by Scott Shoyer
As Howard stepped outside the craft, his head was removed by one of the alien’s clawed hands. He body fell down the platform that reached the ground and left a trail of blood like some kind of macabre red carpet.
“Get back, everyone!” Wilder shouted as he shot outside the craft to keep the aliens back.
The bullets went wide and high and didn’t hit any of the aliens. They all hid around the entrance of the craft and checked their weapons.
“I didn’t get that great of a look,” Wilder said to the others, “but it looked like there were a lot of them out there.”
“What the hell do they want?” Kimberly asked.
“Besides killing us?” Stefan answered.
“They want the vials,” Riker said. “You heard them inside the ship.”
“What’s so important about those vials?” Cheryl asked.
“You need to ask that?” Wilder said. “Look at me. I was almost dead from some kind of infection from my wounds. A little dose from those vials didn’t just save my life, it re-vitalized me. I feel better than I ever have.”
“I think the aliens we shot in the craft need the contents of the vials to survive on Earth,” Stefan added. “You saw them. You saw how much weaker and frail they looked.”
“And they also died a lot easier than the bastards out there,” Kimberly said.
“So what the hell are we going to do?” Steele asked. “They have us pinned in here and the only way out of the warehouse is through the same door we came in… unless there’s another hidden door.”
“Only Josef would know that and he’s out there with them,” Stefan said.
“I didn’t see Josef out there,” Wilder said. “I have no idea if he’s dead or alive, but I do know the only way we’re gonna get out of here is to get his detonator. This entire bunker is rigged to blow, and he has the device to bring it all down… in sections.”
“How the hell are we going to get the detonator?” Kimberly asked.
“What we have here is an old-fashioned standoff,” Wilder said as he checked his pistol and put a fresh magazine in his AK-47. “I have a plan. Stefan, give me the vials.”
5
The Fi-alien twisted the handle of the door and felt the lock snap in her hands. She quietly opened the door and walked through the corridor that led to the warehouse. The other aliens followed her, the Butsko-creature walked right beside her.
As they reached the door that led to the warehouse, the Fi-alien saw the old man had leaned against the rocks. He held a device in his hand about the size of a paperback book and placed it on the ground and stretched and loosened his back.
The Fi-alien broke down the door and in a split second had its clawed hand around the human’s neck. Killing him would have taken as much effort as shooing a fly that buzzed around its head, but it didn’t squeeze. It kept him alive to instead kill him in front of the other humans. It did check his pockets to make sure the vials weren’t in there.
The Butsko-alien studied the object the old man had placed on the ground and it recognized it from somewhere. It looked familiar, but it couldn’t figure out from where. The Butsko-alien looked at the old man and saw the pure fear in his eyes. The old man knew he was on borrowed time and could be killed at any moment.
“Wh… What do you want?” the old man stuttered.
The creatures could have spoken directly into his mind, but the Fi-alien decided against it. It knew he didn’t have the vials, so it wanted him to remain in a state of fear.
The Fi and Butsko-aliens heard gunfire from the craft in front of them and knew their brethren inside were dead.
More aliens filed through the corridor and filled the warehouse. When the humans tried to leave the craft, they would be ambushed and would have no choice but to hand over the vials.
And if they didn’t, the Fi-alien would use the old man for incentive.
6
Wilder told the others to remain where they were and to cover him. He raised his hands and slowly walked out of the scout ship. The aliens numbered well into the hundreds, and more continued to come through the door.
For the first time since they’d emerged from the cocoons, Wilder saw the aliens in a new light. They weren’t animalistic predators who killed human beings on a purely instinctive level. As he looked, he knew the aliens were highly intelligent and worked according to a plan and a schedule that was unknown to him.
The aliens in front of him were organized, disciplined, and followed orders. There was a definite hierarchal order at work among the aliens, not unlike a military structure.
Wilder saw Josef and assumed the alien that held the older man was the one in charge. It may not have been the ruler of the aliens, but it was definitely the leader in this room.
