Fire in the Woods

by Jennifer M. Eaton

  “Aet oate.” The alien spat.

  His free hand plucked me from his arm and constricted around my throat as more brash alien words tumbled from his mouth.

  I rose from the ground. My ears pounded. My brain throbbed.

  A glint of metal caught my peripheral vision as my father raised his gun. “Put her down.”

  “N-no,” David struggled against the chokehold. “D-don’t shoot. You’ll…prove…bad….” David’s eye’s fluttered, and his head lulled. The alien continued to hold him aloft, sneering at David’s unconscious form.

  Dad struggled to keep his gun straight, sweat pouring down the sides of his face. “Please,” he whispered. “Please put her down.”

  The commander moved to the Caretaker’s other side, his head still in a bow. He raised his eyes slightly, and his gaze locked with my father’s. “Doont shoooot,” he said, drawing out his vowels.

  My father’s eyes widened. He hesitated, before his gun lowered to his side.

  The commander focused on the Caretaker for the first time, his eyes seemed expectant and hopeful as he spoke several melodic words, but the larger alien only sneered in return.

  The huge being’s grip tightened about my throat. I lost the strength to fight back. A dull haze blanketed my vision. My hands and toes started to tingle. Who would cook for Dad when he got home late from work? Would Mom be there to greet me? The fog deepened, as if I’d fallen into a cloud.

  The commander’s blurry form eased back, and one of his feet rose from the ground and slammed into the side of the Caretaker’s chest.

  My forehead smashed onto the blacktop before I could move my hands to protect my face. I pushed up enough to turn my cheek and ease the lightning bolt of pain zigzagging through my nose.

  One difficult breath filled my lungs before David’s unconscious body fell beside me. His ribs swelled. Relief washed away the pain shooting through my face. I pulled myself up, ignoring the cries of muscles ready to surrender, and gathered David into my lap.

  His father stepped between us and the Caretaker.

  “Aoet dexlioxnate ab aofiliuxm meum est,” the commander said, raising his arms.

  An amused expression crossed the larger alien’s face as he rubbed his chin with the back of his hand. Two nonchalant brushes with his other hand cleaned the debris from his chest as he advanced, grumbling in his harsh Erescopian tongue.

  The commander pointed across the field and spoke to his soldiers. Part of me struggled to understand what he said, but most of me channeled what strength I had to hold David squarely in my lap. He groaned in my arms, and a pang of hope shone through my fear.

  Dad knelt beside me. “I don’t suppose you know what they’re saying.”

  I shook my head, my eyes remaining on David.

  Dad touched David’s forehead. “He’s running a fever.”

  “No, his body temperature is higher than ours.”

  David’s eyes fluttered, stamping out the dark cloud around us as they opened. He reached up and gently ran his fingers down the side of my face.

  “Thank God,” I whispered, tears trickling down my cheeks.

  The Caretaker spat a series of words toward the crowd, startling us.

  David blinked and sat up. “Xaqnon.” I helped him to his feet. He stumbled toward his father’s side.

  The commander’s gaze lowered to the tarmac as he spoke a phrase to David in a hushed tone.

  “No!” David seized his father by the shoulders. Desperation touched his voice as he shouted to him in Erescopian.

  “Xaqnon sioxtelcs est,” the Caretaker spat, pointing at David’s face.

  My mind reeled. Every time I thought it was over they started shouting again. What were they saying? What was going on?

  David turned from the larger alien and raised his voice, addressing each Erescopian within view. The violet-hued soldiers began muttering amongst themselves. David turned toward his people behind the Caretaker, calling more desperate-sounding words into the air. I crossed my arms, trembling—praying for the happy ending like in the movies. The aliens shifted their weight, glancing at each other. Whatever David had said to them seemed to be sinking in, but even I could tell they were hesitant.

  David’s nose flared. “Hoic xoteqt crlederx debes est.”

  The Caretaker reached out and wrapped his large hand around David’s face. A single, stern word passed his clenched teeth.

  David’s feet kicked as he rose into the air. My father jerked me back as I dove to help him.

