“Plus I’ll want lots of rest if I want to see the sunrise again.”
Beth’s father smiled back at her. It was her favorite smile in the whole world.
Beth and her father drove home, had dinner, and slept in the next day. She saw plenty of sunsets and sunrises.
She stepped out of the orange light. The sunset around her was gone. She was healed. Even the torn fabric on her skintight bodysuit was repaired.
She had never understood what her father was trying to tell her, why she had to sit through that day.
Until now.
***
Derek waited with his arms in the arm. The Geyrn took their time marching down into the pit. He couldn’t help thinking it was a bad idea, but most of the rest of his brain kept telling him it was right, the Geyrn were the good guys. Derek wondered if he was just prejudice, because they didn’t look like nice people, or aliens as it were.
Get on your knees. Derek thought. His mind was telling him the Geyrn were worthy of praise. He dropped to his knees before the rest of his body braced for it. It was jarring, and in that moment Derek had a clear thought.
I’m not thinking like me.
The Geyrn stopped. They watched him like a burglar watches a guard dog that’s looked up from a piece of raw meat.
His mind flooded with memories of all the times he ever misjudged anyone based on their appearance. It was an old human instinct to fear predators, but there were no reasons anymore. Some people were just born ugly. Not evil.
“It’s alright,” Derek said. “I’m not going to bite. You just have to figure, none of this really makes a ton of sense.”
“That is why we will eliminate your experience here at our home.”
See, ‘home’, that’s a friendly word. They didn’t say death star or planet smasher, they said ‘home.’ Derek liked that. He liked that they were good guys. He liked that he didn’t have to save the world.
“Don’t do it, Derek! It’s a trap!” Melinda screamed from on high.
The Geyrn quickly silenced her.
“Of course, it may be more urgent for us to reset your fiancé’s experience. If you would like, you may assist us in any additional programming, that might fancy you.”
Derek wondered if they could mess with her genetics and get rid of the hair on her toes. He made himself laugh. But he knew it wasn’t the right thing to do. He would love to make Melinda really love him, to fix their relationship and eliminate all the lies they had apparently been living. But she wouldn’t be the same. She’d be some robot he handcrafted.
The Geyrn still hesitated. Derek wasn’t aware, but he had changed his stance, it wasn’t relaxed anymore. The beast in the center of the pit had taken notice as well. Its spiky mohawk began to change colors, from blue to purple, to red, like lava. Even the electricity shooting between the spikes in its mohawk were red now.
“Is something a matter, Derek Vogt?”
“I don’t think so,” Derek said. He noticed the placement of his feet and shuffled them closer together. But then his mind tickled. He was glad they were still afraid of him. It gave him confidence. If this was a trap he could still fight for his life and the planet’s. He hoped it wasn’t, though. He really just wanted a nap.
“Derek! Listen to me!” Melinda could be heard, but not seen. She hadn’t given up her fight yet. Then there was silence again.
“Forgive us,” the Geyrn said, and the others resumed their march to apprehend Derek.
Gosh, they’re just too ugly to be the good guys, Derek thought.
There was a sound, it was hard to describe and too quick to remember. Then a cascade of Geyrn began to flop over the edge and into the pit.
The red beast roared up onto its hind legs. It was tall enough to climb out of the pit if it wanted. It swatted at the onslaught of Geyrns being flung at it. Some of them it ate, like a dog catching a doggie biscuit.
“It’s a trap!” the lead Geyrn cried.
“No!” Derek said, forgetting for a moment that he was probably more powerful than all the Geyrns and the beast. But then he saw her.
Beth Bailey.
She punched and kicked and threw every Geyrn who dared attack. But they were getting smarter, and quite a few of them ran in the opposite direction.
“Derek!” Beth yelled.
Derek wondered if he needed to tell her that the Geyrn were the good guys. Weren’t they?
Then it clicked. The Geyrn had told Derek that Beth was already caught, that she had already undergone the treatment to forget this nightmare. Why would she be attacking them?
Did they just lie about her being safe to get Derek to let his guard down?
If the Geyrn lied about Beth, then they lied about everything.
Derek tightened his fist.
The beast attacked.
TO BE CONTINUED…
LOOK OUT FOR
PART FOUR
OF
INVASIVE SPECIES
COMING in 2015
For more information on this series please visit www.brideofchaos.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Daniel J. Kirk is a resident of Richmond, Virginia. He has written and published westerns, horror, and science fiction short stories throughout the digital world.
He has several ongoing series, including the urban fantasy series: THE HATCHBACK WOMAN and the alien invasion series: INVASIVE SPECIES and the superhero saga, UPGRADE.
He can be contacted at: [email protected]
And visit www.brideofchaos.com to keep up to date with new releases featuring Mr. Kirk and many more authors.
Other Stories by Daniel J. Kirk’s Available Now:
THE FORGOTTEN PRINCESS: A NOVEL
THE HATCHBACK WOMAN #1-9
THE HATCHBACK WOMAN #10-18
WESTERN ENDING: SIX TALES OF THE WEST
© 2014 Daniel J. Kirk
Thank you for reading!
© 2014 Bride of Chaos
Thank you for reading!
Invasive Species Part Three Page 3