“I don’t know if you can understand me,” Wilder said to the alien who held Josef, “but I just want to talk.”
None of the aliens responded or even moved.
We understand you, buzzed the alien’s voice in Wilder’s head. The sudden violation in his mind made Wilder flinch. We are not here to talk. We want those vials. As the alien made its demands, Wilder watched as it tightened its grip around Josef’s throat.
Wilder’s muscles were as taut as the strings on a drawn bow. He wanted to charge after the lead alien, but knew it would be a death sentence for both he and Josef.
“We don’t have the vials,” Wilder yelled at the creature.
The alien’s coal-black eyes bore into Wilder’s as its clawed hand drew tighter around Josef’s neck.
“Stop it!” Wilder shouted as he took a step closer to the alien. “Stop it or you’ll never get those vials.”
You’re in no position to negotiate, the alien hissed in Wilder’s head.
“Oh no?” Wilder shouted back. He removed one of the vials from his back pocket and unscrewed the top. He tipped it over and watched as the contents dripped out onto the flood.
A deadly silence fell among the aliens as they watched the fluid pool on the ground.
You will regret that, Wilder! it screeched in his head. The Fi-alien raised its arm and held Josef in the air by his throat. The older man kicked against his tormentor, but it did about as good as throwing balled-up tissue paper at the creature.
“Go ahead!” yelled Wilder. “You kill him and you’ll never get the vials.” Wilder had already taken the tops off the vials and twisted his wrist enough to show the aliens he meant business, but not enough to spill any of the liquid. “I know how fast you bastards are, but I doubt you’re faster than the turn of my wrist.”
What do you want? the alien asked as it calmed down.
“You know what I want,” Wilder answered. “Release Josef and let all of us leave this place.”
You are smarter than that, Wilder, the alien said in his head. You must know that you’re all already dead.
“That might be the case, but if we’re to die, it is not going to be in this warehouse,” Wilder negotiated.
The alien that held Josef looked at the creature next to it.
Ah-ha, Wilder thought. There’s the second-in-command.
The other alien looked directly at him. Its eyes were just as dark as the lead alien, but there was something not as menacing about it. Wilder could almost feel the second-in-command alien’s thoughts searching his mind. But it didn’t seem to be violating his brain for information.
It sought recognition.
“Well, assholes?” Wilder shouted. “Do we have a deal?”
Josef began to turn purple just as the alien lowered him to the ground. Josef slammed against the floor and curled up into a ball. He gambled that the aliens would be more focused on Wilder and the others, and quickly swiped the detonator he dropped earlier.
Wilder saw what Josef did and tried to keep the attention on himself.
“If you want these,” Wilder said as he shook the vials, “then come and get them.”
The lead alien that’d previously held Josef by the neck took a step forward.
“Not you, assface,” Wilder said. “The one next to you can come get them.” Wilder nodded to the creature he thought was the second-in-command.
“Come on, Josef,” Wilder said. “Start walking over here.”
The alien walked behind Josef as he started forward and approached Wilder. Its feet shuffled a few times as it seemed to lose track of footing.
“Come on, Josef,” Wilder said. “Get over here and get with the others in the craft.”
As Josef walked past Wilder, he stopped to hug him. This, though, wasn’t a display of affection or gratitude from the older man. As they hugged, Josef slipped the detonator into one of the pockets on Wilder’s tactical vest.
*
The Butsko-alien hesitantly approached the human that stood in the entrance of the scout ship. Images flashed before its face as memories of a past life tried to bubble to the surface.
The Butsko-alien knew the human in front of it.
The image of itself fighting next to this man flashed in its mind. The alien closed its eyes and tried to erase the imprint the memory left behind.
The Butsko-alien stood five feet away from the man and held out its hand. The human looked into the creature’s eyes and hesitated.
I know you, the alien hissed in the human’s head. It protected its thoughts so none of the other aliens could hear it. I know you.
