Alien Roadkill-Homecoming

by Steve Zuckerman

  “Jesus!” screamed Terry in desperation. “We’re fucked!”

  Acting reflexively, JB thought the thought, and instantaneously, the fingers in both of his hands fused together as they grew in mass and size. Raising the flat, pseudo-armored plates over his head, he ran over to Terry and Colin.

  “With me!” he yelled to both men, who despite their amazement drew close alongside JB, sheltered by his gigantic hands as they ran together through the rain of falling rock and sand that stood between them and the tunnel. JB waited until Terry and Colin had entered the tunnel before he retracted his modification and joined them right before the rest of the cavern roof came down.

  Clouds of billowing dust blew past them as they once again ran for their lives. Not only was the roof of the cavern coming down, but the connecting tunnels became destabilized by the collapse. The ancient wood supports that framed the tunnel walls began to shake, and then like a row of dominos, one by one the support timbers failed. Splintered beams were toppled over by the shockwave and crushed under the cascade of falling earth.

  Once more, JB, Terry, and Colin raced ahead of the tunnel collapse, choking on thick clouds of dust and sand that were blown forward as tons of falling earth displaced the air. They hadn’t gone far before they turned a corner and saw what looked like the night sky through a narrow crack in a wall dead ahead.

  “That’s it! that’s the way out!” Terry yelled, and one by one they burst through the narrow crack breaking past a curtain of sticky succulents that had disguised the tunnel’s exit. They emerged from the hillside onto a rocky shoreline in a foggy and moonless night as the rumble and roar of the cave-in continued behind them. A few seconds after JB cleared the narrow exit, a plume of dirt and debris exploded from the tunnel mouth like a dying man’s last gasp. With one final shudder of the ground under their feet, the ancient network of tunnels and caves disappeared into history for the last time.

  Still choking, Terry yelled, “Everybody Okay?!! Hell, I think we got that sucker, Cuz!”

  JB cracked the dust on his face with a wide grin. He replied, “Thanks to you guys! You did it.”

  Colin Trench nodded grimly and spat out a mouthful of dirt. He said, “The human race won’t ever be safe from this day onwards. Who woulda ever thought there was anythin’ worse than big government…”

  Suddenly Terry screamed, “Watch out!”

  In front of them, blocking their way forward, the alien had materialized. Badly battered, it was bleeding purple ichor, and many of its mangled tentacles were beyond its Sawbonite’s ability to quickly repair. Its useless appendages hung limply, and the ones that supported it were barely able to do so. Although some of the injuries were being visibly repaired by its Sawbonites as JB watched, the off-worlder’s tentacles were still severely shredded, slowing its ability to level its weapon.

  Even so, there was no place to run and no cover of any kind to be had. The alien was struggling with the weapon but was steadily raising it into firing position. JB’s Sawbonites had armored him up from head to toe, but he doubted it would protect him from the inevitable blast. He never got to find out. The unexpected explosive burst came from behind JB a heartbeat before the alien could fire.

  JB had a momentary sensation of heat as the projectile swooshed past him, just before it obliterated the alien assassin. JB turned and saw Terry holding up one of the weapons that had been hanging from his shoulder.

  “Always wanted to use this baby… Mini-rocket launcher.” He hoisted the still smoking tube in a flourish, and then his expression grew serious.

  “Ya know, ‘Cuz, I never been in a real war before… Never saw men die,” he said, his voice low and solemn. “It’s pretty fucked up.”

  Colin came over and put his hand on Terry’s shoulder. He said, “You did good. Saved all of our lives right now, and delivered a little payback.”

  Terry shook back the tears that had begun to stream down his face. Now that they were out of danger, both he and Colin were only now starting to process the ordeal they had barely survived.

  JB had lived through many close calls, but this time it was different. This time, the human cost had been far too high. If this had taught him anything, it was that his very presence endangered those near him. He resolved not to let it happen again, but it also proved that he needed to learn more about his adversaries.

  “What the hell?”

  Terry’s shout brought JB’s attention to the small, iridescent cloud that was floating towards him. Terry and Colin drew their sidearms intending to fire, but JB said, “Hold on… Leave ‘em be. Them is what I told y’all ‘bout. Them’s Sawbonites. Ain’t no danger to me.”

