by M. L. Cook
Movement from ahead drew Seth’s attention away from the feisty female. The sun glinted off something shiny in the shadows. Jumping the few yards that separated them, his hands encircled Aubree’s waist, before rolling away. A loud boom echoed through the meadow, then rocks and debris flew from where she’d been standing.
Seth held a hand in front of Aubree’s face, then ran toward the darkened hole where the gunfire had erupted. Not taking the time to ensure she remained where he put her, he stayed low, running a zigzag pattern toward the opening. Without thinking of the consequences, he leapt through the jagged hole and into the one who’d dared to shoot at them.
Rolling over the male, he glared down at the threat. Protective instincts took over, he must remove the risk to his female at once. One hand encircled his neck, while his other fisted above the man’s head. That’s when he noticed the booted feet that surrounded them. Before he could do anything, something smashed against his temple, and the world faded away.
Chapter Eight
Aubree’s breath was knocked from her when the orange-haired alien pounced, rolling several feet away. The second they came to a stop, he was off. With one hand braced beneath her, she watched Seth close the distance between them and their target. Never in her life had she seen someone run so fast. His body jerked side to side, avoiding the bullets that spattered the dirt and grass behind him. Several yards away from the side of the building, he leapt toward the jagged remains of the wall that had been destroyed in the explosion.
What he didn’t realize, though, was that the shooter wouldn’t be alone. She’d been watching the hole where the gunfire came from. Several men had been taking turns poking their heads out. She had no idea why they were doing it, other than perhaps a death wish. If they were still under attack, it wouldn’t take much to splatter their brains across what was left of the factory.
Crouching down, she approached the building. Cautiously, she peeked inside, the men were too busy gawking at Seth to notice her. Reaching into the waistband of her jeans, she retrieved the weapon that she’d brought from the ship. Lightweight and precise, she knew she could get their attention without hurting anybody.
She was shocked when the floor at their feet blew apart, sending small chunks of concrete pelting across their faces. Staring at the shocked gazes, she shrugged, “Oops?” Before they made a single step closer, she aimed the weapon again. “Unless you want to sing soprano for the rest of your life, I suggest you back away.” She watched the interaction between them, realizing they had no intention of moving.
Firing again, she watched a small, singed crescent appear on one man’s ear. “Yeah, unlike you, I can hit a moving target.” She narrowed her eyes and gritted out her command again. “Back away.”
Keeping the gun aimed at the same man, she climbed into the small hole. Looking down at a bruised and battered orange-haired alien, she felt her anger grow again.
“What are you doing teaming up with them? You’re a traitor to your own people.” The man with the freshly remodeled ear glared down at her.
“First of all, asshole…you don’t know what you’re talking about.” She pushed Seth onto his back, then fired the weapon. This time the man was left with a small hole in the crotch of his jeans, low enough to miss anything important. “Second of all…again. I don’t miss.” Looking up at him, she chided, “Stop pushing your luck, buddy. I’m pretty sure you’re going to want to use that equipment at some point in your life. It would be a shame if you suddenly became a eunuch.” Muttering to herself, “Although, it might be doing the world a favor. Heaven knows we don’t need another asshole.”
Shaking her head, she took in Seth’s battered face. He hadn’t even had time to heal from the torture at the hands of the lizard men. Mumbling under her breath, she glared at the growing group of men, “Dumbasses.”
Pointing to a few of them, “You two, help me move him somewhere more comfortable.” Looking from one person to the next, she noticed a gruff looking man that seemed more put off then scared. “I’m betting you’re the boss?”
“I am.” He puffed his chest out.
Rolling her eyes, “Show them where to put the spaceman. If anybody gets any ideas I’ll shoot the balls off the nearest man. And you can bet it won’t be bossman, here.”
Following them through the door that led into the main floor of the factory, she stayed close enough to ensure they didn’t hurt Seth again. There at each station stood the terrified men and women that worked the line. “Really? Did you think the power was going to come back on, and everything was going to go right back to normal?” She glared at the self-important man, who was now looking a little more unsure of himself.
As they moved him into the breakroom, they knocked his head against the wood. “What the hell! Be careful!”
The man behind her, grumbled, “Why do you care? He’s not human.”
“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do…you’re going to lay him down on that couch. You’re also not going to hurt him again. If! Only if you think you can do that, I won’t shoot anybody in the next five minutes.” She glared at the men that surrounded her.
“That’s it? That’s all you’re going to do. Not shoot us?” A woman piped up from the back.
“No, I said for the next five minutes I wouldn’t shoot anybody. I never said I wouldn’t shoot any of you…ever.” Bowing her head, she took a few deep breaths, “Okay, let’s get him settled. Then I’ll tell you what’s going on out there.” She knocked her head toward the only window in the small room.
After laying him on the sofa, one which was much too short for him to stretch out, a young girl came in holding a bag of ice. “I thought he could use this.” She knelt on the floor beside him, setting the ice on a large purpling bruise.
“You should get away from him, Paige. You don’t know if it’s safe,” a man that looked to be a few years older than Paige cautioned.
