by Stone, Piper
Damen had been trained in the Special Forces, what had once been called the Black Ops. His knowledge of weapons of mass destruction was one of the few things he enjoyed discussing. The remainder of the time, he kept to himself, refusing to enjoy our fertile ground and growing community. I should have known better than to accept him into the fold, but his knowledge seemed vital at the time.
As far as the man I knew would win the upcoming election, Jonas Bradford was a typical politician, kissing babies and providing news that at least a portion of the human population wanted to hear. They’d fallen into his trap of promises, and what I believed to be lies.
Still, the various underground informants had indicated that the man had changed his allegiance for a particular purpose.
Hitting the Cenzans in an entirely different manner.
Using science.
I shuddered at the thought. Even I couldn’t tolerate the concept of mass destruction. Humans had worked far too long and hard to revitalize what had been left after the war. We might not survive another one.
I had to find out more, to try to decipher if the rumors could be substantiated.
That didn’t take away from the horrors that Cenzans were ceremoniously abducting women to become sex slaves and mates. Granted, the information had also come from the underground. I was beginning to question the accuracy of almost everything. My rage against the Cenzans had very personal meaning. What everyone else in the group believed was the hype.
What in the hell was the actual truth?
I moved through various screens on the computer, studying what had been shared with me. My area of expertise certainly didn’t equate to that of scientist or doctors, but I was able to read between the lines. My father had made certain my education was well rounded, his fears of another Great War almost consuming him.
“Jesus. Christ.” Shaking, I poured myself a glass of whiskey, taking it all in one shot as I paced the floor.
If the reports I read were accurate to any level, human scientists had developed a method of killing Cenzans without the use of force.
A mist.
A gas compound that when delivered over an area would give Cenzans a horrible death, the drug ingested by simply breathing breaking down their immune systems, resulting in a failure of their organs. What terrified me was the concept that the hybrids, children born of the two races could also die. No one was talking about that possibility. Of course they weren’t. That would mean genocide of our race.
This I couldn’t stand or tolerate. Innocent children didn’t deserve to die, no matter the reason for their creation. Whether the human females were with the Cenzans of their own free will or not, they didn’t deserve to die.
What information there was seemed like total propaganda, only allowing what the great Jonas mandated. However, looks could be deceiving, certain knowledge given my father’s previous involvement with the scientific world providing an understanding in order to weed through the bullshit.
I stared at the very secure website, the one touting the ability to regain control of Earth by destroying another race, and bile rose in my throat. I was no longer certain if I could follow through with my determination to kill. While Jonas’ name was indicated nowhere, I knew in my gut he was responsible.
I’d seen the arrival of the Cenzans, the way they’d incorporated themselves into society in a limited fashion. I’d heard they’d been here before, very close to the time of the Great War, although that kind of data hadn’t been substantiated. So many records had been purposely destroyed.
Were our various government leaders hiding some terrible secret?
If anything I read on the website was true, there would be a well-orchestrated plan set into motion within the next month.
“Jesus.”
How many humans would die in the process?
I rubbed my eyes, shutting down the computer. My reasons for wanting Cenzans dead was very personal, but I had difficulty accepting mass annihilation. Was I getting soft in my old age? Exhaling, I moved toward the kitchen island, glaring at the various weapons I’d positioned on top.
I knew how to use every one of them, having been taught by my father years before. He’d been a great man, capable of fighting a war as much as developing science that would have helped the human race survive the various diseases that were recurring. He’d been so special, his love for all things living something he’d instilled in me.
Then everything had changed, turning into shit.
I shoved away the thoughts, trying to remind myself why I’d started the group of humans in the first place.
Killing.
That had been the only thing on my agenda. That had been my single purpose.
Revenge.
But the ugly truths of how life had changed continued to slam me in the face. My intentions had been initiated by rage. And now?
I thought about the families that had come to the village, their goals much the same. They’d all been hurt by the onslaught of Creepers coming to Earth. They all had terrible stories that had been told more than once.
And expounded.
What now?
Killer. Jesus. The man had been larger than life, a beautiful subject in a sea of grief and guilt. My pussy clenched just thinking about him. I craved the experience, the passion that had taken my entire world to new heights of pleasure.
I bit my lower lip, sliding my hand into my shirt and pinching my bruised nipple. The pain was exhilarating, creating a wave of heat between my legs. I wanted him. I craved his lips and his touch and his cock and his...
I heard a noise, the door opening and heavy boots moving down the hallway toward the kitchen. Bristling, I was in no mood to be bothered.
When Ginger appeared, one of my few real friends in the compound, I had a terrible feeling I knew why she was here.
“You fucked a man. Didn’t you?” Ginger’s tone held an air of an accusation. There’d been no vow of celibacy, no promise made of any kind. She’d walked into my simple home unannounced, ready for a fight.
“Hello to you too.”
“I’m serious. Did you allow that man to touch you after what he did?”
