bad death.”
The alien turns from her, strides down to the plane’s restroom, and tears open the door as if it were paper. He pulls out a shrieking Anthony. Then, grabbing him in a better grip by his neck and thigh, he lifts Anthony’s whole body and hurls him down the plane’s center aisle.
