Equinox

by L. J. Higgins

  “Ky?” Reece’s quiet whisper drew my attention to the bush beside me, hiding the cave’s entrance. Moments later, Reece emerged from the branches and leaves. “You okay?”

  “Please, don’t ask me that,” I said.

  “Can I sit with you?” he asked.

  I nodded, exhausted from crying and leaned my head back against the rock.

  “I forgive you,” he said.

  My breath hitched at his words, and I shook my head.

  “I do. I can’t say I’m happy with what you did, and it’s not easy to reconcile it. But I know you only did what you were told was the right thing to do. You thought you were avenging your brother. I can’t say, put in the same situation, I wouldn’t have done the same thing,” he said.

  “You wouldn’t have,” I replied. “You question everything.”

  He let out a breathy laugh beside me. “Because I learned quickly being on this planet I needed to. But I didn’t question leaving my planet to come. I didn’t question if it was safe for my family to come here. I blindly believed we were coming here to start a new adventure, not being lured to our deaths.”

  Wiping at my damp face with my forearm, I rested my hand on the dirt floor beside me, still looking up at the sky. A hand brushed the top of mine before taking hold of it. I didn’t have the strength or resolve to shake him off. Instead, we sat hand in hand, staring up at the sky in silence.

  “Ky, Ky. It’s time to wake up. We need to get moving.”

  Reece’s voice awoke me from a dream where every time I’d finally found my brother, he’d disappear, and I’d have to start looking for him all over again. Safe to say, I hadn’t slept well. I didn’t know what time we’d crawled back into the cave and to bed, but I’d felt lighter when we did.

  “Are you okay?” Reece asked. “You look…”

  “Like crap? Thanks,” I replied.

  “I was going to say like you’ve seen a ghost. You don’t look like crap. You just look tired, which is why we need to get to our next stop over. We both need a decent meal and a good night’s sleep.”

  I unzipped my sleeping bag and climbed out, combing my dark hair with my fingers and tying it into a messy plait. I was thankful Reece hadn’t decided to hide a mirror in the cave. I could only imagine the state I was in.

  “There’s half a tin of warm spaghetti by the fire,” he said.

  “How long until this next stop over?” I asked, my stomach clenching at the thought of another tin of spaghetti.

  “It’ll take most of the day.”

  “I think I’ll be okay until we get there.”

  “Your loss.” He strode over to the fire from where he’d been packing things and picked up the tin to finish it off.

  I rolled up my sleeping bag and helped Reece pack a few things in the backpack he’d found in the cave. He put out the fire and packed the remainder of the food into a container, hiding it further back in the darkness by the light of a torch.

  My eyes took a moment to adjust before I could see clearly again. “Do you need me to carry anything?”

  “Just your weapon. I wish I had some different clothes for us, but it looks like we’ll have to dress like Skywatchers hunters for a bit longer.”

  Pulling at my dirty black singlet, I took a sniff and scrunched up my nose. “You’re sure we get to have a shower where we’re going?”

  Reece smiled. “I’m sure.”

  I dusted off my long black pants and pulled on my soggy socks before tugging on my boots. Grabbing my belt, I clipped it around my waist then finished my outfit off by slinging my rifle over my shoulder. There was a time when I’d been proud to wear the Skywatchers uniform. Now I couldn’t wait to burn it.

  “Are you ready?” Reece asked.

  “To stop living like a cave woman? Yes, I’m ready,” I replied.

  I followed him by torchlight as he made his way toward the entry of the cave. As we approached, the roof sagged lower, and we hunched over as we made our way towards the blur of light at the end of the tunnel. As we reached the bush hiding the entrance, we sat for a moment while our eyes adjusted so we wouldn’t be blinded by the dim light of the morning outside. When he was ready, Reece pushed his way through the bush hiding the entrance and disappeared. Excitement pulsed through my veins at the thought of seeing sunshine and blue skies.

  “Stay there,” Reece said through the branches.

