I shiver inside my coat.
“Fuck.” Flicking his smoke to the floor, he stubs it out with the toe of his boot. “Nine o’clock, what do you see, son? My eyes ain’t what they used to be.”
Whipping his rifle around, Max pauses for a couple of seconds. “An enormous group.” He cranes his neck and slowly runs the sight in a horizontal direction. “If they decide they want in, we’re not going to be able to fight them off for very long. It’s too many.”
Off in the distance, to my right, something glints. “What’s that?” I point toward the anomaly, and Daddy shifts to see what it is I’m looking at.
“Jesus. There’s another one.” He hands the binoculars to me and heads to the edge of the ladder. Lowering himself, he tips his head in my direction. “If I give the order, don’t hesitate to shoot.” The top of his head disappears and only the tromp of his boots descending the rungs greets my ears for a moment.
“I don’t want to shoot anyone,” I whisper.
“Neither do I, but I also don’t want to see Kat or you in danger.” He spares a quick, concerned glance to me. “So we’ll do what needs to be done, understand?” In the weak light, his face is hard and lean, like he’s aged ten years in one minute. “Understand?”
I swallow and nod, sliding my eyes from his and taking up my position, patting the flare gun in my back pocket and fingering the small pistol in my waistband.
Everything’s going to be okay. These new groups will camp outside the gates and tomorrow, Doc Kemperling will let us know there was never anything to worry about, that the sick people ate bad food, drank polluted water, or caught a mild case of diarrhea. It’ll all be fine.
Relaxing my shoulders, I draw in a steadying breath and a small amount of stress evaporates. Turning to Max, I grin and hold out his precious ball. “I can’t believe you haven’t tried to get this back yet.”
He turns to me, and his face softens with a secret smile. “Oh, I haven’t forgotten about it. I was planning on tickling it away from you after our shift.”
“Oh?” I tilt my head and lift an eyebrow. “Sounds—”
Staring over my shoulder, his mouth drops open and his eyes nearly pop out of their sockets.
“What is it?” I breathe, terrified yet unable to stop myself from twisting around to see what has him so flustered.
A soft zing pierces the night. Five spheres hover over the gate, and another floats only a few feet from where Max and I stand.
He levels the rifle at the orb. “Run, Tilly.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
“No way, I’m not leaving you.” I yank the gun from my pants, pivot, and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Max. If those orbs shoot their lasers, we’re dead anyway.
The sphere seems to swallow the night, creating a perfect circle of darkness in front of me, as if a black hole opens in front of my face.
My arms tremble. “What do we do?”
Before Max can answer, a wave of red courses over our bodies, like a scan.
“What the hell?” I shriek and point my gun, but the orb flashes out of sight to reappear with the others farther below.
The guards yell and issue commands, then shoot at the vessels. Orange flames flare from some of the sawed-off shotguns, the burst of light revealing terrified or determined faces in a sea of glowing yellows and oranges for a second.
“Tilly, release the flare and get your ass down here!” Daddy waves a hand to the ground, then joins the group situating themselves behind abandoned cars on either side of the road, blocking their bodies from the sphere’s direct line of sight.
Like one machine, the spacecrafts line up in two rows.
Wasting no time, I raise an arm above my head and pull the trigger of the flare gun. With a loud pop, it travels high into the sky. The little red tail moves out of sight, then blooms overhead like a beautiful umbrella. At least the other towers will know something’s going on.
Unless they have their own aliens to deal with…
This thought spurs me to move my ass. I scramble down the ladder, and Max follows, descending just as fast. I do not want to be stuck in this rickety tower and those things shoot it out from underneath my feet.
When Max and I reach the ground, we freeze.
White hot light from the orbs blasts in every direction, hitting the fence and burning holes through the thick wood like it’s nothing more than tiny twigs.
Outside the barrier, screams erupt. I imagine the camping survivors are rethinking their holiday stay in Callahan now. Come on, fine folks. Come see the little town of Callahan with its new attraction of alien spaceships. Crazy laughter tries to bubble out of me, and I clamp a hand over my mouth and point my .9mm at the sky.
“Fall back,” Daddy shouts, motioning everyone to head toward town.
As one, the group retreats, and those closer to the gate shoot into the air, but the projectiles don’t seem to reach the orbs, or if they do, I can’t tell if the bullets are doing any kind of damage.
With my dad on one side, and Max on the other, we race toward the city at break-neck speed.
A laser shoots the house in front of me and blasts out the window. Tinkles of glass rain upon the ground. Its hot fire cuts a line across the wall, moving at a deliberate pace. Hungry tongues of flame grow from the aftermath and crawl up the sides of the gray wooden siding.
“Around that corner,” Daddy gasps, jerking my upper arm and pulling me behind another home on the opposite side of the street.
Max follows, his back against the red brick of our new hiding spot.
The orbs zip ahead of the crowd and stop twenty feet in the air. Blue light, like a holographic net, lands on the running throng. It’s only a projection of some sort, but the image of it landing on people’s clothes and hair gives me the creeps.
“What the hell are they doing?” I whisper between trying to catch my breath.
