“No doubt I’ll find them, but what will you do?” Carter asked. “Sign up the best Halo addicts?”
Stronge ignored the FBI man. “I have to admit, brigadier general, that no one has real alien combat experience like you. You’ve got your strike force. Train them here in Florida until we identify a target.”
Colon better choose a confident bunch, because looking around his base and seeing how the enemy dominated them sent a chilling message – like stepping into the ring with a boxer who KO’d his last five opponents in the first round. They better assemble elsewhere.
“Yes, sir,” Colon saluted him.
Rolling his eyes, Carter mumbled, “Sticking with the screw up,” just loud enough for them to hear. The FBI agent’s phone buzzed with a message so he ignored the secretary of defense’s scowl and read it.
“You better get your space troopers, or whatever you call them, ready soon,” Carter said. “A strong lead turned up. I think I know where Moni’s headed.”
7
Big and near empty, Texas never ended. Since circling around the outskirts of San Antonio, Moni hadn’t seen much besides dirt for hundreds of miles on Interstate 10. At least in Florida, the rural highways had trees and bushes. Here, a prickly scrubland felt like a forest.
The night sky was spellbinding, more stars than she’d ever seen. Moni clasped hands with Aaron and exchanged a smile while the celestial bodies and the dusty cloud of the galaxy put on a light show which existed only for them. The alien swarm curdled down her spine into her nervous system, making her fingers and toes tingle. Flinching, she withdrew her palm. They had viewed those same stars for eons on their journey to Earth as mere seeds cast into the emptiness by a dying species. They hadn’t come here to be imprisoned inside her body.
As Moni drove through her world’s vast expanse, she reminded her parasites that she didn’t exactly choose them either.
Aaron sprayed his hand with bleach and rubbed it in, just in case.
Moni drove fourteen hours a day with the sulfur and iron coursing through her blood. Aaron only took the wheel for a few hours at a time since the monotony of the open road taxed his concentration.
It’s not like there was a lake around for her to plunge the car into if the little beasties took hold of her. “Try making an underwater home out here, you little shits.”
When she came across a rare, wind-beaten outpost she eyed it with suspicion. Out here would people know about the invasion? Would they recognize her face? She had to stop some time for gas, and not just for the car.
Cycling all that gasoline through her body made her nervous about using public restrooms. Fearing that her urine was teeming with alien nanotech, Moni resorted to using a bucket in secluded areas, often behind bushes or billboards. She couldn’t just pour the toxic mix into the soil. So she dropped in a match. Yes, she had flammable urine. Judging by the way Aaron rolled up the car windows it wasn’t the most pleasurable aroma.
Then there was a matter of feeding Aaron. He harped about eating “hobo steak”, his nickname for the beef jerky they dined on from the rickety convenience stores along the highway. He’d pair it with chips that had languished on those dusty shelves practically since the Reagan administration. Aaron didn’t have a bitter bone in his body, but Moni saw the strain this ordeal put on him. All he wanted to talk about was his marine lifestyle back home – waking up early to surf against the backdrop of sunrise, boating out to the reefs and snorkeling with tropical fish, stuffing fishing gear in his locker so he could go straight to the pier after school.
That pier had no doubt disintegrated with the rest of the lagoon.
Moni mostly listened. Her life story wouldn’t uplift him any, or make him feel better about the person he chose to venture into the vast West Texas wasteland with. He’d already met her father, and fortunately neither of them would have to face that abusive creep again.
One night, while Aaron dozed in the passenger seat, lights blinked on the horizon ahead. They started zooming by buildings, small stores at first, then scattered housing developments. El Paso had emerged from the cool desert night.
Moni would rather avoid a densely populated area like that, with over 2 million people between El Paso and its Mexican neighbor Ciudad Juárez. One misplaced drop of her blood or saliva could trigger an infected uprising that would make the mutant army in Florida look like a pack of prairie dogs.