  My muscles tensed, and I did as he’d ordered. “What’s wrong?”

  “I thought I heard something. It’s probably an animal but stay there while I take a look.”

  Before I could reply, he was gone, and I was left crouching in the cave’s entrance.

  “Get down!” A male’s voice filled the air.

  “Argh!” Reece’s cry ricocheted off the rock walls, sending chills racing down my spine and making my heart thump wildly in my chest.

  Reece was in trouble.

  Every part of my being wanted to burst from the cave and run to Reece’s defence, but despite the way my muscles tensed to run, my training as a hunter kicked in, forcing me to stay in place. Drawing a deep breath, I attempted to calm my racing heart and released my breath along with some of the tension. Satisfied I’d calmed enough to keep a level head, I crept forward, taking my gun from my back, and pushed its barrel through the shrub covering the entrance. I pressed my eye to the scope and scanned the area outside from left to right until I caught sight of Reece a small distance away. Behind him, a broad guy with short-cropped hair, dressed in the Skywatchers uniform, pushed him to his knees and jabbed him with the barrel of his gun. He was a Skywatchers alien hunter. The hunter jabbed Reece again, forcing him to put his hands behind his head.

  “Come on, Justin. I thought we were friends,” Reece said.

  “So did I. Until I found out you betrayed your fellow hunters,” Justin spat.

  “They didn’t tell you, did they?” Reece said.

  “I’ve been told not to listen to a word you say, you traitorous…”

  “Come on, Justin. You don’t want to know I’m actually an alien?” Reece teased.

  What was he doing? Trying to get his head blown off?

  Justin laughed but didn’t relax his grip around his weapon. “Agent Rickson said you’d say anything to save your ass. But you know who we really want. Where is she, Reece? Where’s Ky?”

  A chill raced down my spine at the mention of Ricko’s name. I’d trusted him. Believed every word he’d said. Now he was hunting me down like an animal, just like he’d had me do to so many aliens.

  “Do you really think you could kill her? I thought you were keen on her?” Reece said.

  Finally, I spotted Reece’s gun, thrown a distance away from where Justin stood. If we were going to get out of this mess, it was up to me. But at least Reece was making a good effort at distracting Justin. The only problem was if Justin was here, it meant his partner, the only female friend I’d had in the past two years, was hiding somewhere in the bushland ready to put a bullet in my brain.

  “That was before I knew she was a traitor. And we aren’t going to kill her. Agent Rickson and Commander Kane want her alive,” Justin said.

  Of course, they did. So they could continue using me as a pawn in the game they were playing against the aliens and my brother. There’s no way I was letting them use me again.

  “Too bad she’s not here then, isn’t it?” Reece said.

  “Yes, she is. You two are practically glued at the hip.”

  “You jealous?” Reece teased.

  Justin smacked Reece across the side of the face with his gun.

  Chapter Three

  I had two things in my favour. One, Justin mustn’t have seen Reece sneak out of our cave, or he and Natalie would’ve stormed it by now. Two, he’d paced around to the front of Reece and bent down to his level to yell in his face which meant he wasn’t facing my way.

  The thing against me: if he felt comfortable enough to let his guard down, Natalie was definitely in the bushland, wait
ing to spot me. Hunters always went out in pairs. All I could do was hope to avoid her. Not only so I wouldn’t have to shoot someone who’d been my friend only days before, but also so I wouldn’t have to see the disappointment in her eyes.

  I scanned the surrounding bushland with my scope, unable to spot her hiding place. Maybe Justin had decided to go rogue? Whatever his story was, sitting around waiting for him to either give up and shoot Reece or discover my hiding place wasn’t going to work in my favour. I needed to get out and rescue Reece so he could take me to my brother. I’d been the best hunter at Skywatchers, which meant I was more skilled than this guy and his partner.

