Invasion

by Eli Constant

  I could tell it wasn’t my own: undergrounder blood- metallic, but also earthen. Jason’s thrusts and movements pushed against my body. They were at once distracting and comforting. At least I knew he was still standing.

  We were down to us against one and feeling fairly confident- until the humanoid we were fighting bolted away from us and towards the community building. It knew… somehow… it knew where the children were.

  Jason began running, but I yanked his collar, pulling him back.

  “No! I’ve got the kids. You get the one tearing up our bus.” I pushed past him. I didn’t glance back. Jason could handle business. No worries there.

  The beastie had a major head start and it was faster. I yelled as loud as I could: “Michael! One’s coming! Michael!” I was close enough to hear Michael yelling at Allison to get behind him. I could only assume Allison’s body was once again protecting my daughters’ precious and fragile forms.

  The humanoid disappeared around the building corner. I heard two shots fired and I heard screaming.

  The time it took me to barrel around that corner was a lifetime. Death would hold no fear for me now. The separation between my daughters and my protection was the realest kind of purgatory.

  I was ready to beat the living crap out of the undergrounder and my boosted adrenaline had a hard time reconciling the need for action with the motionless humanoid prostrate on the ground.

  Two beautiful bullet holes were dark pits and blood oozed from its forehead. Allison’s arms were still raised in the air. Her hands shook violently, but her face was the sternest I’d ever seen it. Michael’s gun was in his hand, but hung unused at his side.

  “Allison?” I asked. Michael understood my question.

  “Allison.” He replied, confirming what I had gathered from the scene before me. I walked swiftly to her. She still had her finger curled lightly around the trigger. I gently placed my hand on her raised right forearm and looked her in the eye. I didn’t want to surprise her into firing again.

  When I knew her eyes were focused on mine and she understood I was there- that it was me and not one of the beasties- I moved my hand to the gun. Her grip loosened and released the firearm.

  “It… really… is a… lucky gun.” She was hyperventilating now. The reality that she had just killed another sentient being was hitting her hard.

  “You did great. You saved my children.”

  She looked at me. Even though the undergrounder had to die, my heart went to her and I felt awful that she had to become a killer.

  Lying on the ground, the features that were adapting and becoming more human seemed highlighted, more pronounced. The forehead was less lengthened, the eyes narrowed with short stubby lashes. Fine, light blonde hair covered the skull section. The claws were blunter, the spine straighter. It was like seeing a werewolf transformation, but in reverse and in very slow motion. The monster was becoming human.

  And it didn’t even need a full moon.

  On the Road Again

  Jason hadn’t taken down the last undergrounder. The one I called General had escaped into the woods… I knew the creep-tastic leader would reappear in my nightmares- frequently visiting and making me sweat in my sleep.

  Jason hadn’t let the General get away without a fight though. Unfortunately, both Jason and the second shuttle bus were worse for the wear. We bandaged up Jason’s left calf first- gruesome looking gash, but not too deep. Then we focused on bandaging up the engine.

  It was getting dark by the time Jason and Michael got the engine reassembled and repaired- they had to salvage some parts from the first vehicle. If I’d wondered what Jason’s profession had been, I wondered no longer. He was a born super-mechanic.

  It wasn’t pretty, but the pieced together engine turned over. That rumble was music to our ears. I kissed the steering wheel in thanks.

  “All aboard.” The shuttle bus was definitely roomier than the minivan, but no entertainment system. The girls were very disappointed. The gas level was a bit under the full mark. We might be able to make it to Ashford without needing a fill up.

  We didn’t want to chance going back for the gear, but we really didn’t want to leave it behind either. Who knew how many beasties might be lurking around the park… with the General to lead them against us.

  We were struggling to decide – get the gear or get the hell away from the park. Our decision was made for us when Kara tugged on my sleeve.

  “Momma. Grubbykins?” And her little hands reached upwards and she moved her fingers like a crab claw in true ‘gimme’ fashion.

