by Paul Moxham
“Sparks. His name is Loreto. General Loreto.” With a gasp, the man closed his eyes and his head slumped to one side.
Kenneth had seen more than one person die in front of him in the past, but that never made it any easier. He wished there was something he could’ve done. But, as he studied the man’s wounds, he realized it had only been a matter of time.
After checking the man’s pulse to confirm that he was indeed dead, Kenneth stood up. Grabbing the briefcase, he hurried up the road. As he arrived at the spot where the teenagers should have been, he glanced around. He smiled as they emerged from the trees.
“Where’s the man?” Molly asked, glancing around.
Kenneth hesitated. “Ah, he didn’t make it.”
There was silence for a moment or two before Derek finally spoke. “What are you going to do with that briefcase?”
Kenneth glanced down at the object he was clutching. “After we’ve gone to Doug’s, I’ll go to Sparks and hand this to the general. I don’t know what it contains, but it should be important.” He glanced behind him. The Seods were nowhere to be seen. “I have no idea if the Seods are still pursuing us, so keep alert.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and started walking up the road.
~*~*~
Xavier sighed and let the binoculars fall around his neck as he turned to Logan. “Only brute force can get us in there.”
Logan disagreed with Xavier. “There has to be another way.”
The four of them, Logan, Peter, Baldy, and Xavier, were studying the security measures that Sanchez had implemented around the pier. It was quite substantial. As Baldy explained to Logan and Xavier on the way to the harbor, security had been increased due to a recent attack by Muscles and his men one week ago.
Peter looked at his watch. “The boat will be arriving in half an hour.”
“Have you tried boarding the vessel from the water?” Xavier asked.
Baldy shook his head. “No.”
“We should do that then,” Logan stated. “If we can surprise them—”
“It’s no use,” Peter interrupted. “We don’t have access to a boat. Besides, Sanchez’s men control the water. I doubt we’d have time to steal a boat and board theirs, but even if we did, Sanchez would have us surrounded before we could get away with the goods.”
“So what do you suggest we do?” Logan asked.
~*~*~
Puffing and panting, Kenneth, Molly, and Derek reached Tahoe Summit Village. The tourist area was deserted like all the other places they’d passed through.
“Where’s the cabin where Doug is staying?” Derek asked.
“On the other side of the village, closest to the ski runs.” Kenneth paused as he noticed something in a shop window. “Hey, I could use those.” He opened the door and strolled into a skiing and snowboarding shop.
There was an abundance of items and, before long, the group found some clothing that fit nicely. Now decked out in warm winter coats, knit caps, and gloves, the group walked up the street. Arriving at the end of town, they looked around. They checked out several places that were nearby, but they were all empty.
“We haven’t made a mistake, have we?” Molly asked.
Kenneth checked the note once again to confirm that they were right. “It must be a bit deeper in these trees. Come on, let’s search.”
A few minutes later, Molly spotted some smoke as it drifted up into the air. “Hey, look!”
“Good eye.” Kenneth headed in the direction of the smoke and soon found himself in front of a small log cabin. It was almost identical to the one he and Logan had lived in up until a few days ago. He walked forward and knocked. “Hello! Is anyone in there?”
There was no answer. He tried again, this time using a slightly different tactic. “We’re friends of Xavier.”
This time, the door opened and a smallish man appeared. He had wavy blond hair, glasses, and a thin figure. He looked at Kenneth. “Xavier? As in—”
“The guy who served in the 31st Airborne,” Kenneth interrupted. “He told us to come here. I assume you’re Doug?”
The man smiled. “Yes, Doug Featherstone. How’s Xavier? I tried to get in touch with him yesterday and today, but no luck.”
“He’s fine,” Kenneth replied. “But his radio got damaged.”
“I see.” Doug urged the group inside. “Come in and warm yourselves by the fire.”
Soon, all three were sipping steaming cups of coffee as they sat beside the fireplace.
Kenneth leaned back in his chair. “This tastes good. I haven’t had coffee for a while.”
