Dawn of Inception (Felidian Warriors Book 2)

by M. L. Cook

  She hadn’t asked her name, but felt like she already knew her. The woman, as opposite from Aubree as one could be. Where Aubree was small, this woman was large. Aubree light, this one dark. A middle-aged woman to Aubree’s youth. Still she felt like a kindred spirit

  Before she had a chance to speak, the woman turned, “You’re the one I talked to on the phone?”

  Aubree could do no more than nod. Her throat tightened while her eyes burned with unshed tears. Emotions that had been buried for years, rose to the surface. Before she could speak, she was enveloped in a warm embrace.

  “Thank you, honey. Thank you for thinking about us. I don’t think a lot of people would have done what you did. Some of the guys told me about Adam…how they found him. I know that had to be hard for you. You’re just a kid, but I have a feeling you understand.” The whispered words brushed against her ear, softly spoken so only she could hear. A moment shared between two people who had known the same sorrow of losing someone they loved.

  Pushing away, Aubree reached into her hip pockets, pulling out the man’s wallet and the cell phone that she’d found. The screen came on for just a moment, revealing a happy family. Blinking back tears, she passed it to the woman. “I thought you should have these. I remember…” she stared at the phone, “I remember when my parents died…”

  Unable to go on, she stepped back before more words could be spoken. Twisting around, she lurched toward the exit.

  Pushing through the double doors, she stopped on the porch, gulping mouthfuls of the cool crisp air. Holding onto the rails, she stared up at the dark clouds that hung over the city. A few degrees cooler, and she was certain the moisture would fall as snow. Smiling, she lifted her face toward the heavens, closing her eyes, she imagined big fluffy snowflakes falling from the sky. Thoughts of a blanket of snow covering everything always made things better. Although, since it was still October, she knew whatever snow fell, would melt before the day was up. Still it helped, just a little, when the world was falling apart. With a sigh, she opened her eyes again, “But it’s too warm to snow.” Deciding she wasn’t going to allow the dismal thoughts to take root, she needed to get away from the horror the world had morphed into. Ambling down the stairs, she strolled toward a worn path in the distance.

  Glancing over her shoulder once, she continued to follow the trail. Curious, she wondered why no one had gone down this path to search for supplies and survivors. The path eventually gave out on a narrow two-lane highway, which separated the factory from a small lake.

  Taking a quick glance down the country road, she crossed to explore whatever might lay beyond the large body of water. A narrow path led around the outside of the lake, then further into a small thicket of trees. A moment later she heard the sound she’d associated with the alien vessels.

  Running toward the trees, she leapt the last few feet. Unsure if she’d been seen, she dropped to the ground behind a few overgrown weeds. Heart pounding, she clamped a hand over her mouth in an effort to quiet her breathing.

  Nearby she heard the shuffle of feet, along with the loud snap of a fallen branch. Careful to stay still, she reached for the weapon, the same one she’d kept since leaving the ship. Seth had tried, unsuccessfully, to talk her into giving it up. There was no way she was going to ever be helpless again. If she’d had a weapon when they caught her, she would never have been taken. Of course, on the flip side, she knew that without her petite frame, the woman also might still be aboard the ship. Her mind slipped into the burning memory of what happened that fateful morning. Unsure how long she’d been on the ship, she had no idea if it was only one day, or several days before. After all, she’d had her lights punched.

  ***

  Aubree curled into the warm body, snuggling into the soft comfort of a stranger’s bed. No matter how hard she tried, his name refused to come. Not that it mattered, she’d never see him again, anyway.

  If she knew her sister, she’d probably have a chastising text message on her phone about some crazy disease or the possible serial killer she’d left with the night before. Lifting his hand away, she scooted toward the edge of the bed and reached for her jeans. Pulling her phone out, she was shocked to see nothing. There were no text messages, no missed calls, not a single thing to indicate her sister was worried for her. Which only increased her own tension. If Brooke wasn’t bothering her, something serious must have happened…that, or she was really pissed.

  Sliding out of bed, she stumbled into the bathroom and sent her sister a text. Tilting her head, she squinted down at the red exclamation point next to her message. Odd. She tried again. Nothing. Forgoing shower, breakfast or even the morning quickie, she headed toward the living room, while staring at her phone. Two words stared back at her.

  No Service

  Dressing quickly, she slipped her shoes and got ready to leave. Just as she reached for the knob, the door exploded inward. Stumbling back, she was shocked to see what was waiting on the other side.

