by Jay Morris
After about 40 minutes he found what he was looking for; an arrow straight path, 30 feet wide of crushed plant, matter, rock and who knows what, crossing the highway at an angle. It stretched off as far as he could see but he knew which way to go, the aliens were precise and predicable he thought. He slowed and carefully pulled off onto the track. In comparison to the floating alien vehicles the Humvee leaves deep ruts in the powdery crush. He traveled a couple of miles then climbed up through the gunner hatch and took a look with his high powered binoculars. He saw nothing and traveled two more miles and checked again. He repeats the process several times and was surprised that the aliens had traveled so far.
It seems like it he traveled for hours but in reality it was only about an hour and a half, about 12 miles when he sees the giant white vehicles in the distance. Tucker started to shake his head, just like the other group, he wondered briefly how long his luck was going to hold out, oh well, he thought, if it happens it happens. It would be nice to get some rest, his shoulder and back were killing him. He pulled the vehicle off the track and then he backed it into the forest as far as he could. He shut it down and after he laid out his gear, he sat back and ate a MRE; No. 4, spaghetti with beef and sauce, there was some snack bread, peanut butter and grape jelly, dried fruit and a cran-raspberry bar called a ‘Hooah’, typical Army crap but the powdered fruit drink was pretty good even if he couldn’t exactly figure out what kind of fruit it was supposed to be. He looked at the label and muttered that the damn Army couldn’t even make up their own jargon, they had just adapted the Marine Corps “Ooh Rah”.
He sat on the hood of the green vehicle and hummed songs from his past, songs he used to sing to his beloved children as he walked them to sleep. He smiled, reveling in his memories of the happiest moments of his life. He smiled remembering his children as babies, so small, so sweet, so beautiful. He shook himself aware again, the feeling that if he let himself remember such joy for too long he would not be able to bear it. He took a deep breath and just for a moment he thought he was too tired to go on, he was too old, too hurt, too lonely and too broken to take another breath. He took a second deep breath and ran his hands through his thin hair. He slipped off of the hood then geared up, nope, not time to die yet, but it was time to kill.
An hour later, Tucker is laying under a large elderberry bush, looking over the alien camp. This time there were no gray guards, no whites running around, all four vehicles are locked up tight. He muttered quietly
“Well, guess they can learn after all.”
He wondered how this group knew what the other ones had done. He had two frag grenades but only one thermite grenade with him. He sighed again, a bad habit, tried to figure things out. He silently moved along the edge of the camp, the sun was setting and it was getting dark. He moved around to the forest side of the largest vehicle, the one where the family would be hiding. He had a rope tied to two pieces of black iron pipe screwed into a 90 degree fitting. He tossed it up and over the railing, and it falls to the ground, he used it to hoist a chain link fire escape ladder up to the rail. A few minutes of fiddling gets it hooked on. Up he went and walking to where he estimates that he stood over the main chamber, below that, the engine compartment. He sets the thermite grenade on the deck, pulls the pin and walks away, a flash of memory of a sergeant demonstrating this horrific weapon. He peeked back at it and had to shield his eyes as the weapon reaches its 4,000 degree Celsius temperature, it sliced through the alien hull like butter, when it falls to the deck below he can hear the aliens screaming. He walks over and pulling the pin of a fragmentation grenade he dropped it through the large deformed hole. He steps back and the explosion deafens him and for a moment there is silence inside but those who survive begin their buzzing, clicking, moans anew.
He heard the entrance open below him and he moved to that side of the vehicle. They are running, scattering, he whipped the M-16 around and lifts it to his shoulder, grays and Whites scatter, but the distance to escape is too great, the M-16 is on full auto and he fires in short bursts, cutting them down, the 5.56 mm rounds tumble on impact and given the frail nature of the aliens and their brittle, bird-like skeletons the effect is devastating. They are young males, and females, one is carrying and infant. He kills them all, at last he was going to mount their heads on poles in the center of the camp. He heard a door sliding open on another of the vehicles and turned to see a huge monster stepping out of it. It walked steadily towards him, he hit it six times center mass but then had to reload, it was pink but its black eyes and strange mesh covered and circular mouth make it anything but funny. It was incredibly muscled and so tall it will be able just pluck Tucker off the vehicle where he stood.