Doug pointed to a cardboard box next to the wall. “If you like, you can take some with you when you leave. I won a competition last year and the company gave me enough coffee to last a year. Or, in my case, a lifetime. I’ve had so much lately that I now drink mostly tea.”
Kenneth grinned. “Thanks, I will.”
“So, what brings you here?” Doug asked.
Kenneth stood up and walked over to the window before he answered. There was no movement. “We heard that the US Army was here.”
Doug gazed down at the floorboards. “Ah, yes, I did tell Xavier that. They were here, but they’re gone now.”
“I know. We saw them,” Kenneth said.
Doug gazed into Kenneth’s eyes. “You saw the bodies?”
Kenneth nodded as he returned to his seat. “Yes. Do you know how many survived?”
“Not many. I was out on patrol on my snowmobile and heard an explosion. I headed to where I could get a good look down the mountain and watched the scene unfold. They didn’t stand a chance.”
“Do you know if the survivors headed north?” Derek asked.
Doug nodded as he turned toward the teen. “Yes, how’d you know?”
“A soldier told us that they were planning to go to Sparks,” Derek explained.
Doug frowned. “You met someone? Someone who survived the attack?”
Kenneth quickly explained what had happened. As Doug heard the tale, he stood up and double-checked his weapons, which were standing in the corner. He then took some water and doused the fireplace.
As the flames died down, Doug sat back down. “I don’t want to frighten you, but if any Seods find this cabin, we’ll be in trouble. I saw what they did to those soldiers and it wasn’t a pretty sight.”
Derek looked at his sister. “Molly and I have grown up a lot in these last three weeks, but we haven’t actually fought a Seod, so I don’t know how much help we’ll be.”
“Did you see any weak spots in the creatures?” Kenneth asked. “From what I’ve heard, bullets just bounce off the armor they wear.”
Doug nodded. “When I was looking through the binoculars, it looked pretty impenetrable. You’d think that the creatures wouldn’t be as strong as us due to their size, but watching them, they seem to have at least double our strength. However, I believe I found a weak spot.”
Chapter 11
Kenneth’s eyes shone. “You did?”
“I think so,” Doug replied. “I believe that the clothing that the Seods wear makes bullets bounce off it, but only if the bullet is fired from a long distance away. What I’m trying to say is, when I saw a soldier shoot a Seod that was right in front of him, the effect seemed to be more damaging to the alien.”
“How close are we talking?” Derek asked.
“A few feet is ideal,” Doug replied.
Kenneth grimaced. “Well, you’d have to be pretty lucky to get that close.”
Doug nodded. “Yes, I know. But at least it’s something. And, in due time, we might find out more.”
Molly glanced around as though looking for a weapon or a place to hide. “So what do we do if they come here?”
“There’s a number of caves up on the north side of the mountain,” Doug said.
“What mountain?” Derek asked.
Doug walked over to a drawer, pulled out a map, and pointed to a particular spot. “We’re here. If you take the trail up t
o here, you’ll find yourselves at a cabin. It was built for the ski resort, but as it is vacant, I’ve been using it as a surveillance point. As for the caves, there’s a couple on the east side of Monument Peak, which is here.”
“That’s quite a distance,” Derek said. “What is it, three or so miles over rough terrain?”
“I’ve never tried walking there. I use my snowmobile. Anyway, it isn’t as though you’ll need to go there. Most likely, the cabin, the one that the ski resort people built, will be suitable.”
“I don’t see how safe we’d be in a cabin,” Kenneth said.
“Well, no. That’s why the cave’s the best,” Doug replied.
“Why?” Molly asked.
“Well, there’s actually another cave a bit higher up. You can only get to it if you climb up a steep cliff, so I don’t think that anyone would search up there for you. But enough talking about the future. What are your plans for now?”
“We have to get to Sparks to deliver the briefcase,” Derek said.
“Ah, yes, the briefcase. May I see it?” Doug stood up as Kenneth reached for the backpack and pulled it out.
