by Allan Burd
“Every night. Almost. When I was a kid, my father used to sit with me and read me stories. When I sit here, it reminds me of that … actually helps me write better too.” She didn’t normally open up like this to anyone, but there was something about Logan she liked. He had this way about him she felt she could trust. Besides, he already knew about her nightmares and they didn’t seem to bother him at all. Most men, when they found out, just wrote her off. They had too many problems of their own to be bothered with hers. But Logan seemed different.
Logan adjusted the log, reached over to get a match, and turned to her again. “Last time I made a fire, I was on a ski trip with my Dad—”
Suddenly Stacy’s expression changed. A shroud of uncontrollable fear overtook her. She stopped breathing, paralyzed for a moment. Then she screamed.
Before Logan could even stand, the sound of the log falling off its holder caught his ear. He swiftly spun his head around to see why. There, crouched inside the fireplace, was an alien, its eyes cold, its mouth rigid, its body lithe and strong. A small amount of soot marred its light gray face and dirtied its long stringy hair.
An instant later, it pounced, like a tiger on its prey, landing on top of Logan and forcing him to the ground.
Chase spit out his coffee when he saw what Stacy was screaming at. He dropped the cup, ignoring the ceramic as it shattered on the floor, and withdrew his gun. However, no clean shot presented itself because Logan was flailing wildly, trying to get the alien off of him. Its webbed hand cupped Logan’s face and drove his head to the floor. Chase leapt over the couch and ran forward. From this range he couldn’t miss.
Then the alien leapt away and skittered back up the chimney before Chase could fire a shot. Chase cursed. He ran forward, closed the flue, and shut the glass doors to the fireplace.
Stacy rushed over to Logan. “Are you all right?”
Logan sat up. His lip trickled blood. “Yeah, fine.”
Chase surveyed the room. He looked around at every exit, pointing his gun repeatedly at each one. “What the fuck was that?”
Logan wiped the blood from his mouth and stood up. “I think it was trying to take me out to get to Stacy.”
They heard thumps on the roof.
“You still want to talk to them?” Chase asked.
Logan didn’t answer.
“I didn’t think so. Let’s get out of here.” Chase looked out the window at the police car they borrowed to get here. On top of the car’s roof, an alien prowled on all fours. It leapt to the ground by the rear tires. Chase saw the blade protruding from its wrist and noticed the front tires were flat. He aimed his gun at the alien, ready to fire through the glass window that separated them.
“Gaines said no killing,” Logan reminded him.
“Fuck him,” said Chase determinedly. He cocked his gun and aimed.
The windowed shattered—but glass shards flew in not out. Fragments slashed Chase’s forehead. Beads of blood formed and trickled down like sweat. A gray hand reached in like a blur and snatched the weapon from Chase’s grasp. Another gray hand latched onto Chase’s forearm, yanking him forward in an attempt to pull him out of the house.
Logan quickly wrapped his arms around Chase, pulling him back.
Stacy ran to the fireplace and grabbed the poker. She raced back to the window screaming, and whacked the alien’s arm twice until it finally let go. All three quickly moved to the center of the room, away from any windows.
“Shit,” Chase cursed, rubbing the blood from his eyes.
“Do you have another gun?” Stacy asked.
“We can’t kill them,” said Logan.
“Oh yes we can,” Stacy insisted.
Chase pulled a .22 caliber pistol from an ankle holster. “Looks like you’re outnumbered, Logan.”
“Gaines gave us strict orders,” Logan said.
“Gaines figured we would be up against one. There are two of them out there, and I’ll bet the other two are around here somewhere.”
“Doesn’t matter. It’s still wrong,” insisted Logan.
“WRONG? These things are trying to kill us!” Stacy took a breath. “The hell with Gaines, whoever that is. You guys weren’t tortured by those things your entire life. They’re pure evil, and death is what they deserve.” She looked over at Chase. “You got an extra gun for me?”
“Sorry, ma’am. Two’s my limit.” Chase looked everywhere at once. “Do you have a car?”
