The bike’s tires hummed down the rutted macadam street on the way out of town. Sam glanced back and saw the oak-lined street behind them empty. They began to relax, believing the danger had been over-assessed.
The gentle sound of a feather cutting through the air caught their attention and caused them to slow a little and look around. An arrow ripped into a tree just ahead.
“Ride!” shouted Sam, “no hiding now.” They poured full power into the pedals and the bikes leaped forward at twice the speed.
The intersection ahead had been barricaded with several cars. The brothers popped up over the curb, bounced over the sidewalk, and sped down the lawn that lay between two houses, hoping the back-yards weren’t fenced shut. Several blocks ahead lay the underpass leading out of town, but first they needed to get back to the road. The yard to the left had a wooden fence, on the right lay a steel fence shut tight, but with a good-sized dog-house backed up against the fence. Sam jerked his bike high with the front wheel up and managed to hit the roof of the dog house. His momentum carried him over the fence, followed by George.
Down through the underpass they flew, with the town looking smaller behind them. They held to the road for speed hoping they could outrun the Tonkians, but, looking back, saw the band of aliens pursuing them. They seemed to be closing on them fast. The green aliens were running as fast as the boys could pedal.
“This way,” called George, leaving the road, and swerving left down a driveway and into a farmer’s wheat field. The thickness of the wheat slowed down the bikes, but not the Tonkians, who had closed to within a hundred yards of them. Plunging into a small copse of trees heavy with underbrush, they pedaled hard and sailed over a high bank into the river.
As their bikes sank, the boys swam for the opposite bank. Hopefully their father was right and these Tonkians hated water. As they reached the far shore, with arrows landing near them, Sam looked back and saw an arrow flying directly at his head. He swatted it away. The Tonkians turned and began running down-stream.
“Run up-stream,” said George. “They must be headed toward a bridge they know about. We got to find someplace they can’t find us.”
Following the river closely to stay hidden by the trees lining the bank, they ran. Several blocks up-stream, they crossed the river again, hoping the Tonkians would be unable to find their trail. The coyotes seemed to enjoy the run and were bouncing about wildly.
The brothers knew if either of them was captured, the location of the homestead would be forfeit. Their family would be killed.
Hanging close to the shore and staying in as much cover as possible, they finally made it to the main road. Sam ran hard, but he was lost in dark thoughts. He knew how much faith the family had placed on them. They had been sent out with light words, but a heavy foreboding was on them all. Family survival hung heavily on him. For some time now he had listened to his conscience and fought back hard against the overpowering fear they both felt. Crossing into the deep woods with the coyotes at their heels, they continued to run deep into the tall trees.
In a small opening in the woods, George stopped and Sam turned to him. “Damn, that was close,” said George. “We have to think this out. If we just run, they’ll outrun us. The coyotes are resting now, so we know we got a few minutes to plan. They’re not too close.”
“What kind of plan you talking?”
“First, we have to cover over our scent. I think they can follow us by smell. We need to rub ourselves and the coyotes down with something that smells strong, like sage. That should at least slow them up a little.”
”Really good idea,” said Sam.
“Do you remember any more rivers ahead?”
“Nope, but there sure has to be some ahead. Where we going to get some plants to cover our scent?”
“We’ll find a meadow ahead if we head south now,” said Sam. Together they began to jog slowly south.
“What are you planning next?” asked Sam.
“I’m afraid if we head back toward home, they’ll find us, and if they can overpower us, they’ll kill us all.”
“I counted fourteen of them,” said Sam. “That’s just the band that was chasing us in town. I think it’s safe to assume there are many more between here and home. They’ve probably infiltrated all the towns around here. How many did you count in the bunch chasing us?”
“Same as you, maybe a few more,” said George. “Any way you look at it, that was some pack. They scared the crap out of me. We were lucky to get away. What are you getting at now?”
