by P P Corcoran
“Then why’re you crying, Mom! Because you know this’s nuts, that’s why!” Ripley slammed her freshly manicured hand on the table.
“I think we are all feeling upset or sad that we had to leave others behind.” Alan studied the ice dissipating into his drink.
“Exactly! You brought us all here, not thinking about our grandparents! What about Uncle Will and Aunt Bev? Or Aunt Shelly and Uncle Matt? Or the rest of the family? Our friends!” Ripley sobbed.
“Dad, Ripley’s got a point. What about them?” Corbin asked.
“In the beginning, when your mother and I bought this place, we knew that if the time came to ever use it for whatever reason, they would have to be left behind. I’m sorry honey, but I think they would understand.”
“How do you know that? Did you tell them about this place? Do they know where we are in case, they look for us?” Corbin looked his father in the eyes.
“No, not exactly. It’s not a good idea to advertise this kind of thing, but I did mention years ago that we should all have a plan in place if some kind of world event ever came about. You know Grandpa, he always laughed at that kind of thing. Supply wise, we have enough for our family, but that’s it. It’s not a decision I would make lightly, believe me. I promise to reach out to everyone when I’m able to do so. Right now, let’s just try and get along. We’re going to be spending a lot of time together.”
“I hate you.” Ripley spat at her father.
“Ripley, that’s enough! We’re a family and we will act like a one. I’m sorry your plans were disrupted by—whatever this is! Stop acting like a spoiled little brat and be thankful your father could provide such a beautiful place for us to feel safe and to have hope.” Marylin wept.
“Let’s all just calm down and get through this. Why don’t we make a nice dinner in here? Look at these wonderful granite counter tops and stainless-steel appliances! We can watch a movie in our screening room. It’ll be fun. How many teenagers have their own movie theater, huh? And our gym is green, we can create electricity just by exercising! Isn’t that something?” Alan chuckled nervously.
Ripley stood up and scowled at her father. “Fuck your counter tops!”, she said, “And fuck you too!”, then she ran from the kitchen and slammed the door to her room.
Marylin put her head down on the table and cried. Corbin patted his mother’s back and told her he would talk to Ripley before he got up and left. Alan poured himself another two fingers of scotch. When life gives you lemons...drink scotch, he thought. He rubbed his numb face and tried to tell himself it would all be alright. He wished he could provide more answers, but he couldn’t. He worried about how long they would be down here and if the luxurious underground bunker would become their luxurious burial tomb.
#
Weeks went by and there was no sign of Them. What information the Konnover’s got from their television or phones was not good. People looted, killed themselves and each other, and scrambled to find places to hide. Ripley had finally calmed down and apologized. She begrudgingly thanked her father for protecting them. They were getting used to their new life, even enjoying frequent family movie nights and pool time. Marylin had stocked plenty of books into the condo over the years and she insisted the kids set aside time each week to read and study. They even began to grow their own food, a favorite activity of Ripley’s.
Corbin ultimately closed the history book he’d been reading. It looked so calm outside. He liked watching the gently spinning wind turbines. The tall grass waved in the wind. Nothing was out there. He looked down at his phone and shook his head. Maybe this will all blow over? Doesn’t matter when people are going insane outside. Maybe that’s what they wanted? For us to get rid of ourselves, save them the hassle.
He got up from the bed and changed into his still damp swim trunks. His father was undoubtedly already buzzed on scotch and that Ripley was in the garden with their mother. A swim always made him forget where he was. The windows and lighting in the pool area felt almost like you were outside. As he went to leave his room, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. A glint or a glare. He turned to peer out the mock window. In the distance, a large metallic clam shaped object swerved in the cloudless bright blue sky and then it was gone.
