Valiant

by Merrie Destefano

  Justin holds me for a few minutes, both of us quiet, before he speaks.

  “I was worried I would lose you, too,” he confesses as he lifts his head. He cups my face in his right hand. “The Xua took your brother, but he might not be dead, Sara. You said those doorways go to different timelines, right? Maybe he’s with Aerithin. Or maybe Aerithin will still come back—”

  “No. I think he lied to me on purpose,” I say, anger rising to the surface. “I don’t know why. We can’t count on him anymore.”

  He nods.

  “We might not have anyone left, not my brother or our parents, but we have each other,” I say.

  He blinks. Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned our parents, not yet. But we have to face reality.

  And we have to get through today.

  One day at a time. That’s how we’ll win. By surviving.

  Plan-frigging-C.

  “I think we should head for Station Seven,” I say. “Natalie and Billy might already be there, waiting for us. That was the plan if we got separated.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Come on.”

  …

  It takes longer than I expect to get to Coffee, Tea, and Z. We hike through a commercial district—clothing stores, pharmacies, fast-food restaurants. We jog past a grocery store, its plate-glass window broken. There are people running down the aisles, loading up carts and then darting away without paying. Everyone is in survival mode.

  The people we pass have manic expressions on their faces, their movements clumsy but not the same as if Jumpers were inside them. These people are just panicked. Probably in shock. A man rushes past us, leaving the grocery store. Eyes wide, he’s muttering to himself and he can’t hold onto the cans of food in his arms. They tumble away from him, one by one, until he races out of sight, dashing around a corner, empty-handed.

  We finally make it to the coffee shop. Justin holds up his hand, and we come to a stop outside, staring at the broken door and a cracked window. The inside of the shop has already been ransacked. The streets around us are getting dark, and all the streetlights in this part of town are smashed and broken. We’ve got about another hour before it’s completely black.

  Where’s Natalie? She knows we’re supposed to meet here. She never forgets details like that. My heart ratchets up a notch at the very real possibility that something happened to her and Billy. I had to leave them with a flurry of Xua swarming in that classroom.

  Is that another horrible mistake I made that I can’t undo?

  I grab Justin’s hand, and when he looks at me, I can tell he’s probably worrying the same thing.

  “We need to go back,” I say. “I need to find them. What if Natalie’s trapped or hurt? What if Billy’s—”

  “No need to be dramatic,” a familiar male voice says.

  I whip around just as two figures materialize from the shadows on the side of the building. It’s Natalie and Billy.

  She runs over, throws her arms around me, and then she starts to ramble on, something she never does. “I was so worried when we couldn’t contact you. I found a way to turn off our skin sites, but now I can’t turn them back on and I know someone can still track us… Wait. Where’s Gabe?”

  I don’t say anything, but she knows.

  There’s only one reason Gabe wouldn’t be with me.

  “What happened?” she asks.

  “He… There were these… I tried to…” But I can’t finish because the words catch in my throat.

  “It’s okay, it’s okay,” she says, even though we both know it isn’t okay.

  Speaking in a low voice, Justin tells them what happened, a few short sentences at a time. Neither one of us can talk about this without falling apart. His hands shake when he tells them how the Xua pulled Gabe through a mirror door.

  Billy’s eyebrows raise, and Natalie’s mouth hangs open.

  I move closer until I’m right beside Justin, watching Natalie and Billy, making sure neither one of them says anything that implies this is Justin’s fault.

  Nobody is going to say anything bad about Justin in front of me ever again.

  They both seem to sense what’s really going on, and it doesn’t take long for them to remind me why they’re on our team. Billy hands both Justin and me a bottle of water. Natalie gives us some pumpkin bread that she must have gotten in the coffee shop.

  My mom used to make pumpkin bread when we had extra money.

  I start to hyperventilate a little, but I fight it, biting my lip until I can calm down. She might still be alive. My mom and dad could still be human.

