Paradox Valley

by Gerri Hill

  She ran with Holly toward the car and jerked open the back door. Lucky beat Holly inside as he nearly jumped into Mrs. Ingram’s lap. Corey simply shoved Holly in and slammed the door.

  “Hurry!” Dana said urgently.

  Corey opened the front door, then paused, squinting through the rain. The woman had taken aim with the rifle.

  “Christ…let’s go!” She dove inside, barely getting the door closed before Dana sped away. A spray of bullets sounded, but the woman had missed badly.

  Corey sat up, wiping the rain from her hair. Dana had a death grip on the steering wheel, her knuckles nearly white as the car skidded around the corner.

  Corey touched her arm, seeing Dana jump. “It’s okay. You can slow down now.”

  Dana glanced at her. “Anna Gail?” she asked in a whisper.

  Corey shook her head. “No. She was injured. She died this morning.”

  She turned in her seat, finding Lucky still in Mrs. Ingram’s lap. Lucky was trembling and Dana’s mother had a grip on him, holding him tight against her. She looked up, surprised to find Mrs. Ingram looking back at her.

  “He’s scared,” she said quietly.

  Corey nodded. “Yes. He’s scared of storms.” She glanced at Holly. “This is Dana’s mom…Butch’s aunt.”

  Holly nodded. “Yes, I know.”

  Yes, of course she did. It wasn’t like Paradox Valley was inhabited by thousands of people. This area was probably more than a hundred square miles—and she felt like they’d traveled over nearly all of them—but most here not only knew everyone else, they also knew where everyone lived. She turned back to the front, the windshield wipers barely keeping up with rain.

  “Can you see to drive? Should we pull over until it lets up?”

  “Are you out of your mind? There’s no way I’m stopping,” Dana said. “We’ll turn right up here. That’s the road to the checkpoint.”

  “So another thirty miles or so, close to forty,” she murmured. It was already dark, but she knew that was because of the storm. Dana had the lights on, but they did little to cut through the rain. When another rumble of thunder hit, Lucky again whimpered. She heard Mrs. Ingram whispering to Lucky, but she didn’t turn around to watch.

  A few tense miles later, the rain began to let up and a short time after that, it stopped altogether. She finally allowed herself to relax as the sky lightened. Off to the west she could see the break in the clouds and streaks of the waning sunlight. They should make the checkpoint before dark.

  And after that, they’d keep driving, into Utah. Another hour and a half, two tops, they’d be at her house. Maybe then, they could put this nightmare behind them.

  It would be easier for her than the others, though. They’d all lost someone. Dana still had her mother, but Butch and Holly had lost both parents. Jean, too, would be all alone. From the little she’d learned from Jean, her sons weren’t involved in her life. Maybe that would change now.

  Or maybe not. And that thought saddened her.

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  “Shouldn’t we be there already?” Dana asked.

  “Coming up real soon, I think,” Corey said.

  Dana felt Corey’s eyes on her, and she glanced quickly at her. “What?”

  “You okay?” Corey asked quietly.

  Dana glanced in the mirror, seeing her mother still holding Lucky. “I think so,” she whispered. “Mom at least seems responsive.”

  “It’s been a hell of a day…hell of a week,” Corey said. “A lot for everyone to process. You and I, we’ve had more time.”

  “I know.”

  Yes, they’d had more time. They knew what was going on. She’d lost her father, and she didn’t even want to think about what might have happened to him. The man she’d shot wasn’t her father. She’d told herself that over and over again, but that didn’t make it any easier to take. Her mother didn’t have a clue as to what was happening. All she knew was that her daughter had fired a gun at point-blank range and killed her husband. Even if they could explain, even if her mother came to realize what had really happened, Dana wondered if her mother would ever get that image out of her mind.

  And poor Holly. She probably had no idea what had happened to her father. And now her mother was gone too. Dana hoped that she and Butch would lean on each other.

  Oh, Butch. He was going to be heartbroken. And Dana would have no answers for him. There was little evidence as to what had happened to his parents. He would have a hard time finding closure.