Doug grabbed the case, sat back down, and closely examined it. It was white, shiny, and hard. “Hmm, this looks like the material that the Seods wear.”
“That’s what I thought,” Kenneth said. “I just wish it were as flexible.”
Doug frowned as he turned the briefcase around, searching for something. “I can’t find how to open it.”
“Let me see.” Kenneth took the suitcase from Doug and examined it. It was just as Doug had said. It looked exactly like a briefcase, except for the fact that there was no lock, no key hole, nothing to open it. There was a tiny slit in between the metal, so Kenneth knew that it did open, but he had no idea how.
“I wonder what’s in it,” Molly muttered.
“Let’s find out.” Doug stood up. “I’ve got an axe by the woodpile. If that can’t open it, nothing can.”
The group headed out of the cabin and made their way to the back of the building. There was a pile of wood and leaning against it was an axe. A tarpaulin covering a snowmobile was next to the pile.
After placing the briefcase on an old piece of wood, Doug reached for the axe. “I’ll just try to make a dent in it, just to see how strong it is.”
“Don’t hit it too hard,” Derek said. “We don’t want to break what’s inside.”
“I’d be surprised if you made a dent in it.” Kenneth fell silent as Doug swung the axe.
It hit the briefcase with a loud thud, but there wasn’t a scratch. Doug tried again, this time a bit harder. Same result.
“I’ll try my hardest this time,” Doug said. Gripping the axe tightly with both hands, he swung it over his shoulder before thrusting it forward.
The axe hit the briefcase with such force that it flew out of Doug’s hands. Doug stared at the briefcase. Not a single mark. Not even a tiny scratch.
“I didn’t think you’d be able to make a dent,” Kenneth said.
Doug slowly nodded. “You were right. Well, I guess I won’t be finding out what’s in this thing. Come on, let’s head back inside.”
Kenneth followed the others to the door, then paused. “I’ll just check the road.” He turned and hurried across the snow. He rubbed his gloves together as he went. The sun was out, but it was still pretty cold. It reminded him of the many nights that he and Logan had spent together in their cabin.
Reaching the road, he glanced around. No one was around. Not wanting to take any chances, he started jogging down the road, planning to go as far as the intersection. If he didn’t see any Seods there, then he’d be able to relax a bit. He had no idea what was in the briefcase, but if the Seods had stopped chasing them, then it probably meant that it wasn’t that important. On the other hand, if they were still in the vicinity, then there had to be something valuable in it. It was so annoying that he couldn’t find out how to open it, but short of dropping it off a tall cliff, he didn’t think they’d be able to open it.
As he jogged, his thoughts turned to Logan. As brothers, they’d often been together, but in later years, especially when Logan had gone to Iraq and Syria, they’d spent many months apart. Hopefully, they’d soon be together at Stinson Beach. With these thoughts in his mind, he realized he had reached the turnoff.
Puffing and panting, he came to a stop and gazed around. He didn’t see anything at first, but then he paused. Between the trees, two hundred feet or so away, was a Seod. As they all looked exactly alike, he couldn’t tell if it was the same one, but it didn’t matter. He crouched down, turned, and hurried away.
Bursting into the cabin a few minutes later, Kenneth didn’t even slow down. “We need to get out of here! I saw a Seod by the main road.”
Doug quickly stood up. “Did he see you?”
“I don’t know, but I can’t take any chances.” Kenneth walked over and packed the briefcase into the backpack. He turned to Doug. “You coming with us?”
“Yeah. We can head up to that cabin and see if we’re followed.” Doug looked at his radio transmitter that was sitting on a wooden shelf next to the bed. “It’s a pity I can’t bring that with me.”
“The Seods might not touch it,” Molly said.
“Well, I’ve actually stopped getting signals over the last three days, so it probably doesn’t matter,” Doug replied.
“Is it broken?” Derek asked.
“No, but I think the military found out the Seods were listening in on their conversations. After all, the attack on those soldiers seemed to be more of a sneak attack, almost as though they had traced the radio transmission.”
Kenneth frowned. “But that means they could be tracking you as well. When was the last time you transmitted?”