  ***

  A stranger. A one-night stand. She hadn’t even bothered with learning his name, and now he was gone. Her startled scream alerted him to the intruders. The scene replayed in her memory over and over. Her watching the shocked look on his face when the small round hole appeared in his chest. Then his final glance before the light faded from his eyes, her name a whisper on his dying lips.

  Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw a dark figure approaching. Whoever it was, kept looking over his shoulder. Watching his clumsy approach, she decided that he was awfully noisy for someone who was attempting to keep his presence secret. Smirking, she thought just maybe that wasn’t his plan at all. Perhaps instead, it was nothing more than a simple nature call. Regardless of his reasons, his little trip into the shadows was about to be interrupted.

  The closer he got, the clearer his identity became. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched the road behind her for movement. The factory full of humans wasn’t very far, but how would she be able to sneak him back with the alien ships that had landed moments ago so close to where they were hiding. Shrugging, she knew she had no choice. Left out here alone, the Terrapians wouldn’t hesitate to kill him.

  Chapter Eleven

  James glanced over his shoulder. Nobody was following him, somehow he’d managed to evade the big green aliens. And now his small farm was filled with them.

  In horror he’d stared out the window as first one, then another silver vessel landed in the field. Before long a dozen more had joined them. The aliens disembarked, then wandered around waiting for the others. It didn’t take long for him to realize what was coming next.

  Weapons drawn, a large group of the large, hairless aliens stalked toward his house. Dropping the curtain, he ran toward the back door, praying nobody would be there.

  Glancing out the back window, all he saw was the distant tree line. Snatching his jacket, he pushed through the door, not a moment too soon. The sound of his front door slamming against the wall alerted him to the fact that his house had been breached. Turning around, he pushed the door shut, turning the knob to prevent any sound, he slowly released it.

  Racing toward the woods, he was anxious to put as much distance between him and the invaders as possible. Ducking behind the first tree he came to, he chanced a quick glance back at his house, fearing he had lost it forever. Two dark figures guarded the back door. He waited until their attention was diverted by the stray cat he’d been throwing scraps to, then raced away.

  Although he wore nothing but soft bedroom slippers, he didn’t slow until the house could no longer be seen. Feeling somewhat safer, he allowed himself a brief respite. Bending with hands on his knees, he gulped mouthfuls of air. Wiping a hand across his sweaty brow, he glanced once over his shoulder before making his way deeper into the small thicket.

  Where would he go now? He’d watched the news showing all the major cities as they were being leveled, that is, until the signal was lost. Should he head for town, or maybe check to see if any of his neighbo
rs could offer him shelter. If they were still there, still alive. Shaking his head, he realized that even if they were still there, it wouldn’t be long before the aliens made their way into the surrounding community.

  Cringing at the sound of twigs breaking under his feet, he stared into the shadows. Stealthy, he was not. All he could hope for was that he’d put enough distance between him and the ones who’d taken his house. Well, in addition, he prayed that there weren’t any more aliens wandering around looking for more people to slaughter.

  Spotting a fallen tree, he sat down to rest for just a few minutes. The only saving grace for him was the temperature. Just a few days ago the afternoon had seen highs in the low eighties. Before the television went off, they’d predicted the high today around fifty, with steadily falling temperatures. Halloween was just around the corner and everybody knew that most years were cold and snowy. Now it looked like this year would be no different.

  A moment later, he noticed a shadow, someone, or something was trying to sneak up on him. Panic raced through him, his eyes darted around the leaf strewn ground searching for a weapon. Not a small man, but still much smaller than the towering aliens, he feared what they would do with him. Would they just kill him outright, or torture him first?

  ***

  Laying a hand on the man’s shoulder, she nearly leapt out of her boots when the same man twisted away. Fists raised, he was prepared to fight whatever perceived threat faced him.

  “Hey, bub? It’s cool.” She held her hands up in a non-threatening gesture. “I saw you out here by yourself.” She backed a few steps away, “You’re not going to punch me, are you?”

  Aubree tensed, ready to counter any attack. She didn’t want to hurt him, but more than that, she didn’t want to be hurt.

  The stranger dropped his hands, his body relaxed. “Sorry.” He glanced over his shoulder, “A bunch of…” He swallowed hard, paling slightly, “I think they’re aliens?”

  Aubree nodded, “They’re called Terrapians. Brutal bastards. What about them?”

  “I think they’re going to use my farm as a base. About a dozen ships landed in my front yard. I managed to get out the back door as they burst through the front. I think I made it before any of them saw me.” He gave another nervous glance over his shoulder, “But I really would feel better if we were a little further away from them? What about you? What’s your story? Do you have a car nearby? I don’t know where we could go—”

  Aubree held up her hands, “Okay, first thing we need to do, besides stay quiet, is get out of these woods.”

