Annexation

by Marisa Chenery

  Andy sat forward and rested his bent arms on his knees. “Meg told me what you plan to do tonight.”

  He was the one adult Kiri had thought would object to her nightly hunting. It had been his job to arrest people for doing what she was going to do. And she wasn’t doing it for self-defense.

  “Oh,” she said. “If you came here to talk me out of it, don’t bother. I won’t change my mind. No matter what you say.”

  Andy shook his head. “I didn’t come here to do any of that. I can understand your reasoning for doing it. And I know you’re up for the job. I usually wouldn’t condone it, but the world isn’t the same as it once was.”

  “That’s what my mom said when I came up with the idea of patrolling.”

  “Your mother was a strong woman, just as you are. She’ll be missed.” Andy cleared his throat. “I came here for another reason.” He picked up the duffel bag and tossed it to her. “It’s for you.”

  Kiri undid the zipper and spread the bag open. Inside were at least fifty new arrows. She looked at Andy with surprise. “How did you get these? I went to the sporting goods store and they said they didn’t have any. That the Atres didn’t allow them to sell them anymore.”

  “Meg told me. She figured since I had the radios—something else the Atres have banned—that maybe I’d know how to find you some arrows. I’m friends with the guy who owns the sporting goods store. I went and talked to Ralph, explained why I needed them. Instead of destroying all his stock as he’d been ordered, he’d hidden them where the Atres couldn’t find them when they came back to inspect his store. This is just a small part of what he has. So if you need more, you let me know and I’ll resupply you.”

  “Thanks. I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. All the thank you I need is for you to make the Atres hurt. And I’ll have your back if you ever need it. For anything. Even if you no longer want to live by yourself, my door is always open.”

  Kiri had to swallow back the rush of emotion that caused a lump in her throat. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Good.” Andy stood, and Kiri did as well. “I guess I should leave. I’m patrolling tonight, so you might see me out there. Just be careful.”

  “I will.”

  After Andy left, Kiri returned to the living room and took out one of the carbon arrows from the duffel bag. They were black with black fletching. They were more expensive and better quality than the ones she had. She’d have no problem hitting a target with them.

  * * * *

  Kiri donned her black clothes and heavily covered her face in the camouflage paint. She could tell it was still her under it, but she hoped in the dark it’d be hard for anyone else to distinguish her features. It would have to do, though. There was nothing else she could come up with.

  She shouldered her quiver filled with the new arrows Andy had given her and her bow. Kiri stood at the back door and took a deep breath. Don’t think. Just do. Even though her feelings about Cax had changed, she couldn’t throw away what he’d taught her. He’d made her strong, and she’d use it against his people.

  Kiri opened the door and stepped out onto the deck. It was full dark, and the shadows enveloped her as she ran down the three stairs to the backyard. She kept her steps light, her feet not making a sound as she headed to the front of the house. Once there, she kept to the grassy areas as much as she could, cutting across the neighbors’ lawns. No one was around. And no one looked out their windows as she ran by.

  She’d been out for a couple of hours and had kept close to her neighborhood, but hadn’t spotted any Atres. She had seen Andy’s group, patrolling. Kiri decided she had to travel in a greater range. Head in the direction of downtown.

  It took her a while to reach the area she wanted to hunt on foot, but she didn’t mind the exercise. And taking a car was totally out of the question. That would be a dead giveaway to any Atres who spotted it that a human had broken curfew. The aliens didn’t drive cars. They were mostly on foot after being dropped off by one of their smaller ships. She figured they were shuttles. At one point, she had to duck into the shelter of someone’s carport when she saw a ship headed in her direction. It came up fast. Kiri quickly squatted next to the car as the craft flew overhead, a light coming from it, skimming along the street. Once she figured the coast was clear, she straightened and set off in a jog again.

  Downtown was eerily quiet for that time of night. It didn’t have the traffic and pedestrians that Kiri had come to expect of that part of the city. Except for the street lights, it almost appeared like a ghost town.

