by S L Dearing
“Then how should I think of it?” I snapped.
He sighed, just barely glancing at me before settling his gaze again. “You shouldn’t see it as anything. Please, R. Please just run when I say.”
“How will I know you’re alive?” I asked, defeated.
“You won’t,” he said briskly. “Trust me, it’s for the best.”
“I don’t believe that. You’re my brother after all. I love you.”
He dropped his hands to his sides, taking a step backwards as he did so. My heart lurched as I realized what he was doing.
“Remember, run as fast and hard as you can. Don’t look back.” I watched his chest rise and fall gently, took in my brother for one last time, knowing I’ll have to separate from him soon.
Ricky was a tan-skinned, blue-eyed kind of boy who was always gentle with everyone - especially those he cares about. His hair color matched mine - black as a moonless night. We had similar high cheekbones and a well-built frame. Our color choices in clothes are about the same as well - we could be twins except that Ricky is a few years older than me. We were about the same height but Ricky was just a few inches taller.
I was jealous of that. Now it seemed pointless.
He seemed to be looking through me, which was creepy. His lips formed his commanding word but he wasn’t fast enough. Something knocked into him and me at the exact same time, knocking us to the ground.
“Raven!” he yelled, panic shivering in his voice. “Leave her alone!”
I gasped as cool slime seeped into my flesh. I began to writhe under the weight that held me down but it was useless. I was trapped.
“Ricky!” I called, wanting to hear his voice so bad.
A scream wretched its way free as something bit down deeply into my shoulder. I felt my consciousness slipping instantly.
“Go to sleep, little girl,” a fuzzy voice hissed into my ear, filling my head with its wish.
“No. Don’t!”
Ricky. His voice shattered the spell I was being put under, waking up my senses. My eyes snapped opened, taking in the blurry image of a slime-green creature pinning me to the hard ground. I began to struggle again as it roared in fury, showing his gleaming fangs. They looked wicked, jagged and extremely sharp. I gulped, suddenly feeling blood pump out of my shoulder, racing down my arm, pooling underneath me. I watched in horror as the creature froze, smelling the blood. It leaned closer to me, smelling my shoulder. I stared at it, afraid to move a single inch.
“Leave her alone!”
The shout rang out all around us, freezing the monster in place. I risked a peek at my brother but couldn’t see him. I sighed, closing my eyes. What is this thing? What does it want with me, a scrawny fourteen-year-old?
Once it met my gaze, I couldn’t look away. No matter how much I wanted to. Its eyes were almost like glass with a tint of green. Its face was oval and strange looking.
I felt my breathing fade, my vision blurring the longer I stared at it. I was growing tired, my mind beginning to tune everything out - my brother screaming for me, the sirens shrilling, giving out a warning - none of that mattered anymore. My lips tried to pull up into the ghost of a smile, but I was too weak for it to do so.
My entire body began to shake, my stomach flipping. My head was pounding, causing a red haze to flit across my vision repeatedly. My shoulder throbbed consistently, making my eyes close tightly.
Suddenly the heavy weight was gone, leaving me breathless as I gasped for some. Tears slid down my cheeks, more likely staining them, rubbing away the smoke that stained my flesh. I heard a small cry and then silence.
“Raven?” I froze mid-breath. “Open your eyes. Look at me.” I did as I was told, opening them to reveal my brother crouching over me, a worried look plastered to his face. “Are you okay?” he demanded, his eyes searching.
“Yeah I’m fine. No need to freak.”
“There is a need.” His eyes landed on my injured shoulder as he said this. He lightly probed it with his fingers. “Good,” he said after a few moments. “Doesn’t seem that you have a tracker in you.”
“A t-tracker?” I stuttered, my eyes widening. “What’s that?”
“A device they put in their prey for hunting later. Or if they get away.”
“That’s why it bit me?”
“Yes,” he answered slowly. “That’s why. If I hadn’t interrupted, you’d be trackable right now.”