  In a fluid, graceful movement, the commander took a disk from the nearest Erescopian soldier and pointed it at the Caretaker’s forehead. An orange glow swirled, and centered into a beam of concentrated light.

  The larger alien hissed. “Oaminaris dum xontemniq?” He turned to the soldiers beside him. “Aproheqe sme.”

  The Erescopians raised their disks, pointing them at the commander.

  David’s father didn’t flinch. His gaze remained strongly centered on the Caretaker as he spouted words even I could tell were a threat.

  The larger alien sneered in return, spitting a word at him as his eyes burned angrily.

  I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but I knew a standoff when I saw one. My heart throttled within my chest. The Erescopians stared at each other. Several dropped their weapons.

  The Caretaker threw David to the ground. His head bounced on the asphalt. “Adixi eum oxqidere.”

  An alien helped David to his feet. I wiggled out of Dad’s grip and ran to him. David winced and held his head as I drew him into a hug.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  David swallowed hard. “The Caretaker ordered my father to be executed.”

  Five Erescopians stood between the commander and the Caretaker, their weapons lowered. Three more approached from behind, their weapons at their sides.

  “What are they doing?” I asked.

  David smiled. “Disobeying a direct order.”

  The Caretaker’s jaw set. He folded his arms.

  David’s father circled around the mass of alien soldiers now protecting him. “Asi meum qnovam stexllam, oportet euxm in est.”

  “What did your father say?” I asked.

  David gaped. “He wants them to let me try to terraform your fourth planet.”

  David stood taller despite his injuries. His face changed. The features of the meek, unsure boy I’d met in the woods faded, replaced by someone more confident, mature.

  The Caretaker’s nose flared. He attempted to walk through the growing mass of Erescopian soldiers, but they squeezed closer, forming a wall around David and me.

  The huge alien growled, followed by a string of angry words that seemed to overlap each other. He turned, clenched his fists, and trudged back to the ship.

  The Erescopians cheered as the Caretaker disappeared into the yellow light. I released David, allowing Commander-Dad to embrace him.

  I grabbed the sides of my head. “Will someone please tell me what’s happening?”

  David smiled. “We’re going to be fine, Jess. We have until sunrise to prove your race is sentient.”

  “And what if you don’t succeed?” Dad asked.

  A brief hush hung in the air between them.

  “I will succeed. You have my word, sir.” David brushed his fingers through my hair, and kissed my forehead. “We have a lot to do in the next few hours.”

  I shuddered. “That orange light. When I was trapped and couldn’t breathe. Was that the scourge?”

  The color in David’s eyes deepened. “Don’t worry. Once my people see you are sentient, they will stop the countdown.”

  My father placed his hand on my back. “But right now the countdown is still on?”

  Panic returned when David hesitated. So we weren’t safe? They were still going to blow us up?

  “Yes. That’s why I’m taking Jess.” David grasped my hands. “You need to meet them publicly.
Once they see you, they’ll stop this insanity.”

  Dad leaned in closer. “Are you sure?”

  David didn’t acknowledge my father. His lips pressed together. His hands shook. “Jess, we need to go. Now.”

  My stomach twisted and dropped to my toes. David wasn’t sure. He didn’t know if he’d be able to convince his people to let us live.

  Dread coated my heart. Leaving was wrong. I needed to be here with my people. With my dad. “I’m not going with you.”

  David tensed his jaw. “What? You have to.”

  “No, I don’t.” I waved my fingers toward the aliens surrounding us. “All these guys saw what happened. They know we’re not a bunch of stupid animals. Bring them. Let them tell what they saw.”

  “Jess, I need you to come with me. I want to show you to them. I need to make sure you’re safe.”

  “Why? In case you lose? In case they wipe out humanity anyway?”

  David closed his eyes. His muscles tightened. “I need you with me.”

  I backed away. “No, David. You’re not sure you can stop it, and that’s why you want me to come with you.” The terror in his eyes confirmed my fears. The only way I could make sure he fought for my life, was for my life to actually be at stake. “I’m staying here. Where I belong.”

