by M. L. Cook
“Trust me, they’re bombs now. Get in! Do you know how to fasten your harness?”
A tall blonde woman turned toward him, “I think we can figure it out. Come on, ladies, let’s get a move on. We don’t want to be standing around here with our heads up our asses when this thing blows. You older ones, help the younger ones.” A take charge kind of woman. He would have to introduce her to his brother, she was exactly what the heir would need to rule over their people.
Ducking into his own seat, he studied the controls of the alien vessel. They were very similar to the ships his own people used, so he wouldn’t have any problem flying them to safety. Sealing the door, he pushed the button that would open the port. Tension grew as the steal walls crept up, “Come on…” He looked out the windows, expecting to see Terrapians bursting through the doors. There was no way of knowing how much time they had, but he knew they didn’t have long.
As the engine fired, the radio crackled to life, “…I repeat, fighter TN803 please return to the docking bay at once.” When there was no response, a narrow beam of blinding red light could be seen through the opening doors. Dread filled Seth, that could only mean one thing. Dante’s escape hadn’t gone unnoticed.
Shooting out of the docking bay, he continued to watch his brother’s attempt to evade the attack on his ship. Racing toward the planet far below, he was grateful when he saw his brother’s ship break the atmosphere. However, his joy was short lived. He watched in horror as the tail end of the craft shattered, sending burning chunks of debris raining down. The vessel itself was now spiraling toward the planet far below.
Seth threw his headset away, leapt from his seat and leaned closer to the viewing portal. Helpless to do more than watch the destruction of the small ship, he fell into his seat. Heart pounding, he bellowed, “No!”
He couldn’t lose his brother, he was too important. Not just to the ruling family, but to him. Dante wasn’t just his brother, he was his best friend.
An explosion behind them rocked the ship, sending it reeling across the sky. Seth fought with the controls until he was able to get the small vessel leveled out again. They were in the clear now. If only it’d come sooner… He clamped the headset back on and pushed a button on the console, “Dante? Are you there? Dante…”
His heart sank. With his brother gone, it would fall on his shoulders to become the future ruler. He thought about his parents. They’d taken the loss of his sister really hard. He was afraid of what this would do to them, especially his mother.
A red beam of light shot past the ship.
They weren’t alone up there. His instinct told him to go back and fight, but logic prevented it. If he were alone, he would have. But now he had a ship full of helpless females that depended on him to keep them safe. The first thing he needed to do was get them down to the planet, then find a safe place to hide from the enemy. Continuing to evade the attack, Seth knew it was only a matter of time before they too, were shot from the sky. Left with little choice, he nosed the ship around then fired on the lone silver vessel that trailed behind them. A few seconds later, he watched the enemy craft explode, sending several large chunks careening toward them. Eyes wide, he veered away, speeding toward the planet far below. Seconds later, their ship was pelted with a few large hunks of steel. He had no way of knowing how much damage was caused, or if they would be able to safely land.
Tumbling around, Seth fought with the controls until he was able to right the ship. Better than anyone, he knew the vessel they blew up wasn’t the only one up there. The largest, mother ship, would be hiding out somewhere safe, while dispatching smaller vessels for the initial attack. That was, until they learned what the capabilities of this planet were.
Angling the fighter closer to the planet, Earth they called it. He searched for somewhere safe to set down.
The tall blonde female who’d ordered the others to secure themselves, moved into the co-pilot’s seat, next to Seth. Peering through the window, she pointed toward a large body of water. “That way. That’s Lake Michigan. You’ll want to go south about fifty miles, that’ll get us closer to home. I know you won’t want to go back into Anderson proper, since I’m sure it’s all but destroyed.” If you can get us close, I’m sure we can find a way back to town and our loved ones…that is, if anyone’s left.”
He looked over at the female, noticing her wiping the trail of tears before she turned away.
“Thank you, female.”