  Maybe.

  We can’t sit around wishing to have our old lives back. We need to move forward.

  “Aerithin was wrong,” I say, staring down at the chunk of pumpkin bread in my palm. “Or maybe he flat-out lied. Whatever. The bottom line is, Gabe lived through the night, but the war didn’t end.” I swallow, my throat tight. “We have to find a way to save humanity on our own.”

  Natalie frowns, like she’s waiting for me to say more.

  “That’s great, and not to be insensitive, but what does that mean?” Billy asks.

  “It means we’re not giving up. Before, our mission was to save Gabe.” I pause because it’s hard to say his name. It’s like there’s a hole in my heart that will never heal. “For now, our mission is to stay alive. We’re going to take it one step at a time.”

  Justin nods. “I’m in.”

  “Me too,” Natalie says.

  Billy gives me a half smile. “Well, I wasn’t going to ditch you guys. No matter what. Especially after what we’ve been through.”

  “Exactly,” Natalie says. “Some really crazy stuff happened after you guys left the school. Military police drove up in these tank-car-things, and then guys in uniform were all over the school. You’ll never guess who was with them—”

  “Carla,” Justin says in a matter-of-fact voice. So much has happened that I almost forgot about her.

  “How’d you know?” Billy asks.

  “I told her to meet us at the school if we got separated,” Justin answers. “It was Station Five, so I figured we’d end up there eventually.”

  “Well, the really crazy part is they were looking for Sara,” Natalie says, her brow furrowing.

  “Me? Why me?” No one has ever been looking for me. They’re always searching for my brother. I just happen to be there.

  “They wouldn’t say.” Natalie shrugs. “They acted like everything was top secret and questioned Billy and me for an hour while we were just trying to get out of there and find you guys. They showed up right after we killed the last Xua that had flown into the classroom—”

  “Wait—you guys were attacked by the Xua, too?” Justin asks.

  “It’s okay; they’re all dead,” Billy says like it was easy, but I remember how the Xua gave him a hard time, chasing that blue-haired girl. I bet Natalie killed most of the Xua in that room.

  “How much did you tell Carla’s dad?” I ask.

  “Not much,” Billy answers. “But we had to demonstrate how to kill a Xua when it tries to get inside a human. At that point, I thought they were going to take us back to their base camp. I thought they’d never let us go.”

  “Yeah.” Natalie laughs. “We finally had to give them fake information before they released us—”

  “Hey,” Billy’s tone turns serious as he looks at Justin and me. “You guys need to know there’s been some serious stuff going on. I think the Xua have been knocking out the police and the fire department…”

  I remember that overturned fire truck and all the dead bodies. That suspicious cop and the body in his backseat. I still don’t understand how we got away.

  “There’s been some violent crap, and it’s not all being done by the Xua,” Billy continues. Natalie looks away from me, her lip trembling.
“It’s like everybody knows there’s no one watching them, like there are no rules anymore. It’s like the whole world is as bad as Snake City now.”

  “Wait.” I look around. “Where’s Ella?” I’ve been so focused on our core group that I forgot about her.

  It hits me hard, like someone punched me in the chest.

  Gabe would have wanted me to take care of her.

  Natalie shakes her head. “I don’t know. She ran off not long after you did. It was like she was in a wild panic. The other girl did the same thing after I cut that Xua out of her. It was like they weren’t themselves afterward. Billy and I looked for Ella but couldn’t find her, and then those military guys showed up. Maybe she went home—that’s what she wanted, isn’t it?”

  I think Natalie’s trying to give me some hope. I just nod.

  It’s never pretty after you cut a Xua out of someone. Almost anything can happen.

  A large van turns down our street, music blaring, gnarly guys hanging out the windows. The vehicle’s weaving back and forth, and the guys inside are laughing like they’re drunk. Justin glances at the van, then he grabs both Natalie and me and pushes us back into the shadows of the alley.