  “But—”

  “No but. You promised you wouldn’t let anything happen to me. I’m trusting you to keep that promise.”

  His eyes reddened. “Don’t do this. Come with me.”

  “No, David. If I’m here, I know you’ll work your hardest to keep me safe.”

  “You’ll be safe with me up in the ship.” Tears dripped from his lashes.

  His jaw quivered as I took his face in my hands and kissed him. His lips gently stroked mine. Salty tears fell from his eyes, invading our moment of tenderness with the reality of separation. I held him close, burying myself inside his touch. I’d never wanted anything as much as I wanted him. I relaxed, secure in his embrace. Content.

  “Come with me,” he whispered.

  I glanced up at the black waterfall. It would be so easy to leave. David would make sure I was safe, no matter what. I needed to be with him. I wanted to be with him.

  David smiled, took my hand, and backed toward the ship.

  His eyes consumed me. Love flowed freely through his touch, warming me, making everything in the world okay. He looked like Jared Linden, but his eyes were what truly attracted me. They were his most striking feature, and they were real. I walked with him toward the ship and held him tightly as we approached the amber glow emanating from the waterfall. I reached out and ran my fingers through the liquid metal. A cool tingle met my skin, as if washing my hands under a cold running faucet.

  “Are you ready?” David asked.

  I smiled. He returned the gesture, leaning toward me. His mouth covered mine, sending a beautiful tingle through my nervous system. I parted my lips, drinking him in as his arms slipped around me. My body trembled in his embrace, longing for more of his warmth…for the protection and love I knew he offered.

  A swirl of affection coated me—a sensation so deep, so real, my body seemed to split in two before reveling in the wonder of coming together again. David echoed through me in a shimmer of omniscient glory—taking, but giving at the same time. Nothing else existed. Nothing else mattered.

  Deep in the recesses of a world swirling with ecstasy, I sensed my body moving closer to the ship, closer to the light and permanent, unending bliss. The glow of amber filled my eyes, but I blocked it out. All that mattered was being lost inside him, to feel his power within me. Forever.

  But such bliss wasn’t meant for only one. The debt was far too great.

  My bones shook. Anguish crushed me as I fought for control. Cold overcame, thrashing me with the shock of a freak winter storm as I severed my thoughts from David’s.

  The instant we lost touch, pounding need drove me back to his mind’s intoxicating embrace. Nothing could keep me from him. My unconscious beckoned to return, to be bathed in his undeniable encompassing delight once more, but deep within, a snap jolted me back.

  Tears streamed from my eyes as I pushed him away. “Save my planet, David. Keep me safe.”

  Shock touched his expression. “Jess, no.”

  I wiped dampness from my cheeks and stumbled back to the arms of my father. The cells in my body revolted, twisting inside me, yearning to return to the arms of the boy who’d coated me in a stupor of unadulterated ecstasy. I dared to raise my gaze, and shook when our eyes met. The only thing that mattered was returning to his arms, returning to the envelope of perfection that he’d created for me, returning to that dreamlike state of pure joy. But I couldn’t. What David offered wasn’t enough. I needed my father. I needed my planet.

  I choked back a sob. “I’ll be here waiting for you…Tomorrow night. I’ll bring the blankets, okay?”

  The tremor in his jaw and the panic in his eyes told me he wasn’t sure there would be a tomorrow night. My hands shook as terror overcame me. I didn’t want to die, but I couldn’t leave everyone else behind. This is the way it had to be. It was the only way.

  “Save me, David,” I whispered.

  Agony welled in his eyes as I let my father guide me away from the ship. David held his hands out to me, his eyes begging me to return. I fought the incessant urge to give in to him, and gulped down my tears.

  David’s lips parted, and he closed his eyes. Another Erescopian placed its four-fingered hand on David’s arm, and led him into the ebony waterfall. The blazing amber engulfed them, distorting my view for a moment. The alien wiped his hand across David’s chest and neck and followed across his face. David’s human skin disintegrated, falling into the blazing light, leaving striking violet magnificence behind. My mother’s necklace hovered before him and slipped from his neck. He seized the glimmering charm, and gripped it to his chest. He blinked twice, his arresting turquoise eyes now free of the unnatural human covering. Sparkling, majestic, knowing, and oh, so vulnerable.

