Testing Grounds (On Dangerous Grounds Book 1)
Page 26
“We were abducted by aliens and transported through space to be tested like lab animals, and you’re having problems with the fact I got home faster than you did? Is that really what you want to talk about right now?”
Leon grunted a small noise of agreement. “I guess you’re right. Bigger fish, and all.”
“Right. So, anyway, I found your mother’s phone number and called her. She gave me your cell phone number so I could contact you directly. I’m glad your phone battery is still charged.”
“Me, too. And I’m glad you called me. I probably would have convinced myself I had gone crazy over the next few days. Hearing your voice, I… At least I know I’m sane. For all the good that does me. No one would believe me if I told them where we went.”
“You have to tell them anyway, Leon,” Sofia insisted. “We have to tell people what happened.”
“What? No way! I’d get locked up for being completely out of my mind. At best, I’ll get laughed at for being some kind of UFO crackpot.”
“Remember what the yellow-eyed alien said. We were only the first to be tested. They’re going to take others, and we have to warn everybody about what is going to happen.”
“They won’t believe us,” Leon said again. “They’ll think we’re a joke.”
“For a while. Maybe,” Sofia told him, sadly. “But others will be abducted and, hopefully, some of them will come back to tell their stories and prove us right. It won’t be easy, but we can’t stay quiet and pretend it didn’t happen. I can’t stay quiet, anyway, and I hope you will speak up with me.”
Leon closed his eyes and pressed his hand against his forehead in frustration. After a long pause, he sighed loudly. “Of course, I will. I hope my mom isn’t too disappointed when she hears about how her son has completely lost his mind, rambling about spaceships and little green men.”
“The Many were brown and yellow, and they weren’t that little,” Sofia laughed. The humor died away, and her voice turned serious. “I know it will be hard. No one will believe us at first. We only have our word that any of this happened.”
“Wait! Hold on.”
Leon dropped the phone into his lap and reached for the backpack in the passenger seat. He unzipped the main pouch and slipped a hand inside. His fist closed around an oblong object. When his hand came out, it was clasped around one of the odd shaped, apple-like fruits he had collected from the alien food supply. He set the fruit down and reached back into the pack. Next, he pulled out the fire extinguisher box that Shoo had given him. He put the box on the seat beside the fruit. Opening the smaller front pocket, he recovered the ring of strangely shaped keys Hiss had asked him to carry from the library.
Picking up the phone, Leon brought it back to his ear. “We actually have a little more than just our word. I don’t know how much it will help, but I brought back a few things from … from wherever we were.” He detailed the items he had removed from his backpack.
“That’s great, Leon.” He could hear genuine relief in Sofia’s voice.
“I don’t know if it will prove anything to anybody,” he warned her. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I don’t want to, but that doesn’t matter. I think we need to try. Don’t you?”
Leon paused to take a deep breath and blow it out, steeling himself for the ordeal they were about to unleash on themselves.
“Yeah,” he told Sofia reluctantly. “You’re right. We have to try.”
About the Author
G. Allen Wilbanks was born and raised in northern California. He is currently still there, living a quiet life with his wife and a ridiculous number of animals. For twenty-five years he worked in law enforcement while writing horror and fantasy fiction during his free time to keep himself occupied and stay sane. In 2016 he decided to retire from real life and live in a fantasy world of his own making full time. For additional information about G. Allen, including where you can find more of his writing, please visit his website at www.gallenwilbanks.com.