  She ran to the closest alley and merged with the darkest shadows. Kiri was close to the city center. She looked behind her to see the alley wasn’t a dead end. If she needed to make a quick getaway, that option was open to her.

  It wasn’t that long of a wait before Kiri heard voices. She unshouldered her bow and then smoothly drew an arrow from her quiver. She nocked it with her bow aimed at the entrance to the alley. She remained against the wall, not going to step out until an Atres came into view. She took some quiet, deep breaths as her heart beat faster in anticipation of what was to come. There was no going back. She wouldn’t chicken out.

  The voices grew louder the closer the Atres warriors came to her position. She guessed there had to be at least three of them. She could handle that. Don’t think. Just do.

  Kiri waited until the small group was just about past where she stood before she stepped out into the middle of the alley. She pulled back on the string until her hand was level with her ear, adjusted her aim, and loosed the arrow at the first Atres she had in her sights. It hit him in the right leg, through his thigh. He went down with a howl of pain. She loosed a second arrow as the others turned in her direction. The second warrior took it in the thigh as well and joined the first on the sidewalk.

  The third Atres lifted his upper lip in a snarl, flashing a fang, and ran in her direction while pulling his gun out of his holster. Kiri shot an arrow through his arm, making him drop his sidearm, but that didn’t stop him from coming toward her.

  Unable to nock another arrow before he reached her, Kiri prepared herself to meet him head-on in hand-to-hand combat. She took up a karate stance, still clutching her bow. He came at her like a freight train. She easily stepped out his path and struck him as he rushed past. He swung back around with a growl.

  He was big and muscular, but being smaller had its advantages. Kiri could turn faster, and sneak in under his defenses to land a blow. She kicked and punched until she brought him to his knees. She shot him a second time. In the thigh to keep him down. She moved in, and with a well-placed kick, knocked him out cold. She hurried to the other two and did the same before they could get past their pain enough to pull their guns.

  The sound of an approaching Atres ship had Kiri jerking her head up to look at the night sky. She swore under her breath. One of the downed warriors must have contacted others for help while she’d fought the third. Damn, she’d hoped to avoid a situation like that.

  Kiri turned and fled the scene, running into the alley and exiting it to run behind the buildings to another farther down. She didn’t slow her pace until she was well away from the downed Atres.

  At one point, an alien ship came too close to her for her liking. Kiri had to cram between a wall and a Dumpster, trying to make herself as small as possible so she wouldn’t be spotted from the air. The search light on the craft missed her hiding place, then moved farther away. She let out a quiet breath that she’d been holding.

  Once again on the run, Kiri kept up a steady pace until she was well clear of the downtown area. She stopped in a shadowed spot between two houses and bent over to catch her breath. That ship had been an inconvenience, to say the least. She’d have to be more careful out there. It was the reason she had to cut her night short.

  Kiri straightened and headed toward her house, shadow chasing. Once she arrived, she locked herself in
and shrugged off her bow and quiver. She’d lost four arrows. At that rate, she’d be running low in no time. She made a mental note to see Andy about getting more. Or at least learn where she could find his friend, Ralph, who had the stash of arrows. It’d be easier and faster for her to stock up herself rather than having to go through Andy.

  She climbed the stairs to the upper level, taking her bow and quiver with her. Kiri stored them away in the attic before she went to the bathroom to wash off the camouflage paint from her face. She looked at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. The paint was streaked with sweat. She’d have to find some that was waterproof. Summer nights in El Centro were hot, and wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants didn’t help with the heat. She didn’t need her “disguise” dripping off.

  Chapter 7

  Kiri’s life took on a new routine. She went hunting Atres warriors for most of the night, sometimes not returning home until close to dawn. During the day, she slept well into the afternoon. She’d wake up and grab something quick to eat before she headed down to the basement to work out, which was a series of karate exercises and a bit of weight training. For dinner, she ate at Meg’s house every evening. Mrs. O’Brien had insisted that Kiri join them for that one meal a day since she’d refused to move in with them. Kiri had agreed to it. She wasn’t much of a cook and appreciated the home-cooked food.

