D.E.A.D. (The A.L.I.V.E. Series Book 2)

by R. D. Brady

  CENTERVILLE, UTAH

  Seven officers from the Centerville Police Department would accompany Norah and Bob on the search. All seven officers stood in front of Bob now, while Norah stood off to the side, leaning against a squad car. She was not part of the Bob show.

  Bob paced along the front line of officers, reminding Norah of one of her old drill instructors as he inspected each man and woman. He let out a few grunts but no words. Finally done with his ‘inspection,’ he moved to the center of the line, legs braced, arms behind his back. “The target we are looking for is extremely dangerous. Do not, I repeat, do not engage if you see him. Keep him in sight and immediately contact me. Do not move in. Shoot only if your life or someone else’s is in danger. Is that clear?”

  All the officers nodded back.

  Norah struggled not to roll her eyes as Bob’s chest puffed out as two officers called out a “Yes, sir!” Norah did not fail to notice that he said notify him, not them. Nor had he referenced her in any way.

  And she wondered, not for the first time, if it was too early to put in a request for a different partner. She’d thought about it almost since day one with the department. She hadn’t done anything yet because she knew it would look bad putting in the request too early. But she was reaching the end of her patience with his attitude.

  I should share the joy of this ‘partnership,’ she thought as Bob dismissed the officers.

  One officer walked up to Bob to ask for further details. Norah tuned out their conversation. She checked the magazine on her tranquilizer gun. She’d slipped it out of the car when Bob wasn’t looking. She still had her shotgun, but she wanted options.

  Officers Shanks nodded at her as she walked past her. “Good hunting.”

  “Yeah, you too.” Norah moved out, giving Bob a nod as she passed him. Both of them preferred to search solo. Bob because he wanted the credit and Norah because she wanted the quiet. As she headed to her designated search area, she continually scanned for any sign of movement, even though she knew the target was unlikely to be this close.

  But I don’t even know what it is, so I can’t say that for sure, can I?

  She walked quickly down the residential street but saw no sign of anything out of the ordinary. A few kids were out on bikes and some people were out walking dogs or just enjoying the weather. The adults gave Norah a concerned look. Norah ignored them; instead, she focused on the dogs.

  None of them seemed bothered. From experience, she knew that dogs were usually one of the first to pick up when a creature was in the area, so she had a feeling her area was going to be a big failure. At the end of the street she was supposed to turn right and continue around to the other side of the block.

  But in front of her was a park, and beyond that, a school. It was Saturday, so there was most likely no one at the school, which would make it a good place to hide. Assuming it was trying to hide. But she turned her gaze from the school in the distance to the where kids were playing at the playground. She pictured the creature patting the little girl’s hand. On a hunch, she started heading that way.

  She was halfway across the long lawn of the park when screams reached her, coming from the playground. Oh no. Norah took off at a run as kids and parents ran screaming from the playground.

  “Hey!” She stepped in front of two moms, their toddlers wrapped in their arms. She flashed her badge. “What’s going on?”

  One of the women looked over her shoulder, her voice shaking. “Someone saw an alligator or something in the trees by the playground.”

  “Did you see it?”

  Both moms shook their heads. “No. But then everybody started screaming and running, and we just grabbed the kids and bolted.”

  “Okay, thanks.” Norah jogged past them. More kids and parents streamed by, and by the time she reached the playground, it was deserted. She walked around the edge of it but saw no sign of the creature.

  Her radio blared to life. “Target seen in the park.”

  Damn it. She looked around as a car tore into the lot. Bob hefted himself out. Shaking her head, she headed over to him. “Tidwell, what’s going on?” he demanded, his eyes scanning the area.

  “Someone claims they saw an alligator in the woods. Parents panicked and ran.”

  “Could be our target.”

  “I checked the perimeter around the playground but didn’t see anything.”

  “Keep checking. I’ll have the police cordon off the park.”

  Norah jogged back to the playground, searching the area again. At one spot, she found what could be tracks, but the ground was so hard and dry it could have been made by anyone or anything.