It is so massive it impossible to miss, when the M-16 was empty he let it dangle from its sling and drew the new .45 Colt 1911, but even those eight heavy slugs did not slow it. Like a glacier, it inexorably closed on Tucker, it raised a fist that must be twenty inches across and Tucker fell away as the giant smashed the railing, grasping it in its three fingered hand, it pulled 10 feet of it away, revealing the wide eyed old man where he had fallen on his ass. The creature is silent as it steps forward again, Tucker crab crawled backwards away from it. Fear giving his body impetus to get away.
The thing after him seemed to have trouble turning at the waist and that gave Tucker a moment to flip onto his stomach and scramble around the corner of the walkway. Each step the giant took seemed to be ponderous, decisive, and unstoppable. His M-16 was empty, the colt 45 was empty, he had his colt DA but he didn’t anticipate there being any better result. Then he remembered his last grenade. The creature was just coming around the front of the vehicle so he pulled the pin and dropped it to the ground at its feet. Tucker hobbled down the walkway as fast as he could, the explosion threw him to his belly, his face hit hard and his mouth filled with the coppery taste of blood. He was pretty sure his nose was broken and his lower lip might need stitches, it was already starting to swell. He climbed to his feet and peeked back at the creature, it was on its back, he moved a little closer and could see a huge tear from the creatures knee to its crotch, he blinked twice, it looked like there were bright steel rods instead of a thigh bone and the pink flesh was slowly closing of its own accord. Its giant three toed foot twitched and he felt the blood rush from his face when it sat up. That was when he heard the tell-tale whirring and humming that indicated that his thermite grenade had reached the engine or power plant, whatever it was, and it was going to blow. This was just getting better and better.
He had to get away, he had to warn the others about this new alien horror. He hobbled to his rope ladder and was stepping over the rail when the vehicle lurched as the giant used it to stand, Tucker lost his grip and he fell a dozen feet to the ground where he landed on his back. The air whooshed from his lungs and an agonizing pain shot between his shoulder blades, for a moment he thought he had been stabbed but luckily that was not the case, the giant pink monster turned the corner and started towards him. It was only 25 feet away. Tuckers bladder burned and he peed his pants as he tried to run. He passed the still open entrance to the bizarre alien R.V. The high pitched sound from the over loading engine was nearly deafening.
He had reached the woods, the giant was following and was near the entrance when the engine exploded. Like the previous two giant vehicles, the destruction was violent and total. The vehicle raised so high it was nearly vertical. Flames washed over Tucker and he felt the hair stand erect then curl on the back of his head as it was scorched. He could smell it burn, and he could feel his skin split. He nearly passed out because of it. Tucker realized his jacket was on fire, there was enough of him left to remember to roll it out in the dirt. Tucker turned and watched the flames climbing into the sky, and then he saw it, the monster. It was limping and seemed lost but Tucker could see that its condition was improving by the moment. Tucker ran, so frightened he didn’t find the sixteen inch sliver of white alien space car that had pierced his right thigh until he reache
d the Humvee and tried to slide in behind the steering wheel. He had to warn them. That was what kept him going, he had to warn them.
Day 34, Continued, Command Area, Vehicle 1-3
While far from optimum, the newest results were a significant improvement, however the monster had managed to destroy main housing vehicle Pod 9-3 out of his total of 20. There were, unfortunately, more casualties; Director 9 had survived but his tertiary spouse, their newborn and four siblings and several technicians had all been slain. Additionally, while the Defender had been successful the biotech-enhanced underling had been damaged, several times, most seriously by the exploding housing vehicle, but also by the various projectile weapons the monster deployed. The most unfortunate result was the monster was not captured or killed. He turned to the communication display and began the meeting.
