Noah Jordan vs. The Aliens

by Tyler Wild

  I breathed a sigh of relief. My heartbeat slowly returned to normal.

  “I don’t like those bastards rummaging through my house,” Floyd grumbled.

  The girls huddled around, terrified.

  “Do you think they’ll come back?” Madison asked.

  Floyd shrugged. “There’s no telling. We just need to hunker down and keep a low profile. I don’t want anybody going outside today.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement.

  Floyd’s face crinkled up with concern. His frantic eyes scanned the bunker. “Where’s Daisy?”

  We all shared an uneasy glance.

  Floyd searched the bunker, but Daisy was nowhere to be found. “She was here when I went to bed last night. Has anyone left the bunker?”

  Hannah had a guilty look on her face. She stammered, “I did.”

  All eyes fell on her.

  “I couldn’t sleep,” she said, defensive. “I snuck out and smoked a joint on the porch. She must have gotten out then.”

  Floyd’s face tensed, and he did his best to contain his anger.

  “I’m sorry,” Hannah said, sincerely.

  “This is no good. She’s out there with those damn things running around!” Floyd was distraught.

  “She’s a smart dog,” I said. “She’ll be okay.”

  “I’ve got to go find her.” Floyd ambled to the door.

  I chased after him and grabbed onto his arm. “Not now! It’s too dangerous. I’ll go with you as soon as the aliens move out of the area. You not going do Daisy, or us, any good if you get yourself killed.”

  Floyd grumbled to himself. As he cooled off, he agreed with my assessment of the situation. His eyes flicked to Hannah. “And the next time you decide to smoke a joint, let me know. I think we all could use a hit.”

  “You got anymore?” Phoebe asked.

  29

  “I feel terrible. I hope you can forgive me,” Hannah said. “I wasn’t thinking.”

  Floyd forced himself to be cordial. “I’m sure Daisy will be fine.” He stormed into his room and closed the door. He needed time alone.

  Hannah glanced to me. “I feel like such an idiot.”

  “I didn’t know you smoked?” I said.

  “Speaking of,” Phoebe said. “Darrell had a grow. Rows and rows of it. It’s on the back 40 acres of his property. We might want to harvest their bud—for medicinal purposes, of course. Something tells me good quality herb will be hard to come by. We might want to stock up.”

  “First, we need to find Daisy,” I said. “Then we can worry about herbal medicine.”

  “You know what kind they were growing?” Hannah asked. “Indica or Sativa?”

  “Sugar, I don’t know. It was good shit, I know that. And I tell you that stuff will come in handy if we need to barter for anything. That is, supposing we live long enough.”

  “She’s got a point,” Hannah said.

  “It’s Floyd call,” I said. “It’s his place. He makes the rules around here. I think we’d be taking a big risk going back over there and harvesting their bud. Especially with these alien patrols running around.”

  “I’m pretty sure Darrell and them booby-trapped the field,” Phoebe said. “Something to consider.”

  I got dressed and cooked us all breakfast. The glorious aroma of bacon, eggs, pancakes, and maple syrup, filled the bunker. I asked Madison to let Floyd know breakfast was ready.

  She knocked on his door and returned a moment later with a sad face. “He says he’s not hungry.”

  “He needs to eat,” I said. “We all need to keep our strength up.”

  “You’re more than welcome to talk to him, but I think he needs some time alone,” Madison said. “You have to understand, Daisy means everything to him.”

  “I’m such a moron,” Hannah said, chiding herself. She looked like she was going to start bawling.

  Madison put a comforting hand on her back. “It was an honest mistake. We’ll find Daisy.”

  About the time I finished breakfast, Floyd emerged from his bedroom. He was in a slightly better mood, but he was champing at the bit to get out there and look for his dog. There was no talking him out of it.

  “Finish your breakfast,” Floyd said. “I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m done,” I said, gobbling down the last few morsels. “I’m going with you.”