  The Sawbonite cloud reached JB and enveloped him head to toe before disappearing entirely in the blink of an eye as Terry and Colin watched slack-jawed.

  “Looks weird, but it don’t hurt none,” he assured them.

  “Back there, in the cave, I thought your face got blown off,” said Terry. “Them things fixed you up real fast, but what about everything else?”

  Still holding the sidearm, Trench stared questioningly at JB. His face tightened, and he asked, “Are you still human? Or are you one of them?”

  Hoping that he looked as pissed and as exasperated as he felt, JB glared back at them. With an angry shake of his head, JB spat out, “Fuck all! Of course I’m human! An’ fer sure, I ain’t one of ‘em. Should be obvious them aliens are lookin’ to kill me on account I got their Sawbonites. That’s what this is all about… Like I’ve been tellin’ y’all since I got here. Them little critters brought me a whole bunch o’ trouble, but they’re also keepin’ me alive. I’d just as soon see ‘em gone… Tell the truth. But, I might die without ‘em… Don’t know fur sure.”

  While JB was explaining, Colin and Terry had holstered their weapons, looking more at ease, but still perplexed.

  “Besides, just so you know,” JB added with a smile. “I still piss, shit and think about girls. But, right now, I’m busy enough jus’ tryin’ t’ stay alive long enough to sort this all out.”

  Terry said, “Shit! They must want them critters back awful bad!”

  “Damn straight!” agreed Colin. “That alien thing wiped out a whole lotta good folks to get to you!”

  “That means they’re afraid of you,” Terry pronounced grimly. “You must be dangerous to them.”

  It took a lot of effort on JB’s part to look his cousin straight in the eye when he replied. “Maybe… But that don’t change nothin’. I was totally wrong in supposin’ that they’d never go after me with other folks around. Ain’t no question that it all been my fault… An’ cause of me, you and Colin have lost everything!”

  Trent cleared his voice and took a deep breath before he spoke. “Listen, from where I stand, it ain’t your fault. Our friends went down fightin’ just like most of ‘em wanted. Gotta respect that. Besides, it ain’t a total loss… Least not for us. I sold the property months ago… I’ve been renting it back, with the idea of relocating later this year. I was going to announce it at the pig-pull, but in any event, the money’s in our off-shore account. Hell, I heard they were gonna tear it down and rebuild anyways.”

  Terry took hold of Colin’s arm and said, “Gonna be dawn soon. We better get away from here while the gettin’ is good!” Then he turned to JB. “Where are you headed, Cuz?”

  “Got no idea. But right now, I gotta find out how to get off the alien’s damn radar. Another one could show up anytime… Even right now!” JB’s statement made all three involuntarily look around. He added, ” I need to figure out how to stop them from finding me and fast, ‘cause otherwise… It’ll just be a matter of time.”

  Colin Trench looked down at the ground for a long while before he looked up again. He said, “I may know someone who might help you. Up till now, we all thought he was crazy. But after this… Well, I’m thinkin’ you should have a talk with old Marvin.”

  Terry gave him a hard look. “Mad Marvin? Are you sure? He don’t like visitors…
Especially any that’s got to do with you.”

  “No, he certainly don’t. But trust me, all of this alien shit sounds to me like a page right outta his book.”

  “I ain’t gonna put anyone else in them aliens’ crosshairs. I think I’ll take a pass,” JB said. “Nobody else is gonna die on my ‘ccount!”

  Colin nodded his understanding, but said, ”Well, I wouldn’t worry about him. To hear him tell it, he’s been hiding out from aliens for the last twenty years. He says inside his tinfoil shack they can’t see him. Might be worth you checkin’ out if what he says is true.”

  “Well, maybe he’s just a crackpot,” replied JB.

  “Let’s not stand around arguing about it,” said Colin impatiently, “Terry and I are off to the marina. I’ll show you where to go; the rest is up to you.” He reached into his cargo pants pocket and pulled out a fistful of bills. “Oh, and before I forget, here’s what I promised you.”

  JB took the cash and stood there staring at it numbly while Colin and Terry began to walk away.