  “There. Up ahead,” Corey said.

  Dana saw the vehicles but frowned. “It’s getting late. Almost dusk. Shouldn’t there be lights on already?”

  “Yes.” Corey shook her head slowly. “Shit,” she murmured.

  Dana glanced at her sharply. “Oh, no. You don’t think—”

  “Let’s just be on guard,” Corey said.

  Dana slowed as they approached the checkpoint. As before, barricades were across the road and a Jeep was parked on the side. Beyond that, tents were still erected and several vehicles lined the road. It looked very much the same as it had when they’d left that morning. Yet, something was different.

  “It looks too quiet,” she said.

  “I know. No activity. I’ve only counted four soldiers.”

  “There were at least twenty or more yesterday,” she said.

  “That’s Corporal Perez. Stop up here and let’s talk to him.”

  She gripped the wheel tightly as she saw Corey pull her weapon onto her lap.

  “Dana…you do exactly as I say,” Corey whispered, never taking her eyes off Perez. “If I say floor it, you smash right through the barricades.”

  Dana swallowed nervously. “Okay.” She glanced in the mirror, seeing her mother’s eyes wide with fright. She met them and nodded. “Be ready, Mom.”

  The car crawled to a stop, and Corey stuck her head out of the window, glancing up at Perez. He showed no sign of recognizing her. From the backseat, Lucky’s low growl turned into a bark.

  “You’re Private Jones, right?” Corey asked. “I’m…I’m Major Conaway.”

  Perez stared at her, then moved his rifle in their direction. Corey shot him twice as both her mother and Holly screamed. Dana didn’t have to wait for Corey’s instruction—she slammed her foot on the accelerator, smashing through the barricades as her mother’s shrill scream still echoed in her ears.

  There seemed to be gunfire all around, and she dodged a soldier standing in the road, nearly sending the car careening into a parked truck. Corey hung out the window, firing behind them and Dana glanced in the mirror, seeing three men running toward them—running faster than the vehicle.

  “Drive!” Corey yelled. “Keep your head down.”

  “I can’t do both!” she yelled back.

  A spray of gunfire blasted out the back window, and Dana ducked down, causing the car to swerve again. It spun to the side, nearly spilling Corey out of the window. Dana grabbed her jeans by her waist, pulling her back inside as she jerked the steering wheel to the right, sending the car spinning in the opposite direction. The car’s front bumper hit a Hummer and bounced off, driving over the side of a tent in the process. She was shaking so badly, she could hardly keep her hands on the steering wheel.

  “Jesus Christ, Dana!”

  “I’m trying,” she shot back.

  She finally got the car back on the road and floored it, sending them all flying back against the seats. Another glance into the mirror showed the men far behind. There were only two now.

  “Stop the car,” Corey said, putting a hand on her arm.

  “What?”

  “Stop the car, Dana,” Corey said again.

  Dana slowed, finally stopping. She was breathing as fast as if she’d been running herself and she made herself loosen her grip on the wheel. But her eyes widened as Corey opened the door and got out.

  “What the hell? Get back in the goddamn car!”

  “You go on,” Corey said. “I’ll cat
ch up.”

  “Goddamn it, Corey! Get in the car. I’m not leaving you.”

  Corey slammed the door closed and stuck her head in the window. “I’ve got to take care of this, Dana. And we need something to communicate with. I’ve got to report this.”

  “No! You cannot go back there alone.”

  “I’ll be right behind you. Trust me.”

  Their eyes met and Dana held them. “Oh, God…Corey, I need you here with me. Please don’t do anything stupid.”

  “Not a chance.” Then Corey winked at her. “Take care of my dog.”

  “Your dog?”

  Corey tapped the side of the car, signaling for her to drive off. Dana again gripped the steering wheel, then after taking a quick breath, she drove on, leaving Corey standing at the side of the road. Lucky was barking sharply, looking through the back. With the window missing, she was afraid he would try to jump out and follow Corey.