The Butsko-alien flashed an image into the man’s head. The memory was the battle they’d fought at the Lago Vista Golf Club.
*
Butsko? Wilder thought as he looked deep into the alien’s eyes. Is that you? What happened to you?
The Butsko-alien stood there and the two looked at each other.
Butsko, the creature thought. My name was Butsko. I was a soldier before… before this.
Wilder looked at Butsko. Why are these vials so important?
Butsko ignored his friend’s question as it reached out and took the vials.
Wilder walked up the platform backwards as he looked Butsko in the eyes. He didn’t understand what was happening, but he knew the alien that stood in front of him was Butsko.
Used to be Butsko.
Wilder watched Butsko as he walked back to the other aliens from the inside of the craft. Butsko held his hand up in victory and the others aliens grinned. But before any of them knew what it was doing, Butsko turned over the vials and emptied the contents on the ground. He then threw the vials down and crushed them underneath its foot.
The Fi-alien leaned back and bellowed out a high-pitched shriek as it ran toward Butsko. Wilder aimed his AK-47 to try and shoot the charging alien, but Butsko stood in the way.
The Fi-alien tackled Butsko and they fell to the ground. The Butsko-alien pushed the Fi-alien away and watched as it crashed into the rock wall. The other aliens moved away from them and none attempted to stop them.
Fi raked her claws across Butsko’s chest and opened up three deep gashes. Clear fluid gushed out. Butsko jumped into the air and kicked Fi in the face, breaking a few of her teeth. When he landed, he swung around and slammed his elbow into the side of her head.
Fi responded with a lightning-fast punch into Butsko’s chest. Her fist slid into the wound she’d previously made and tore away more of Butsko’s flesh.
Butsko howled in pain, grabbed Fi’s arm, and spun around quickly. He heard and felt a snap as the strong bones under his grip cracked. Now it was Fi’s turn to scream in pain, but she didn’t back down.
She punched at Butsko with her good arm and he easily dodged the fist. He used the momentum of her punch and slammed her into the rock wall. Fi stumbled back, dazed, but managed to wrap her clawed hand around Butsko’s throat.
Fi squeezed tight and Butsko felt some of the tiny bones in his neck snap. Lights burst in front of Butsko’s eyes and he knew he was losing consciousness. Fi’s hand was cutting off his air.
Just as Butsko’s legs began to go slack, a loud crack from the scout ship filled the warehouse. Wilder stood in the entrance of the craft with his machine gun aimed at the Fi-alien. The Butsko-alien saw the smoke coming out of the barrel and realized that his old friend had shot the Fi-alien. The bullet wasn’t enough to kill Fi, but in her injured state, it did enough damage for her to loosen her grip on his throat.
Butsko, in turn, grabbed Fi by the throat and repeatedly smashed her into the rock wall. He released her and her body fell lifelessly to the ground. Butsko grabbed her left ankle and picked her up so she dangled upside down.
You traitor, the Fi-alien hissed in Butsko’s head. You failed your own kind, and now the other aliens are doomed to live out their lives on the motherships.
That might be so, the Butsko-alien said in her head, but they will eventually engineer a new virus and will live to see tomorrow.
Butsko grabbed Fi’s other leg and pulled her body like it was a giant wishbone.
But you, Butsko taunted, won’t be around to witness that.
Fi howled in pain as Butsko tore her up her stomach. Butsko found renewed strength and didn’t stop until Fi’s body was severed in half.
Fi’s guts spilled out of her and hit the ground in a series of wet slaps. Butsko grabbed her heart before it fell out of the exposed cavity and crushed it in his clawed hand.
The other aliens kept their distance as the two leaders fought each other, but now that their leader was dead, they advanced on Fi’s killer. Butsko heard the shots from his friend’s gun and held up his hand to stop.
Butsko managed to look in Wilder’s direction as he ripped the head off one of the nearby aliens.