  I grabbed my plasma rifle and headed for the door. Madison and Phoebe both gave me a peck on the cheek and urged me to be careful. I assured them I would return unscathed, but I had my doubts.

  Floyd checked the security monitors. The area looked clear. We left the bunker and made our way up to the house, then peered through the windows. Satisfied that there were no aliens in the immediate area, Floyd and I left the house and marched toward the woods.

  “Where do you think Daisy would be?” I asked.

  “She’s run off before and usually comes back within a day. Who knows? She could have chased a varmint into the woods, but I would have expected her back by now.” His face was tense with concern.

  We pushed into the forest, moving with caution. It wasn’t like we could call out for Daisy for fear of alerting the aliens to our presence. For all we knew we were walking into a nest of creatures. There is no telling how many of them were out there scouring the terrain.

  “Daisy!” Floyd hissed.

  We inched through the forest, trying to be as stealthy as possible. I gripped my plasma rifle tight, and my palms started to sweat. My eyes scanned from left to right, like a watch tower. I listened for the slightest noise as Floyd continued to whisper for Daisy.

  We were deep in the forest when an alien craft rumbled overhead in a slow sweep of the area. The thrusters rippled the air and fluttered the canopy of leaves.

  Floyd and I hugged a tree and held still as the craft flew by. Maybe it was heading to the extraction point to pick up the squad of aliens that had marched through the house?

  We continued through the forest, hopping a rickety barbed wire fence. I pushed the rusty wires down and straddle the fence, trying not to snag my sack on the barbs.

  “This is Harlan Jamison’s property,” Floyd said. “I wonder if he’s still living?”

  As we moved through the trees, we heard the distant yelps of Daisy. She was in trouble.

  30

  I followed Floyd as he rushed ahead, making more noise than he probably should have been. He wanted to get to Daisy as fast as possible.

  “Son of a bitch!” he muttered as he caught sight of Daisy’s yellow fur.

  He scurried to the terrified animal whose paw was caught in a foot-trap.

  Floyd knelt down beside Daisy and released the jaws of the trap. She pulled her paw free, and Floyd inspected the area for any damage. The trap had taken some fur from the top of Daisy’s paw, but she didn’t appear to have any broken bones.

  Floyd loved on the dog and stroked her fur. Daisy licked his face and was overjoyed to see him.

  “Harlan and his damn traps,” Floyd grumbled. “He had a bit of a coyote problem.” Floyd hugged Daisy. ”It's okay, girl. You're safe now.”

  Safe was a relative term. We were an hour’s march from the safety of the bunker. And dozens of those damned aliens were creeping around the woods.

  Floyd fed Daisy a doggy treat, and she crunched it down and lapped at some water from Floyd’s canteen.

  "Poor thing. I bet she's all stressed out," I said.

  A glowing plasma bolt blasted through the forest, slamming a tree trunk next to me. Chips of bark pelted me in the face. I dropped to the ground and scurried for cover.

  Floyd held onto Daisy and flattened himself against the ground. She barked incessantly.

  Another stream of bolts raced toward me. They seemed to come out of nowhere. Then I recognized the outline of an invisible figure. The active camouflage was mirroring the surroundings. When the creature moved, the armor flickered, drawing attention to its form.

  I took aim and squeezed off a few rounds at the alie
n as he ducked behind a large oak. My blasts impacted the tree trunk, but left the alien unscathed.

  He angled his weapon around the tree trunk and sent another flurry of blasts in my direction.

  "Keep him occupied," Floyd said. "I'm going to flank him. Daisy, stay!” he commanded.

  The dog obeyed, staying low. Floyd crawled through the underbrush while I exchanged volleys with the alien. I grabbed a plasma grenade from my tactical vest and hurled it through the forest. It tumbled across the leaves and rolled to the base of the tree. The brilliant explosion rumbled the ground and incinerated the oak tree, leaving a burning spire of branches and leaves.

  "I guess I don't need to flank him," Floyd said.