“It’s in the garage.”
“That’s—”
The skylight fell in beside them. Glass rained down on the living room, showering the floor only a few feet from where they stood. An alien jumped down. Even before it landed, Chase fired at it twice. He missed both times, and before he could fire again, the alien touched down and sprang into the kitchen.
“Shit, they’re fast,” he mumbled.
More glass shattered. Shards sprayed everywhere. A lounge chair sped towards them from the now broken sliding glass doors.
Chase instinctively turned and fired once. A spark flew from the metal arm of the chair as it bounced off the floor. In the shadows, an alien darted through the opening and took cover behind the couch.
“Down the stairs. It’s our only chance,” Chase shouted.
Logan ran first with Stacy right behind him. Chase backpedaled, covering the rear. The alien in the kitchen stuck his head out. Chase fired once. The bullet ricocheted off the door frame as the alien ducked. For good measure, he fired an additional shot then hurried down the stairs.
Logan was waiting for him at the bottom, holding the door leading to the garage. When Chase ran in, Logan slammed the door behind him. He tried to lock it, but realized that the door could only be locked from inside the house.
“Forget it,” yelled Chase. “Get in the car.” Chase got into the blue Camry’s driver’s seat, forcing Stacy to move over to the passenger’s side. Logan dove in the back. “Give me the keys,” Chase ordered.
Stacy reached above the steering wheel and pulled down the visor. The ignition key dropped into her other hand. She gave it to Chase, who gave her an incredulous look. “It’s a safe neighborhood,” she replied.
“Yeah, safe,” Chase replied sarcastically. “Open the door.”
Stacy hit the electronic garage door opener and the door rose slowly.
Chase started the car and held his right hand on the gear shift. “C’mon. C’mon.” The door was halfway open when they saw an alien standing in their path, aiming one of their energy weapons directly at them. “Oh shit.”
Stacy panicked. “We’re gonna die. We’re gonna die. No, no.”
The alien didn’t fire.
Logan watched it curiously, as if suddenly he was emotionally detached and not about to become its victim. “It’s because of you, Stacy. He won’t fire because of you.” The alien was looking right at her.
“His mistake.” Chase shifted into drive and pushed the gas pedal to the floor. The rear tires screeched on the concrete garage floor and the car lurched forward. He drove directly at the alien, fully intent on running it down. At the last instant, it jumped up and over the car, its unexpected action temporarily blocking his view. “What the fuck?” he said as he looked up and followed its graceful motion.
“LOOK OUT,” Stacy screamed.
Chase was going too fast. He turned the wheel sharply to his left, but couldn’t avoid the police car parked in the driveway. With a loud smash Stacy’s car came to a sudden unexpected halt. Chase threw it into reverse. The tires spun out as he saw the front end was jammed into the police cruiser. “SHIT!” He slammed the wheel.
One alien landed on the windshield and looked in. Chase fumbled for his pistol and aimed it where the alien was, but it was gone before he could fire. Just to be safe, he pumped two rounds through the roof. He looked over to Stacy. She was OK. He turned to Logan, who pushed himself up from the narrow floor.
“I’m fine,” said Logan.
Chase pulled the latch and kicked open the ca
r door. He looked around. He was surrounded by trees on three sides and the house on the other. At least the two outdoor lights above the garage illuminated the driveway. But where did the aliens go? They were out here somewhere. He reached in and pulled Stacy out of the car.
“What the hell do they want? Why are they doing this to me?” Her knuckles tightened around the metal poker she still held in her hand.
“Stay calm,” said Chase. “It’s not over yet.”
Logan got out and looked around. He saw a black shape leap between the branches from the corner of his eye. What the hell do they want? One thing became clear to him. They didn’t want to kill Stacy. But they wanted her nonetheless. Why? He looked at her. She had fire in her eyes, even though she was clearly terrified by the events. What’s so special about her? What does she have that they want?
Chase continually scanned the surroundings for any movement, but resisted the temptation to shoot at the first shadow he saw. “Let’s get to the road,” he ordered.