*
Wilder saw that there was no helping his old friend. He wasn’t exactly sure what’d just happened, but he knew he was looking at his friend Butsko and not an alien. Somehow, Butsko had managed to hold onto his humanity, and that was just what Wilder needed.
Butsko gave him hope.
Wilder hadn’t realized it until that moment, but he’d lost all sense of hope long ago and was just living to survive. Butsko gave something back to him… gave him the thing he needed to carry on the fight.
Hope.
Wilder removed the detonator that Josef had slipped into his vest pocket and armed it. He looked at the device in his hand, then looked one last time at Butsko before pressing one of the buttons on the detonator. The hidden corridor that led to the garage and the entire area where the Fi and Butsko-aliens had fought just moments ago exploded. Wilder and the others hid inside the scout ship as pieces of both aliens and rocks crashed into the craft.
The explosion shook the entire bunker and warehouse, and even though it took out many of the aliens, Wilder knew there would be more to take their places.
7
Inside the Scout Ship
“What the hell happened back there?” Cheryl asked. “It almost looked like you and that one alien were talking.”
“It was Butsko, Cheryl,” Wilder said as he ignored Stefan’s questions. “That was Butsko, and he saved us.”
A tear ran down Cheryl’s cheek.
“Saved us?” Stefan yelled. “Last time I checked, we were trapped in an alien craft surrounded by hundreds of aliens who want to kill us and with our only escape route blasted to kingdom come!”
“We all need to get to the control room below!” Wilder shouted.
No one moved.
“Let’s go, everyone!” Wilder shouted louder. “Get to the room below where we killed the aliens earlier.” Wilder then turned around and placed his hand against the metallic wall next to the opening of the craft. Lights came alive as the platform began to rise.
Some of the aliens had already recovered from the explosion and held onto the platform. Wilder and Cheryl stood side by side and shot at the aliens as they tried to climb onto the platform.
Three aliens made it inside the craft before the door shut and sealed itself. Cheryl’s carbine was empty and she threw it at the nearest alien and reached for Stevie.
Wilder emptied his clip into one of the aliens. He shot it in the ch
est and sprayed until bullets tore into its head and eyes. The alien was thrown back and lay unconscious on the ground.
The AK-47 was empty and Wilder had no time to reload. He dropped the machine gun and unsheathed the machete. Just as the alien lowered itself to tackle Wilder to the ground, he brought the machete down into the alien’s shoulder. Wilder pulled the blade out of the wound and stabbed forward. Machetes weren’t designed to be used to stab people, but Wilder put all his strength behind the thrust and pushed the blade through the alien’s stomach. He pushed down on the blade and opened a wide wound in his opponent’s belly. The alien’s clear blood and what looked like intestines slithered out of the wound and fell on its own feet. What could only have been a look of pain and shock registered on the alien’s face, and Wilder kicked the alien to the ground.
Wilder turned and saw Cheryl prying Stevie out of another alien’s face.
“You’re pretty deadly with that thing,” Wilder said as he looked at Stevie in her hands. He walked by the first alien he put down, removed his Beretta, and shot it once through each eye.
“Let’s go join the others down in the control room,” Wilder said, and he holstered the pistol and picked up the AK-47.
“Why are we going down there?” Cheryl asked. “Aren’t we just putting ourselves in a bad spot for when the aliens finally break into the ship?”
“Absolutely,” Wilder said. “The control room may be large, but there’s only one way in and out of it, and if the aliens corner us in there, we’re done for sure.”
Cheryl stared at Wilder.
“Then why the fuck are we going down there?” Cheryl screamed.
“Because I’ve got a trick up my sleeve,” Wilder said as he winked at her.
Chapter Sixteen
1
“I sure hope you know what you’re doing,” Riker said as Wilder walked around the control panel. “Those bastards won’t take long to break into this ship.”
Wilder worked quickly as he moved his hands around the control panel. Various lights and dials appeared and he pushed buttons and flicked levers as if he’d done it before.
