FreeForm: An Alien Invasion Romance Series (FreeForm Series Book 1)

by Orrin Jason Bradford

  Pat lay on her side choking and gasping for air. She caught her wind enough to cough. After which she could taste the blood she'd spit up. She almost answered Homlin with a yes, but stopped just in time. She decided it was best not to say anything.

  "Do you understand?" Homlin jerked the leash again.

  When Pat could finally breathe again, she managed an anguished "woof."

  Monday 5:28 pm

  The sun played with the crest of the mountain. In the last ten minutes it seemed to dip with increasing speed. Once it dipped below the mountain, the sky would darken almost as though God had turned the lights out. The search, difficult already, would become nearly impossible.

  Allan leaned over to Oliver's ear again. "We must be near the site. We've got to find them, at least some sign of where they are, before the sun sets."

  Oliver nodded and shouted back, "It's been ten years. I'm dealing with old memories but memories that I've dreamed about almost every night. The area is looking more familiar. We'll find them. We'll find them."

  The last sentences sounded more like a mantra to Allan, but he decided it was as good a mantra as any to recite. He started repeating it to himself.

  Suddenly Oliver turned away from Allan and leaned towards James, shouting something Allan couldn't make out. James changed course slightly and followed an old logging trail below them. They flew over the trail for another ten minutes as it slowly narrowed below them. Finally the trail surrendered to the thick growth on either side of it. It just ended, but right at the point where it petered out sat a white Mazda partially hidden by the brush.

  Oliver and Allan pointed to it at the same time, then turned to each other and shouted in each other's face. "We've found them, we've found them!"

  James came around for another pass, a little lower this time. As they did so, they realized the automobile had been abandoned.

  "This was as far as they could go by car,” Oliver shouted. "They can't be too far from here."

  "Yeah, but in which direction?" Allan shouted back.

  "Over the crest, I think. It seems like it's on the other side of the mountain where the crash site was."

  Allan realized they hadn't actually found them after all, but they were closer, much closer. Please Lord, he prayed silently, keep her alive just a little longer.

  Monday 5:13 pm

  Homlin had kept a hard steady pace straight up the mountain, jerking on the leash whenever Pat fell behind which was often since Pat's legs were still stiff from the long confinement, and she was additionally hampered by the heavy backpack.

  "Come on, mush, my fine pack animal. You should be out in front of me pulling me up the hill instead of hanging back slowing my progress,” Homlin said after one particularly brutal jerk on the leash that threw Pat into another coughing fit.

  "Perhaps you would like to leave me here for your return trip. I promise not to go anywhere,” Pat finally managed to say.

  "Oh my dear Ms. Vogt, if I leave you here, I assure you, I'll leave you so you won't be able to go anywhere. Is this where you wish to die?"

  Pat considered the question for a moment before answering. Was this the place to take a stand? Go for the bastard's throat? No, her inner voice answered. Find out where he is going. There is something on the other side of the mountain he needs. Let him find it first then kill him.

  Pat shook her head. "No, I'm ready to go on."

  They continued their journey up the mountain. Pat breathed a sigh of relief when they finally reached the crest, but it was short lived. Going down the other side proved to be even worse. Homlin picked up his pace almost running down the other side, yanking Pat off her feet half a dozen times.

  The choker chain cut into the soft skin of Pat's neck, making each jerk from the leash that much more painful. If I live through this, I'll start a campaign to prohibit the use of these collars on any animal, Pat thought as she struggled to keep up.

  Homlin suddenly stopped in his tracks much too quickly for Pat who continued by him, coming to a sudden stop of her own when the leash pulled her off her feet.

  "Wait just a minute. I need to get my bearings. I think we're getting close." Homlin looked around for a moment before heading off to the right, down hill again but at an oblique angle.

  In a few minutes he pulled up again a few yards from the mouth of a narrow cave. "We're here,” he said simply.

  Pat crouched down on all fours in an effort to catch her breath and to relieve the tension on the choker.

  "Yes, catch your breath, by all means." Homlin looked down at her with a sneer on his face. "Catch your breath for those last few words you'd like to say."

  Pat raised her head proudly in the air and glared at him. "You really are a bastard. It's going to be a pleasure killing you."

  Homlin roared with laughter. "My dear Ms. Vogt, you really are a gem. Here you are at my complete mercy. I have the stick, the gun, and the controlling end of the leash, and you throw idle threats at me. Really, you've been most entertaining.

  "But I mustn't dawdle. I have more important matters to attend to besides standing here talking with you. So, if you will excuse me for a moment, I need to fetch something from the cave. And, since I doubt I can trust you to simply sit here and behave yourself -- not after what you've just said -- I must restrict your movement for a few minutes."

  Homlin looked around him for a moment, then finding what he was looking for, he jerked Pat to her feet. He walked over to a nearby tree with its lowest branch about nine or ten feet above the ground. He threw his end of the leash over the limb, keeping his eye on Pat the whole time.

  He then stepped on the other side of the tree and pulled the leash taunt, forcing Pat to follow. He continued to pull the leash until Pat was directly under the tree limb, standing on her tiptoes and holding onto the leash with both hands to keep from being hung. Satisfied by her position, Homlin tied his end of the leash to another nearby tree.