“George, we’ve only been trying to stay alive and get back to the family, believing Dad should make all the decisions. That’s is not us. He picked us because he has faith in us. Neither of us are rabbits. We’re not the type to find a hole and hide, and the last place they’ll be looking for us is Duval. I’d like to go back and face that town. It’s not enough that we just survive, our future may well depend on us winning this little fracas. I won’t have them believing they can beat us. I want to leave them worried that we may be just around the next corner from them. We need to demonstrate the power of the rabbit. ”
“We’re on the same page here, brother. Curdles my cookies being chased like that.”
They came across a small meadow, and, standing at the edge of the forest, they rubbed down the coyotes and themselves with wild daisies and marigolds. Working slowly, they were thinking and worrying about what would happen next.
“We’re both set on this,” said George. “Let’s hit it hard and never stop.” He turned west to begin the trip back. They ran the meadows back toward Duval, following its wrinkles through the emerald pine trees edging it. They had a spectacular view with high cliffs and glimpses of remote valleys just ahead.
Forty minutes later they stood looking at the convenience store from a small stand of aspen trees.
“That counter woman has to be part of it. She’s an alien or a collaborator. She recognized who I was, and set off an alarm,” said Sam.
“Yep, figured that was the only way they could set up an ambush that fast. We should make damn sure she doesn’t set up any more ambushes.”
George ordered the coyotes down. “Stay till we come back.” The two pups curled up together and were sleeping before the boys had left.
Sam was the first to enter the store. “Hello again, Beautiful. Remember me?”
The woman looked surprised.
“Yes, I know, you thought for sure I’d be dead by now. Unfortunately for you, those thugs you sent after us are relatively incompetent.”
Sam leaped across the counter and smashed the woman hard in the face. It felt like hitting the trunk of an oak tree. His arm hurt all the way down to his toes. The woman’s disguise disappeared immediately. Now she was full Tonkian. She picked up Sam and threw him over the counter as easily as if he weighed little more than a bag of potato chips.
“You should have never come back,” the alien hissed. “Now you will both die.”
George was at her in a second, hitting her body and avoiding the large clawed feet. The beast was fast, almost as fast as George, but her attack was simple and repetitive. She continually tried to hit his body with wild round-house swings while raking at him with one foot. George kept avoiding her attacks, while hitting her body. The Tonkian, with its strength and ability to absorb punishment, seemed more than match for the two boys and could have killed them both, but Sam remembered what his father had told them. He picked up a whistle out of a basket of toys and began blowing a shrill scream.
It stopped attacking and backed away from them. Seemingly disoriented by the noise, it unwittingly gave George access to the cash register and the .38 cal. pistol hidden behind it. George pulled it from its hiding place and shot the Tonkian five times at close range, hitting the alien mid-chest with all five rounds. It crumpled motionless to the floor.
”Now what?” asked Sam, looking down at their first kill.
“Let’s show these people who their enemy is.”
; He carried the alien outside and splayed the corpse over one of the pumps.
By now, people were gathering around the store after hearing the gunshot. They looked in astonishment at the dead alien. Sam couldn’t hear what they were saying, mumbling to each other as they milled around the beast.
“What spawn of hell is that?” they asked.
Sam spoke loudly. “That is your enemy. That is the reason the people of town have been disappearing. It’s from the planet Tonk and they have invaded earth. They mean to be the dominant race on earth and think of humans as food.”
“Can’t be many of them here,” said one the townsmen, “we’d have seen them right away.”
“The Tonkians have a powerful mental ability. They can cast an image into your minds. You look at them, but see a little girl, or an old man. In this case, she was the counter-woman in the store here. They’re smart, strong, and have few weaknesses. Let me tell you how you can recognize them, because we’ve had experience in spotting those green-skinned skunks. You have to look carefully for anything that’s incongruous. Look carefully and you’ll get the hang of it. Like that counter-woman in there, you all saw her. Did none of you wonder how that older lady had that lustrous auburn hair? That was the hair of a twenty-year old woman. You have to use your eyes, don’t let them fool you or you’ll be dinner. Their two big weaknesses are that they cannot tolerate loud noises, and they fear deep water.”
