The Colony

by Kathleen Groger

  Adam walked to the workbench and searched through the tools until he found a battery-operated drill. “Let’s hope the batteries still have a charge.” He hit the button and the drill bit spun to life. “Hand me the damn thing.”

  I gave him my prisoner. He set the jar on the bench, held it steady with one hand, and put the drill to the lid. I pointed the beam of the flashlight on the Bug. A scent similar to burnt toast filled my nostrils as the drill bit penetrated the thin metal. A whisper of fabric came from behind me, then Megan was at my side, twisting the sleeves of her jacket together.

  “What are you going to do with it?”

  I shrugged. I hadn’t thought past catching the damn Bug. “What do you think?”

  “Step on it.” Megan’s voice was a few octaves higher than normal.

  There was no way I was stepping on the Bug. It still had the ability to sting in this form. I didn’t want to risk a second attack since the first one obviously hadn’t worked as planned. What to do with it? I didn’t have a damn idea.

  “Here.” Adam returned the jar. It now sported five air holes in the lid.

  I took the bastard from him. “I guess we bring it with us.”

  Megan’s eyes grew wider than I thought possible. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “We’ll figure it out later.” I reached for my backpack and shoved the container inside. I nestled the jar in a shirt. “Megan?”

  She turned to face me.

  “I’m glad you’re okay. That you’re—back. And that you saved us. Thanks.”

  “It’s what fam—friends do.” Her eyes glistened and she turned away. “I gotta get out of here. Is it light yet?” Megan walked to the barn door and slid it open.

  The first golden rays of the day highlighted the corn stalks in the field. I slung the bag over my shoulders and followed her outside. The fog had dissipated, leaving the day looking bright and promising. Adam fell into step beside us and we walked to the edge of the cornfield. The sound of a bird singing wafted through the air.

  “Do you think we should bury the body or something?” Adam cracked his knuckles.

  “Oh, God. Can’t we just leave it?” Megan whined.

  “You know the damn Raspers scarf up every dead body and take it away. Like they can smell the things miles away. I was thinking it might be a calling card to our location.” Adam plucked an ear of corn from the stalk.

  “There’s no way I’m touching the dead body. Let’s find some gas and get out of here.” Megan shoved her hands into her pockets.

  “And why was this one alone?” As I said the words, my mind flashed back to the one I’d shot on my birthday. He’d been alone too. “More importantly, what do they want with me? How do they know my name?”

  Adam peeled the corn. “I wish I knew.” He snapped the rotten cob in half, then chucked it into the field.

  “It doesn’t make any sense.” We walked back to the buildings.

  “The Rasper said the Colony. Call me a nerd, but do you think it works like the old sci-fi show with the aliens who had to assimilate? What was that show called?” Megan pulled her hair back, spun it around her fingers, then let it fall on her shoulders.

  “No idea.” Adam said.

  “Yeah, anyway, the name doesn’t matter. My point is, what if what one of them knows, the others know?”

  A chill shot through my spine at Megan’s words. It was like what Frank and John had said. I swallowed hard and choked out, “You’re thinking they’re aliens? Aliens can’t be real.”

  “Why not? I believe there’s more out there.” Adam looked up at the sky. “More than just us.”

  I looked up, too. Aliens. From another planet. Here for what purpose? To kill humans? I didn’t want to focus on the possibility. “Okay, we need to find some gas and get moving. Get to Site R. There have to be more Raspers coming. He was probably a scout or something.”

  “Let’s split up. Five minutes of searching, then we meet in the barn.”

  “I’ll take the destroyed house.” Megan said.

  “I’ll check the silo.” Adam took off to the left.

  I walked to the building with the ripped roof and opened the huge doors with a shove. There had to be a can of regular gas around somewhere. Large, hulking equipment filled the space. Probably a combine or something, but I really didn’t know.

  The scent of oil was stronger in here than in the barn. I searched along the inside perimeter of the building. All the while, the Rasper’s words played over and over in my mind. “Queen commands you join Colony.”