“No,” Logan countered the order.
“We’re sitting ducks for their energy weapons. If we stay here, they’ll blow us to kingdom come.”
“No. They won’t risk harming Stacy. They’re waiting for us to move. Once we’re a safe distance from her, they will kill us. At least if we stay here next to her, we cut off their long range attack.” Logan surprised himself with that deduction.
The situation reminded him of what Dupres told him. He was helpless, but instead of killing him, they took apart his radio piece by piece, cutting off his communication line. They left him because he was no longer a threat. Were they a threat? Wouldn’t the aliens leave them alone if they were helpless? Wait. Something was wrong with that. He remembered when Dupres told him that Rebecca was trying to contact Gaines in the ship, but the ship’s power was on and interfered with the radio transmission. Gaines also mentioned that when they first got to the ship, they couldn’t communicate with each other because the ship’s power was on. So why did the aliens take apart Dupres’ radio if the ship’s magnetic field already interrupted their communications? They had to know that. Come to think of it, Gaines mentioned they dissected his radio too.
A rock hit the car. Chase turned toward the sound and an alien pounced from the trees in the opposite direction, bouncing off the hood and tackling him before he could fire a shot. It was the oldest trick in the book and Chase fell for it. Its webbed, dark gray hand knocked Chase’s arm and sent the gun flying.
Logan ran to help him, but an alien dropped down between them, a sharp metal blade protruding from its wrist.
Chase was on his own, locked arm-to-arm in a struggle for control. He looked directly into the alien’s eyes. His teeth gritted, he overpowered the alien and rolled over, getting on top of it. The alien tapped a button on his wristband. A blade shot out of the housing slicing Chase’s hand. Then, it positioned its foot under Chase’s stomach, rolled backwards, and used its powerful legs to flip him.
Stacy saw the losing battle and charged blindly into the fray. With the poker raised, she barreled toward the alien that just threw Chase, prepared to skewer it through its back.
However, the alien blocking Logan leapt at her. It knocked her to the ground, the poker dropping beside them.
Logan’s only chance, as distasteful as it was, was to go for Chase’s gun. But he couldn’t risk being drawn too far from Stacy or one of the aliens still lurking in the trees would strike him down from a distance. A desperate plan formed in his head. If he couldn’t use Stacy for protection, he would use one of them. He screamed at the alien who just threw Chase, taunting it, daring it to attack him. When the alien took his bait, Logan dashed for the weapon. But it moved much faster than Logan anticipated.
Stacy looked up at the alien that held her, instantly recognizing it because of the gash across its forehead. It was the same one that attacked her in the truck. She lashed out at it, kicking and screaming. But the alien pinned her legs and began pulling her away.
She reached out for the poker, snatching it with her right hand. Then rocks pelted the alien from behind. It stopped and turned. Stacy pulled her legs in, leaned forward, and struck the alien in the head while it was distracted. She kicked her legs free, stumbled to her feet, and ran towards Chase.
“Two can play at that game,” Chase muttered, dropping the remaining pebbles from his hand.
Logan dared not look over his shoulder. He felt the alien’s presence closing on him. He dove forward for the gun. In one move, he scooped it up, rolled over, and turned to face the alien. He lifted the gun up to shoot.
The alien pounced.
Logan couldn’t do it.
It lunged forward and barreled him over. Landing on top of him, it popped the blade from its wristband and struck. The thrust jabbed deep into Logan’s left shoulder. He screamed in pain, and instinctively reacted by cracking the gun against the side of the alien’s head.
In a fit of panic, he smacked it again and again, until he was sure it was enough. The alien didn’t move. Logan turned its head and checked to make sure its blowholes were still moving. Suddenly, a blue flash splashed the ground to his left, raising a cloud of dirt and leaving a small crater.
Chase wrapped his arm around Stacy. Then he turned and looked for Logan, spotting him squatting over the fallen alien about twenty yards away. “Come on,” he yelled out. Then, with Stacy beside him, he ran for cover in the garage.