“How do you know all this? Where you from? Why should we trust you?” Came from the crowd.
“I’m Sam, this is my brother, George. We’re Keisters from Tindale. You’ve probably seen us around town before. I think if you look hard at that dead thing there, you’ll know why you can trust me and not them. Seems like your choices are slim. Band together and fight, or die alone at the hands of aliens. If you have a gun store where we can get a few shotguns and some slugs, we’ll go with you and help clean the aliens out of your town.”
The scruffy-looking man with the tee-shirt walked toward them slowly. “You tell a good story, boy, but I willing to bet you’re right. I’m Jake, and the gun shop in town has been closed since the lights went out. So why don’t you come with me? I gotta a couple of extra shotguns and the three of us will hunt down these green-skinned atrocities.“
The brothers went with Jake. He looked homeless and broke, but his house was large, clean, and well stocked. He needed to unfasten several locks to enter.
“Well don’t be so surprised. I ain’t as ignorant as I look. Been locking myself in every night and keeping a lantern lit. My shotgun is always right beside me.”
“You have a beautiful house,” said Sam.
“Thank you. It was mostly set up by my wife, but she passed a few years ago. You know, what with people disappearing, I kind of figured something bad was around. Never entered my mind that it could be aliens, but my neighbor Al would have never wandered off and left Janet alone. He’s been gone better than a week now. Funny, I suppose, but I was starting to believe it was Bigfoot, and I know there ain’t no Bigfoot. Anyway, glad you two came along and showed us that thing out there on the gas pump.
“Let’s get us some guns.”
He unlocked a cabinet and pulled out three twelve-gauge shotguns. He threw one to each of the brothers. “You know how to use those?”
“We been hunting a long time.”
”Take a box of those slugs,” said Jake, with a twinkle in his eye. “Been waiting for this since the power went down.”
Sam and George loaded their weapons and together with Jake, went out to hunt aliens. Soon a band of armed men joined them, along with some kids blowing whistles and a few more carrying drums. Altogether, with the whistling, drumming, and shotguns, they raised a delightful cacophony.
Less than two blocks from where they started, a man broke out the back door of the house they were passing. Sam could see a slipping of its disguise, and shot the man, dead center on his back.
The group of alien hunters gathered to look at their first success.
“Don’t take mercy on these things because they look vulnerable. They’re here to kill you. They mean to eradicate the whole human race,” said Sam.
“Good shot,” said George.
By six that evening, they had killed ten. The bodies were dragged to the football field and piled high there as a warning to any other aliens.
Jake let Sam and George borrow his guns for the trip back home. He had turned out to be a good guy.
The brothers left for home late that evening.
FAST TIMES AT HOME
A haze lay over the cabin that morning. The cold, gray-iron day laid a silence heavily across the forest with the animals burrowing deeply into their safe warm place. Hot coffee and a large plate of pancakes raised the household’s spirits. Trist had noticed during the first year of their life that his children were omnivore. They all preferred meat, but had a body that could handle veggies, if needed.
The family had been on edge since Sam and George left. They’d worked off some worries with the hard work fortifying the cabin, but now during the wait and see period, tongues were sharp.
Rick stretched slowly, pushing himself back from the table. “Great breakfast, Dad. Thanks. Think I’ll walk around a little this morning. Have to stretch my legs a little.”
Sliding the bolt out of his rifle, he looked down the inside of the carbine’s barrel, put a few drops of oil on the trigger assembly, and slipped a dozen rounds into the pocket of his hunting jacket. Sitting on the edge of a table chair, he buckled his knife onto his ankle.
“Could be a tough day to find game,” said Trist.
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, almost to himself,” I suspect you’re right, but I’m schizing out just sitting here.”