  They were after me. Just me. Adam and Megan would never be safe as long as I was around. Maybe I should leave. I’d survived on my own before. I could do it again. I hated to admit it, but I wanted to stay with them. I liked them. My heart split in two. Part of me wanted to stay, but another part told me to leave. If I was going to do it, I had to do it now. Before anyone else got hurt because of me.

  “Hey, Val, where are you?” Adam called out, interrupting my plans.

  I wedged myself around the hulking machine. How did people learn to drive these big ass things? The seat was so high up. It gave me an idea.

  “Val?”

  “By this big ass tractor thingie.”

  “Did you find anything?” Megan called from somewhere by the front of the building.

  “Not yet.” I climbed into the seat of the huge metal beast. I was as high as I could get in the building without climbing a massive ladder. I scanned the space for any sign of the precious liquid.

  My search came up empty, but in the back corner, I spotted a blue Volkswagen Beetle. My pulse quickened. I scrambled down from the machine and weaved my way through the equipment to the car.

  “There’s a car back here.” I yelled.

  I opened the Beetle’s door. No keys. No way to tell if it had gasoline in the tank.

  “Maybe we can poke the tank open like we did at the repair shop,” Adam said.

  Megan came up from the other side. “Or we could just use the gas in the containers back here.”

  “What? You found some?” I wanted to hug her. I knew leaving now wasn’t an option. I would have to wait until Megan and Adam were safe somewhere.

  “Over here.” She disappeared behind some large piece of machinery I couldn’t identify.

  Adam and I found her standing over two five-gallon gas containers.

  “Are they full?”

  “Yep.” Megan grinned.

  Thank God. We could get away from this damned farm and maybe leave some of this dark despair behind. I knew that wasn’t possible, though. There was no escaping the horror that had taken up residence in my life. I should be contemplating homework and the purchase of my first car. But no. I had a queen of the Raspers hot for me to join her colony. A colony of possible aliens. Extra-terrestrials. ETs. It couldn’t be true. But… What would they want with me?

  “Earth to Val.”

  “Huh?”

  “Can you grab one?” Adam’s words pierced my cloud of negativity.

  “Sure.” I bent down, hoisted the can, and followed him out into the sunshine.

  Adam dumped all the fuel into the thirsty truck and tossed the empty cans in the back. “Okay. Ten gallons should at least get us to Ohio.”

  We jumped into the pickup and I wedged my bag between my feet to keep the Bug upright.

  “Val, do you have any food left?”

  I didn’t have to search my backpack to answer his question. I knew my inventory. “I have two cans of spaghetti rings, three single servings of applesauce, one bottle of water. Oh. And one Bug in a jar.” We had depleted the granola bars and the tuna. I thought about the jar of peanut butter left on the counter in the chlorine house and my stomach contracted.

  “I have zero interest in eating the Bug, so we have to find someplace to get more supplies or it won’t matter about Raspers and Bugs because we’ll die of dehydration and starvation.” Adam turned the key and the truck roared to life.

  �
�We need to get back on the interstate and find a town.”

  We drove in silence for at least an hour before we reached the interstate. The entire time my thoughts circled around the image of the Rasper’s face.

  “Holy crap, look at the road.” Megan pointed at the windshield.

  The road was a torn up mess, riddled with holes and gaps. The earthquakes had done a number on it. A few cars rested, abandoned. A blue minivan had all its doors open and its hood raised, as if it was waving a flag of surrender. Adam dodged the vehicles and swerved to avoid a motorcycle stuck in a crack in the asphalt. A black helmet rested riderless along the berm.

  What had happened to the rider? All the death and destruction seemed pointless. Nothing gained, and so many had lost everything. Like my parents. The sting of tears welled in my eyes yet again. I needed to stop crying and focus on what to do with the Bug. Maybe I had been premature in killing the Rasper, but I had been so angry at what he said. There was no conceivable reason the queen would want me. I was a nobody without any special talents. Well, except my shooting skills, and I doubted the Raspers cared about that. What did they want with me? Especially if they were really aliens. The urge to yank the Bug out and run over it with the truck was overwhelming, but I resisted the urge—at least for now.