  “Mom…hold him.”

  “I’ve got him.”

  “Those were soldiers,” Holly said, her voice cracking with nervousness. “Why were they shooting at us?”

  “They weren’t really soldiers,” Dana said.

  “Then why would she leave? Is she crazy?”

  “No. She’s my Dream Girl,” she murmured to herself.

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  “This wasn’t one of your better ideas, Conaway,” she muttered as she jogged back toward the checkpoint.

  Yeah, because obviously they were using the weapons now. Not that they were great shots. Thankfully. Of course, these things, whatever they were, were smart enough to engineer a spaceship, smart enough to land on an inhabited planet…surely they were smart enough to figure out how to use a weapon. Unless these weapons were so rudimentary to them, they were like a child’s toy.

  What do you want? For them to shoot lasers at you or something, she thought. Her attempt to amuse herself vanished when a man jumped out from behind a truck. He was on her so fast, she hardly had time to react. She pulled the trigger twice as they tumbled to the ground. She rolled away, then shot him once more, sending him flying backward, landing against the fender of Jeep. He slid slowly to the ground, lying motionless. Without thinking, she walked closer and shot him in the head.

  She grabbed his rifle then headed toward a tent. There was a soldier on the ground, blood covering his face, his chest, his legs. She nearly gasped. For all the shooting they’d done, all the…the disabling, as she liked to call it, there was never blood. This man had been killed and left. He hadn’t been taken and his body used as a host. She knelt beside him and felt for a pulse but found none. His flesh was cold to her touch. She stared at him, wondering if his throat had been cut. But then she saw it, a wound to the neck. She stood up. His legs had been shot as well. Was that why he’d been left? The others—Hal, the soldier in the barn, even Dana’s father—all had blood on their midsections. Were they killed that way? Or, Christ, was that simply the entryway for these…these things to get inside? With those thoughts running through her head, she bent down and took his weapon as well, slinging it over her shoulder with the other. Then she patted his pockets, finally finding what she was looking for—a cell phone. She turned it on, silently cursing as the familiar “Enter Passcode” screen popped up. She slipped it into her pocket anyway. If she couldn’t find a phone, then she’d have to use this one to make an emergency call. Hopefully the 911 operator wouldn’t think it was a prank call.

  She snuck around the outside of the tent quietly, listening for movement. The light was fading fast from the sky and the shadows were creeping in closer. She had no idea how many of them there were. She’d counted four when they’d first arrived, not including Perez. By the sound of the gunfire, there had to be more. Many more. The two guys who were chasing after the car seemed to have disappeared.

  “Yeah…but to where?” she whispered.

  Hell, maybe there were only four. Maybe the others had already dispersed, heading to…well, the mothership was hopefully destroyed, so not up on Baker’s Ridge. Then where? There weren’t any houses out here. Squaw Valley? Judging by the gunfire they’d heard when they’d left Jean’s place, Squaw Valley was already compromised. Paradox was compromised. Paradox Valley was compromised. Hell, where would they go next? South to the highway? East to Bedrock and the saline plant? North all the way to Grand Junction? Or continue west into Utah?

  “Jesus.” How were they ever going to contain this?

  Well, she needed to contain this area and she needed to find a cell phone. Then she needed to get the hell out of here. She pulled the clip from her Glock—only two shots left. Her extra clips were in her pack, in the trunk of Dana’s car.

  Real smart, Conaway.

  She took one of the rifles off her shoulder instead. The magazine appeared to still be full—thirty rounds—but before she could slam it back into place, a voice sounded beside the tent.

  “You.”

  She spun around, seeing the hulk of a man standing not ten feet behind her. They stared at each other and her eyes widened. His hands…his fingers were curled, his nails long and claw-like. An image flashed through her mind of those claws ripping her belly open. She pushed that image aside as she fumbled with the magazine, her hands shaking slightly as he took a step toward her.