“Are you sure I’m not?”
“I’m positive.”
“What was that anyways?”
“An alien.”
“A what?”
“You heard me. Those things aren’t something you should play with either. That one could have killed you.”
“But-” It didn’t. I swallowed those two words, knowing they were useless. It could have. Just because it didn’t doesn’t mean anything. The silence hung heavily between us, growing more and more uncomfortable. The minutes passed by and I shifted my weight.
“Look, you have to get out of here to save yourself,” he said finally. “I can’t protect you any more than I can myself.”
“Wha-what do you mean? You can’t protect me?”
“That’s exactly what I mean. I can’t look after you and myself at the same time. Only one or the other.”
“And you’re choosing the other.”
“Yes,” he murmured, his voice as low as a whisper.
I never thought how much one word could hurt, but that felt like a slap in the face. I stared at him, wondering if he was just joking. How could I protect myself when I don’t even know how to? My jaw dropped opened and I snapped my mouth closed, wrapping my arms around myself despite the sharp pain it caused my shoulder and the blood that instantly started pouring down my arm, stinging my flesh. It was hot and began to stain my clothes.
“Here, let me help you with that,” Ricky said when he realized that I was bleeding again. He grabbed a hold of the hem of his shirt and tore a strip long and big enough for my wound. Then he gently placed it against my injury, pressing lightly. I flinched away from him, the cloth dropping to the ground.
“You want me to survive on my own,” I said as calmly as I could. “Then that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I don’t need your help. Now or ever.”
“Oh come on-”
“No.”
I stood up shakily, almost falling to my knees again. I let my eyes dart over my brother one last time, taking in his dark hair, tan skin and sorry expression.
“Don’t do this,” he pleaded. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I…”
“You’re my brother,” I interrupted. “You’re my brother and you’re just going to leave me to protect myself. When I’m injured. So yes, I’m leaving you to it. I’m leaving so I can survive on my own. It’s not like I have a choice. I need to start a new life anyways.”
“A new life?”
“Yeah. I need to let go of my past which includes you, Mom, Dad, and Kaitlyn.”
“You can’t let us go, Raven!”
“You’re letting me go.”
“That’s different!”
“How?” I demanded, crossing my arms across my chest. The pain in my shoulder became unbearable. I glared at him, doing my best to ignore the pain. “You’re just shrugging me off like I’m nothing. You won’t even go try and find Kaitlyn. You just gave up on her as soon as they got a hold of her, didn’t you? Well, that’s not okay with me! I can’t just beg you to take me in - nor will I. I’m old enough to manage being on my own. I can survive, but you I’m not sure of.”
“I didn’t give up on her. I did try but it wasn’t worth it. I wasn’t going to risk my life because I needed to warn you. I had to.”
“You’re sick. And pathetic.” My eyes had narrowed while he was speaking, and I took a few steps backwards from him. “Did you know that I actually went back once I realized that you guys were still at the house? I risked my life for you all.”
“That was stupid,” he said, shaking his head. “Y
ou never should have gone back.”
“I couldn’t live without you. But now I’m realizing I can. You’re just my brother, nothing more and nothing less. You’re selfish.”
“I’m sorry, okay?”
“Sorry doesn’t cut it. Not this time.”
He threw his hands up in the air, his expression quickly turning into fury. “What’s your problem?”
“You’re holding me up. You said I had to get out of here, right? Well, that’s what I’m going to do. Goodbye, Ricky.” With that said, I turned on my heels and stalked away.
My emotions boiled over the minute I was out of his sight. I stopped, wanting to rest, to review what just happened. Except I can’t. I had to get out of this sorry town, far away from the alien invasion.
Out here was much cooler than within the fiery flames. I shivered, embraced by the cold. My brother’s last words rang in my head, repeating over and over again. I faltered in walking for a second, my heart constricting. I have to protect myself. In all my life, I never imagined my brother - the one person who can see when someone is hurting and actually take time out of his life to stop and talk, the one person who has helped me the most - doesn’t even want to deal with me. I’d just be his heavy weight, someone who needs help to survive. Well, he’s wrong. I don’t need him or anyone.