  “Well, are you coming or not?”

  THANK YOU FOR reading Alien Road Kill-Homecoming, I hope you enjoyed it and are looking forward to more of JB’s adventures as he struggles to stay a step ahead of the aliens hunting him while trying to uncover their true intentions on Earth.

  Book 3, Alien Road Kill-REALIZATION will be published in early 2018.

  As an independent writer, I need the support of readers like you, whether it’s to recommend my books to friends and family or to leave a review. Also, I would be delighted to know your thoughts if you have any complaints or accolades. You can contact me at: steve@alienroadkill.com

  A Preview of “Realization” Alien Roadkill Vol. 3

  JB TUCKER, WITH his cousin Terry and Terry’s partner, Colin Trench, made their way quietly through the night. Ocracoke was in an uproar, but all of the action was on the other end of the island, where the Trench Family Estate once stood. A number of remarkable incidents had led to the destruction of what had once been considered a historical landmark. For the island’s residents, many questions remained unanswered, and because of the unusual circumstances surrounding the events of the last twenty-four hours, the actual story would never be known… At least not publicly. The three men that were wandering on the coastline under the cover of darkness knew the truth, but none of them would ever be inclined to share it willingly.

  “Alright, JB,” Colin said, pointing to a rocky embankment. “There’s a trail up there, jus’ follow it up to the main road. It’ll take you right into the waterfront business district, but before you get there, you’ll see a black mailbox next to a side road. As far as I can remember, there’s no street sign, but you’ll know when ya see it ‘cause there are “No Trespassing” signs all over the place. Not too far up the road, you’ll find a long gravel footpath that’ll take ya up to Mad Marvin’s shack.”

  Cousin Terry gave JB a severe look. “But, ya better be careful… They say that ol’ coot don’t like visitors much.”

  “I’ll be sure t’ win him over with my dazzlin’ personality!“ JB said sarcastically. He was surprised that despite everything that had gone on that he still had a sense of humor. Especially when he considered that over the last few hours the three of them had escaped an FBI raid, survived several underground cave-ins and a few brutal alien attacks. He sobered slightly at the thought that a bunch of folks who attended the annual, “Righteous Sons of Real Freedom” pig-pull picnic fundraiser, including law enforcement personnel from an alphabet soup of government agencies, would never see the humor in anything again.

  “Like I told you, old Marvin’s crazy,” Colin said. “An’ for sure, ya might be better off if you don’t mention my name. My family and him have never been on the best of terms.”

  “Then, why do y’all think he can help me?”

  “Because he’s been on this alien shit for as long as I’ve known him. His son and my dad used to be friends. I heard that before he lost his marbles, he was a NASA engineer or something.”

  “But, he’s crazy? Right?” JB asked.

  “So they say, Terry added. “He doesn’t get into town much, so you don’t have to worry about not finding him home.”

  “Okay, I think we better get goin’,” Colin declared. He and Terry pulled off their bandoliers and unslung their assault rifles. They covered them up with several large tangles of matted seaweed that they dragged up from the nearby shoreline. “As much as I hate to, it’s better to lose the heavy artillery,” Colin said. “Considering everything that’s happened, we don’t want to attract any attention.”

  “Place ‘ll be crawlin’ with Feds,” Terry added.

  “So, where y’all gonna get to?” JB asked.

  “Don’t rightly know yet. First things first,” Colin replied. “Jess…” He paused at the catch in his throat at the mention of his dead friend. The horror of that fatal event was still fresh in his mind, and merely mentioning his name had brought it all back. “Poor bastard, he had himself a twenty-five footer slipped over at the dock… Once we get onboard, we’ll figure it out from there.”

  Jess had been killed just hours ago, along with five other members of Colin’s “Righteous Son’s” militia group. Caught in the crossfire of an alien attack on JB, they had met their deaths in the secret underground tunnels built hundreds of years ago by pirates and smugglers. JB, Colin, and Terry had escaped by way of these to the coast, but during their ordeal, the ancient network of passageways had collapsed behind them, disappearing forever.

  Colin paused again and cleared his throat before he continued. “Might be that we’ll sail over to the mainland somewhere before the Feds can figure out where we might have gone to. They’ve got plenty on their plate to worry about for now, but that won’t stop ‘em from lookin’ for us.”