“Don’t head out too far,” continued Trist. “This is going to be some kind of bad storm, backing up all the way from the mountain.”
“Yep,” he said, holding in the retort that he had figured that out himself.
“I’ll be back by noon. Who knows, maybe I’ll find a deer or two to back up the food stores. He pulled on his jacket, slid the bolt back into the carbine, called up Sic, his coyote pup, crossed the yard, and climbed over the barricade. They disappeared in the hazy morning light.
A gusty wind carrying a light rain was swirling around him before he was a mile from the cabin. Pulling his cotton-lined hunting jacket tighter about him, he slowed his walk and began scanning the forest around him.
Sic usually ranged well ahead of him, but today it, apparently felt something in the coming storm and stayed close to Rick.
A couple of miles out, Rick took a turn to the left, planning on doing a circuit or two around the cabin before heading home. His body had slowly gotten used to the wind and rain, and he broke into a slow jog, hoping a little more vigorous activity would loosen up his muscles, now tight after two days of staying inside worrying about Sam and George. With little warning, the edge of the heavy storm smashed hard against him. The downpour soaked through his jacket, saturating him clean through to his socks.
Aah, that’s enough of this crap, he thought, and turned back toward the cabin. The rain, blown sideways by the heavy gusts, made it difficult to see clearly. Bad day and bad night ahead. He slowed to a walk and struggled against the wind as he carefully watched the area before him. Tripping over a downed branch and falling into the slop around him would not be pleasant.
Near the treehouse he and the other kids had built years earlier, he caught a glimpse of movement in the rain, just as Sic issued a low warning yip.
He’d have probably continued on, believing he’d seen a blowing tree branch, but the coyote’s senses were more acute than his, and Rick knew enough to trust it. He stopped to check out his surroundings.
A wide tree trunk next to him helped break the fury of the wind, and he backed up to it for protection. He knelt down, Sic at his side, and clicked the safety off his rifle. He carefully scanned the area around him, but noticed that Sic’s attention was focused
solely on the tree where Rick had seen movement.
There was no enemy visible to him. The large rain-drops, blown hard into the leaves and branches, had shattered into a swirling white-out. A shattering bolt of lightning seared its way down a tree trunk near them, accompanied by a heavy earth-shaking blast of thunder. Feeling the danger under the tree, Rick started to rise when he saw a Tonkian scrambling its way down a tree trunk thirty yards away. Rick swung the rifle, took a quick aim on the center of the alien’s chest, and squeezed gently on the trigger. The bullet hit the creature high on its left arm. The power of the blow, pulled the Tonkian’s hands from the tree, and it fell, clicking and hissing. It rose to its feet and ran toward Rick and Sic.
Rick shoved another round in the chamber and he pointed the rifle at the alien, now less than ten yards from him. Sic screamed at the beast, causing it to stiffen for a moment, just long enough for Rick to pull the trigger. The hot lead hit the creature mid-chest and it dropped to the forest floor thrashing, and hissing in the wet moldy leaves.
These bastards are too close, Rick thought, they’ve found the cabin. Better warn everyone. He began to run for the cabin.
Another angry scream rose from Sic. Rick turned to see a second Tonkian coming at him. The coyote, surprised Rick when it grabbed the creature by the leg and clamped down hard. Rick tried to re-load, but the beast was on him before he could chamber the round. It swung both arms attacking Rick. He caught both arms as the beast crashed into him, knocking them both off their feet. They rolled together on the leaves, both seeking a firm purchase.
Rick held his grip on the creature’s arms to avoid the sharp clawed ridge of its hands. It tried violently to wrench its arms free and to throw Rick from him, but it could not break Rick’s grip. Sic had been busy, working on the leg it had grabbed, and finally severed it completely. The coyote swung over and locked its teeth on the beast’s good leg. The Tonkian struggled hard trying to pull away from Rick while kicking at the dog.
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