  I crawled through the bush one-handed, keeping a grip on my weapon, and as soon as I was clear of the scratching of branches and leaves, I pressed myself flat against the rock surface beside me. My eyes darted from left to right as I side-stepped my way along the wall and found a thick, fallen tree trunk to duck behind.

  No shots had been fired, so no one had spotted me, but it didn’t stop the uneasy feeling tightening my stomach. I was more vulnerable in the sun’s bright glare, filling the bushland around me. I’d always done my hunting hiding in shadows, but the tree was going to have to do for now. Peering over the trunk, I cringed as Justin struck Reece, the ‘crack’ making my body tense. Lifting my firearm over the trunk, I peered through the scope as Justin loomed over Reece. Half of his body was behind a tree, but one step to his right and he was mine.

  That had been me a few days ago. If Ricko had told me we’d been betrayed and to hunt the culprit down, I wouldn’t have thought twice about putting a bullet in their head. I couldn’t blame him for blindly following his orders as I had for over two years. But I couldn’t let him kill me or Reece, either.

  “Tell me where she is, and I’ll let you go,” Justin yelled.

  “I told you she’s gone. You can tell Agent Rickson she’s been reunited with her brother,” Reece said.

  Justin replied by smacking him across the face with his gun again, taking a step to his right. Aiming at the back of his head, I released a breath, ready to press the trigger…

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The familiar voice sent my body rigid. “I have my gun pointed at your head, so you take the shot, and you’re dead. I don’t care what my orders are. Lower your weapon and turn around slowly.”

  Taking my finger from the trigger, I did as she instructed, lowering my gun and turning slowly towards her. “Natalie.”

  “Ky.” The betrayal in her eyes sent a pang through my chest.

  “Just let me explain…”

  “I think I know everything I need to know.” She clenched her jaw and swallowed hard. “How could you? Was everything you told me a lie?”

  “No, look, I don’t know what you’ve been told, but I’ve learnt there’s much more to the Skywatchers than we know. So much more,” I said.

  “I’ve heard enough of your lies. Put your gun on the ground and raise your hands.” She stepped forward, the barrel of her gun pointed in my face.

  “You need to listen to me,” I begged her as I did as she asked.

  “No. You’ve been manipulated by the enemy. But it’s okay, Ky. Agent Rickson has said if we return you to Skywatchers in one piece, they can rehabilitate you. Then you could come home.”

  “It’s not my home anymore,” I said. “They don’t want to rehabilitate me, Natalie, they want to imprison me so they can use me against my brother.”

  “But you said your brother was dead,” she said.

  “I thought he was. That’s what Ricko and Commander Kane told me. But it was a lie. Reece showed me the truth. Aliens aren’t the enemy. Skywatchers are.”

  She shook her head. “You’re wrong. They’ve got into your head. Agent Rickson’s right. They’re much more dangerous than we could’ve imagined.”

  The sound of a gunshot sounded behind me, and my gut twisted at the sound. Reece. Tears ran down my cheeks and my insides convulsed, but I didn’t say a word and didn’t move. I couldn’t. It was as though the sound had put a spell on me, and I was being held firmly in place.

  “Put your weapon down.”

  I released a sob at the sound of Reece’s voice. My body shuddered for a moment as the spell released.

  I turned to face him. “Reece.” Never had I been so glad to see his bright blue eyes.

  “You didn’t think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?” he asked with a smirk.

  “You shoot me, I shoot you.” Natalie’s voice was calm and stern.

  “No one is shooting anyone,” I said.

  “You killed my partner. You killed Justin,” she said jaw tight.

  “I shot him in the leg. He’s not dead, but he needs your help,” Reece said.

  “Please, Natalie, you have to believe me. We’re friends…”

  “We were friends. Until you betrayed us,” she said, the hurt shifting her voice.

  “I promise, it’s not that simple. You need to listen. The aliens aren’t the enemy we’ve been told they are. We’ve been killing innocent beings…”

  Natalie stilled for a moment.

  “Please, I’m telling the truth,” I begged her.