  There’s been some serious stuff going on.

  Natalie leans against me, her eyes wide. She pulls out her switchblade, tenses all her muscles like she’s ready to fight to the death. I wonder what she and Billy have seen in the past couple of hours.

  I can’t even imagine what it would be like if the whole world was like Snake City.

  The humans would be as bad as the Xua.

  The van screeches to a halt in front of the coffee shop. One of the guys stares at Billy, the only one of us still standing at the curb.

  “Anything left inside?” the guy in the van asks, gesturing toward the Coffee, Tea, and Z.

  “No credits, but there’s a few bottles of chai tea. And in the back room, they’ve got about five cases of Z,” Billy says with a sly grin, as if the high-priced chocolate-raspberry caffeinated beverage is worth its weight in titanium. He’s already figured out how to divert attention away from Natalie, Justin, and me. He always knows how to get out of a difficult situation.

  “Awesome. Thanks.”

  The van doors slam open, and two guys jump out, then head into the shop. I crouch down in the shadows, hoping they don’t decide to check out the alley, too.

  “You know where I can score some motorbikes?” Billy asks.

  “Maybe. Why?” The driver watches Billy suspiciously.

  “Mass transit is down—that’s the first thing the aliens strike. That’s their pattern. First, they take down mass transit, then communication. The military will be next, if it hasn’t happened already.”

  He’s right. It probably took only a handful of Hunters to infiltrate all the mega-corporations that run our country. They probably already cut off our access to food and medical supplies, too. The Xua won’t have to worry about taking us all out. Anyone left behind will starve to death, die of disease, or kill one another trying to survive.

  A look of fear crosses the driver’s face. “What’re you talkin’ about?” His words slur together like he’s trying to sober up, fast.

  “I’m giving you some secret intel. You’re not gonna hear it on Gov-Net.”

  “Thanks, man. And the bikes—I’d check the used car lot on Main and Seventeenth. People been looting there, but they ain’t taken no motorcycles yet. They’re taking stupid stuff like SUVs and Mercedes, stuff that ain’t gonna work if we run out of gas. Idiots should be stockpiling food.”

  “Yeah, get food and water,” Billy says. Then he adds, “And if you run into any aliens, keep your mouth closed. That’s how they take over humans.”

  “Dude, you’re freaking me out,” the guy answers. “Hey, Ben, hurry up!”

  The two guys come out of the shop lugging five cases of Z between them. Billy joins them, takes one of the top boxes. “Let me help,” he offers, and he sets the case inside the van. “Liquor store down the street was looted about an hour ago, but they’ve still got some stuff in their back room. I used to work there. I can show you, if you want.”

  “Sure, get in,” the driver says with a grin.

  “After that, maybe you could give me a ride to that shop up on Main, the one with the bikes.”

  “No problem. Let’s go.”

  Billy hops in, and the door slides shut behind him. Then the van pulls away in a cloud of exhaust that would get them about fifteen citations.

  Those guys never even knew we all were hiding in the shadows.

  27

  Billy’s gone for almost an hour. The clock is ticking, and I really don’t want to get stuck here for the night. While we’re waiting for him to get back, Natalie shows us where she and Billy stashed some supplies from the coffee shop.

  “We were supposed to get supplies back at Century Unified,” Natalie grumbles as she grabs a pair of scissors from the counter and cuts through some thick plastic packaging. Inside is a shipment of food that must have arrived recently and never got put out on the shelves. We stuff sandwiches, cookies, and chips into a knapsack.

  “But we had to leave all those behind,” Natalie continues as she sets down the scissors. “The military took it. So we grabbed all this stuff and hid it as soon as we got here. There wasn’t much left.”

  Justin reads a label and lets out a chuckle. “Who would make a quiche sandwich?”

  It’s good to hear him laugh.

  “Well, that one’s definitely for you,” Natalie says, picking up on his mood shift. “I’ve seen you eat peanut butter and turkey before.”

