by H. J. Lawson
Stepping out of the beam, I watch as my mom and sister do the same. I look up at the spaceship, still hovering in the sky. I hope to see AJ coming down after us, but he doesn’t appear. Anxiety starts to build in my stomach.
“Paige, I don’t think he’s coming,” Willow says sadly.
“Come on,” my mom says, placing her arm around me. She takes Willow by the hand and leads us away. “I will keep you safe, just like when you were small children. Remember the closet I used to hide you in? Those were the good old days, heh!”
“But what about AJ?” I ask, not quite ready to let the spaceship out of my sight.
“Let’s hide in this building. Don’t worry about him.” My mom finds an open door and ushers us inside.
Reluctantly, I follow my sister into an abandoned building. Not many people have remained in the city. The small space is empty, with only a few dusty boxes. It seems to be a kind of a basement built on the ground. There’s a small window in the wall. Thankfully it looks out towards the spaceship. I stare out the window, at the ship, waiting for AJ. My hope is he will travel through a blue beam and join us.
“Paige. He told you he’d meet us at the NASA base, don’t you remember?” my mother says. “You’ll meet him there. We only need to get there in time. We must not be late.”
At that exact moment, the spaceship explodes with bang. I jump up with a start, gawking at the burning spaceship, my mouth and eyes wide open, refusing to believe what I see.
He blew up the ship. Parts of it fall down onto the earth. There’s nothing above us anymore, only black smoke.
Unable to control myself, I crumble to the floor. Tears well up in my eyes as I start to sob, never wanting to stop.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Paige, you’ll want to see this,” my mom says, reaching for my hand. I know crying for AJ is not something she would want me to do, but after all, he was my friend. He helped us escape and I felt so close to him.
I take my mother’s hand. “Time is a good healer,” she says warmly, then places her arm around my shoulders to help me to my feet. Standing beside her and Willow at the window, I look out with shock. People are lying on the ground, dead. Several others are collapsing and dying. I wonder what’s happening.
“I was looking out the window,” Willow says softly, “and seconds after the spaceship blew up, those people came out of the building and fell down and died. I guess because of the explosion.”
Willow looks at me. There are bags under her eyes from everything she’s been through. She speaks so softly, it’s like a whisper. I shiver at her voice and the terrifying scene in front of us. People are dying in the street.
It appears those who had the black mass inside them died after the spaceship blew up. I remember AJ saying that if the black mass was inside them, they were already dead. Does that mean when the ship was destroyed they became officially dead? The black mass is inside of me. Why haven’t I died? Once again, I think the reason is the bracelet. Brooke’s bracelet. Could a bracelet really protect me?
AJ killed himself to save us, and teardrops run down my cheeks. I quickly hide my face from my mom and my sister. I don’t want them to see me cry.
“Paige,” my mother says, sounding very calm. “When we get to Maryland, I’m going to ask your father why he didn’t come to get us. After all, he’s the man of this family, isn’t he?”
I frown. “Dad told me he couldn’t. He is being held there. Also, it doesn’t matter who the man is. What’s most important is who is able to reach the others.”
I look at Willow to see if she agrees with me, but she stays silent and gazes out the window. Poor Willow has seen things no little kid should see. What kind of life will she have now? What kind of life will any of us have?
“Whatever,” my mom says. “We mustn’t lose a second. We have to go. Who knows how important or fatal one second can be.”
I take Willow by the hand and we silently follow our mother out of the building.
As we start walking through the city, I realize it is almost empty. I’ve never seen such abandoned streets and it feels odd. There are a few people walking here and there, and it’s obvious they are in shock, too. Other people lay dead on the ground, those who had the black mass inside them.
“This is so sad,” I say, looking around. Neither my mom nor Willow answer. Each of them is engrossed in their own thoughts.
“Mom, will we be able to reach Maryland? What is your plan?”
My mom smiles at me while picking up her pace. “We’ll walk during the day and we will hide during the night. What else can we do?”
“I guess you’re right. Hiding is the best thing we can do.” I shudder, remembering the Shadow Men and the black wave.
The aliens have destroyed the world. The entire world. I knew it would happen from the beginning. As we walk, I see there are more spaceships on the horizon. They are far from us, but they exist and they’re here on Earth. There has to be more of them, too; we can’t see them all. AJ blew up one ship, but there are still many more. He couldn’t blow up every single one.
“Mom, do you think those spaceships are far enough away from us?”
“Yes, they are. But it doesn’t mean they can’t come closer. In any case, we must always be careful, Paige. Just stick to my side and don’t do anything stupid.”
I stay silent.
I look at Willow and see she’s walking, staring straight ahead. I know she doesn’t feel like talking. Neither do I. I’m just nervous and worried. Looking up to the sky, I find the spot where the spaceship once was, the one we were on with AJ. He was there and he saved us. All of us. Me, Willow, and my mother.
I wait for the tears to spill over but they don’t, which surprises me. Even though I know there isn’t any way he could have survived, I have a strange feeling he somehow has. The odd feeling is the reason I don’t cry for him anymore. It’s as if he’s gone somewhere and will soon return. I smile at the thought, though it seems too good to be true.