The hotels along the interstate that wound through the city tempted her. Colorful signs beckoned her to stop and stretch her stiff legs. One of them boasted about a resort casino not too far away. They only stayed in ramshackle roadside inns, and Moni didn’t dare so much as turn on a water faucet. How wonderful it would feel to slip into a warm bath and lather her body with soap. Her spine quivered. An impulse tugged at the wheel, steering her towards the next exit. Of course, they would love that too. How easy would it be for a microscopic critter to drip out of her nostril and down the drain into the sewer system? Moni kept driving.
The highway curved around the great dark mass of the Franklin Mountains, leading Moni away from the isolated patchwork of illuminated windows and street lights. Glancing at the map, she considered heading south towards New Mexico State Road 9. It would be the most deserted route, crossing few towns all the way through the state. But it was so close to the Mexican border that she could attract the attention of federal patrols. The area was being monitored by drones and satellites for immigrant smuggling and drug trafficking. She didn’t need anyone stopping her and asking questions, or running the car’s Florida plates and seeing the vehicle reported missing.
Moni stuck with Interstate 10 as it headed north towards Las Cruces. The closer she got, the more she noticed the desert blooming underneath the highway lights. Clusters of trees – she felt like she hadn’t seen them in ages. She ignored the exit signs promising cozy lodging. At the western edge of the city she crossed the Rio Grande, the river she had shadowed for hundreds of miles. Minutes later, the green receded into the desert. All the lights, the comforts of the civilized world, were in her rearview mirror as her car sped into the darkness. Slowing down and peeking at the map, Moni realized there was over 50 miles of desert between her and the nearest town, tiny Deming. Better to crash somewhere that would put fewer people at risk. The Prius had about a gallon left and her stomach was straining, after Moni sucked the gas can dry for lunch. She didn’t want to chance it. The small airport coming up, which had a gas station on its outskirts, would be her final stop before the overnight haul. They call it an international airport, but no planes were active at this late hour and she sensed only two people there. She put on her cap and pulled the bill low over her face as she pulled into the station.
Moni was surprised by the brisk cool air on her face when emerging from the car. Florida early summer nights were only slightly less sizzling than the days and just as humid, but here it was easily in the 50s and the dry air sucked the moisture from her pores. Not wanting to waste time, especially with a security camera likely watching, she didn’t bother reaching for her jacket in the back seat. She took out the gift card Aaron had bought, so she didn’t have to go inside and face a clerk, and started pumping away.
Bright lights flashed in the distance, breaching her solitude. The pickup truck slowed as it passed the station. A man in a bandana eyed her. She quickly turned her back to him. Probing his mind, she heard, What a sweet ass.
The truck stopped, zipped in reverse, and pulled into the station. She tried cursing under her breath, but nothing came out. She had just finished filling up the gas can and hadn’t even started on the car. Moni pulled her long braids around the sides of her cap to hide her cheeks. As she put the gas nozzle into the Prius, the battle-tested pickup muscled up to the neighboring pump. It didn’t stop until she had no space to move forward, only in reverse. She avoided looking at them as best she could, pretending they weren’t here for her. But her survey of their intentions told her otherwise.
Slinging open the passenger
door, a hulking Latino with a trim beard and shaved head got out. Wearing a wife beater, he was all shoulders and arms dotted with Aztec tattoos, the kind popular with Mexican gangs. The heavyset guy in the bandana with the scruffy goatee bounded out of the back. Carrying all that belly fat gave him stout legs to go with his large hands. The driver skirted around the truck. He was smaller than the others, slightly below Moni’s height, but he sauntered up to her like a tiger at feeding time. He also had Aztec tattoos up his hands and neck, but wore a jacket that concealed something more menacing than body art.
The driver jabbered at her in Spanish. While she didn’t understand his words, she picked up that he was flirting, rudely. Moni projected a message into his head, “This chick is probably a cop. She’ll call for backup if I try anything.”