  He looked at me—a tentative, frightened crease in his pearly lavender brow. No longer Jared Linden, but so unbelievably right. David. Just David.

  My lips perked up in a smile, and relief fell over his beautiful violet features. He ran his fingers in a circular motion around his cheek. It warmed me, the Erescopian version of blowing a kiss. I made the same gesture with my own fingertips. David smiled, raised his hand, backed into the light, and disappeared.

  The commander’s gaze fell on me. His large blue eyes discerning, questioning. He shook his head, and strode toward the ship.

  Leaving my side, my father jogged after him. He grabbed the commander’s arm, stopping the alien’s retreat.

  I inched up slowly. The tension between the two of them boiled in the air as they stared at each other.

  Dad cleared his throat. “Your son. You should be very proud of him.”

  The commander tilted his head to the side.

  “Dad, he doesn’t understand English.”

  My father pointed toward the waterfall David had disappeared into. “You son, David.”

  “Tirran Coud Sabbotaruo,” the commander said.

  “Okay, Tirran.” He pointed toward the commander’s chest. “You.” He placed his hand on his own chest, and lifted his head high. “Proud.” He pointed at the waterfall. “David—err, Tirran.”

  A smile touched the commander’s lips. He nodded “Tirran Coud. Prooud.” He placed his hand on his chest, mimicking my father.

  Dad put his arm around my shoulder. The commander turned from us and continued toward the waterfall. Before stepping through, he spun and returned.

  He pointed at my father’s chest. “Yoou.” He placed his hand on his own chest. “Prooud.” He pointed at me. “Jesss.”

  Dad’s lips quaked. His face burned crimson before tears cast glistening trails down his cheeks. “I am proud of her. I always have been.”

  I threw my arm
s around Dad. My own tears dampened his jacket. “I love you, Daddy.”

  His grip tightened around me. “I love you too, pequeña.”

  My father’s warmth filled me. For the first time, he saying I love you meant something. I felt his adoration, and I savored it.

  The commander bowed his head and backed away. The light engulfed him, shimmering until he disappeared behind the liquid metallic stream. The ebony waterfall shifted, and began to flow upwards, retreating into the craft until the shiny oval consumed the extraneous molten mass completely without any sign of the gateway ever existing.

  The ship spun, its smooth, glassy surface shining. I clutched Dad’s chest, afraid if I let go, our unexpected tenderness would end.

  Around us, the last of the Erescopians disappeared into the lighted gateways, and the remaining dark vessels rose to meet the ship David and his father had entered. Their surfaces flexed, changed, and puddled across the night sky. Their fluid essence combined, becoming one massive floating pool of liquid ebony.

  “Amazing,” Dad whispered, his eyes reflecting the glassy surface above us.

  The puddle drew itself in, forming one huge black orb in the sky. It twisted and settled into an enormous gelatinous oval.

  A jeep appeared from behind a floodlight. It circled around the remains of a tank before stopping beside us. Maggie’s father stepped out and adjusted the rim of his hat.

  Dad saluted. “General Baker, sir.”

  Maggie’s dad returned the gesture. His gaze settled on the wounded soldier David had protected. A paramedic helped the private to his feet and led him from the field.

  The general glanced at the sky casually, as if the massive ship above us was an everyday sight. “What’s your report, Tom.”

  Dad relaxed his stance. “I’m not sure where to begin, sir. Apparently they weren’t friendly, but Jess did something to make them change their minds.”

  The general turned to me. One hairy eyebrow arched up under the brim of his hat.

  “They were gonna kill us,” I explained. “They need a planet. But they didn’t know we were people. It’s okay, though. David’s going to make them stop the countdown.”

  “David?”

  I tensed, uncomfortable under the sudden scrutiny. “Yeah. He’s my friend.”