  She sat in Meg’s bedroom with her friend as they waited for dinner to be ready. They lounged on the bed side by side, talking about everything and nothing. Kiri had a hard time thinking of Meg as the mean girl she’d once been. Now, they were the best of friends, and had put all that other stuff behind them.

  “So,” said Meg. “How many Atres are you going to try to take down tonight?”

  Kiri smiled and shook her head. Meg had been keeping a running total since Kiri had taken up hunting the warriors. Since she’d started three weeks before, she’d wounded an average of around three to six a night. So far, she hadn’t had to kill any. As long as they didn’t attack humans, she’d stick with shooting arrows into them that wouldn’t result in ending their lives.

  “I’ll try for another six,” Kiri said. “That’s if I don’t run the risk of getting caught.”

  “No, you have to watch yourself out there. So far, you’ve been lucky, but I still think it’s a matter of time before they really try something to stop you. They don’t seem to patrol around the neighborhood as much as they used to.”

  “It may come to that, but I make sure to keep hidden. And that’s why I’ve been sticking to downtown to hunt rather than around here. It’d be too obvious that I live in the area. Downtown, it could be anyone.”

  “How is your supply of arrows holding up?”

  “Good.” Kiri smiled again. “Ralph has been keeping me well stocked. I don’t know how he’s doing it, but he’s getting shipments of them from someone. I figure it’s best not to ask.”

  Andy had had no problem with introducing Kiri to Ralph. The same day she’d asked, he’d taken her to the sporting goods store owner. Ralph had been very enthusiastic about meeting her, and had told her he wholeheartedly backed what she was doing at night. He’d even given her a spare key to the store and another to unlock the space where the arrows were hidden there in the basement. The entrance to the secret storage blended in so well with the floor, Ralph had had to point it out to her after he’d moved a stack of boxes out of the way that covered it.

  Meg chuckled. “I have to agree with that one.”

  “Girls, it’s time for dinner,” Mrs. O’Brien shouted up the stairs to them.

  “We’ll come down, Mom,” Meg yelled back.

  They climbed off the bed, and headed down the stairs to the kitchen. Luke was already sitting at the table. Meg and Kiri took their seats as Mrs. O’Brien carried two plates filled with homemade lasagna to them and set each one in front of Meg and Kiri. She then brought two more. One she gave to Luke, who dug right in.

  Kiri had just swallowed the last mouthful of her meal when the doorbell rang. Meg’s mom went to answer it. The sound of gruff, male voices filtered through the house to the kitchen. Kiri looked at Meg, and they stood at the same time before hurrying to the front door. Luke brought up the rear.

  Two male Atres warriors pushed their way into the house. One spoke to Meg’s mom. “How many humans live here?”

  “Three,” she replied.

  The second warrior looked at Kiri, Meg, and Luke before he turned his attention back to Mrs. O’Brien. “That doesn’t add up. There are three children.”

  “One of the girls isn’t mine. She’s only here for dinner.”

  “Which one?”

  Kiri stepped forward. “Me.”

  The warrior took hold of her shoulder and steered her toward the door. “Take me to your home. Now.”

  “Wait. What is this about?” Meg’s mom asked.

  The second Atres replied as he pushed a button on a gadget he wore on his wrist. A screen projected from it in 2D and looked very similar to a small tablet, which was mostly see through. He touched it and a red light blinked and some kind of alien script appeared.

  “We’re taking a survey of the number of humans who live here,” he answered without looking at them. “Specifically, how many adults and children in each household.”

  “Can’t Kiri stay here and give you that information?”

  “No.” The warrior nodded at the first, who propelled Kiri out the front door.

  He walked her to the sidewalk. “Which way?” he asked as he let her go.