He paused, his eyes zooming in on her chest, and then delivered another line with a cocksure smile. She thought about cutting off the gas, even at a quarter full, and getting out of there. He stepped into her breathing space, forcing her to inhale the tobacco fumes on his breath. Moni refused eye contact, but he caught a glimpse through her braids to her face.
“Oh chica, you’re no Latina. That’s a black nose there. That’s cool. I like soul booty, yeah.”
She should have slapped him. Moni kept pumping. She didn’t look at him.
“I know a girl like you don’t go cruising alone this late unless she’s looking to party. Roll with us, chica. We got tequila. We got weed. We got Molly. You name it, we’ll bring the party to you.” He flashed a grin with a couple of gold-capped teeth. She looked the other way, clearly not interested.
So it’ll be like that with this bitch, the driver thought as Moni tuned in. We got another fighter. It’s okay. She doesn’t look as tough as the last one.
He turned to his crew. “She ain’t even talking to me. Is that a way to treat a man?”
“These American women, they have no respect,” the heavyset man said. “Where I come from, if you don’t answer to la familia, they put a bullet in you.”
They waited. She said nothing.
“Look at me when I talk to you,” the driver barked. When Moni didn’t budge, he swiped her cap off her head. Her braids slumped against her shoulders, exposing her face for the station cameras. She swung around and reached for it, but the driver placed it backwards on his head.
“You’re looking at me now, huh bitch?” the driver said. “And now I see your face.”
“Mmm, I like them thick lips,” mumbled the muscle bound guy. Moni read his thoughts about where he wanted her to put those lips and they weren’t pretty. He circled her, blocking the driver side door of the Prius.
Moni knew for certain they wouldn’t let her go. While his larger friends were fantasizing about what they’d do with her body, the driver was already thinking of places to dispose of it. There’s no way she’d let them touch her. She could literally rip their hearts out of their chests, if one of them didn’t shoot her first. Footage like that would bring the military here in a heartbeat. Even so, could she do it without infecting them? A single drop of her bodily fluid penetrating their skin could transform them into even more terrifying adversaries. Yet, the driver had her cap on – the cap she’d worn for hours since getting infected. It was practically an alien virus nest.
Nearly bursting a blood vessel, Moni screamed a message into Aaron’s mind: “Wake up! Stay in the car and out of sight. I’ll tell you when to open the door and start the motor. You hear me?” He didn’t respond, even in his thoughts.
She looked for the gas station attendant. Moni sensed his fear as he hid behind the counter. She overhead him wishing they’d leave him alone this time.
The gas pump clicked off. Moni calmly removed it and sealed the cap. The driver seized her left arm. He clamped down on her flesh, testing the barrier that prevented the invaders from taking his life, and many more with it. “You’re coming with us tonight.”
Lightning quick, Moni swiped her cap off his head with her right hand. He reached into his jacket for his gun. Twisting her left arm free of his grasp, Moni smashed him in the chest with an open palm, knocking him off his feet.
“What the fuck!” panted the driver, regaining his breath after such a simple strike from a skinny girl. He flung both arms in the air. “You’re dead punta!”
She turned for the driver side door, but the muscle freak blocked her path. “Try that with me, kitten.”
Moni kicked him in the gut. Suddenly not looking so intimidating, he keeled over groaning. “Now!” she messaged Aaron. The door swung open, clobbering the guy’s bald head. Moni lunged for her seat, but her head got jerked back as someone tugged on her braids. She spun around, right into the barrel of the fat guy’s gun. Her hands whirled around with her, one swatting the gun down and the other delivering a fierce slap to his face. The man collapsed to his knees as his bandana dropped around his neck. Realizing that skin on skin contact was a bad idea, Moni looked at her hand. She had his blood on her fingers. He was still moving, regaining his senses with his gun in hand.
Damn, no time to clean up this mess.
Moni made it into the car this time. The engine blinked to life – not roared since it was a hybrid. She put it in reverse and backed out onto the highway, then gunned it.
“What happened back there?” asked Aaron, the fog of sleep still on his face.