  Shit. We’d packed all the essential gear except Kara’s stuffed animal. It was a pink corduroy bunny David had given her when she’d first come home from the hospital.

  The bunny had been nameless until Kara, at eight months, had spit up pureed green beans all over it. She’d just started on solids and it turned out green beans… not a hit.

  David had laughed and picked the bunny up out of the wet mess and said “Eww! Mr. Grubbykins needs a bath!” Kara had giggled at her father’s funny face. From that point on, Mr. Grubbykins was Kara’s favorite toy. I was surprised she’d left the van without it.

  Next thing I knew, we were risking everything to stop the shuttle bus, get out, and mad-dash to save a stuffed animal.

  As long as we were throwing caution to the proverbial wind, might as well grab the rest of the gear. I stayed at the wheel and Michael and Jason moved like maniacs transferring the few remaining bags and miscellaneous items.

  Last, but very not least, Mr. Grubbykins was retrieved and safely placed in Kara’s arms. In all the craziness, I’d never once considered that riding in Allison’s lap probably wasn’t the safest for Kara. I yelled at Jason to get her car seat. He threw it in the back with Allison.

  We didn’t wait for Allison to install the seat. As soon as Jason and Michael were buckled, we locked doors and started moving. We moved slowly enough though that Allison had no problem getting Kara re-situated in a properly secured child safety seat. Some things are just too precious to take a chance with- even in the direst of times.

  According to the road atlas, we were approximately 330 miles outside of Ashford, WA. We’d drive through the night and in the early dawn hours, we’d find out if Mt. Rainer was a saving grace or an incredibly long deviation from our original course.

  Everyone was exhausted. I only made it about an hour driving before I had to pull over and give Michael the wheel. Jason slept fitfully. His forehead glistened with perspiration. Maybe the leg wound was worse than I’d thought. I had some antibiotics in my pack, but I hoped it wouldn’t get to that point.

  I fell asleep as soon as my ass hit the back passenger seat. The girls were already snoring. My dreams were erratic and disturbing and also strangely beautiful. Visions of humanoids danced through my head… then I was dreaming about Christmastime and Jason in a Santa suit. Strange.

  I woke up at about one in the morning. Jason was still asleep. Our vehicle was stopped. I tried to see into the dark and could barely make out the silhouette of a person. A moment later, the figure walked around the front of the vehicle and got into the driver’s seat.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah. Our tank wasn’t empty, but I wanted to fill up to be safe.” We were sitting next to a truck in the parking lot of a small gas station.

  “Michael, you really need to wake someone else up when you stop. It’s not safe.” He shrugged. “You still okay to drive?”

  “Yeah. We’re really close now.” Michael shifted into gear. I tried to stay awake when the shuttle bus started moving again, but I lost the battle. The next time my eyes opened, we were parked again. The engine was still running.

  The headlights illuminated a wooden sign. In large painted letters, the sign read: ‘Mt. Rainer National Park.’ Underneath those words someone had spray painted in really poor print: US GOV SAFE ZONE. I read it multiple times and I prayed that the hope rising in my chest would be justified.


  To my deep disappointment, we did not immediately find a gigantic government building, swarming with large men in severe looking military garb.

  Instead, we spent the wee morning hours driving aimlessly through the park grounds. We finally stopped outside the visitor’s center. The time moved slowly. Everyone was awake- anxious and silent. Kara was staring out the window in a hazy stupor.

  A methodic and rapid thumping sounded in the distance. Every moment brought the sound closer.

  Thump… thump… thump.

  “Helicopter? Helicopter!” Jason went from a disbelieving question to a forceful exclamation. He was out of the shuttle bus. He was waving and yelling, but it wasn’t necessary. The helicopter was making a beeline for our location. It landed on the roof of the center. Two uniforms jumped out and started yelling.

  “Grab what you can and move!”

  “Let’s go… let’s go!”