“Dunno.” Daddy shakes his head. “Can’t be good.”
After four more seconds, the holographic net blinks out, and the pods ascend into the sky, taking their soft whirring and zings with them.
The frozen crowd seems to awaken and barges down the road. A man and woman from the burning house stumble into the front yard, shock and confusion on their faces.
“Come on.” Linking his fingers with mine, Max squeezes my hand. “We need to get to the house before those things come back.”
All three of us keep to the shadows, using the weak moonlight to light the way.
From behind, a faint orange glow flicks above the rooftops, reminding me those asshole spheres are capable of destruction.
“What about the fire, Daddy, and that family?” I trip over stone edging a lawn, but Max gives my arm a jerk to keep me upright.
“First things first, we protect our family.” His gaze seems to sweep everywhere at once, and he points his AR-15 at the ground, ready to swoop upward if the ships return. “I’d love to put together an old-fashioned fire brigade to save the surrounding areas, but—”
“Max and I can help you with—”
“No.” He glares at me. “We’re going to stay home and protect everything we have. You know this careful control and calm I’ve pushed to keep Callahan civilized?” His free arm sweeps toward the homes we pass. “Well, it went up in smoke like that house when those spaceships arrived. As soon as word spreads, it’s going to be pandemonium, and I will be prepared to defend my home and family.”
Giving the sky a vicious grin and his middle finger, Daddy sprints ahead, and Max and I follow.
I understand why Max enjoys his stress ball so much, now, because I could really use something to soothe my anxiety.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Everything is still in order at home, and the three of us squeeze inside.
Mr. Miller, standing at the window, shakes his head. “I saw a few groups of people running, Ricky. What’s going on?”
Mamma walks to Daddy and he pulls her to his chest, as if he doesn’t plan on letting her go a
ny time soon. She closes her eyes and lets out a soft sigh.
I hope I’m lucky enough to find someone to love me as much as he does her. Glancing from my periphery, I scan Max’s face.
He’s also watching my parents with a wistful stare. Before I have time to look away, his eyes catch mine and linger on my face. He steps closer and presses his palm to mine, squeezing it three times.
Kat wedges herself between us, breaking apart our grip and forcing a tiny hand into mine. When she looks up at me, she wrinkles her nose. “Yuck,” she whispers. “I thought you said boys have cooties?”
“Um.”
Max raises an eyebrow and smirks.
“Chaos is what’s going on.” Daddy saves me from more embarrassment. He lifts his head from Mamma’s. “It seems Callahan isn’t going to be spared. We need to be on our guard tonight.” He moves Mamma to sit on the couch, then unlocks the gun cabinet and pulls all the extra weapons from inside. “People may try to break in and steal what they can before they leave.”
“Leave?” Mamma holds out both hands, palms up. “Why would people leave? Wouldn’t it be better to have some sort of shelter between us and those… things?”
“You and I would think so, but when people panic, there’s no telling what they’ll do.” He turns to Mr. Miller. “Do you want one of us to go over and guard your house?”
“Nah, I might be old, but it doesn’t take much to pull a trigger.” He gives a wrinkly smile. “I still got it when it counts. I’ll keep an eye on your yard, too, if you’ll do the same for me.”
“Of course. And holler if you need help. I’m going to have the front window open a bit in case I need to shoot first and ask questions later.” The two men shake hands. “But are you sure you want to be alone over there? You’re welcome to stay here, too, and we can still keep an eye on both houses.”
“No,” Mr. Miller says while pacing to the front door. “I’m kind of hoping someone does try to break in. Brings back a lot of fond memories waiting in the bushes and swamps.” He wedges open the door, peeks outside, and with a wave, disappears.
“He’s a crazy old coot,” I mumble.
Daddy walks around the living room and checks the windows.
“Should we blow out the candles?” I ask, shrugging out of my coat and warming my hands by the burning woodstove in the corner of the living room.
“Nope. I want people to know someone’s here and awake. It might deter any problems.” He twitches a corner of a curtain and stares at the front yard. “Hope I’m wrong.”
Max drags two chairs from the kitchen and places one near each window on either side of the front door. “Tilly and I can take the first shift, sir, if you’d like to get some rest.”
“There’s no way I can sleep after…” He runs a hand through his beard and looks over his shoulder to where Kat and Mamma sit, chatting softly. “Tonight’s craziness. But it might not be a bad idea to unwind for a bit, grab a bite to eat. You two want anything from the kitchen?”
“Nope. Not hungry.” I’m hungry for answers, though. That feeling of dread spreads in my stomach and I chew a nail.
Max shakes his head.
“Okay, keep a close eye on the street and let me know the minute you see anything unusual. Make sure you don’t sit in front of the window. Your silhouette will give someone a perfect shot.” Turning to Mamma, he pulls her to her feet, then reaches out and ruffles Kat’s hair. “Are you ladies interested in feeding me? I’m starved.”
Kat laughs. “You’re always hungry.”
“Come on into the kitchen.” Mamma’s eyes move to mine. Even though she’s smiling, I can see minute traces of worry in the lines around her mouth and the serious light in her eyes. “I’d hate for my husband to starve.”