“Ashley, Ashley Hoover. Don’t thank me yet, we’re still not out of danger. I noticed those ugly green guys were all over town. My guess is they’ve already destroyed all the big cities, and that’s why they’ve started on the smaller burgs.”
Chapter Six
Cheeks burning, Aubree felt like her blood was boiling because of the blonde’s pompous attitude. Who did that woman think she was, ordering her around like that? Harrumphing, she slid into a seat near the front, where she could watch Seth. For some crazy reason she felt protective of him, not that he needed her protection. But still she couldn’t fight the instinct that pushed her to make sure no harm came to him.
When she looked up, the tall blonde was standing in front of her, the restraining belt in her hand. Jerking it out of the woman’s hands, she proceeded to buckle herself in. “I got this! Why don’t you go help one of the younger girls?”
“Oh, sorry. With your head down, I thought…” A warm blush bloomed across the woman’s face. Why is it that when Aubree blushed, it looked like she had some kind of skin disease? While this woman only looked prettier?
“Yeah, I know, because I’m short, everybody thinks I’m a kid. I’m not. So why don’t you go find someone who needs your help.” Glaring at the woman, Aubree really wished she had something she could throw. Even a door that could be slammed would make her feel better. But was that a thing? Nope. It seemed like these ships were built for stealth, both inside and out. Not something an irrational woman like her preferred.
She was helpless to do more than watch as the craft spiraled closer and closer toward the ground. Heart racing, she clenched her teeth and gripped the harness tighter. She’d never liked flying, and she liked this even less. The image of her brains splattering across the front window flashed before her. And since she already had brains staining the front of her shirt, it wasn’t a long stretch of her imagination.
Her breath gushed out when the ship slowed, then leveled. A few minutes later they were hovering above a ruined factory. One side of it was completely gone, but most of it was still intact. Flying past the building, she watched a small thicket come into view just before they landed.
“Okay, I didn’t see any other ships around, so they probably moved on, searching for a more populated area.” Seth stood in front of the small group, then moved toward the door. Leaping through the opening, a moment later he stuck his head inside, “The steps were damaged when we were attacked, so be careful when you get out.”
Aubree walked over to where he stood. The first thing she noticed was the blonde standing a few feet behind him. Glaring at the woman, she couldn’t help wondering why the blonde had to be the first person he helped out?
Next she noticed just how far down the ground was. Standing just under five feet, that would put her about even with Seth’s chest. The bottom of the craft was a good six inches above his head. This would never do. If she tried to jump from here, she would break a leg for sure, and she had a feeling going to the hospital was out of the question with the shape the world was in right now.
Staring down at the arms that reached toward her, her heart raced at the thought of what would happen if he missed. “It’s okay, jump. I’ll catch you.”
“Are you sure?” She squinted one eye toward him.
When he nodded, she felt her heart nearly leap out of her chest as her feet left the security of the ship.
A sudden loud scream distracted Seth just long enough to miss catching Aubree. She felt her legs give out, followed by a sharp pain. Gripping her ach
ing ankle she glared up at him, “You said you would catch me!”
His gaze went from her to the tall blonde and back, “I’m sorry. When I heard her scream…”
She glared up at the bossy woman who thought she ran things. Well, she had another thing coming. Aubree didn’t take orders from her sister, who had actually raised her. So there was no way in hell she was taking orders from this stranger. “What was so bad that you had to go wailing like a banshee?”
Ashely looked from the ground beneath the ship, back to the small crowd that gathered just inside the opening. She clasped a hand over her mouth and pointed to a dark lump in the grass.
When Seth walked over to see what it was, he quickly returned to direct the women away from the gruesome sight. He then leapt back into the ship, returning a moment later with a dark cloth. Ducking into the shadows, he draped the blanket over the lump. Bree couldn’t look away as the blanket bloomed in what she deduced, must be blood. She could only imagine how horrible it must have been for the other woman. Not even a little squeamish, she was tempted to go look at whatever had caused such a reaction. Sidling closer to the blonde, she leaned in, “Was it a head?”