  The men were attaching a rope ladder to two hooks embedded in the rooftop. They threw the length of the ladder over the side of the building. It hung there, the very picture of hope. We’d be fools to hesitate.

  “Megan, unbuckle and get Kara out of her seat. Jason, Michael, get whatever you can carry from the back. Allison, let’s go!” I threw my commands like balls in a batting cage, stealing Jason’s commanding role. My body shot out of the shuttle bus, ready for action.

  Kara was out of her car seat and standing. I pulled her from the vehicle and threw her against my left hip then I grabbed Megan’s hand. We ran. I trusted the boys to take care of themselves and made a beeline for the ladder. Allison was right on my heels. No need to tell her twice.

  When we got to the ladder, I had Megan start climbing first. I told Allison to follow her up, make sure she didn’t fall. I couldn’t support Megan if she lost her footing. I needed to focus on carrying Kara.

  When Allison and Megan were safe on the roof, I started my one-armed ascent. It was awkward with Kara clinging to my side, but we made it. The girls and I were seated in the chopper well before the boys began running towards the building.

  The military men were yelling more forcibly now. I couldn’t make out what they were saying over the whirring of the blades. When they started firing into the tree line, I mentally urged Jason and Michael to run faster.

  Michael appeared over the edge of the building first. I expected Jason’s bald head wasn’t far behind. I counted the seconds. When I hit a full minute, I started to worry.

  “Girls, stay with Allison!”

  Michael was hovering near the edge of the roof. He was yelling and gesticulating violently. I was next to him in an instant and surveying the ground below. Jason was several yards from the rope, but I could barely see him buried beneath the dozens of undergrounder bodies.

  More beasties were filtering out of the woods.

  Their screeching was so loud that even the chopper was muted. The two uniforms were firing at the undergrounders advancing from the forest. I knew that they couldn’t risk firing into the pile of teeming humanoids. They might hit Jason, but it would be better for him to die at our hands than to die that way.

  Jason didn’t have a chance in heaven: a single man with a bum leg against that many beasties. My heart and body screamed in protest. I had to help him. I didn’t realize how much he meant to me. I couldn’t lose him… I couldn’t lose him like David, but I couldn’t risk leaving my children parentless either.

  All the stories I’d ever read, all the books about the monsters that go bump in the night… none of them had ever taught me what I needed most in that moment. What should a mother do when faced with such decisions? Save a man you love or live to love your children?

  I made the choice and I stood watching the scene below, my gut contracting with fear. I waited there, doing nothing- choosing to abandon Jason and stay alive for my daughters.

  Tears ran down my cheeks and pooled in the shallow indentions above my not-so prominent collar bones. I was turning away, not wanting to see the carnage, when Michael shouted again.

  He tried pushing his way past the uniforms, but they pushed him back fiercely. I saw why Michael was yelling and trying to get to his father. Jason was on his back, scooting out from beneath the pile of undergrounders.

  The wound on his leg had re-opened and his tan pant leg was soaked through with crimson. If he actually made it, they’d better have a medical kit on board the chopper. When the last of his body was free, Jason rolled onto his stomach and pushed upwards. He fell back to the ground. His leg was too hurt to support his weight.

  Using his remaining three extremities, he half-crawled, half-ran towards the dangling, teasing ladder. One of the humanoids emerging from the woods caught sight of Jason escaping and threw back its head. The howling alerted the rest of the undergrounders.

  Jason was just beginning to ascend the ladder now. He let his injured leg dangle as his upper body pulled him ever closer to safety.

  Gunfire began again.

  Michael joined the soldier ranks and also fired at the beasties. The majority of the undergrounders were injured before coming anywhere close to Jason. There’s always one that beats the odds though.

  Jason grunted as his left leg was yanked downwards. He screamed in pain and fought to keep his hold on the ladder rung. I could tell his strength and stamina were waning dangerously.

  I made a new decision.