“You sir, are a dumbass.” Aubree pointed at him. “Okay, Seth should be fine for a little while. Everybody out.” Looking at the manager, she asked, “Is there someplace you can get everybody together? I don’t want to repeat myself over and over. I just want to say it once and be done. There are a whole lot of people out there that are in danger.”
She followed the group into a wide auditorium. Several hundred chairs faced a raised platform. Nodding her thanks, she climbed the metal steps, then crossed to the center of the stage.
“I don’t know how much you people know about what’s going on out there.” She looked around at the vacant stares, “Okay. Not much. Does anybody here live in town?” She swore when most of the hands were raised. “Have any of you spoken to your loved ones?” Again, blank stares with a few shaking their heads. She paced a few feet back and forth, mumbling to herself. “Okay, there’s no easy way to say it.”
Walking back, she faced the expectant crowd, “I’m sorry to have to tell you like this. But there’s not much of Anderson left anymore.” Gasps and loud cries filled the air. One woman collapsed.
The man that was helping her up, looked at Aubree, “Her children are home alone.”
Shaking her head, she felt the color drain from her face, “How old?”
“Her oldest is fifteen, the youngest is five.” The man pulled her close, offering what little comfort he could.
Taking a deep breath, Aubree steeled herself to ask the next question, “Boys or girls? Tell me the exact ages.”
Her voice breaking, the woman pushed away, with a glimmer of hope, she answered. “Jimmy is fifteen, Brian’s twelve, Lucy’s eight, and my baby girl, Marcy is five.”
Turning away, Aubree covered her face. Her shoulders started shaking, then with a sob, she allowed the tears to flow. How could she ever tell this woman that more than likely all four of her children were dead? Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she turned to find Seth looking back at her. Throwing herself into his arms, she continued to weep for children she didn’t know, and the future they would never have.
&
nbsp; “No! Not my babies! No! Please God don’t tell me my babies are dead!” The loud wails were soon drowned out by shouted questions.
Holding his hands up, Seth walked to the edge of the stage and stared down at the strangers from a world that wasn’t his own. Glancing back at Aubree, he tried to offer a few words of hope. “We don’t know anything for certain. Yes, your city was attacked. Yes, most of the buildings were destroyed. An alien race, known as Terrapians, have come to your world. My people, the Felidians, have been pursuing them since they left our world in the same condition they plan to leave yours.”
Aubree stepped up beside him, “It’s bad. I don’t want to give you any false hope. Seth and his brother rescued us. We were taken captive by the others.”
“How do we know they’re not part of the same aliens that attacked?” A shouted question came from someone in the middle of the group.
She felt Seth tense, but she placed a hand on his arm. “Because he rescued me and about two dozen other women. His brother,” she turned and looked back at Seth, “his brother’s ship was shot down. We don’t know if the people on board survived or not. We’ll need to get together a search party to look for, not only the crash victims, but other survivors as well.”
She looked at the expectant faces, “Any of you who wish to, can certainly go check on your loved ones. I wouldn’t suggest you go into town, but I won’t tell you not to, either. My sister is out there. Nothing, and I mean nothing is going to stop me from looking for her. In the meantime, there are several people just outside the building who need your help.” She glared at the men who attacked them earlier that day, “Please, don’t shoot them.”
Chapter Nine
Seth followed the group toward a large set of double doors. Promises had been made to not attack the group of mostly helpless females, but he wasn’t sure if he could trust them. After all, they’d come very close to shooting Aubree. “Some of the females in our group are very young, I would say at least half of them are still cubs. It enrages me to think of what the Terrapians planned to do to them.”
“Cubs? You mean like bear cubs? Or lion cubs? We’re human, we don’t have animal babies.” One of the men sneered, his hand reaching for a pistol tucked into his belt.
Before Seth could respond, he heard the distinctive sound of flesh meeting flesh.
A large burly fellow reached up and slapped the speaker in the back of his head, “Don’t be an asshole, Jerry. Did you hear what he said?” Turning back to Seth, he put his hand out, “I’m Phil. Don’t pay no attention to Jerry, his momma dropped him on his head one too many times.”
The other male turned a glare on Phil, but neither did, or said anything more. Seth had a feeling the glaring man’s size, which was not much bigger than a cub, himself, might have something to do with it.
Looking at the proffered hand, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with it, until Phil gripped his hand and gave it a firm shake.
“This heres how we do it on Earth. You have any trouble with anyone, you come see me. Hear?” Phil pushed through the opened door, “Holy shit! Would you look at that!”
The group of about a dozen men stopped and gaped at the sleek silver vessel several yards away from the building. The damage from the attack was easy to see, even from this distance. The smooth surface was marred with dark streaks from the initial attack, while large craters appeared in one side from the earlier explosion. One in particular caught Seth’s attention. As he walked closer, he noticed just how close they’d come to complete annihilation. If the chunk of metal would have come loose, it would have left behind a hole large enough to cause some serious injury to any who were close enough. Certainly those who sat beside it.
“Where are all these women you told us about?” It was Jerry again.
“They’ve been sent to search for supplies and survivors.” He pointed toward a few houses in the distance, “There. See, a few of them are returning with more survivors. The others should be returning soon, either with people, or perhaps with much needed supplies.” He stepped up to address the huge male, Phil, “Do you have many supplies here?”