  We staggered to our feet and brushed the dirt from our pants. There was a deep crater in the ground where the tree had been. The charred remains of the alien were indiscernible.

  Smoke rolled high into the sky. I heard the distant rumble of the alien aerial vehicle. It was no doubt heading our way to investigate the commotion.

  "I think we've overstayed our welcome," Floyd said.

  "I agree."

  We scampered back toward the house racing to the property line. My legs drove me forward, and my chest heaved for breath. I hopped the barbed wire fence, and in my haste snagged my inner thigh. The rusty barb tore through my jeans, and my flesh.

  It took a moment for the burning, stinging sensation to kick in. Fresh blood blossomed on my jeans. It was a superficial cut. Nothing serious. But I wasn't happy about it.

  We raced back toward the bunker. The alien craft hovered over the site of the explosion and several warriors dropped from the craft. They didn't rappel down ropes. They must have had some type of anti-gravity technology that allowed them to drop 50 feet and land on the ground as if suspended by a parachute.

  We took cover behind trees and held still. Floyd held on to Daisy, urging her to remain silent. She was a smart dog, and she knew when not to bark.

  The alien squad fanned out and scoured the area.

  Floyd and I waited with bated breath to see if they would look in our direction.

  It didn't take long for them to pick up on our position. I don't know if they detected our heat signature on infrared, or if they had some other type of technology, but the alien squad moved in our direction.

  We were going to have to stand our ground and fight. There was no sense trying to run and potentially leading them back to the bunker. But we were vastly outnumbered, and out-gunned.

  31

  Another alien combat aerial vehicle rumbled overhead. A squad dropped from the craft, piercing the canopy of leaves, flanking us from behind. Within moments we were surrounded by a superior alien force.

  The armor-clad creatures advanced with their weapons in the firing position. We had no choice but to surrender. We set our weapons on the ground and raised our hands high in the air. Floyd kept one hand firmly gripped on Daisy’s collar, attempting to hold her back.

  The aliens stood, on average, about 7 feet tall. They were slender, well-muscled creatures with powerful legs and arms. Hock joints on their legs gave them incredible speed and jumping ability.

  Daisy barked and growled incessantly at the creatures. Her pearly fangs glistened with saliva, and the dog showed no fear as it tried to intimidate the massive creatures.

  The squad leader yelled something in the alien language. The grisly voice blared from a distorted speaker in the alien’s helmet. The command caused two of the goons to aim their weapons at Daisy.

  A wave of fear and panic rushed through my body. I’m sure Floyd felt the same way. I didn’t speak the alien language, but it was clear if Daisy didn’t stop barking they were going to shoot her.

  She was just another creature to them. A dog didn’t have any significant value. It was man’s best friend, not theirs. The aliens looked at dogs like they were rodents or any other varmint. As far as they were concerned, Earth was theirs to do with as they pleased. Its inhabitants were little more than pests.

  “Easy, girl,” Floyd said. “Easy.”

  Daisy stopped barking, but continued a low guttural growl. Her narrow eyes flicked about the aliens.

  “Sit, Daisy. Sit.”

  After a moment, she complied.

  “Good girl.”

  The squad leader pulled a device from his utility belt and shot Daisy. She slumped to the ground motionless.

  My jaw dropped, and my eyes widened. It felt like someone had stabbed me in the heart. I couldn’t breathe.

  I could only imagine how Floyd felt. His face boiled with rage, and he wanted to charge the squad leader. But angry barrels of plasma rifles held him back.

  Daisy was still alive. Her chest rose and fell with each breath. The alien had zapped her with some type of stun-gun. A neural disruptor.

  The squad leader holstered the small weapon and motioned for his men to take us captive. Two squad members approached and put us in wrist restraints. They were a high-tech version of handcuffs, hinged together and secured by some type of magnetic clasp.

  Once we were secured, the aliens frisked us for weapons. They took all the goodies from my tactical vest and confiscated my plasma rifle as well as Floyd’s AR-15.