  She pointed to the right and headed toward her house. Kiri took sideways glances at the Atres as they walked. He looked to be in his early twenties. He was big and muscular as most warriors were. He wore his blond hair shoulder-length, the same as Cax did. His face held no expression at all, which was better than some of the other Atres who seemed to look down at anyone human.

  “So, what did you do to get stuck with this mundane job of survey work?” she asked to break up the silence.

  She really didn’t expect him to answer, and was surprised when he did. “Nothing.”

  “Oh. You just ended up with it then. Having to take orders must suck.”

  He looked at her with a furrowed brow. “Suck? I don’t understand.”

  “It means it’s not a good thing.”

  “I don’t mind.” He looked ahead of them.

  “To each his own, I guess. What’s your name?” Kiri couldn’t resist making small talk with him since she could tell he wasn’t comfortable with it. He had a hard time looking at her.

  “It’s Drace.”

  “I’m Kiri.” She stopped walking. “This is my house, Drace.” She turned toward it.

  They walked up the walkway to the front door. Kiri took out her keys from the front pocket of her jeans. She unlocked it. She stepped inside with Drace at her heels.

  “Why don’t you come in?” she asked sarcastically.

  If Drace noticed, he didn’t react to it. He closed the door behind him while looking around. “How many humans live here?”

  “All business I see. You could ask nicer, you know. I told you my name. Would it hurt to say, ‘How many people live here, Kiri?’”

  Drace’s lips twitched as if he fought a smile. “How many people live here, Kiri?”

  “See? That wasn’t hard at all. And to answer your polite question, one.”

  His brows furrowed. “One? Only you?”

  “Yes, only me. My parents are dead.”

  “When did they die?”

  “The day you Atres arrived on Earth. They were in San Diego.” There was no way Kiri could actually tell Drace what had really caused her mother’s death.

  A look she couldn’t read crossed his face before he buried it. “And you’ve been alone ever since? Aren’t you too young?”

  “I’m eighteen. I’m considered an adult. I can live alone if I want to. I eat dinner at my friend’s house every day. That’s w
hy I was there.”

  Drace pushed a button on the gadget on his wrist. The same see-through screen appeared that his fellow warrior had used at Meg’s house, and he seemed to enter some information on it. It disappeared once he finished.

  Kiri expected him to turn and leave, but he didn’t. He intently looked at her, not saying a word. It soon had her wondering if she’d have to show him what a black belt in karate could do. There was no way she’d allow him to bite her.

  As if he sensed her unease, Drace slowly reached into the front pocket of his pants and took out two round, silver discs. “Take these.” He held them out to her.

  “What are they?”

  “The discs will offer you greater security. Place one on your front door and any entrance at the back of the house and it will make it so no one can get in to the lower level. Not through the doors nor the windows.”

  Kiri met his gaze with a hard stare. “You mean so no Atres will be able to break in, in the middle of the night, and take me away.”

  Drace nodded once. “You know.”

  “Yes. My friend, Meg, her father was taken a while back.”

  He sighed. “We aren’t all like that. Those who did that, they weren’t ordered to do it. Earthlings weren’t supposed to know…” He let his words trail off with another sigh.

  “In other words, they weren’t supposed to be so open about it. They should have kept the fact that all of you are vampires a secret. That you came here to use us like cattle.” Kiri should have kept her opinions to herself. Pissing off an Atres warrior hadn’t been on her day’s to-do list.

  “Yes, we need blood to survive. Not all of us think Earthlings should be treated like that. There are other ways of getting what we require. Your blood banks serve just as well.”

  “By not all of you, you’re probably talking about a small majority, right? Most Atres warriors I’ve seen look at my kind as if we’re the lowest of the low.”

  In way of answer, Drace gave another curt nod. “Take these.” He took hold of her hand and placed the discs on her palm. “Once you’ve placed them on the entrances, push on the center to activate them. Deactivate them the same way.”