I shook my head, rolling my eyes as I realized the worst mistake anyone could ever make. I don’t have any supplies. God, how stupid could I be? I glanced back behind me, seeing how far I was away from the town. There’s no way I’m going back. I sighed, wondering exactly what I’m supposed to do. How can I survive when I have nothing?
There was a noise behind me and I spun around, my eyes already searching. They landed on a slimy-green creature just shy of five feet from me. My breath caught in my throat as I watched it. Its eyes scanned the surrounding area, evidently not seeing me yet. Once I realized this I took a few steps backwards, never taking my eyes off of the alien. I took them slow, steady, my heart racing. One wrong move and I’m in for it.
Snap!
I froze, my foot poised to take another step backwards. The alien’s head turned to my direction, its eyes suddenly glowing a bright green. I watched, horrified, as it stared to slink towards me. I hastily spun on my heels and bolted for the cover of the trees that aligned around our small little town.
I ran until my legs burned, my heart rapidly beating against my rib cage. I could distinctly hear the creature behind me, gaining on me. Once under the cover of the trees, I darted between them, ducking under low-hanging branches. A loud screeching sounded behind me, but I never slowed down. I couldn’t.
Snap snap snap snap!
I flinched every time a stick broke.
Sneaking a glance behind me, I didn’t see any signs of the creature. I ran for a few more moments before stopping. I leaned against the tree, its bark covered in fungus but I didn’t care. In the far distance I saw a small spark. I stood straight up, straining my eyes to see. My stomach growled, signaling that I need to do something besides just hide. I hastily jogged towards the flames, praying it wasn’t a trap. The coldness bit at me, but I pressed on.
Once I was a few feet from it, I paused. I stood still, watching the flickering flames, remembering back to my town, the fire, people screaming. It all echoed in my ears, as if I was still there. I closed my eyes, tears streaming down my face. I used the back of my hand to wipe them away, knowing I had to be strong. It’s for the best. I pushed away the last memory of my brother, knowing that’s the one thing that’ll hurt the most. No matter how much everything else did-losing my parents, Kaitlyn - he betrayed me. Any betrayal stabs sharper in than all of that. I stared at my shaking hands, only now realizing that this fire couldn’t be here of its own accord. Someone had to be with it. Why didn’t I think of that before?
I hesitated, now unsure whether or not I should continue. I silently watched the campfire, the flames flicking from orange to blue to purple and back again. I felt my hope flickering like that, refueling multiply times. I pressed my hand against the tree bark, watching and waiting. I moved to get closer but a twig snapped loudly and I held my breath when a thin, straggly-looking boy jumped up from his spot beneath an overhanging branch. Moss twined its way along the rough bark.
“Who are you and what do you want?” he demanded, holding a pocket knife straight out, angled at my heart. “Well?” His voice rose with that question, his pulse pounding.
“I-I’m Raven,” I replied, raising my hands in surrender. “I’m just…I need some food. My town was invaded, all of the houses burnt down, families killed. My own parents are now dead because they refused to go with-with the aliens. My sister is now with them - our invaders -and my brother doesn’t want to protect me. I need to survive on my own, but I didn’t bring any supplies. I was hoping…you would help me.”
I held my breath as his eyes assessed me, trailing along my body. Finally he said, “Aliens?” His eyes showed a worried glint when he turned just slightly. “Really?”
“I didn’t believe my brother when he first told me either. But I saw them for myself - was almost killed by one even. They’re real.”
“I wasn’t doubting you.” He lowered the knife a few inches, his expression showing that he was debating on what to do with me. “Pretty much the same thing happened to me - well, my town really - except I wasn’t around to experience it. My family made me run, told me to never look back. So I did.”
“Seriously?” I asked, surprised.