  "I shouldn't be too long,” Homlin said as he stepped back to examine his handiwork. "When I return we'll end this little ten year feud we've been having. I promise not to end it too quickly for you." With that, he turned and disappeared into the cave.

  Monday 5:41 pm

  The light was a little better on the other side of the crest, but even so it was difficult to make out much detail through the trees. Finding two people down there, particularly when one of them didn't want to be found, wasn't going to be an easy task.

  Allan was so absorbed in the search, he hadn't noticed James and Oliver talking until Oliver leaned over to him and touched his shoulder.

  "You aren't going to want to hear this, but James has just pointed out to me that we only have enough fuel for another twenty or thirty minutes. Even then we might not make it back to where we can refuel."

  Hell, what else could go wrong. They couldn't come this close and turn around without finding Pat. They just couldn't. Allan nodded and leaned toward Oliver.

  "Tell James we can't turn back. We must keep looking no matter what. Isn't there somewhere around here we can land if we need to?"

  Oliver considered the question for a moment then nodded. "There was an open area near where the ship landed, but that was ten years ago. It could be grown up with trees by now."

  "We'll have to take a chance. We aren't turning back,” Allan shouted back.

  Oliver nodded and turned to James to relay the message. The two men shouted back and forth for a couple of minutes but finally James nodded agreement. Oliver turned back to Allan and gave him the thumbs-up sign. The three men turned their attention back to the forest below.

  Monday 5:51 pm

  Pat estimated Homlin had only been gone less than five minutes and already her arms felt like they were about to pull out of their shoulder sockets. She couldn't hang like this much longer. She considered trying to reach one of the screwdrivers in her coat pocket but ruled it out. Trying to cut through an inch thick piece of leather with a flathead screwdriver didn't seem to make much sense.


  I've got to think of something fast, she told herself. The "Vogt luck" was running out.

  If she could just get herself up to the limb and over it she'd be set. She tried pulling herself up hand over hand on the leash, but she didn't have enough strength left in her arms. Then she had an idea. What if she shimmied up the tree? She glanced over at the cave. Still no sign of Homlin.

  Well, here goes nothing, she thought as she pulled herself as close to the tree as possible, then pulled herself up with the leash and hooked her legs around the diameter of the tree trunk. She dug her shoes into the rough bark of the tree and pushed herself up towards the limb. For the first time she felt the choke chain relax its grip around her neck and she knew she had a chance. She didn't need to climb over the limb. She only needed to get far enough up to slip the choker from around her neck.

  The realization gave her a spurt of adrenalin, and she pushed herself another two inches with her legs. The choker was completely relaxed now, but still its diameter was too small to fit over her head. She pulled herself another couple of inches with one hand, then another and another.

  As she did so, she thought she heard a deep roar from deep within the bowels of the earth. Homlin! He was coming back. She must hurry. If she was going to live, she must get free before he returned. In fact, if humankind was to survive, she had to get free now!

  She squinted her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and let out a blood-curdling scream. She knew it might bring Homlin running, but it was what was necessary to manage the final inches. Still screaming, she held herself steady with her right hand and reached down with her left and slipped the chain noose from around her neck and head. As the chain slipped away, the strength in her right hand finally gave out as did her legs. She fell to the ground.

  She lay there for a moment, sobbing and gasping for air. She was free. Free from the choker and free at least for the moment from Homlin but for how long? As she looked up towards the cave she realized her freedom was short lived. From the mouth of the cave strolled a half-man half-beast. Homlin stood at the mouth and roared his own blood-chilling scream.

  He'd partially changed into the cat-like alien form that Pat had first seen him as a decade before, yet at the same time he still resembled the human Homlin. He had torn most of his clothes off or perhaps they'd shredded from the bulging of the body within them.

  Homlin threw his head back and roared again then he stared at Pat, his eyes glowing in the semi-darkness of the evening.

  "I couldn't decide whether it would be more fun to kill you in the human form or my true self so I decided to compromise. Do you approve?"

  Pat pushed herself onto all four with her tired arms. "Come on you ugly bastard. I don't care what form you're in. I'm going to beat the shit out of you."

  "For each idle threat, I'm going to make your death last that much longer and be more painful than you could possibly imagine,” Homlin said through slurred lips. As he continued to change into his alien self, speaking became more difficult.

  Pat stood up yet stayed in a crouched stance. She began to circle around Homlin trying to get on higher ground. As she did so she pulled the two screwdrivers out of her pockets but kept them hidden in the palms of her hands. She knew she'd get only one shot at Homlin. It had to be her best.

  The cat-like Homlin closed the distance between them, apparently unperturbed by Pat's strategy to get above him. As he came closer, Pat noticed for the first time the crystal hanging from the chain around his neck. So that had been what he'd come here for. It made sense now. Whatever the crystal was, it was integral to his mission. Therefore, it was a weak point as well.

  "I want you to notice that I plan to kill you with my bare hands,” Homlin said as he circled closer to her. "No stick or gun. It would take the fun out of it for me."