I should tell Mum and Dad what I saw, Corbin told himself. He walked to the theater, the place where his father would sometimes sit and drink by himself while enjoying an old movie. As he suspected, his father was asleep in one of the reclining leather seats. Clint Eastwood squinted back at him from the large screen. He walked to the garden, peeking in Corbin saw the smiles on his mother and Ripley’s face as they hovered over some lettuce sprouts. Forget it, I’m not telling.
He walked to the pool and swam several laps, then stood under one of the waterfalls staring into the large windows that ran along the room. Bingo. His heart raced. Several more of the clam shells were now in the sky. They zigged and zagged in different directions. Fuck, there goes the neighborhood, he thought.
At dinner his mother and sister served them plates of pasta with a garlicky tomato sauce and bread. Dad eyed their mother when she allowed Ripley a half glass of red wine. “It’s just a little, Alan, hardly enough to even wet her lips,” she uttered, “Corbin, would you like a little?”
“No thanks, Mom.” He sat next to his sister and bumped her shoulder. She smiled and told him to try the bread, that she made it herself.
“This’s fabulous, Maryl! Really good! And the bread, Rip, it’s delightful.” Their father filled his glass to the brim with plum colored wine.
“Thanks, Dad.” Ripley beamed.
“Corbin, how was your day?” Marylin asked.
“Oh, you know, the usual. I read, played with my phone, watched TV, and swam.” He replied.
“Actual TV, or the window TVs?” his sister laughed, “Wind turbines and slow-moving clouds are very entertaining, didn’t you know?”
“There was something more interesting today, actually.” Corbin tilted his head and played with his food.
Their parents stopped eating and peered up at him. Ripley slurped a noodle and giggled, “Oh, and what was that?”
“It was...a murder of crows. They were extremely interesting to watch.” Corbin smiled at his sister. His parents finally took a breath and sipped their wine.
Ripley rolled her eyes but smiled, “You’re such a freak.”
When their plates were empty, Corbin stood up to gather them. His father got up too. “Let me join you, son. Your mother and sister did all the cooking, it’s only fair,” he winked.
“Dad, can we talk later? I need to tell you something.” Corbin fidgeted.
“Of course. The gym? We can work off all the pasta and bread. No need to get fat while we hide out, right?” Alan scraped a hunk of sauce off a plate.
“Yeah, sure.”
Corbin’s mother and sister decided to go for a swim before they showered. They were going to have a mother and daughter movie night and had claimed the theater for themselves. Corbin was glad they were trying to be find solace in the situation. He didn’t want to be the one to burst that bubble, but he needed to tell his father what he saw.
Changing into some shorts Corbin headed for the gym, his father was already on one of the bikes pedaling away, tablet plugged into the battery charger. Corbin plugged his phone into the bike next to his fathers, then hopped on. They pedaled furiously for about twenty minutes. Corbin stopped and put his hand out towards his father and waved it.
“Dad?” he said.
“Yes.”
“I didn’t see a murder of crows.” Corbin averted his father’s gaze and fiddled with his handle bars.
“I know.”
“What?”
“I said, I know.” Alan wiped sweat from his brow.
“What do you know?” Corbin got off the bike and stood in front of his father.
“I saw them. The other day.” Alan took a deep breath and exhaled.
“What are they?”
“I assume it’s Them. I mean, who else? Those ships were... look, Corbin, you know that my job has always been confidential, and I am sworn to secrecy, but I’m telling you that some stuff exists that’s hard to explain. It’s always been out there, but we never thought it would ever come to this, in our lifetime anyway. Turns out we were wrong.”
“Dad, what do we do?” Corbin heard his voice crack.
“We stay in here and hope for the best. We can’t tell your mother or sister what we saw. They’re finally able to smile. Let’s keep it that way. If they see it on their own, then we obviously have to tell them something, but for now let’s keep it between us.”
“But we have to tell them! They can’t be in the dark. What if They come here? What if They...”
“Corbin, stop. We’re doing everything we can do right now. I have weapons. We all know how to use them, and if the time comes, we will do what we have to.”