Phil took a deep sigh, shook his head, continuing to watch the group cross the grassy area outside the factory, “Nah. Well, some. But not enough to last for long. Especially with this many people. There’s already at least a hundred others still inside. Not everybody stayed. When things started going to hell, a lot of them headed for the hills.” Looking at Seth’s confused expression, he clarified, “Ran away.”
Seth nodded, “Females?”
Phil laughed, “Nope. All of them stayed here.”
Seth’s eyes rounded, “Males?” Shaking his head, he spat out, “Cowards.”
Looking back toward the ship, he remembered the bottom torso, “Was one of them a male by the name of Adam?”
Phil turned abruptly, “Adam? What happened to Adam? He wasn’t a coward…not that one. After they blasted a hole in our building, Adam ran out to his truck to get his shotgun. He’s a good guy. Been married to the same woman for twenty years. Two boys, both in sports, good grades, stays out of trouble.”
Seth turned away, looking at the dark lump beneath the ship, then up at the skies above. He thought about how much he was looking forward to making the Terrapians pay for all the pain and suffering they’ve caused, not only here, but every other world, as well.
When a hand squeezed his shoulder, he turned to face the large man that he was sure would make an excellent ally. No matter how many times he had to deliver the news, it never got easier. Firming his lips into a tight frown, he simply shook his head.
Phil nodded, then pulled a large red handkerchief out of his back pocket, and wiped his nose. “Adam was a good man. Anybody call—”
He was interrupted when a grey sedan screeched into the parking lot. A moment later the doors flew open, revealing a curvy woman and two nearly grown males. “Where is he? Phil? Where’s Adam? A woman called and told me…” She choked on her words, shook her head and continued. “She told me he was dead.” A sob burst out, “She said he didn’t suffer. Where’s his body? I want to see him.”
The oldest of the two cubs pulled his mother into his arms and held her while she wept, the other charged toward their group. “Where’s my dad? Did he take out whoever did this to him? If not, I’ll take care of it myself.”
Phil walked down the short ramp and stopped by the boy. “I haven’t seen him yet, Tony.” Glancing around at the devastation caused by the attack, he shook his head, “I’m not even sure if seeing him is a good idea.”
“Uncle Phil, they said it’s aliens…” He glared up at Seth, “He’s obviously not human.” Pushing away from the huge man, he stalked closer, hands fisted.
Phil reached up and grabbed him by his collar. “Hold on a minute, Tony. He didn’t do anything to your dad. I know he ain’t human, but he’s a good guy.”
Tony jerked around, “And how do you know that? Because he said so?”
“No, boy. A young gal was with him, she told us he rescued them off one of them ships.” He nodded to the silvery vessel several yards away.
The other male stepped away from his mother, “That’s a spaceship? This I have got to see! Come on, Tone…”
Seth leapt from the top of the stairs, landing just behind the two young males who were determined to reach the ship. Gripping them by their collars, he was surprised to find himself holding two jackets while the boys continued to run across the tall grass.
A loud, shrill whistle nearly brought him to his knees.
“Boys! Get yer asses back here. Right now!” Phil stood at the base of the stairs, hands on hips, glaring in the direction of the wayward cubs. Turning back to Seth, “I’m sorry. They’s just curious. Don’t mean nothin’ by it. Maybe if you get a chance later, I’m sure they would like to see inside.”
Seth stepped closer, then nodded toward the dark lump beneath the ship. “After I take care of that.”
Phil cupped a hand over his e
yes, squinting into the distance. Clearing his throat, he lowered his voice, “Adam?”
At Seth’s nod, he turned around and paced away. Seth could hear him mumbling a few curse words, then watched as his large fist connected with the hard concrete building. Pulling the red kerchief out again, he wrapped his hand and walked back to join the small group. After a few words, one of the men ran toward a parked car. The large man continued to give orders, then walked back to join Seth, while several others walked toward the dark lump.
“They’re going to go bury him.” Phil tilted his head back, gave a shake, then looked at Seth. “He was my baby brother. I’m gonna go talk to Sherry.”
Chapter Ten
Aubree was sitting in the break room when the factory workers walked back in with the rest of the survivors. All were ushered in, tables were filled, leaving others to stand against the walls. Amongst the ones that escaped were a few new faces, with each wearing a different expression. Some were curious, others confused. The worst were the few with vacant stares, neither scared nor confused. She knew those were the ones who’d seen horrors that would haunt them forever.
Looking around at the group, she noticed who wasn’t there. Seth had gone with some of the factory workers to bring in the refugees. Since the survivors were in the break room, where was he now? Smirking, she pushed away from the table to check to see if she was right. Wandering down a narrow hall, she casually peeked in a few of the doors. All were dark and empty. Stepping back onto the main floor of the factory, she saw a small group gathered around a woman and two young boys.
Aubree stopped a few feet away, staring at the new arrival. Somehow she knew who it was, along with what she needed to do. Having been on the receiving end of tragic news, she understood more than most, exactly how the family felt. Taking a deep breath, she stiffened her spine and stalked over to the group.