“Statement-Factual-General-Protocols-Original Successful-Quantity-Estimation (.77)”
He looked at the assembled directors who still seemed nervous.
“Statement-Indigenous-Life-Form-Aggressive Lethality-Estimation-Initial-(.03) Incorrect
Statement-Indigenous-Life-Form-Aggressive Lethality-Estimation-Corrected (.84).”
The colors flashed were all over the place, confusion, fear, indignation, and even regret, he wondered if that the regret was for choosing this world in the first place. He flashed irritation and confidence and they all optically quieted.
“Insistive-Additional-Protocols-Original-Required-Composite
:{Indigenous-Life-Survey-Reassessment.
Indigenous-Life-Attributes-Survivability.
Indigenous-Life-Attributes-Lethality.
Defender-Enhancement-Survey-Dependent. };
Insistive-Broadcast (Director 1, All Directors)
Biological-Defender-Modification-Predictions-Required
Chronal-Delta-Planetary-Rotation (.50).”
His Directors were shocked at his aggressive commands and the short timeline, but that was what he had intended. The re-tasking of the hazardous duty bio-tech may have come from his junior but the decision to use biological features of other indigenous life to destroy the monster was his alone. He disconnected the communication without further comment. But now he had a rather unpleasant duty, he had called a conference of all planetary directors, he had to give the details of his pod losses that his colonization ship had suffered. He was not looking forward to this.
Day 35, Two Miles from the West Virginia Welcome Center, 3:30 AM
The Sun had set, Tucker really wasn’t sure where he was, the Humvee was undamaged but hopelessly stuck with its nose down in a deep gully on the side of the road on a sharp turn on the highway. His head was swimming. He put his hand down on his thigh, his jeans were soaked with blood. He felt the long thin piece of space material sticking two inches out of his thigh. He had to warn them. No choice, he shook his head in a futile attempt to clear his mind. He fumbled with the door and after a few minutes got it open and he tumbled out of the Humvee. Agony as the shard in his thigh was twisted in the meat by the impact, he moaned.
“I have…I have to warn...” he muttered.
Someone turned him over, but he couldn’t focus on who it was. The stranger said nothing, but a few minutes later the hero had got him out of the gully and gave him some water from his stores. Soon after that he was walking, more or less down the divided highway, the kid who was helping him fit nicely under his arm. “Thank you...thank you. We have to warn them”
He kept saying it over and over while his rescuer remained silent.
Day 35, West Virginia Welcome Center, 4:30 AM
I was on over watch, the day had been nice but the night had turned cold. We had not heard any other evidence of Tucker’s war but for some reason Lucy didn’t seemed concerned. Thank God, I thought, this was so much better than when she didn’t like her guard dog to be out of her sight for more than an hour. Unfortunately I was beginning miss the guy, I still couldn’t decide why. The night was so dark, the stars were a bright swath across the sky, but I couldn’t see more than 50 feet down the highway in either direction.
I tried to listen for our enemies but all I heard were the crickets. It was hard to stay focused, it was easier to stay alert when we were hiding from the Before but the Whites didn’t seem to be interested in finding us, only in doing whatever they were doing. I hate to admit it but I guess I was dozing, I was thinking about Karen, her kisses and the feel of her body as she slept next to me. Suddenly, I was awake, something was different. Adrenalin coursed through me and I was suddenly on one knee and as quietly as possible charging my rifle. I waited, I knew my eyes were as big as dinner plates and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I waited, I was trying so hard to hear even the slightest sound it took me a minute to realize the crickets had gone silent.
Then a moment later, there it was, a slow shuffling coming from the West. I raised the rifle and adjusted my sight alignment, just like Tucker had shown me, all that was left to move the aligned sights in the sight picture, breathe out slowly and squeeze. I just had to be surprised by the bang. Whoever/whatever was coming was slowly but steadily getting closer. I could see the shadow, only a few more feet, my finger tightened on the trigger. Then I heard him, it was Tucker, he was muttering but it was him for sure. I sighed and lowered the rifle I quietly called down to him,
“Tucker, what you are doing? Are you drunk or something?”