I was incensed, holding back a snarl. “That’s none of your business.” I continued cleaning the island full of guns, as I did once a week, trying to keep my thoughts away from Killer. Images of the hard fucking, along with the way the sheets had shifted across my aching ass had kept me awake all night. I could still feel the heat from the spanking and had difficulty sitting.
“It’s our business if you fucked that asshole from the bar. He’s one of them.”
I shot her a nasty look.
She moved closer, gripping the edge of the counter. “He’s a hired gun for the Cenzans. You could tell that easily. The way he handled you, his bullshit authority meant he is something of importance.”
“You mean someone,” I countered, shaking my head. I was well aware that my actions could be considered traitorous to our group, but there was no indication that Killer was anything other than a basic mercenary.
And one who might have actually saved my life.
I shoved a clip into one of the handguns, pointing the barrel at nothing in particular.
Ginger seemed ill at ease, shifting from foot to foot. “I’m not trying to challenge you, Kristina.”
“That’s exactly what you’re trying to do,” I retorted, my tone riddled with anger. “And I don’t like it.”
“Did you give him any information? Did you even stop to think that he might have followed us back here? He could be surrounding our homes right now, ready to kill every one of us.”
The woman knew every horror I’d faced. The fact she was using it at this moment set me off.
“He has a Harley, Ginger. We would have heard it even over the ridiculous sound of the motorbikes.”
She chewed on her cheek, looking away. When she addressed me again, at least her tone was softened. “I’m worried. Okay? All of us are. We need to make a hit, a statement, or they
’re going to find us. You know how the aliens are.”
“First of all, our missions as a group are about rescuing women who’ve been abducted. Remember?”
Ginger said nothing. I gathered a feeling that was no longer the mission, at least according to Damen.
“And if we’re not prepared, we’re going to end up dead. Is that what you want?” Engaging the safety, I slapped the gun on the counter, getting her attention. I wasn’t stupid. She’d been sent here to flush me out. Jesus Christ. What had I created?
Blushing, she cringed visibly. “Of course not, but we’ve been preparing for months.”
“Again, for rescuing, not killing. We haven’t been ready for months and we still aren’t. You know that as well as I do.” I knew the group was getting antsy, longing for a taste of blood. My vehemence had turned once nonviolent citizens into killers. The weight on my conscience was growing. What I didn’t want to have happen was the murder of any humans. There was no way of knowing how many human females had bred with Cenzans, or how many children had already been born. The gestation period was much less, which meant there could be hundreds, maybe even thousands. I only wanted monster blood on my hands.
“You may have no other choice,” she said sheepishly.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to tell whether she was simply throwing a barb. “What the hell do you mean?” Red flags jetted over my head, my pulse quickening.
She hesitated, pissing me off even more.
“I asked you a question, Ginger. Answer me.”
“Just that there is talk of some of the group heading to the closest colony in order to send a message.”
“A message? To the Creepers? You must be kidding. Our people will die if they do that.” I was incensed by the concept alone.
“They think they’re ready. Besides, we’ve been talking about this for weeks.”
I curtailed my boiling rage. I should have known all the training and posturing would lead to Damen’s desired brutality. Then again, what the hell did I think was going to happen after converging a group of misfits vying for revenge? “Who is heading this... operation?” Damen. My instincts were never wrong.
Another fucking hesitation.
I wanted to wrap my hands around her throat. I slammed my hand on the counter, the vehemence forcing her to jump.
“Jesus! Damen. Okay? He has at least two hundred of us behind him. They’re gathering right now in the middle of town, preparing for the strike. He’s telling everyone that the Cenzans are preparing to attack every village in the near proximity, including ours. I don’t want to be captured and forced to mate with some... Creeper. Okay?”
“How does he know this is true?” I demanded.
“You know Damen. He knows things.”
Uh-huh. This particular attack was for his own personal gain.
My blood pressure increased, my heart racing. I hated being right. “Did you come to tell me this or find out if I was still one of you?”
“Maybe both. You haven’t been yourself in at least three weeks. After what happened last night, there’s a lot of talk.”
“That would mean either you or Luci opened your fat mouths.”
Ginger shifted again, moving out of my possible reach. “Luci mentioned a few things, including the fact you were punished in front of people. One thing led to another.”
What a crock of shit.
This had been planned for some time, the events of the night before only fueling them, my assumed weakness giving Damen an edge. Fuck.
“Uh-huh.” I grabbed the Glock, shoving it into the back of my pants and took long strides out of the kitchen. “You better hope I can control this or all this quiet and comfortable life we’ve led for months on end will disappear. That is, if any of us are left alive.”
“What happened to you? All I’ve ever heard is your hatred of the Cenzans. Suddenly you care?”
I got in her face, towering over her. “I don’t care, Ginger, for any of them, but I’m no fool and I’m certainly not ready to kill innocent women and children. Did you forget that I found my entire village massacred? That took exactly fifteen minutes to do by my calculation. Hundreds of people dead, murdered by a group of warriors that had the expertise and the surprise. There isn’t enough training in the world to afford us that right now. Do you understand what I’m saying? I would prefer to live. And did you ever stop to think that humans now live within the Cenzan world?”