“Let’s walk this way; it will take us out of the city,” my mom says, taking the lead. We follow her, headed for Maryland.
On our way, we pass by some people and try to avoid them as much as we can.
“Don’t look at them, Willow,” my mom says. “Who knows who they are? They may be Shadows interested in you. Try to be invisible, okay?”
Willow nods, petrified of the idea of being taken again.
“Look, neither of us have weapons,” my mother says to me. “We’d better look for things we could use.”
“That’s easy,” I say. “We can enter any abandoned apartment and find something there. Of course, I’m not counting on finding a gun, but finding a knife can be pretty easy.”
“You’re my clever girl!” my mom laughs softly.
I smile, feeling rather proud of myself.
As darkness approaches, we enter a building with apartments and find an empty one.
“First thing we must find is a suitable closet to hide in,” my mom says, entering the bedrooms at once. “How wonderful! Just look here. What a huge wardrobe.”
I get closer and look. It is a rather big wardrobe with lots of space inside.
“Now let’s find some knives,” I say, entering the kitchen. My mom and Willow follow me. We find three rather big knives and take them. We find some food in the fridge and eat.
“It seems like ages since I ate anything,” Willow says.
“We’re lucky to be here,” I say. We hurriedly eat some apples and drink water. After I finish, I wonder if I’ll ever eat an apple again. I sigh, then head for the wardrobe my mom found in the bedroom.
Spending the night in the wardrobe reminds me of AJ crushed together with me in the smallest space possible. I miss him so much.
Chapter Thirty
“Get up, girls. It’s morning. We need to get moving.”
I hear my mom’s voice as she opens the wardrobe doors, letting in the light and climbing out. “We don’t have much time. Hurr
y up.”
There isn’t much to do other than go to the bathroom and grab some food. I eat slowly this time, savoring the flavor.
Soon we’re off again, out on the street, walking as fast as we can, trying to avoid strangers. We spend the days walking and the nights hiding in closets of various abandoned apartments.
“We’re pretty close to the NASA base, girls,” my mom says, making my heart race with joy. At last I’ll see my dad.
“I can’t wait to get there,” Willow says. “My feet ache from so much walking.”
“I know, Willow,” I lie. My feet don’t hurt; I can’t feel any pain.
“Girls, I can see it already. We’re almost there,” my mom says.
It’s getting dark and we’re passing the last of the apartment buildings now. “Should we spend the night in one of the apartments? In a wardrobe?” I ask, surprised to see my mom scurry past the last building in a hurry.
“No,” she says flatly.
“Mom, it’s dangerous to be outside at night!” I say, terrified of the black wave.
“I know, Paige.”
“Then why are we risking it and staying outdoors now?”
“We don’t have any other choice. We’re running out of time. I don’t want us miss the last spaceship taking people to another planet. We really need to hurry up.”
Willow’s looking at me, nodding. I know my mother is right. I know we must get there on time. We start running and my legs feel strong, like I could run faster. But I can’t. Not with Mom and Willow by my side.
~ ~ ~ ~
At last we’re here.
I can see the big compound, which is lined with tourist spaceships. There’s a metal mesh fence around the grounds, keeping crowds from breaking in and climbing aboard the ships. People are gathering around the fence trying to get into the compound. Everyone wants to get off the planet. I look at the metal fence, trying to understand how to get through it. We need to find a way inside.
I notice my mom kneeling and opening her bags. She searching for something, hopefully a pair of fence cutters. She rummages through her things for some time, and then she takes out a white box.
“Brooke! Brooke!” she calls into the box. “This is me, your mom! It’s time to go, Brooke.”
I look at the white box, waiting to hear Brooke’s voice, but nothing happens. There is no response coming from the communicator. Panic-stricken, I look at my mom.
“Brooke!” she continues, as if it’s normal she’s not answering. “We’re already here, and waiting for you to get us. Brooke, it’s time for you to come get us.”
“Mom, why isn’t she answering?” Willow asks, her face flushed with fear.
“Brooke! Brooke!” My mom carries on yelling into the white box. “We’re here and waiting for you. You’ve got to hurry! We don’t have much time!”
Frustrated and disappointed, I look at Willow and see she wears the same expression.
“Mom, what should we do?” Willow asks desperately.
I walk closer to my mother and look intently at the white box. I pray Brooke will say something, but she doesn’t.
People begin to look up and point at the sky, frightened. I also look up and see an alien spaceship hovering above the compound. Not them, not now! Not when we’re almost there!
I wish I had an opportunity to blow it up, just like AJ did with the other ship. But of course, that’s impossible. Not only can I not get up there, but I must avoid being seen by any Shadows. It’s night, and there is no place to hide.
The only solution is Dad.
I must contact him somehow. I try to call him, but there is no connection. There isn’t any response. I’m desperate now that my dad can’t help us either.
We need to think of a way to get on the compound. Our only hope is ourselves, and we don’t have very much time. Soon the aliens will be right here and real problems will begin. If only AJ was here with us.
“Hey, look, Paige, mom,” Willow suddenly calls softly.