Ashely glared down, “No…what’s the matter with you?”
Bree shrugged, “That bad, huh?”
Ashely, with the horror of a moment ago forgotten, crossed her arms and walked away.
Seth found himself amused by the bold young woman, who he now realized wasn’t a cub at all, just a very small adult female. The attraction he felt toward her confused him, there was something about her that called to him. He briefly wondered if it could be that he’d found his mate on this primitive planet so far from his home. Would they even be compatible? He watched while Aubree snuck looks at the other women, before ducking beneath the ship. Kneeling down, she lifted the blanket and peered at the gory sight. Instead of shrinking back, as he would expect any other female to do, she leaned closer, then did the last thing he ever would have expected.
“Bonus!” Aubree squealed after reaching her hand into the hip pocket of the blanket covered torso. Opening the wallet, she peered down at the man’s driver’s license. “How sad, I wonder what your life was like…” she looked at the license again, “Adam. Did you have a family? Wife, kids? How about grandchildren?” She asked as she removed the identification from his wallet, “Born, October twelfth, nineteen-seventy-one. Meh,” she shrugged, “Technically, you’re old enough.” An idea took root. Ducking back down, she lifted the blanket again. Five minutes later, she stood holding a nearly fully charged cell phone. “Let’s see what else we can learn about you, Adam.”
She was shocked to hear a ringing phone on the other end. “Adam?” A tearful voice called out.
Aubree looked around, “Shit!” What was she going to do now? The thought that any phone would work, never crossed her mind. Whoever it was must have lived close, because she figured that most of the cell towers had already been shot down.
“Adam? Is that you, honey? Adam?” She could hear the frantic voice pleading for an answer.
Bree brought the phone to her ear, “Hello?”
“Who is this? Where’s Adam?” The woman sounded more frightened than angry. She wasn’t sure if she would feel the same way if another woman answered her man’s phone. Unbidden, her gaze drifted to where Seth and Ashley stood talking to their small group. As if he could feel her gaze, Seth turned around and stared with a quizzical look on his face.
Holding up the phone, she shrugged, mouthing, “His wife.” Then pointed to the lump beneath the ship.
“Um…my name’s Aubree. I found your husband’s phone…” She debated on telling her that she actually found it attached to the belt that still circled the bottom half of his body.
“Is he alright?” After a long minute of silence, she sobbed into the phone, “He’s dead, isn’t he? Of course he’s dead.” She laughed, followed by a loud sob.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. If it helps, he didn’t suffer. It was over before he even knew what was happening.” She continued to stare at the wet lump. Imagining the last moments of the man’s life, she was sure it had to be quick. Didn’t it? Regardless, his wife would never know otherwise. “I’m very sorry. I found his phone and wallet…if you want,” she looked back at the group. At Seth’s nod, “We can bring them to you.”
“No, just tell me where you are. I’ll come to you, I want to see him. Just once more—”
“No!” Aubree shouted. Shocked at her own reaction, she clamped a hand over her mouth.
Half a body was something she would never forget, she wasn’t about to force that vision on someone who knew him, much less loved him. “It’s best if you remember him the way he was. But we’re at some factory…I don’t even know what city I’m in…”
“Just outside Alexandria…we live in Anderson. He works at a factory right off 28. I can be there in ten minutes…” Her voice faded. “I won’t be coming back here, will I?”
“It’s not really a good idea. The aliens are walking the streets, taking captives. The ones they don’t take are shot.” She remembered the families that had been massacred. “Do you have any kids?”
A sob broke through the phone again, “I have two teenage sons.”
“Get out of there, now. Take what you need and leave, but make it quick. You don’t want to be there when they start combing your neighborhood.”