There was no answer but he did get close enough that I could make out he was not alone, he had his arm around the stocky, robed shoulders of a gray.
Coming down through the ceiling hatch I then went to the storage room where everyone but Weir was sleeping. I shook Amy and Diane awake and told them to arm up and meet me outside. I didn’t have to wake Karen, she was laying on her back on our pallet, her hands laced behind her head, thinking. She saw my expression and was at my side quicker than a cat, M-9 in hand. She didn’t have time to ask me what was going on before we were outside, Diane and Amy close behind.
The gray had laid Tucker down a few feet from the entrance, apparently it understood the significance of our weapons because when it saw us it rose and slowly backed away a few feet. It did so in a three-quarter bow, its hands held palms up, but it did not break eye contact. Diane held her rifle at the ready, Karen and I knelt on either side of the old man; he promptly looked at Karen and said “John, I knew you’ find me”. He was deathly pale and while he had grasped my hand at first he let it slide from his grasp. Amy said “Let’s get him inside”, her voice calm and authoritative once more.
“What about him?” I asked.
“I don’t know, give him something to drink?”
Amy said as we dried to lift the big ox, turns out we needed his help so the gray ended up inside with us anyway.
With some effort we got him up on the information counter, Karen had appeared med bag in hand. Diane cut the jeans off of him so we could get a better look at the wound. It was pretty ghastly to tell the truth, the shard of white whatever it was, stuck out the back of his thigh by about an inch and a half, and out the top of his thigh by close to three inches. It was more or less flat with only a slight curve to it. Both ends came to needle sharp points but it looked like the 3-4”widest part was buried deep in his leg. At least that is what Diane has said based on the width of the wound on the back of his leg.
“We need to get this out.” Diane said.
“What if we nick an artery or something?” I asked.
“Then he’s dead either way” Deputy Weir said, having silently appeared at some point. “It’s the only chance he’s got” he added.
“Right, get a tourniquet on him. Somewhere around here”
Amy said moving her hand in a slashing motion high on tuckers thigh. Everything was crazy and at some point we woke Lucy, Gina and Silent Bob, Weir took over for me on over watch. Once the tourniquet was in place there was some more discussion, but it boiled down to this, leave it in, he dies. The shard was slick, it was going to be hard to get a good
grip but Karen remember seeing a tool box in the store room and for once we had some good luck, a pair of vice-grips, Amy was impressed I knew what they were, I did not have the heart to tell her the name was etched right on them.
We soaked them in isopropyl alcohol, fastened them on with a click, Diane took hold of them. Amy, Karen and me tried to keep him from moving and then, it just slid out. We had to rinse the open wound with alcohol, get anti-biotic powder as far in the wound as we could.
Amy stitched both entrance and exit as best she could, pressure bandages for both which were held in place by a long wrap around bandage with butterfly clips. He was by then unconscious but alive, as long he didn’t get an infection he would survive.
We were all sitting around watching him sleep, when I heard Diane ask Amy,
“So before the Before, Tucker had a bad back, a blown shoulder, two bad knees, diabetes, glaucoma and high blood pressure?”
“Yep” Amy said.
“Then he gets himself all cut to pieces by a herd of the monsters version 1.0?” Diane continued.
“Yep” Amy said.
“Then he got an infection from one of the monsters?” Diane asked.
“Yep.” Amy said.
“Then he gets nearly beat to death by your then boyfriend Darnel?” Diane asked.
“Yep” Amy said.
“Then they wanted to hang him because he killed Darnels gang banger sister?”
“Yep” Amy said.
“And now he gets skewered by a piece of an alien spaceship or something, nearly bleeds to death for a second time, and is rescued by a hobbit?”