I glance to where she’s pointing. There’s a hole in the metal mesh fence. Willow looks at me, smiling.
“Paige,” my mother whispers. “Willow found a hole! We can get through it and run to the compound.”
“How did I miss that?” I ask.
“I don’t know, Paige. I just noticed, too,” Willow says.
I study the hole, then Willow. I know the opening wasn’t there a minute ago. That means Willow must have made it. How can my sister be strong enough to pry apart a metal fence? I think I have the answer. She probably has the black mass in her, just like me, just like AJ.
Does my mom know? If she’s a Shadow but acts like me, then her bracelet probably hides the truth. I twist my bracelet between my fingers. Can it really have this power?
Willow looks at me with big eyes, trying to understand why I’m silently examining her and the hole. “Paige, what are we waiting for?” she asks.
“Mom,” I say. “Let’s get to the other side and run. Otherwise we won’t make it.”
She looks up from the white box. “Yes, of course. It’s big enough for all of us.”
I crawl through the hole first. Willow comes next, and then Mom. We sprint towards the compound. The people who were on the other side of the fence notice us and start crawling through the hole as well. Guards try to stop the others from breaking in. They push them back and shout at them.
“We need to find Dad!” I yell over my shoulder to my mom and sister.
“Where can we find him?” Willow asks, as she starts running beside me. We look at one another and start running faster. Willow can keep up with me; neither of us are out of breath. She nervously smiles.
“Mom! Please don’t fall behind!” I shout, looking back. She’s also running after us, the white box still in her hands as she desperately tries to get ahold of Brooke.
“Hurry up, Mom! Where are we going? I don’t know the way!” Willow sounds frantic. We’ve been here to visit Dad several times with her, but she was small and doesn’t remember.
“Go through the door,” Mom yells.
I push open the door and it swings against the wall. There’s a clink as something falls to the ground. It’s a metal lock. I broke the lock on the door. Willow looks at it with amazement.
I barely recognize the surroundings inside the building. It’s Mom who can find Dad now; she’s familiar with the layout and every corner here, as shes visited Dad more times than we have. My mom looks around while still running.
“Girls, we’re going to the right direction! Keep going!” I hear my mom’s voice behind me. “Now turn right, Paige!” I take a sharp turn with Willow and mom on my heels.
Its Dad’s office.
I push down on the handle as Willow bangs on the window. He smiles at us in relief. The door doesn’t open. “It’s locked!” Dad yells.
“Not for long! Paige, together,” Willow says. I frown. Then I realize why she said that, so Dad doesn’t see ourstrength.
“On three. One … two … three.”
We both run at the door and it falls down like a leaf. Dad looks stunned.
Willow runs at him with open arms before he can say anything.
“Thank goodness you’re here!” His worried eyes sparkle with happiness. “We don’t have much time. Where’s your mother?”
“I’m right there. What are you guys waiting for?” She shakes her head.
At that moment, through the window in my dad’s office, I see a crowd of people running towards the spaceships. Some of them are stumbling and falling, while others jump over them and try to make it to the ships first.
“We’ve got to hurry,” my dad says.
“That’s what I’ve been telling you!” my mom bickers.
“Angela, I sorry I didn’t believe you,” my father apologizes.
“Why would you? I sounded crazy.” She smirks, her eyes looking as wild as her hair.
Suddenly, the room is brightly lit up. It’s coming from outside. Beams from alien spaceshi
ps shine on the ground. I shudder as I see them, and the petrified screams of the people give me goosebumps. They run in different directions, trying to avoid being taken. Black masses start to form in the light beams.
They are here.
The black masses turn into their alien form, with the hollows for eyes and mouths. I can hardly breathe. I can’t afford to be captured by them again.
We run out of the building and towards the tourist ships. All I can hear is shrieks and screams. Guards, who stand in front of the ships, start firing at the people to stop them.
“Dad!” I yell. I know we won’t make it to the spaceship with the guards shooting the people.
“Listen, Paige,” he tells me, holding my shoulders and looking into my eyes. Willow and Mom are also listening attentively. “There are more spaceships on the other side of the compound. We must make a run for them. We’re losing time. Follow me.”
I nod vigorously, but I’m also shaking. I try to focus on the task ahead of me – make it to the spaceships on the other end of the compound. Willow and Mom also nod. We all start running Willow and I hold back our pace. We can’t be too fast.
Other people start to run in the same direction as we are. We’re no longer against the chaos of people.
As I run, I hear the roar of the black wave behind me. At first soft, but gradually becoming louder. I’m afraid to look back, afraid I’ll be swallowed by the black wave and lose every chance I thought I had. I have no idea how many people the black wave has swallowed while chasing us, but one thing I know for sure – the black wave is coming.
I try my best to run faster, though it’s impossible if I don’t want to leave my parents behind. I can sense the black wave behind me, almost touching my ankles. I feel the wave as it grabs ahold of my feet, making me fall down on the ground. While falling, I see the black wave has captured my family as well. Shrieking desperately, I struggle to escape. After all, I have the black mass inside my body – it means I’m stronger than before – but the wave is stronger than me.