  She spied a manmade pond. She followed the well-worn path through the trees. It was obviously a shortcut for people not wanting to take the long way around the playground to the pond. She followed it and stopped at the edge of the path. To her right was a bridge that connected the two sides with a small walking path underneath. A few people on the far end of the pond were sailing boats. But there was no one right here.

  The sound of gravel shifting to her right had her bringing her weapon up. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out anyone beneath the bridge, but it was too dark. She walked slowly forward.

  She scanned the area around, but there was still no one in sight. She stopped at the edge of the shadows created by the bridge but didn’t see anyone. She stepped in carefully. The hair on the back of her neck rose.

  It’s here.

  She knew it. Trying to keep her breathing even, she scanned the shadows but saw nothing. She stepped in further, feeling someone’s eyes on her. Slowly, she looked up. The creature sat hunched down on one of the trestles underneath the bride. It was shaking, its eyes huge.

  It made no move toward her. She got no sense of aggression from it. In fact, Norah had the distinct impression that it was terrified. Everything in Norah’s training told her she should pull the trigger. This was a dangerous creature, a Level Four. But she could not get the image of it patting the hand of the little girl out of her mind.

  “Norah, you in there?”

  Bob appeared at the other end of the path.

  Norah’s gaze shifted to Bob as she lowered her weapon to her side. “Yeah, I’m here. The bridge is all clear.”

  “I just got a call. They think they may have it cornered in a backyard. Let’s go.”

  “Sure thing.”

  Norah waited until Bob disappeared from view, then glanced back up at the creature. It stared into her eyes, and Norah got an incredible sense of loneliness.

  “Good luck,” she whispered before hurrying after Bob.

  Of course, the police had not cornered the creature in a backyard. Bob had been fit to be tied when he realized it was a pet iguana.

  “Idiot cops,” Bob growled as he stomped past her. They continued the search but they did not find any more signs of the creature.

  It was late by the time they called a halt to the search. Bob was annoyed at what he considered the idiocy of the local cops. Norah was still struggling to figure out why she had let the thing get away. She’d had her tranq gun on her. She could have tranquilized it and brought it in alive. Instead she had just walked away. She had managed to slip back to the park alone after the search was called off, but the creature was long gone. She wasn’t even sure what she had planned on doing if she found it.

  But what if it’s dangerous? What if it hurts someone? She leaned her head against the car window. What the hell is wrong with me?

  Bob pulled into a parking spot at the motel and turned off the engine. He turned to Norah. “What’s with you? You’re really quiet.”

  Norah was surprised Bob had even noticed. “I’m just tired. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

  “Oh, well, I’m meeting some of the cops for a beer. I was going to invite you along, but if you’re tired …”

  The idiot cops? Norah wanted to ask but managed to refrain. “Hey, no problem. I think I’ll just take some zinc and turn in earl
y.”

  “All right. We’ll start the search again tomorrow at eight.”

  “Great. Have fun tonight.” Grabbing her bag from the backseat, Norah stepped out of the car and made her way to the stairwell. She ordered a pizza and drinks online as she headed up the stairs to her room. As she inserted her key, she saw Bob reach his room across the parking lot.

  She’d arranged the rooms and made sure she and Bob were on opposite sides of the motel. She made the mistake once of getting them rooms next to each other. And then she had suffered through the nightmare of listening to Bob and his one night stand. No one should ever have to picture their partner that way.

  Shutting the door behind her, she kicked off her shoes and placed her jacket on one of the queen beds. Dropping her bag on the other bed, she grabbed her toiletries and headed for the shower. She placed her gun and holster on the sink outside the shower and quickly stripped down.

  Maybe I’m coming down with something, she thought as she stepped under the hot spray.

  Twenty minutes later, Norah was in some comfortable pajamas and feeling better. She opened the bathroom door, releasing a wall of steam. Amazing how a scalding hot shower could make you feel better. She’d decided to give herself a break about today. She’d been caught off guard by the tape. That was all it was. She’d search the database tonight, find out what type of creature they were dealing with, and then she would be prepared when she saw it again.