“Because They won’t have better weapons or for all we know mind control powers?!” Corbin shouted.
“You’ve watched too many movies, son.”
“And you haven’t seen enough apparently!”
“What do you want me to do? Do you want me to go outside and start shooting up at the sky? This’s why we’re down here, for protection. I’ve been staying up at night and I wouldn’t allow anything to hurt you. Do you understand?” The whites of his father’s sunken eyes were pink.
“I’m going to stay up with you.” Corbin said resolutely.
“Then you better take a nap.” Alan got up off his bike and left him alone in the gym.
#
The following week was Ripley’s sixteenth birthday. They were going to have a family pool party and watch all her favorite movies. Corbin felt a twinge of guilt. Last year, he spent his seventeenth birthday on an island in the Caribbean. He wished they could all be there now celebrating Ripley’s. The jeep his father got him was almost certainly long gone by now. They hadn’t seen the flying clams in days and hadn’t spoken a word about it either.
It was dark except for the faint light coming from the screens his father and him watched. The moon was full, and they could see a few animals moving around in the pale light. After several nights of the two of them staying up, Alan told his worried wife that Corbin and he were just keeping watch, something they decided they wanted to do just in case. Marylin nodded her head and gave a little smile but said nothing.
A rabbit hopped along munching on the spotty tall blades of grass. Corbin’s eye lids felt heavy. The late nights were taking a toll. Even with napping during the day, he was having a hard time. His father sat eagle eyed swirling a tumbler of scotch. The clink of the ice cubes used to annoy Corbin, but now he found it soothing. “Your sister’s turning sixteen tomorrow. Time flies, huh?” Alan raised an eyebrow.
Corbin yawned and sat up straighter, “Yeah, especially when you’re a hundred feet underground.”
“It’s not all bad. We’re having an alright time. It could be loads worse. Look what’s going on all over the world, it’s chaos out there. There hasn’t been any new news for over a week now, but I can imagine—never mind.”
“I feel terrible about it. So many sitting ducks. Do you think people found a way to escape? Do you think our family and friends...” Corbin couldn’t bring himself to finish.
“I have no idea. I really don’t. I’d like to think so, though. We can’t feel bad about being fortunate, son. In a way, all of us are sitting ducks on this planet, we always were. We just happen to have a nicer pond to sit in.”
“What about the military, though? Don’t they have anything? You said we knew about this kind of threat, didn’t we prepare?”
“It’s not as easy as that. Our government has defense for what already exists. Because the threat was hypothetical at the time and not concrete, they didn’t want to spend the money. Which is where our company came in. Most of our funding is from the billionaires and private investors, who also fund some of the world’s other top scientific communities. However, we do brief the government when we absolutely need to. They just didn’t listen very well until it was too late.” Alan said.
“But maybe They don’t understand us either? Maybe that’s their weakness?”
“Maybe, Corbin.” Alan didn’t sound convinced.
Marylin heard her husband and son talking in hushed tones. Ripley was sleeping already, excited about her day tomorrow. What a way to spend your sweet sixteen. She was happy to be spending so much time with her daughter, but sad that it took being underground to bring them back together. Marylin tried to make out what they were discussing but gave up and decided it didn’t matter. She’d ask her husband later. Whatever it was could wait until after Ripley’s big day. In bed, she drifted off to sleep thinking about what kind of cake she’d be able to make with what they had.
Corbin and Alan were debating scientific theories when they saw a man. He was stumbling around outside; a little girl trailing behind him. They were carrying flashlights and backpacks. The little girl sat down on the ground and began to play with a doll she took out from her bag. The man set his stuff down with the little girl but didn’t sit.
“What the hell?” Corbin whispered.
“Must be trying to find somewhere to go. Maybe their car broke down.” Alan said.
“But here? The road’s kinda far. I mean, it’s obvious that there’s some sort of shelter here, but... maybe he thinks we’ll let them in?”
“Well, we’re not.”