  “Screw this shit.” I tapped the shoulder of the closest uniform. “Move.” I don’t know why he listened, but he did and the path to the ladder cleared. My gun was already in my hand.

  I hooked my knee over the highest rung and threw myself backwards. My back hit the building with a resounding thud- the rope providing little cushion. That was going to hurt later. It always hurts later.

  “Jason!” I screamed it with brutish force. “Swing hard to your right… right now!”

  He looked upwards. His eyes were so very tired. Jason used his remaining adrenaline to propel as hard as he could in a rightward direction. The undergrounder wasn’t prepared. Nice. Its grip loosened and just for an instance, I had a perfect line of sight. I pulled the trigger.

  One shot. One dead monster. Bull’s-eye.

  I didn’t wait to watch its body hit the ground. I clenched my abdominal muscles tightly in a hanging sit up and climbed back onto the building roof. Jason climbed slowly behind me. Michael and one of the uniforms grabbed his wrists to haul him the last few feet. I was already running back to the chopper.

  It was a relief to see the ground and the swarm of undergrounders growing smaller as the chopper rose steadily skyward. My stomach muscles unclenched when I could no longer see the beasties behind us. Whenever there was a clearing of woods beneath us, I could see distant bodies moving between the trees. They were everywhere. I began to doubt the safety of this appointed safe zone.

  Jason was slumped over with Michael’s arms supporting him. He managed a few words. “Where… are… we going.” It wasn’t a long sentence, but he had to breathe deeply and close his eyes to recover from the utterance.

  “Up the mountain.” One of the uniforms replied.

  “Thanks, Captain Obvious.” I rolled my eyes. “We’ve been through hell to get to a safe zone that doesn’t seem very freaking safe. I think we deserve more than your obtuse vagueness.”

  “Ma’am, I’m a Sergeant, not a Captain.” He was dead serious. I almost lost it. Everything we’d been through, and this guy thought rank was still important. I’d have just gone with Captain and been flattered.

  “Okay… Sergeant Obvious. Where are we going?”

  “NORAD.”

  “NORAD’s in Colorado.”

  “And you really think that the location of NORAD would be public knowledge?”

  I looked at the Sergeant for a brief moment and realized… the government lied about so many other things, why not this? And then I thought… at least this lie was in the spirit of protecting our national defenses.

  “So Mount Rainier is the location of NORAD?”
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  Sergeant Obvious nodded. “They’ll tell you more at debriefing.”

  “How many have made it here? How many survivors?” Such an important question; I dreaded the answer.

  “We’ve processed about 1100 people since we sent out the safe zone coordinates. Including NORAD staff, there are roughly 2,200 people in residence.”

  “2,200. That’s all?” The enormity of that number was shocking only in its smallness. I said a quick and silent prayer for the millions and millions of people who were either dead or roaming the barren landscape of our changing world.

  We continued our flight in silence. The mountain side shifted beneath us: greenery to snowy expanse. We were hovering over a large, frozen lake when the chopper began to descend.

  “Um… I’m guessing the plan isn’t to alight on a block of ice?” No one acknowledged me.

  A small crack in the ice began to open. The opening was at least a hundred yards in length. When it stopped widening, it was as wide as it was long, a perfect square in the center of a faux lake.

  The helicopter lowered into the cavernous opening. We descended quite a ways and finally set down on one of four helipads. And then everything was a confusing and muddled mess.

  Uniforms bombarded us from all sides.

  I held on fiercely to Megan and Kara as we were shoved, poked, and prodded. So many questions were being hurled at us. We couldn’t understand a single one.

  A voice rang out above the din.

  “What the hell is the matter with you men? Back off and get back to your stations.” A very, very large man in a beret strode towards us.

  He had the air of authority and he brought some order to the chaos of our arrival. He pulled our rescuers to the side and conversed with them several moments. They were out of hearing distance.

  When the large man dismissed the two soldiers, he walked towards us. He shook Jason’s hand and nodded at the rest of us.