“I tried earlier today but didn’t get a response.” Doug strode forward, and after grabbing his rifle, he smashed the machine. Then taking a backpack that was sitting beside the bed, he turned to Kenneth. “Take this and keep watch for any Seods.” He gave him the rifle. “I’ll get the snowmobile hooked up to a sled.”
As Molly and Derek went to help Doug, Kenneth headed in the opposite direction. Reaching the road, he leaned against a snow-covered tree and looked around. Time stood so still that any slower and they’d be travelling back in time. In the distance, a shape glided toward him.
Looking closer, he saw that it was a Seod. Kenneth raised his rifle but then paused. It would be better to wait. There was no use giving away his position. Besides, it wasn’t as though the bullets would do anything. It’d just be a distraction.
Suddenly, Molly squealed out, “We’re ready!”
Kenneth froze as the Seod turned toward him. Not waiting a second longer, he turned and twisted as he slipped between one tree and the next.
Cursing to himself, he wondered why Molly had yelled. As he arrived at the cabin and saw her standing by the door, he hurried over to her. “Why didn’t you come and get me? I think the Seod heard you.”
“What? I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking,” Molly apologized, her face reddening. “Doug just told me to tell you and I just—”
“Don’t worry about that now,” Kenneth interrupted as he hurried to the back of the cabin. He paused when he saw the snowmobile.
A sled was now attached to the end of the snowmobile by two ropes. Derek, with his feet in handmade footholds, was gripping tightly onto another rope that went between the two vehicles. He also saw that a pair of skis had been attached to the runner of the snowmobile.
Kenneth frowned. “Are you sure that’ll hold?”
Doug nodded. “It may look unsafe, but that rope is one of the toughest you can find. As long as we don’t go over any rocks, we’ll be right.” He looked at Derek. “If you keep your feet in those footholds and hold on to that rope, you shouldn’t fall off.”
Molly raced up to them. “I just saw a Seod!”
Kenneth climbed onto the snowmobile. “Let’s hurry then.”
Molly joined Derek a
s they waited for Doug to start the engine. But he didn’t. Instead, he looked at the two fuel cans that sat nearby.
“What are you waiting for?” Derek said, anxious to get going.
“If we could create a distraction, it would give us more time to escape. How long do you think it will take the Seod to find the snowmobile tracks?” Doug took hold of one of the cans and asked Kenneth to take the other. “Let’s coat the inside of the cabin with this.”
“Are you sure?” Kenneth asked. “You won’t be able to come back to—”
“I’m sure,” Doug interrupted.
The two of them quickly spread the flammable liquid all over the cabin. While they were doing so, Kenneth looked through the window and saw the Seod. “Hey! He’s here.”
As Doug walked over to look, the creature spotted them. Without hesitation, the creature opened fire.
“Let’s get out of here.” Doug flinched as green bolts shattered the glass. Ducking down, he led the way out of the cabin and onto the snowmobile. He started the engine. After Kenneth had climbed on, he gunned it and drove away from the cabin.
Molly, who was holding onto Derek tightly, stared back as the building disappeared from sight. She waited for the Seod to appear, but he didn’t. But still she kept watch.
The snowmobile roared up the mountain just as a loud explosion rang out. She hoped that would keep the Seod distracted for a while.
They arrived at the cabin on top of the hill a short time later. Doug slowed down and came to a stop. He climbed off the machine and gazed down the hill. “There’s a ridge just past those trees where you can see the cabin from, so I’ll just have a look with the binoculars and see if I see anything.”
Kenneth hurried after Doug, glancing over his shoulder as he did so. “We’ll be back in a minute.”
It didn’t take long to walk past the fir trees and scramble up some boulders, and the two of them were soon at the ledge. As soon as Kenneth looked down at the cabin, he saw the smoke. He couldn’t miss it. It billowed high up into the air. “Can you see anyone?”
Doug shook his head. “No. If we’re lucky, he was killed in the blast.”
Suddenly, Derek whooped. “Kenneth!”