  She nodded to herself. “I’m going to let you go. But we aren’t going to stop hunting you. Agent Rickson has every one of his best hunters out looking for you. If you come now, you’ll be making it easier on yourself.”

  My shoulders relaxed at her words, despite her not lowering her weapon.

  “Come with us. Let me show you what I’ve learnt.” I held my hand out towards her.

  She eyed my open palm, her eyes softening for a moment, before she found her steely resolve. “Go. Get out of here before I shoot both of you.”

  “Search for answers,” I said to her as I scrambled from the ground with Reece’s help. “Find the truth for yourself. You’ll see there’s more to Skywatchers than what we’ve been told.”

  She began backing away from us, keeping her gun trained as she made her way to Justin. Reece kept his gun raised, and I stepped forward to retrieve my own weapon before Reece took me by the arm and began guiding me away. Only a few days ago, we’d been sitting at lunch with both of them, laughing and talking about how much we loved killing aliens. Now I was on the run with one.

  Why Natalie was letting us walk away, I had no idea. I was sure I’d never have shown her the same mercy before I’d learnt the truth. But she had, and I’d be forever grateful. She was the best female friend I’d ever had.

  We ran for as long and as fast as our stiff legs would carry us to put as much distance between us and our old friends as possible. All we could do was hope we wouldn’t run into any more Skywatchers hunters as we made our way through the trees and shrubs. The bushland grew denser as we moved, shading us from the sun that had risen high in the sky over the treetops. Despite the shade, the damp heat and constant moving had created a sheen of sweat all over my body. I lifted my singlet to wipe the moisture from my hot face.

  “I think we can slow down for a bit now,” Reece said, breaking the silence we’d maintained since we’d left Natalie and Justin behind.

  We slowed to a brisk walk. Reece pulled a canister from the side of his bag and took a swig of water before offering it to me. I took a big mouthful, letting the moisture soak into my tongue and mouth before swallowing.

  “How’s your head feel?” I asked him. “Justin got you good a few times.” The only visible mark from his beating was a dark red mark across his right cheek.

  “It’s a bit sore. He was kind enough to keep his blows where my hair could hide the bruising.”

  “So kind,” I said.

  “I think a storm might be brewing.” Reece shielded his eyes from the sun’s light as he peered into the sky.

  I cocked an eyebrow and looked into the sky between the branches of trees, shielding my face as he did. “I think Justin did more damage than you think. The sky looks pretty clear to me.”

  “You’ve been inside Skywatchers for
too long. This heat means a storms brewing. My bet is it hits late this afternoon. Let’s hope we can make it to our safe house before it reaches us.”

  “I bet you have no idea what you’re talking about. Maybe you have brain damage or something? Unless you’re a closet meteorologist?” I asked.

  “I’ve had to learn a lot about your planet since I arrived. I probably know more about how your world works than you do.”

  “Great, so you’re a genius meteorologist. Who knew?” I replied.

  “I promise you, it’s going to rain,” he said.

  “I promise you, you’re wrong,” I replied. “I don’t know if you remember, but I’ve lived on this planet for fifteen more years than you have. I think I’d know if it looked like rain. For starters, there’s not one dark cloud in the sky.”

  A smug grin spread across Reece’s lips. “Would you like to put a wager on that?”

  “Like what? You get five rocks and a stick if you win? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I haven’t got anything of value. Maybe you want my stinky tank top?”

  “No way. That thing’s ripe.”

  “Oh, and you smell so amazing,” I said.

  “How about, if it storms this afternoon, I get to sleep on the bed at the safe house, and you have to sleep on the couch. If it doesn’t, you get the bed,” he said.

  “You told me I was getting a bed,” I said.

  “I was going to let you have the bed. But this will be much more fun.”

  “That’s a stupid idea. I don’t want to sleep on the couch if there’s a bed.”

  “So, you do think it’s going to rain?”

  “I didn’t say that. Why do you always do that?”

  “What?”