Logan knew he was in trouble. The moment he fled, a blue beam would strike him down. He only had one chance. He grabbed the alien around its neck and dragged it with him, using its body as a shield. He looked to his right. The alien Stacy escaped from rose to its feet, shook its head vigorously, and then walk towards him. He looked to his left, seeing a black-skinned one drop from the trees and walk fearlessly out into the open. He was surrounded, and the minute he let go of the body, he was dead.
He glanced behind him at the garage. Stacy and Chase watched helplessly as he struggled to get to their side. He dragged the alien back with him, until the shadow of the garage overtook him. The fourth alien was waiting for them by the inside door, knowing it was the only place they could retreat to. Its energy weapon was charged and pointed directly at them.
The other two aliens closed in, blocking the exit back to the driveway. Logan, not knowing where else to go, dragged his captive further into the garage, quickly making his way to Chase and Stacy’s side. The aliens stood firm, neither approaching closer, nor backing away.
Chase stared out, his strategic mind analyzing the situation. They literally had their backs against the wall with no place to go. They were trapped, surrounded by three hostiles with superior fire power, and all of their escape routes were cut off. The only chance they had was the hostage that Logan brought with him. “Talk to ‘em,” he ordered angrily, with the dangerous eyes of a cornered animal. “Tell them you’re going to kill their friend if they don’t back off.”
“No,” said Logan, with a resigned sigh. “I have a better way to end this. I finally understand what they want.”
79
Nikolai started to stand.
“Don’t even think it.” Katrina ordered him back to his knees with a wave of her gun. “We need to settle some things first, dear Nikolai.”
“You know this woman?” Rebecca asked sharply.
“She’s my wife,” Nikolai answered.
“Looks like you were a good husband.”
“Shut up, Valeri,” snapped Katrina. “I know all about you, and I know exactly what you are capable of. One more word from you and I will not hesitate.”
“How?” Nikolai asked.
“I read your mission file while you were preparing to leave. I knew where you were going, and I knew the coded frequency Valeri was using to communicate with you. I followed you every step of the way and I knew you would eventually end up here.”
“Why?” asked Nikolai. “I don’t understand—”
Katrina cut him off. “Because I am tired, Nik
olai. I’m tired of living with a man who gives more to his country than he gives to me. I’m tired of being lonely. Do you even realize I raised our son, Mikhail, practically alone? He’s twelve years old and he hardly knows his father. You always promised me it would end one day. That once again you would be the man I married, but when was that going to happen, Nikolai? When? When, Nikolai? When I am old and gray. When I am so broken and desolate there’s nothing left of me to love.”
“But Katya, what I do, I do for our country. For the future of all our people.”
“And what about the future of your family?” she said. “No more Nikolai. I’ll tell you when it ends. It ends today. One way or another, you are going to have to make a choice.”
Nikolai rose slowly, arms still raised, his wife’s anguish too important to him to ignore. “We can talk about it when we get home, Katrina. I promise.”
“No. It’s too late. I can’t go home any longer,” Katrina cried out.
“What are you talking about?”
“I sold your secrets, Nikolai. I contacted the Japanese through some very illegal channels and informed them where the spaceship was. When our government learns what I have done, I will be branded a traitor. I can never go back. I used the money to get our son safely out of the country and to follow you here. If you go home, you will be all alone when you get there. Or you can defect to Canada and stay with Mikhail and me. I’m sure the Canadian government will welcome you, considering the invaluable bargaining chip you hold—and they will protect us. Isn’t that right, Rebecca?”
“You did not do this,” barked Nikolai. “You betray our country—then ask me to do the same?”
Katrina shook her head, disgusted by his stubbornly blind patriotism. “Why do you love it so? You fought your whole life for them. What did they ever give you in return? You watched friends die in battle. For what? So some corrupt politician could take credit for your actions and attain even more undeserved power that they could abuse. Don’t you see how they’ve used you? They took an honest, courageous, good, strong man, the best I’ve ever known, and turned him into a mindless puppet to do their bidding.”