When it’s quiet, I peek at Max.
His attention is on the road, his gun propped against his leg, the point touching the floor.
“Max?” I shift in my seat and grab the stress ball from my pocket, then roll it in my palm.
My voice draws his focus. Those navy irises snap to my hands as if mesmerized. “Yes, Lookout?”
“You okay?” I give the springy material a final squeeze and toss it to him.
He catches it and sighs. A small grin lifts his lips. “I am now.”
“Do you think the world will ever go back to the way it was?” My fingers push a corner of the curtain and I watch the street. Everything’s quiet and dark. This is a good thing, right? Something about the dead silence and cold winter night, combined with the eerie pods from earlier makes my skin crawl. It’s like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“No, Tilly. I think this is our new world now.”
“Well, this world fuckin’ sucks so far.” I replace the curtain and lean the side of my cheek against the wall.
Tenderness flashes across Max’s face, and across the space,he reaches out a hand to me. His ring glints golden in the low candlelight.
I take his hand in mine, glad for the human contact and comfort in his strong grip.
“This world isn’t the greatest, but in some ways, it’s been better for me and Kat.” His shoulder hitches. “So, I can’t complain too much.”
“You’re joking, right?” Yeah, it hasn’t been too bad I guess, because I’ve gotten closer with my parents, but I have no idea how my sister’s doing, college is a moot point now, and I have to worry about crazy alien spaceship things flying around and shooting us.
“No. I mean it.” He squeezes my hand. “I told you our Dad was working in another state, but that’s not the whole truth.” His voice drops to a lower register. “He left us two years ago. Sometimes he’d send money, sometimes he’d send a box of food, sometimes he’d send a twenty-dollar gift card.”
“Jesus.” My throat tightens with pain. “I had no idea.”
“It’s why I have to steal sometimes. I knew if I told anyone, they’d have taken Kat and me and put us in an orphanage or something since we don’t have any other family. I couldn’t let that happen.” He splays his palm outward, pressing it tightly against my flesh. Sliding his fingers between mine, he inspects the areas where our hands join. “So I forged his signature on everything school-related and deepened my voice on the phone when issues came up.”
How can a parent abandon their children? Anger forces me to clench my other fist.
“God, how horrible, Max. I’m so sorry.”
“When you and I started hanging out, you and your family made me feel rich. Not money-wise, but I feel like I matter… that Kat matters.” Closing his eyelids, he inhales deeply. “I kind of hope the world stays the way it is. I love your family.” Those eyes open and spear me. “I love you.” He emphasizes each word with a squeeze. Such a tiny sentence—so innocent yet full of such promise.
A breath of silence lies between us like a lake. Do I love him, though? I feel something, but how do I know if it’s true love? Even touching him now, there’s no spark or tingle of excitement, but there is warmth and affection. Is that enough?
“You mean a lot to me, Max.” I grip his hand tighter. “I think I could—”
Rat-a-tat-tat. Distant gunfire punches the night.
“Shit.” Max jumps to his feet and runs to a farther window facing the direction of the new noise. “It’s coming from downtown.”
After checking to make sure the street is clear, I join him.
A faint red glow comes from the direction of the shopping district, but it’s hard to see with the trees and houses blocking the way.
“What do you think is happening?” I push into his side, and he wraps an arm around my shoulders.
“Probably people breaking into stores and looting. Your dad was right.” His shoulders slump. “We need to let him know. It’s going to be a long night.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Besides the gunfire, my block remained quiet. Daddy went to Mr. Miller’s to check on him and make sure he didn’t need anything, but other than that, it stayed calm and safe in our part of tow
n. Thank God.
Morning sunshine floods the house, lighting the dark corners and the outside yard.
“I’m going to check the town, see how bad it is.” Daddy’s gun hangs from his shoulder, and he straps a backpack on the other arm. “I’ll be back in an hour or so. All of you stay inside until I get back and figure out what we’re dealing with.”
“Be careful, Ricky.” Mamma cups his cheeks in her hands. “Please. If it looks bad, forget about trying to fix things and come back, understand?”
“Sarah…” He grips her shoulders. “I can’t…”
“I’m serious.” She throws off his hands. “We can’t do this without you.” Her eyes swim in unshed tears.
“Okay.” His hand finds hers and he pulls her into him. “I promise.”
She nods. “Thank you.”
After he leaves, Max moves his chair to mine.
I hide a yawn behind my hand. “My eyes feel like sandpaper.” It was a long night without sleep, but neither of us thought it would be a good idea, not with armed people roaming the town and aliens flying the skies, waiting to shoot their lasers.
“Come here.” He pats his shoulder. “Lay against me and take a nap. I’ll keep watch for the both of us.”
“No. You need to sleep, too.” I could take a little catnap, though. A tiny one.
“Not sleepy.” Snaking his arm around my neck, he pulls my torso toward him, pushing my cheek against chest. “I won’t let you sleep more than thirty minutes.”
“You promise?” I snuggle against his soft shirt and breathe in his scent—a hint of sweat with spicy cologne. It’s comforting and familiar.
The Intrusion: Baltin Prequel Page 20