Chapter Seven
Seth’s gaze kept returning to the small female. He admired her spirit. She wasn’t afraid of anything. Nobody asked her to investigate the body. It was something he hadn’t even considered, but should have. Here was this small female, who wasn’t a soldier, obviously not trained in the ways of war, but she thought of it. Not only had she done it, but she’d also found his family. Now their small group would be getting larger.
He looked back at the commanding voice of the female called Ashely. She would be a better choice to the male who would one day rule their people. The female wasn’t shy about stepping up and taking the lead. In the short time since they’d landed, she’d already organized them into several groups. Each group was made of two women, one older, one younger. She then sent them out with the confidence required to achieve their goal. Some went in search of more survivors, others looking to add to their meager resources.
Ashely walked over to where he was standing with his gaze centered on the large building that had been blown apart by the Terrapians. “There’s probably more survivors inside. I didn’t want to send any of the girls in,” she shifted her gaze back to Seth, hands on her hips, her mouth set in a firm line. “Who knows what they’ll find inside. I’m not worried about the bodies…it’s the living that scares me. Anybody inside could be desperate enough to shoot now and ask questions later.”
Seth tilted his head, “Why would they ask questions after they started shooting?”
Ashley smiled, “What I mean is that they’ll be nervous and might not be thinking clearly.” She studied his expression for a moment before waving it off. “Let’s just go check it out before we send any helpless women in there.”
Seth grabbed her arm before she made it two feet. “No.”
She looked up at him, down to his hand, then back to his face. Shaking off his hold, she glared up at him, “What do you mean, no?”
“Are you a warrior,” when she shook her head, he continued. “If there are trained people in there, how do you think you can stop them? Have you been trained?”
She shook her head again, “I just didn’t think it was a good idea to send you in there alone. If something happens to you, we’ll be sitting—”
“Stop using human idioms with him. He’s not human.” Aubree stopped in front of Seth, “I’m trained.”
“But you’re—”
She held up a hand, “Before you say anything, remember Mardal.”
Seth blinked at her, shrugged his shoulders, “Who’s Mardal?”
“One of the guards…she killed him.” Ashely said, then turned to joi
n a group that was preparing to go look for supplies.
Aubree crossed her arms, “Well?”
Seth looked down at the female that was about the size of a half-grown cub, “You killed one of the Terrapian warriors? By yourself?” He’d barely gotten the words out when he found himself on the ground gaping up at the small female. Again.
Seth stared up at the proffered hand, “Not the brightest, are you?” Shaking her head, she began walking toward the building, “Why must I always prove to you big assholes that I can take care of myself?”
Dumbfounded, Seth lay on the ground, watching the female walk toward the destroyed building…alone. Leaping from the ground, he raced after her. What did she say her name was? “Abri…wait for me.” Judging by her stance, he’d gotten her name wrong. Dante had warned him about this many times. For some reason they were offended when you didn’t remember their names. “Aubra? Bra?” Certain he’d gotten it right, he smiled for just a small moment when she turned around. The look on her face assured him, he still didn’t have it right.
“Seriously? Bra? Do you even know what a bra is?” She cupped her hands beneath her breasts and continued to glare at him.
Seth stopped walking, staring at the proof that she was indeed, not a cub at all, but a full-grown female. Common sense abandoned him. He was shocked when he felt her hand whack the side of his head, knocking him to the ground yet again. Leaning over him, her purple hair framing her face, she narrowed her eyes, “Aubree. My name is Aubree. You can call me Bree. But never, ever call me bra! Got it, dumbass?”
Grinning, he leapt to his feet once again, “My apologies, Aubree. I didn’t mean to insult you. But you shouldn’t be insulted.” He beamed, “Your bras are nothing to be ashamed of.”
Aubree stopped walking again, then stared up at, what she’d come to think of as the dumbest man she’d ever met. “Do you even think before you speak? Or does everything just come tumbling out of those lips?” Turning around, she continued stalking toward the factory, mumbling about idiots.