  JB nodded and turned to his cousin. He was going to apologize again for bringing disaster to their doorstep, but before he could speak, Terry wrapped his arms around him.

  “Cuz, you take care of yourself. Colin and I are going to rethink this whole alien thing. Maybe we can figure out some way to help.”

  “No, Terr,” JB insisted forcefully. “It’ll only get y’all killed. Let me handle this. Promise me.”

  Terry nodded and said, “Okay, I promise.”

  JB was relieved to hear that. He certainly wasn’t eager for them to put themselves in harm’s way again.

  “But if you ever need us, you know we’ll always be there for ya. Once all the heat dies down, we’ll get in touch.”

  “Thanks, Terr, If I need help, I’ll keep that in mind,” he lied. “Y’all take care.”

  He scrambled up the rocky embankment while Terry and Colin began picking their way along the coastline towards where Jess’s boat was slipped. Ideally, JB would have rather gone with them, but he was a lightning rod for trouble, and he wasn’t going to put Colin and Terry in even more jeopardy by joining up with them. JB had the money Colin had given him, his cut from winning the beer drinking contest, but that would take him only so far, especially since he didn’t want to retrieve his truck just yet. Hopefully, it would still be in one piece, as he had parked it a long ways off from the Trench Estate, thanks to his cousin’s advice. But of course, there was no guarantee it would still be there.

  It was a given that after the disastrous events at the Trench Family Estate the whole area would be overrun with authorities. While they were investigating, he thought it would be an excellent time to make himself scarce. If his luck held, they might avoid somebody like “Mad Marvin”, which would make his place ideal to hole up for a while… Provided he could convince Marvin to let him stay. Besides, if there were even a slim chance that “Mad Marvin” might be able to help him in some way, it would be worth it.

  JB checked his cell phone and saw it was about an hour before sunrise as he walked down the narrow highway that led into town. He was relieved to find the Ocracoke Island waterfront town center was relatively deserted. At this hour, traffic
was almost non-existent, and all of the shops were closed. He saw a couple of fishermen carting coolers over to the nearby docks in preparation for a day of fishing, but they paid JB no heed. Following Colin Trench’s directions, he hastily made his way past the main drag before he found the black mailbox and turned off onto the adjoining road that led inland. Like many of the roads in this rural island community, the narrow, asphalt street he was following was cracked and faded with age and the elements. Despite Colin Trench’s directions it took him almost a half-hour to locate the signage that Colin had described. It was a yellowed, plastic-laminated paper stapled onto a scraggly pine tree. It read, “Private Property—Keep Out”.

  He found the gravel path, which turned out to be a little more difficult in the pre-dawn darkness. Much of the gravel that once covered it had disappeared, leaving only the bare ground behind. He directed the tiny, alien sub-molecular automations in his bloodstream to modify his optic nerves so he could see more clearly. The path led up a small incline before it vanished amid a thick grove of oak and pine trees.

  Dawn was just beginning to break as JB stood at the base of the pathway, taking several moments to look around carefully. His constant sense of paranoia had become ingrained over the months that he had been on the run. Unfortunately, more often than not, he found that it was not undeserved; thus far, caution had served him well.

  He proceeded up the path as it wound through a thicket of scraggly brush and gnarled trees before ending at a chain-link fence with an equally rusty, metal “No Trespassing” sign. Undeterred by the warning, he followed the perimeter of the fence a short ways further until he came upon a gate. The broken latch had been replaced by a loop of bailing wire that hung over an adjacent post. He lifted the wire off, swung open the gate on its stubborn hinges and entered the property.

  Fifty or sixty yards away, he saw a small wooden house. It was typical of island construction, raised off the ground to weather the occasional tropical storm or hurricane and had evidently done so for many years. The clapboard siding and the sagging front porch were long overdue for maintenance. The front windows were dark, and there was no indication that anyone was home, but because of the early hour, there was a good chance the occupant might be still asleep. He stopped walking and stood to contemplate his options. Even at the risk of waking Marvin up, he figured the direct approach was the approach, and began down the path, intending to walk up to the dark oak door and knock.