  "Now look who's giving idle threats. You're not going to kill me, you overgrown house cat. But you're going to wish you'd kept your weapons when I get through with you.” Pat taunted him as she backed up the hill a few feet in an attempt to widen the distance between them.

  Is he going to lunge for me? She wondered. She must wait for just the right moment. If he lunged at her, she might be able to stab him with one of the screwdrivers. Unless she hit a vital spot, it wouldn't be enough to kill him, but it might give her the advantage she needed.

  They circled around each other until, without warning, Homlin made his move. He was lightening quick and was on top of Pat before she knew it. Reaching out with his right hand, he slapped her off her feet, his claws ripping through the thick fabric of her coat and digging deep gouges in her left side. As Pat rolled, she felt the warm, wet sensation along her side, followed closely by intense pain.

  Homlin stood a few feet from her and roared with delight. Pat scrambled to her feet, the movement intensifying the pain. Homlin attacked and again was beside her before she could move out of the way. This time he kicked her feet out from under her with a sweeping motion of one leg. Pat hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of her. Towering above her, Homlin threw his head back and howled in victory, extending his arms to the sky, his claws fully extended ready for the kill.

  As he stood over her, his face raised to the heavens from which he had come, a blinding flash of light, followed a millisecond later by a thunderous noise, gave Pat one last chance.

  While Homlin was momentarily frozen in confusion, Pat jammed the two screwdrivers deep into his crotch. Bluish red blood spurted in Pat's face and down her blouse. Without hesitating, she pulled both screwdrivers out and plunged them in again.

  Homlin's high pitch scream echoed down the mountain and back again. He fell to one side trying to escape his tormentor, but Pat was relentless. As he rolled down the mountain, she chased after him. She dug the screwdrivers in again, this time in his back then lost her grip on them as his turning body twisted them out of her hand. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the lug wrench. Holding it in both hands by the long end, she brought the shorter end crashing down, aiming at Homlin's head.

  At the last second he twisted to one side, the blow landing on the curve between his neck and shoulder, the bar catching on the chain around his neck. Pat jerked back ripping the chain off his neck, sending the crystal flying off in the bushes. Homlin jerked his head around trying to keep his eyes on his precious crystal. It was all the diversion Pat needed.

  Without hesitating, Pat struck again with the tire iron and felt the satisfying sensation of bone crushing beneath the blow, and a renewed cry of pain erupted from Homlin. Still Pat persisted. She struck again and again. Once more on the head, the third blow landing to the left side of his neck.

  She could not stop herself now. She was no more than an animal herself — an animal fighting not just for its life but for the life of its species. As Homlin rolled against a large boulder and stopped, Pat leaped onto the rock above him and with a final powerful thrust, she jabbed the pointed end of the tire iron through his chest.

  It took a couple of minutes before the breathing stopped and his blood began to clot. Pat continued to sit on Homlin's chest until she was absolutely sure he was dead. Then with a final blow of her fist, she stood up.

  "I told you I was going to kick your ass." She took three steps towards the cave before passing out.

  Safe at Last

  Monday 6:03 pm, Dec. 6

  "Back there! Take it back around. Did you see it?" Allan screamed in Oliver's ear.

  "I'm not sure. I think I saw something,” Oliver replied as he tapped James on the shoulder and instructed the pilot to take them around again.

  Allan's heart felt like it was going to beat its way out of his chest. It had to be them, although it had been difficult to tell. It had been something too grotesque to imagine. He was afraid to think what it might be. They'd been moving so fast the figure had been in the spotlight for only an instant.

  As they circled around, Allan noticed the spotlight highlighted a small opening with only a few scrub pines that might cause a pr
oblem with the helicopter. He pointed it out to Oliver.

  "Ask James if he thinks he could land this bird down there?"

  Oliver gazed out the window at the small patch where Allan was pointing and frowned. He started to say something then thought better of it. Instead, he leaned over to James and asked the question. After a moment, James changed the course of the helicopter sufficiently to get a better look at the clearing. After studying it for a moment, he nodded to Oliver and gave him a thumbs-up.

  "Land it then,” Allan said. "We'll find them on foot."

  The landing was the most hazardous part of the entire trip. It looked like to Allan that James had miscalculated. There was no way they'd have enough room to land without shearing off the blades of the helicopter. Fortunately, James was a very capable pilot and managed to land with only a few feet to spare on all sides.

  As the bird touched down, Allan's feet hit the hard packed ground running with Oliver close behind. Each of them carried a large flashlight, the narrow beams cutting through the night.

  What if we miss them? Allan thought. What if what I saw turned out be a wild animal? But even as he thought it he knew better. It had to be what they were looking for. The real question was whether they’d find Pat before it was too late?

  He slowed down as they neared the area. Better be a little quiet. No reason to give themselves away to Homlin if they could help it. As he slowed to a fast walk, Oliver caught up with him. They both turned off their flashlights and took the final thirty yards in the dark.

  As they pushed their way through the final layer of underbrush, they could just make out in the near darkness a slit in the side of the mountain. Allan stopped on the edge of the clearing and waited for his eyes to adapt a little further. He could hear Oliver's raspy breathing beside him.