“You know me, making friends everywhere I go.”
“You think the aliens are drawing psychopaths to you? You know, to bait you into fighting and infecting someone?”
“I don’t think they could do that without me knowing.” She wondered whether that was true.
High beams illuminated their cabin and reflected off her rearview mirror. There was no mistaking who was on their tail.
Aaron gazed out the rear window. “Shit. How many?”
She held up three fingers.
“All armed?”
She pointed to her teeth. He nodded, understanding the phrase.
“Damn it. Hey, why are you driving into the desert? The city’s back the other way.”
“If we get into a car chase in town, the police will come running. I can’t have them see me, remember? We’re on our own.”
At the crack of gunfire, Moni jumped in her seat.
8
A spark flashed on the pavement from where the bullet struck a few feet ahead and to the side of Moni’s car. Listening to the thoughts of the shooters, she understood it had been a practice shot to gauge the distance. As the pickup truck gobbled up the highway between it and the Prius, her car straining to reach 100 miles per hour, the muscle-bound man’s target came into better focus. He was standing up in the truck bed and aiming over the top of the vehicle; much easier than firing out the side window. Her hybrid would out distance the pickup in a marathon, but it had no hope in a straight line sprint. She listened to the minds of their pursuers. The skinny one drove and the chubby one slumped in the passenger seat still reeling from Moni’s thunder slap.
“Hold on!” Moni messaged Aaron as she swerved into the sandy median at the moment the muscular one’s brain sent the signal to fire. A bullet thwacked on the rear passenger side of the car. Aaron turned around looking for damage.
“Just nicked us. Are you okay?”
“I anticipated when he would fire, but I won’t have time to avoid it if they get any closer.”
“There’s no way we’re outrunning them in this. You can’t play one of your mind tricks on them?”
“When someone is dead set on raping and killing you, it’s hard to persuade them otherwise. I’d rather have them shoot me than catch me.”
“Uh, how about neither?”
She glanced at him with a wink. “You got it. Hold tight.”
Moni jerked the wheel, zipping the car across the median and into the path of a big rig speeding toward them in the oncoming lane. The duel spotlights of the tractor trailer bathed Aaron’s face in white as he screamed. Its horn blared. Without enough time to read the tr
uck driver’s mind, Moni prayed that the driver wouldn’t swerve right and hit them. If she ended up an accident victim on the side of the road, she better make sure her body burns, or else the EMS crew would get a nasty surprise. The vibration from tons of steel rushing by shook the car so violently that it seemed like it would roll over. The Prius narrowly cleared the big rig and barreled off the road, kicking up a plume of dust as its tires dug into the desert.
“What was that?” Aaron nearly lost his breath. “You nearly killed us.”
Drifting down to a more moderate speed, Moni flipped on the high beams to illuminate the desert. It was mostly flat as far as she could see, not that she had any experience driving in the desert at night. Her pursuers had probably done it hundreds of times judging by that dirty pickup. Right on cue, she spotted them in the rearview mirror. They passed the tractor trailer and rumbled their truck into the desert after her. Moni realized that her red taillights were as good as a bulls eye. She couldn’t exactly switch them off and drive into a dark wilderness with large boulders and crevasses.
“They’re coming. Stay down.”
“This car wasn’t built for off road and you’re facing a pickup truck. You should leave the car and hide in the darkness. I’ll distract them while you get out of here.”
“What are you talking about? That’s suicide.”
“For me, but not for the planet. If they catch you, there’s a good chance they’ll kill you and the aliens will escape, or you’ll kill them but infect them in the process. Thousands of people would die. I’m just one person.”
“I didn’t bring you out here to die.”
“You didn’t bring me. I chose to join you.”
“Enough people have died because of me. I won’t be responsible for one more death, especially yours.” She momentarily shot him a pained look.
“And I promised to protect you. Not just because of what’s inside of you. No matter what you think of yourself, Moni, you deserve better than this.”
Silence the Living (Mute Book 2) Page 5