  She stepped in front of the mirror and grabbed her brush, then she noticed the door to the motel room was ajar. Crap. Grabbing her gun from the holster on the counter, she whipped around. Nothing moved in the room. Norah’s heart rate ticked up as she moved forward, carefully checking the corners. The beds were too low for anyone to hide underneath. Nothing looked like it had been disturbed. And the room remained silent.

  She walked slowly to the door. Did I not shut it all the way when I came in? It was windy out, so it could have blown open. She shut the door and locked it, putting on the chain for good measure.

  She leaned back against the door and scanned the room. Her bag was still zipped up on the bed. Her jacket lay on the other one in the same position.

  I am losing it. She pushed herself off the door and noticed the sliding closet door was slightly open. A chill ran up her spine, and she raised her weapon again. That was closed when I came in. She was almost sure of it.

  Heart pounding, she walked slowly to the closet. She could hear soft breathing from inside. “Come out of there,” she ordered.

  But no one appeared. “I am a federal agent and I am armed. Step out of the closet slowly with your hands in the air.”

  Still nothing, but she could clearly hear someone breathing. The sound was faint. Was it a kid? Taking a few short breaths herself, she slid the door open, keeping to the side in case whoever was in there had a weapon. The creature from the bridge squeaked and hurried to the darkened side of closet.

  Norah stumbled back, her mouth dropping open. “How the hell did you get here?”

  Two eyes peered out at her from the darkened closet. But the creature made no move toward her and once again she got a sense of loneliness and fear. Norah stood with her weapon pointed at it, but she was frozen in indecision. She should shoot it according to the department’s rules, but that just seemed wrong.

  She took another step away, the back of her legs hitting the bed. The gun was beginning to feel heavy from holding it on the creature for so long.

  Shoot it or do something else, but you can’t stand here like this all night. Once again the feeling of loneliness settled over her, accompanied by fear.

  I’m going to regret this, she thought as she lowered her weapon. If I live, that is.

  “Hey there,” she said softly.

  The creature tilted its head as if listening. Norah shifted her arm to the side, keeping the gun aimed at the floor. “Okay, now that you’re here, what do you want?”

  The creature stayed where it was, watching her. And Norah realized she was waiting for a response … from the alien in her closet. Yup, handling this well.

  “Ig?” The sound was a little more than a squeak.

  Norah reared back, stunned. The creature let out a squeak and hunched lower, trembling. “Hey, hey. It’s okay. I won’t hurt you. You just surprised me.”

  It stayed where it was, watching Norah. She tried to calm her breathing and give off only peaceful vibes. But that seemed a little New Age-y for her, so she just kept repeating ‘It’s okay’ over and over in her mind.

  And finally she was rewarded. It inched forward into the light. Its eyes were large, predominantly black, with some white at the edges. Its tiny nostrils moved rapidly, reminding her of a bunny. Its ears pointed straight out from its head, ending at a point.

  “Ig?” it said again.

  “I don’t know what—”

  A knock sounded on the door and the creature ducked back into the closet.

  Norah raised her weapon to the door with a jolt.

  “Pizza!”

  Shoot. I forgot about that. She lowered her weapon, shaking her head at how she’d nearly shot some poor delivery guy. Careful not to give the closet her back, she slid past it and grabbed a twenty from the pocket of her jacket. Opening the door, a teenage guy stood there a steaming pizza box, a few paper plates, and a two-liter of diet soda in his hands.

  “Hey, that will be fifteen eighty—”

  “Here.” Norah shoved the twenty at him and took the box and bottle, careful to keep her gun out of the kid’s sight.

  “You need any—”

  “No, I’m good.” She kicked the door closed quickly.

  She turned back to the room. The little creature peeked around the closet door. Its small nose twitching, one hand gripped the edge of the door. Norah smiled. It looked like a little elf—an elf with giant hands. They reminded Nora of a tree frog’s hands—disproportionately large and knobby.