  Fields paraded non-stop past the windows. The only noise was the tires beating a steady drum against the asphalt. My thoughts were like seaweed, all tangled up with no sense of order. Each time I tried to work on one strand, it caught in the others. I didn’t know how long we’d traveled, but I needed a break. My head hurt and my throat was dry. I retrieved the last bottle of water out of my bag.

  “I need a drink. How about you guys?” I knew I was dehydrated because I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone pee.

  “Yes.”

  I took a small swallow, even though I wanted to drink the whole thing down in one gulp, then passed it to Megan. She took a drink, handed it to Adam. We continued to share the bottle until it was gone. It took all of about thirty seconds and left me still parched.

  “Hey, there’s a sign for the next exit. Keep your eyes out for one listing restaurants, hotels, and gas stations. The more they have, the better our chances of finding some food,” Adam said.

  We crested a hill. I spotted a blue sign proclaimed three fast food joints and two hotels at the next exit. Another one touted two gas stations. If only it were as simple as pulling off, getting gas, and going through a drive-thru.

  “Get off here. There’s a MegaCamping.” Megan bounced in the seat as if she was going to Disneyworld.

  “A what?”

  “MegaCamping. They have everything. Camping, hunting, fishing, sports, everything.”

  Within minutes, we parked in front of the store. I pulled out the jar with the Bug. He didn’t move, so I shoved him back into the darkness of my bag.

  “Looks okay. No earthquake damage. Let’s go.” Adam cut the engine and jumped out.

  He ran to the glass doors and smashed them with the butt of the empty shotgun. The glass cracked, then exploded into thousands of tiny shards. We stepped into the store. The only sound was the crunching of glass under our shoes.

  The three-story store sent a jolt of—did I dare think—happiness through my system. An enormous display of taxidermy animals drew me closer. Deer, rabbits, birds, even a grizzly bear stared at me with glass eyes. The mountain scene climbed almost to the ceiling, revealing more and more animals artfully posed.

  Adam tapped me on the arm. “Think we need to search for Raspers?”

  “I don’t hear them. I think we’re good.”

  “Hunting section first then?”

  “Most definitely.” I ripped my gaze from the harmless teeth of the bear and blocked my thoughts of Bethany.

  “I’m going to go get water and food. They have ready-meals here. Like the stuff they give soldiers and astronauts.” Megan took a shopping cart from the corral. “Meet back here in a fifteen minutes?”

  I checked my watch. “Okay.”

  Adam and I wheeled our carts past the back wall of the store, which was all glass except for the arms-span-wide climbing wall that stretched up the entire three stories. We went into the hunting section.

  “Check this out.” Adam slammed his palm off the top of the gun display case. He broke into a wide grin and leapt over it. “What model of killing weaponry may I help you with, Miss?”

  I tried not to laugh, but couldn’t help myself. I cleared my throat. “Well, I would really like to start with ammo for these fine weapons.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Our hands touched when we both reached for a box of 9mm. My stomach flip-flopped and my heart beat a tad faster.

  Adam met my gaze and laughed in a voice lower than his usual level.

  I tried not to focus on how much I enjoyed his slight touch. I cleared my throat and glanced away.

  He dumped box after box of 9mm bullets and shotgun shells into my cart, filling it almost half way.

  “Kind sir, some new firearms might also be in order.”

  “Right you are, ma’am.” He smashed the top of the glass case and we each reached in and grabbed two guns.

  “Okay. Let’s go. We need to meet Megan.” We pushed the carts, alternating between running behind the carts and riding on them. Dad had showed me this fun sport—much to Mom’s disgust—when I’d barely been big enough to see over the handlebar. Megan came into view and for the first time, I smiled at the memory of my parents.

  “Wow. You got a lot of food.” I pulled my cart to a stop, but rammed into the side of Megan’s water and food-filled buggy.