  I was surprised to hear an English word escape the alien’s lips. I didn’t even know if it had lips, I just assumed there was some type of mouth beyond that ominous face-mask.

  “Move!" the creature said.

  The aliens motioned with their rifles for us to move through the forest. We marched through the woods and I felt the occasional nudge of a plasma rifle between my shoulder blades when I wasn’t moving fast enough for their taste.

  They marched us to a clearing where an alien dropship had landed. I had to admit, I was partially terrified, and partially curious. I was about to be loaded aboard an alien craft. It was pretty damn cool looking, I had to say. Sharp angular features, swept wings, massive thrusters, and a small ramp led to a cargo area. It was designed to carry troops to and fro in the field. It was an alien version of a Black Hawk helicopter. The craft had a satin black finish with hues of purple, depending upon which angle you looked at it.

  There were fold-down seats against the bulkheads, and the aliens motioned for me to sit. It wasn’t exactly comfortable with my hands tied behind my back—nor were we able to buckle our safety harnesses.

  The pilot engaged the vertical thrusters and the craft lifted from the ground. With a gesture of his hand, he activated the rear thrusters, and the craft launched forward.

  We angled around, and for an instant , it looked like we were heading toward the massive flying saucer that hovered over downtown. Through the front windshield, I could see the skyline and the ominous craft in the hazy distance.

  The pilot angled the nose of the craft skyward and throttled up. I used my legs to brace myself and it was all I could do to keep from falling out of my seat as we rocketed toward the upper atmosphere.

  Holy shit!

  We were going to space!

  32

  The craft rumbled as we rocketed through the turbulent upper atmosphere. Then the freakiest thing happened.

  I lifted from my seat and floated into the air as we entered the weightlessness of space. I had to admit—it was pretty cool. I had always dreamed of going into outer space. Ever since I was a child, the idea of space travel and exploring the galaxy captured my imagination. I never imagined I'd be going into space as a prisoner.

  The craft angled toward a massive mothership that hovered in orbit above the planet. It made the ships that dominated the cities look like small coasters. Lights flickered across the exterior hull. Tall spires protruded into space with blinking lights. Exterior panels formed intricate designs.

  The momentary joy of experiencing weightlessness was quickly overshadowed by feelings of doom as we approached the massive ship. I had no idea what they were going to do with us. Worse yet, my mind was filled with thoughts of the girls. Were they okay? Would they venture out looking for us and risk capture
?

  I felt as though I had abandoned them. Maybe I should have let Floyd go on his own and stayed back to watch over them? There was no point in trying to second-guess things. It wasn't going to change anything.

  The sensation of weightlessness abruptly ended as the pilot flicked on the artificial gravity. I crashed to the deck, landing on my side.

  The squad of alien soldiers burst into laughter—or their version of it, at least.

  I peeled myself from the deck and climbed back into my seat. I glared at the tall creatures, not finding it amusing.

  As we approached the alien ship, a massive bay door opened, and the dropship crossed the threshold, moving into the landing bay. We passed through some type of electromagnetic barrier that maintained atmospheric pressure within the landing bay, despite the exterior doors remaining open.

  The dropship landed on the flight deck with a small jolt. The cabin depressurized as the back ramp lowered.

  An alien goon motioned for us to exit the vehicle. We strolled down the ramp to the flight deck.

  The Officer of the Deck barked at us in the indecipherable alien language. The soldiers marched us in one direction while another goon carried Daisy away.

  Floyd’s face tensed. He craned his neck over his shoulder, watching as they carried her off. “I swear to God, if you hurt her, it will be the last thing you ever do!”

  I don’t know if the aliens understood what he was saying, but they didn’t seem to care. A goon shoved him along and kept us marching.

  The flight deck bustled with activity. Dropships and attack fighters came and went. Flight crews scurried about, attending to ships, loading ordnance, performing maintenance, refueling, and various other tasks.