“Dad, the little girl...”
“What about her? We can’t go letting strangers in. Who knows why they’re out there? They could have weapons.”
“Well, I hardly doubt they have what we have...”
“I said no! That’s final, now drop it.”
The little girl fell asleep hugging her doll. The man glanced all around, then up at the sky before he got up. He left the little girl where she lay and walked in the direction of their shelter. Alan jumped up and went to a different window. Corbin followed. The man walked down the small concrete steps and onto the large concrete driveway where their car was parked. He tried all the door handles, then walked up to the front of the shelter and inspected the heavy doors.
“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Alan mouthed.
“Dad, what’s the big deal? He can’t get in here, right?”
“No, but I don’t like him creeping around.”
The man went back to the car and broke the driver’s side window, then unlocked the door. He went inside and emerged minutes later. The car’s lights were flashing. Alan shook his head and sighed; the alarm was going off. Shit, shit, shit. He forgot to disable it. As the man moved out of sight, Alan and Corbin went back to the other window. The man grabbed the sleepy little girl’s hand, picked their stuff up before trudging back to the Tahoe placing the limp form of the girl in the passenger seat before moving to the driver’s side. He’ll probably try and hotwire it. Good luck with that, pal, Alan thought.
“We’re not using it anyway. What could it hurt?” Corbin shrugged.
“I don’t like it, but there’s not much I can do about it now.” Alan ran his hand through his hair.
They sat in silence for a while watching the blinking Tahoe. Then Corbin saw it. A hint of something in the distance coming quickly toward their area. Alan saw it too and began to grind his teeth.
“Dad? Dad, what do we do?”
“We do nothing,” he said, “This’s what I was afraid of.”
The moon’s light refracted off the metallic sheen of the clam shaped ship as it landed in the near distance. It was much bigger than Corbin thought it would be. He shivered next to his father, who put his finger to his lips and shook his head. They both watched as the beings emerged from the ship. Corbin startled and his father clamped his hand onto his shoulder.
As They approached, Corbin marveled at their appearance and gasped. There were four of them. They were tall, but not freakishly so, with long arms. They were very slim and wore skin t
ight reflective suits with thick combat style boots. There were helmets on their slightly larger heads. Corbin thought They looked almost human as They walked purposefully in the direction of the shelter. They knew they were there.
“Dad? Dad, they’re coming right for us. I’m scared.” But Corbin couldn’t look away as they inched closer to the driveway and the Tahoe. Alan put a finger to his lips in a hushing gesture keeping his hand clamped down on Corbin’s shoulder.
“There’s nothing we can do now, we’re in here and we’re safe. They’re most likely here for them and they’ll be gone soon. Just stay calm, we don’t want to wake your mother or Ripley.”
They walked directly to the Tahoe. One of them opened the car door and went inside. Then another. They reemerged holding both the man and the child, they were limp and dangled in their long arms. A being walked up to their shelter and dragged a sizable hand down the door. Then it looked up into the camera and Corbin jumped in his skin.
Its lidless eyes were enormous, oval, and black. There were two holes were a nose should be and the mouth was a thin grim line. It tilted its head one way, then the other. It reached up with its hand and pointed - the camera went out.
Corbin shot up like a rocket, slinging his Father’s hand from his shoulder. He moved around the room going from window to window, but all the screens were black. Before he could get to the other rooms, Alan stepped in front of him. “Dad, move out of the way! I need to check the other windows! We need to know what to do! I have to get, Mom and Ripley.” Corbin’s cheeks were streaked with tears.
He tried to move past his father, but it was no use. Alan calmly turned his son around and directed him to the kitchen, where he sat him down at the table. Placing a glass in front of him Alan poured a shot of scotch into it and told him to drink it. Corbin looked back at his Father in shock, “There’s fucking aliens outside and this’s your solution?! We need to do something, damn it!” Corbin shoved the glass and it almost slid completely off the table.