  “Check this out.” She tugged open a vacuum-sealed bag and the scent of seasoned meat tempted my stomach. “Jerky.”

  “Mine.” Adam dashed around our cart cluster and snagged the bag. He shoved two strips in his mouth whole. “Good.” He managed to sneak in between chews.

  Megan shook her head and tossed me a bag. “Here, there’s plenty for all of us.”

  I chewed on the salty and spicy meat. “Clothes.” I said my mouth full of jerky and pointed a strip of meat at the second level. Megan was right. This place was heaven. We didn’t have one in Alberdine. If we had, Dad probably would have lived there.

  We grabbed jeans, tees, sweatshirts, socks, and changed in the dressing rooms. I took in my reflection in the mirror. I looked skinny and tired. Black shadows rimmed the corners of my eyes.

  “Guys?” Megan peered over the curtain of her area.

  “Yeah?” I tugged a black tee over my head.

  “What do you think the Rasper meant by balanced and imbalanced?”

  Adam came out from the men’s area wearing relaxed-style jeans that hugged his backside, a blue shirt, and a gray hoodie. The gray highlighted the green of his eyes. My heart leapt at the sight of him. “It all sounded hokey to me. Was he referring to mentally balanced? Like if you’re not insane, you die right away? ’Cause my mom wasn’t crazy.”

  “And when he said Colony, do you think he meant the black oozy stuff?” Megan gagged and stuck her tongue out.

  Even though we were discussing awful terrible horrible things, my mood stayed high. It reminded me of shopping with Sofie and my friends.

  Megan came out of the dressing area and punched Adam in the arm then they both burst out laughing. I allowed myself a smile. I wasn’t sure when it happened—probably after she shot the Rasper, but I wasn’t worried about Megan anymore. I trusted her as much as I trusted Adam. These were my friends now. My close friends. My family. My responsibility. I needed a new Rule Number One. One like…leave no one behind.

  “I don’t know. I just hope to never see it again.” I pushed the curtain aside. “Let’s get the truck loaded.”

  It took about two hours for us to reload the guns, fill the truck with more guns, bullets, knives, food, water, sleeping bags, tents, and a camping-sized propane grill with two extra tanks.

  Adam took the empty gas cans from the truck’s bed. “
Do you think there’s gas in the display four-wheelers?”

  “We can try.”

  We filed back into the store to the vehicle section. At least ten different models of ATVs, a dozen kayaks, and two small motorboats took up the area. Boats. The Bugs had come out of the river. No way was I going in a boat. Who knew how many were still out there swimming. I hoped the water rusted their damn metallic shells.

  “What do you think? Cut the gas line?” Megan whipped out a wicked hunting knife.

  I shrugged and walked to the glass case behind the one motorboat. GPS units. “Hey, guys?”

  “Yeah?”

  “A GPS should still work if the satellites are still in the sky, right?” I plucked a box from the shelf.

  “I would think so. Bring it. Can’t hurt.” Adam yelled. “There’s gas in this one.”

  I tucked the box into my bag, then hurried back. The four-wheelers had gas, but cutting the lines was messy. It took seven of the ten ATVs to fill our cans and top off the truck.

  “I’m going to put these in the truck.” Adam lifted the full cans.

  Megan twirled the knife in her hand. “We’ll do a last sweep for anything else we need.”

  While Adam stowed the cans, Megan hit the camping section. I climbed the non-working escalator to the top level. We hadn’t checked the third floor since golf, other sports, and exercise equipment covered the entire area. I picked up a golf club and hit the treadmills as I walked past.

  “Hey, I found a survival manual book. It has info on how to properly siphon gas.” Megan called from the second level.

  “Grab it. Who knows what other info it might have.” I stopped at the glass wall and looked down. The rock wall reminded me of the climb out of the mountain. A shiver danced along the hairs on my arms at the memory. I gazed out the window and it felt like a glacier took up residence in my veins.

  “Megan?” My voiced cracked.

  “What?”

  “Get Adam. Have him grab binoculars, and get the hell up here.”