  The scent of cheese and meatball reached her, causing her stomach to rumble.

  The creature inched forward, standing in the closet doorway now. And Norah realized it was wearing red doll pants. It must have taken them from the little girl. It peered up at her with big eyes, its hands clasped together, its little nose twitching like mad. “Ig?”

  She moved slowly toward the bed. She placed the pizza box on it, and after a moment of indecision, put her weapon on the side table next to the soda, close enough that she could grab it if she needed to.

  “Hungry?” Opening the box, she pulled a slice out and put it on a paper plate. Careful to keep her movements slow, she placed it on the floor close to the closet.

  Then she sat back on the bed. “Go ahead.” She averted her gaze, watching it from the corner of her eyes as she took a slice for herself. She took a bite and felt better. Her stomach had been gnawing at her for the last hour. She finished one slice and the creature still hadn’t reached for his. She grabbed a second and pretended not to notice it step from the closet. It had skinny little legs and large feet, also disproportionately large, like hairless Hobbit feet. Its stomach was very round, but its arms were slim.

  It watched her for a moment, and she could tell it was deciding. Then it sat down and poked the pizza with a finger. Norah tried not to smile. It poked it again and then picked it up and took a tentative bite. Its eyes grew large and its mouth expanded, showing off two rows of teeth on its upper and lower jaw as it chowed down.

  Norah’s mouth fell open. As soon as it finished, its mouth went back to normal size. It looked up at her and then wiped its mouth. Slowly it picked up its plate and then walked slowly toward her. “Ig?”

  Norah was careful not to move, although she tensed, ready to reach for the gun if she needed to. But the creature stopped at the edge of the bed. It lifted its plate in what was universal code for ‘more please.’ She placed another two slices on its plate.

  Its eyes grew large and it hurried back to its spot to eat. Once again, its mouth expanded and it ate both slices, although th
is time more slowly. When it was done, it leaned back and rubbed its belly, giving Norah a small smile. “Ig.”

  Then it climbed back into the closet and closed the door. Norah stared at the door, her own hunger forgotten, replaying everything that had just happened. Somehow it had followed her here, meaning it could track. She was guessing by smell, based on the way its nose constantly twitched. It had made no aggressive moves, was hungry, could vocalize, and apparently liked dark closets. She had an alien creature hiding out in her closet. She smiled, but then it faded.

  A creature the United States government had classified as extremely dangerous was hiding in her closet. She’d seen extremely dangerous ones before, and this creature was nothing like those. She ran a hand through her hair.

  So what the hell do I do now?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  DENVER, COLORADO

  The early morning light was just slipping through the cracks in the venetian blinds as Maeve’s eyes flew open, tears sliding down her cheeks. Greg. She’d dreamed of him being caught in the fire, unable to escape.

  Maeve reached for Chris, but her hand only found empty space. Maeve rolled over on her side, watching the light grow brighter. The terror and the fear from the dream lingered, and she pulled up the covers, feeling cold. She couldn’t believe Greg was gone. And she was having troubling accepting how he died. A fire? It just seemed unfair after all he’d been through.

  But maybe it was a reminder that sometimes there are forces beyond our control.

  Despite the lack of control over her own life at the moment, Maeve was still struggling with that particular lesson. She had been taught to be independent. It had been her, her mom, and Alvie. But when her mom got sick, Maeve had stepped up as the leader of their little family. And when her mom died, Maeve had permanently stepped into that role.

  Then Chris came along. He’d stepped into a spot Maeve hadn’t even known was waiting for him. But he added something to their grouping. Him, the triplets, Hope; they completed this family. They were a unit. And with him gone, the house felt off. The dynamic of their family was off. And with Greg—she needed Chris. She wanted him here. She knew he’d had to go, but she’d wanted to beg him to stay. It was just that the horrible things in this world were easier when he was standing by her side. And Greg dying was as horrible as it got.