“Yeah,” he said, dropping his hands to his sides. He motioned for me to join him as he crouched by the fire, using a stick to stir it. I carefully approached, my steps slow, measured.
“So,” I said causally, “who are you?”
He glanced up at me, his eyebrow shot up to the middle of his forehead, his eyes narrowed. “Nathaniel.”
“Nathaniel. Nice one.”
“Sure,” he responded, grabbing a black book bag and unzipping it, retrieving a few containers. I watched as he placed them over the flickering flames for a few minutes before handing one to me while he settled against the bottom of a tree.
“What?” he asked, grabbing a spoon from the bag. “You can sit down you know. I’m not going to bite.”
“I-I know. I’m just…shaken up, I guess.”
“About what?” He dug his spoon into the warm food, looking up at me with his soft eyes. After a few minutes he sighed and lightly tossed me a spoon. I just barely nabbed it out of the air before it touched the ground. I twirled it in my fingers, buying time. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” he said finally, watching my every move. “I understand if it’s too hard.”
“It is. It’s just that I saw what happened to my town. I almost died. My family is split - everything’s messed up. The only living family member of mine left doesn’t even care what happens.” I gasped for breath, a few tears slipping down my flushed cheeks. “I just wish this didn’t happen.”
I looked down, unable to hide my tears but doing the best I can. “It’s hard thinking my brother’s selfish enough to save himself and just throw me out like I’m nothing.”
For a moment, he seemed speechless. Finally Nathaniel said, “I’m sorry. I never knew what happened could be that bad.”
“It’s worse than bad. It’s horrible.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeated softly.
“Don’t,” I whispered. “It’s not your fault.”
He patted the spot next to him, his lips twitching into a smile. “Join me.” I stayed where I was, unsure. He laughed, setting aside his food. “Come on. I won’t bite.”
I slowly walked to him, sinking to my knees. His expression didn’t change as I set down my own food, suddenly not hungry. “So…what’s your family like?”
He shrugged. “Sort of like me.”
I waited silently but when he didn’t say anything, I asked, “Do you have any siblings?”
“Yeah. I had two.”
“Look, I’m just try
ing to make small talk. I’m sorry if it’s annoying you.”
“It’s not, Raven. I’m not use to company - especially not girls.”
“You’re…okay then.” I slightly shook my head. “Well, if it helps the only company I’m use to is my siblings.”
“Seriously? A pretty girl like you?”
I was stunned into silence.
“Wha-” He broke off when a sickening cry came just north of us. His head snapped to the direction, eyes peering through the trees. In the next minute he was quickly grabbing the containers, stuffing his bag and zipping it up. He bolted to his feet, dragging me with him. “Sorry but we gotta run,” he said quickly, grabbing a hold of my hand and taking off in the opposite direction - the way I came.
“Umm…this way isn’t safe,” I panted as I tried to keep up with him.
“Right then,” he replied. “We need to get them off our trail though.”
“Them?” I questioned him. “Who’s after us?”
“I’ll explain later.”
After that we raced through the forest in silence, save for our ragged breathing and the horrifying noises not too far behind us. We zigzagged through the trees, darting over fallen limbs. My muscles began screaming in protest, but we never stopped. We ran until we felt safe - or until he felt we were safe.
“Now then,” he gasped, pulling me to a halt. “I think this is good enough, don’t you?”
I nodded, barely looking around. My knees felt weak, like they were about to buckle, my chest heaving rapidly with gasps of breath. Without thinking, I leaned against Nathaniel for support. He didn’t say anything but instead wrapped his free arm around me, pulling me against him, taking most of my weight. I was too tired to be really surprised. I just let him, closing my eyes and taking measured breaths.
“Are you okay?” he murmured in my ear.
“Yeah. Just dandy.”
“I’m being serious, Raven.”
“What’s the big deal?” I demanded, my eyes snapping opened. “What, you can’t take my word for it? You have to press me?”
“No, I can. But you’re not acting okay. Were you injured by those…aliens before you met up with me?”