The words seemed to echo in the room, the meaning creating a tic in the corner of her mouth. Her face flushed, her lower lip quivering. “No, I...”
“No, I guess none of you thought about that!” I spit out the words, recoiling and rubbing my brow. “Look. I care about all of you. You’ve become my family.” The glitch in my voice was a dead giveaway that I wasn’t ready to forge into a battle. While I loathed the weakness, I knew I was right about waiting for the right time.
“And you’re important to us as well. We just need a win.”
“What have I always said? We must pick our battles.”
This wasn’t one of them.
Winning had become more important than human life. I thought the Cenzans were desperate and horrible people. Maybe I’d been blinded to my own kind, men and women who were nothing more than vigilantes. I hissed and walked out of the house, jumping on the bike. The anger would never subside, the fear and worry along with it, but this was wrong.
I weaved my way through the streets, finding the group where Ginger said they’d be. Damen was nobody’s fool. The once powerful Marine, his self-touting reputation and expertise well received by everyone, seemed to make a natural leader. However, the man continued to suffer from PTSD, controlled only by the woman he lived with. He was a machine, capable of killing with his bare hands.
He was evil in my mind.
My thoughts drifted to Killer. The match would be formidable. That is if the man truly had anything to do with the Creepers. I pushed my way through the crowd, moving to within feet of Damen.
He turned his nasty glare in my direction before smiling. “I thought you might show up.”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I demanded, crowding his space.
“What you should have done months ago. Taking out the enemy,” he retorted.
“We haven’t surveyed the colony. We don’t know if there are innocent lives there or not. And we’re not taking them out, Damen. We’re going to rescue anyone we believe to be abducted,” I chided, turning to look at others in the eyes. They were all followers, full of fear and resignation for the fact they’d lost so much in their lives. They had no idea how bad it really could be. I’d learned much about the Great War from my father, a man who’d actually lived through the horrors as a small child. What we had now was paradise, even if we were forced to share it with the aliens.
“They aren’t innocent, Kristina. They are traitors to their own people.” Damen’s voice rang loud and clear, followed by at least two dozen voicing their total agreement.
Oh. My. God. My instincts had been right. None of this was about saving anyone, merely wiping the Earth clean of aliens.
“Are you out of your minds? They are very human. They bleed red blood just like us. They worry about their families just like us. They want to enjoy their lives just like us. And they fear death. Just. Like. Us.” I turned in a full circle, my throat tightening. “We need to make certain we hit when our own kind aren’t hurt in any manner. That is my command. You are not in charge, Damen. Period.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” He took a step closer, grinning.
I was in utter disbelief. They were going to attack no matter what I said. My command had been lost and why? Because of rumors I’d fucked a man? I noticed Luci out of the corner of my eye and had vile thoughts. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
“You’re no longer in command, Kristina. We’ve taken a vote. Now, you can come with us tonight or stay here. That’s entirely your choice, but you will not try and stop us.” Damen l
ifted his gaze toward the sky. “We’ll pick them off one by one if we have to, freeing our world from the invading monsters.”
“You won’t survive.” I turned in another circle, locking eyes with as many as I could. “None of you will. Even if you do, they will hunt you down, destroying all of this. There will be no second chances, no begging for your life. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
While a few backed away, slinking into the distance, the majority stood exactly where they were, determined to go through with this.
“I won’t let this happen.” I nodded over and over again, trying to figure out a plan.
“Then I’ll be forced to keep you in lockdown,” Damen said gleefully. “Or maybe I can simply trade you to the man they call Killer.”
His laugh was deep, full of such vile evil that it curdled my blood. “How. Dare. You.”
“How dare you. You could have placed all of us in jeopardy by your actions last night. I suggest you think about that before you chastise what we’re going to do,” Damen huffed, offering a solid sneer.
There was nothing I could do. I was sick at heart and in my mind. There wasn’t a single Cenzan who would trust me even if I cared enough to warn them. The colony would be surprised, their own weapons used against them. Then they would retaliate with much more than simple weapons.
They would use mass destruction.
I backed away, tears in my eyes. I felt almost as if this was losing another family. There was no one I could trust. No one. Whatever was going to happen was entirely out of my control.
Although every single aspect was completely my fault. I was to blame.
I was the monster.
And many others would die because of my hatred.
* * *
Nighttime fell on the quaint village, a secure location that had allowed me to sleep a little easier at night. The area in Virginia was nestled close to the mountains, where several dozen miles of empty land set between the various towns, little communities that continued to thrive. This one had been mostly abandoned, perhaps because the roughly four hundred buildings were close to one of the first colonization spots of the Creepers. They remained close, far too much so in my opinion. The Cenzans had spread to other parts of the world, the creatures building their own worlds.