  “Because peanut butter and turkey are awesome together.” He winks at me, and I grin.

  “Soon as this apocalypse is over, I’m having you over for dinner. I’ll show you what real food is. My mom’s the best cook in the world,” Natalie says. Then she sits back on her heels, a faraway look on her face. She blinks fast, like she’s fighting tears.

  I put my hand on hers.

  We’re in an abandoned coffee shop, but I can smell her mom’s japchae, can taste the garlic and soy sauce on the tip of my tongue.

  “I’d like that,” I say.

  “Me too,” Justin says.

  Natalie gives us both a thin smile, and her voice comes out soft. “It’s a date, then.”

  We’re going to get through this somehow. I’m not losing anyone else on my team, and if it means setting up post-apocalyptic dinner dates, then that’s what we’ll do.

  Justin gathers up all the empty bottles he can find and fills them with water from the tap. Fortunately, the shop hasn’t reached its daily water quota yet. We put together a stockpile of five bottles each.

  We’re still stuffing most of our supplies into Justin’s knapsack when Billy roars up on a brand new solar-powered Kawasaki.

  “We should go get a few more bikes before they’re all gone. Good for our new mission, right?” he says. He points at Natalie. “Hop on.”

  “Can you guys be back here in half an hour?” Justin asks. “I don’t know if that cop was telling the truth about curfew, but I don’t want to be outside any longer than we have to. Especially not in the dark.”

  It’s already dark, so we’d see a Xua if it ran past—it’d be lit up like a Christmas tree, edges glowing, silver shimmers everywhere else. But if one of the aliens turned to smoke, we wouldn’t see it at all.

  Night is even more dangerous than day.

  Natalie jumps on the back of the motorcycle. It looks like some of the tension inside her has vanished at the prospect of having something to do. “Don’t worry. We’ll be back in time. Then we can strategize.”

  The two of them take off. It’s so quiet after they leave, it almost seems like a normal school night. I can’t help but wonder if some kids and their parents are home safe, doing their best to be invisibl
e while the invasion sweeps across the city.

  That’s where I wish I was. At home, listening to my brother’s silly jokes and helping him with his homework. Telling him how glad I am that he’s my brother and how much I miss him when he’s gone—

  Anger floods my chest. I’ll never have any of that again. Those effing Xua stole my brother, and they need to pay for it.

  Even though I’m furious, a tear slides down my cheek, and I quickly brush it away before Justin sees it. I might not be able to control my chaotic emotions, but I vow that I’m going to do whatever it takes to save what’s left of the world, if that’s even possible.

  If I have to kill every single Xua, so be it.

  Just before she left, Natalie handed me my knapsack from school. I clutch it in one arm and hold it tight as I sit on the curb.

  Justin watches me. Then, without saying anything, he hands me a bottle of Z. My fingers shake as I lift it to my lips and take a sip. He just sits beside me on the curb and slips one arm around my shoulders.

  “Has he ever been pulled through those mirror doors before?” he asks, a hint of hope in his voice.

  “No.”

  “Why do you think they took him?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never been able to figure out why they want to kill him, either, and Aerithin wasn’t exactly forthcoming about all that stuff,” I snap, even though it’s not Justin I’m mad at. “Maybe there’s some cosmic reason why he’s not supposed to be here. All I know is that I want to—”

  Someone wails in a building across the street. All my muscles clench, and I jump to my feet. The loud cry goes on and on. It stops, only to echo off the buildings behind us. Then an unearthly quiet hangs over the street, and a chill rushes through me.

  “We should get out of sight,” Justin says.

  I nod. We haven’t seen any Xua since we got to this neighborhood, but they could be anywhere, dressed in human skin.

  I know we should hide. It’s the right thing to do. But I’d really rather fight. My adrenaline is off the charts, and I’d love for one of those monsters to try to take me down.