  “Hey, there,” she said, her voice trembling with nervousness. “I’m…I’m Colonel…oh, what the hell, I’m General Conaway,” she said. “You’re like, a private, right? Hell, maybe you want to be a colonel today, huh?” The magazine finally slipped into the rifle and she slammed it home.

  “Stop.”

  “No, no…you stop,” she said, swinging the rifle up. But he was too fast, jerking the rifle out of her hands as easily as if she’d been holding a slippery greased pipe. She dove to the ground and rolled, pulling her gun out of her holster at the same time. She fired the two remaining rounds, hitting him low in the stomach.

  To her surprise, he emitted a loud, pitiful scream and clutched himself, as if trying to keep his insides from spilling out. There was no blood, only a milky white liquid.

  “So that’s where you are, you son of a bitch,” she muttered.

  She picked up the rifle he’d flung down and aimed it at him, sending eight or ten rounds into his midsection. Like a puppet whose strings had been cut—he tumbled to the ground, his legs folding under him and he lay still.

  She scrambled to her feet, moving quickly away from him…away from it. Only then did she realize how dark it had gotten. She looked to the west, seeing the fading light clinging to the horizon.

  She had no business being out here. Everywhere she turned, the shadows seemed to be moving, closing in on her. She wanted to run blindly down the road and before she could do just that, she ducked into one of the tents, peering through the darkness, hoping to find…what? A flashlight? A phone?

  She bumped into a cot with her knee, wincing at the pain. But then she stepped on something soft, something that rolled and moved under her foot. She jumped back with a stifled scream, listening, hearing nothing but her own breathing…and the booming of her heart.

  * * *

  “Why are we stopping?” Holly asked.

  Dana turned in her seat, looking behind them, hoping to see headlights approaching. Surely that’s what Corey had intended, right? Grab a Jeep or a Hummer or something, once she took care of things. She glanced at Holly, then her mother.

  “I’m waiting on Corey,” she said.

  “She told you to go on,” Holly said. “She said to—”

  “I know what she said. I’m still going to wait. And if she doesn’t come soon, then I’m going back for her.”

  “No! They were shooting at us,” Holly said. “We can’t go back.”

  The shadows were pronounced now, and she wasn’t able to see Holly’s expression but she knew the girl was frightened. She was too.

  “It’s not the guns we have to worry about,” she said quietly.

  “I don’t understand what’s goi
ng on,” her mother said, “but we shouldn’t put ourselves in danger because of her.”

  Dana didn’t want to be angry with her mother, but she was. It was because of Corey that they were all alive to begin with. Her mother didn’t know it, but she’d probably been only minutes away from an unthinkable death had they not shown up when they had. But as she’d said, her mother didn’t understand what was going on.

  “Her name is Captain Conaway,” Dana said. “She’s…military. She was sent in after the…after the power outage.” She bit her lower lip, wondering how on earth she was going to explain this. “Something landed up on Baker’s Ridge, northwest of Squaw Valley.”

  “Was my daddy right?” Holly asked. “Are we under attack?”

  “No. At least, not in the conventional way,” she said. “Whatever landed up on Baker’s Ridge…well, it was a UFO.”

  Silence filled the car for several seconds. It was her mother who broke it.

  “That’s nonsense. There was an earthquake. We all heard it, felt it.”

  “There was no earthquake, Mom. And there was no meteor, which is what the military thought at first,” she said.

  “That’s crazy talk. There’s no such thing as UFOs,” Holly said defiantly.

  “I so wish that was true,” she said.

  She looked past the sound of their voices to the dark, empty road beyond them. Lucky seemed to follow her gaze, and he whimpered quietly, still lying across her mother’s lap.

  * * *

  Corey pressed against the inside of the tent, trying not to imagine what she’d stepped on. An arm? A leg? A snake?

  Oh, Jesus…please not a snake.

  As if she didn’t have enough to worry about, thinking that a seven-foot long rattlesnake might be sharing the tent with her literally made her tremble. She didn’t have many fears or phobias…but snakes? In her mind, she could imagine the snake being eight, even ten feet long, its tongue flicking out as it slithered along the floor, searching for her.