  Glancing over her shoulder, she strained to see the familiar sleek ships. “How far back is your house? Do we have to worry about them finding us before we can get to safety?”

  Shaking his head, he puffed a few breaths, “No…” Gulping mouthfuls of air, he continued, “I ran until I couldn’t see my farm. If I can’t see them, they can’t see me, and I know where to look.”

  Nodding, she turned back the way she came. Careful to stay as quiet as she could, she stopped at the edge of the small thicket. Nodding toward the factory on the other side of the road, she motioned for him to follow.

  “We’ve got a large group of humans hiding out in the factory. I guess you were missed when they went looking for survivors, but you should be safe, at least for now. I’ll warn you, there is an alien in our group.” Glancing sideways, she reached a hand out, “Aubree Carter.”

  “James Creason,” shaking her hand, he continued to scan their surroundings.

  She grabbed his arm before he could head back into the woods, “Not the same race. This guy is here to help us. He was taken captive by them as well.” She went on to explain what happened with her and the others, finishing with the men shooting at her and Seth.

  Crossing the narrow lane, she led him toward the factory. A few of the workers had taken it upon themselves to stand guard.

  Rifles raised, they stood in the open, “That’s far enough. Identify yourselves.”

  “These must be the idiots who tried to shoot you.” James nudged her.

  “None other.” Raising her voice, “Do you really need another lesson? I really don’t like wasting bullets,” she looked down at the laser gun, wondering what else to call the lasers, looking back at the armed factory workers, she smirked, “but I might make an exception this time. Shooting one of your dicks off might teach others to be a little smarter.”

  All but one of the weapons dropped, that one centered on Aubree’s chest. Mumbled words filtered across the field, “Come on, Jerry. She’s human, like us.”

  For the first time since escaping the aliens, fear inched up her spine. This man, for some reason, intended to kill her.

  She was reaching for her weapon when the peace was interrupted by the loud report of another weapon being fired. Flinching, the pain she expected never came. In horror, she watched as a bright red stain bloomed outward from the center of Jerry’s chest.

  An instant later the doors were flung open, spilling more of the factory workers down the steps and into the grass. A dark blur sprang from the hole, landing a few feet in front of her and the new guy.

  James dropped his weapon, fell to his knees, hands clasped behind his bowed head.

  Aubree swayed on her feet. Although she’d killed one of the aliens, she’d never shot another human being, much less killed one. Not wanting to see, yet unable to look away, she watched the growing red pool of blood. Unable to stand any longer, she dropped to her knees. A cold sweat broke out, followed by the taste of bile rising in the back of her throat.

  “Breathe,” someone grabbed a handful of her hair, while rubbing circles on her back.

  Before she could totally regain her composure, she heard a loud roar. The next thing she knew, she was sprawled out on the damp grass, staring up at a head full of orange hair.

  “Seth? What are you doing?” Blinking, she tried to focus on what was going on around her, instead of the body that laid just a few feet away.

  “Now you will die!” Seth roared.

  Shocked into silence, she couldn’t move for a few minutes. Why was he acting like this? He’d not given her the time of day since landing back on Earth, now he was willing to kill someone for just touching her?

  Her gaze swept to James, who was resuming his feet, dusting himself off, glaring back at Seth. “I wasn’t going to hurt her.” He nodded to the crumpled body that used to be Jerry, “Him, on the other hand…he was going to kill her.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Seth was beside himself with fear when he heard the gunfire. Had the Terrapians found them, or were the crazy humans shooting at friendlies again? Searching the faces of the few humans milling around, there was only one he wished to see, and she wasn’t there. With absolute certainty he knew that he would find the purpled-haired beauty in the midst of the trouble that was brewing outside. The memory of the men who’d been shooting at them returned, nearly sending him to his knees.

  Finding the broken wall void of weapon wielding humans, he dove through the jagged opening. Landing in the grass, Seth took in his surroundings. The scent of blood mingled with the smell of fear and human weapons assailed him. Several feet away, he saw the figure of a tall male bent over a small form. A shock of purple waves billowed in the wind behind them. Aubree. The male had attacked his female. Was he too late? Was her life ebbing away even now? Blinding fury rushed through him. Defend. Kill.

  Taking a running leap, he landed beside the pair, throwing the male away. “Now you will die!” Crouched and ready to attack, he was only able to reign in his rage after the male submitted.

  A slight gasp, alerted him that Aubree lived. Unsure if the scent of gunfire covered the scent of her blood, or if she was never injured. Taking a deep breath, he stood and tried to relax.

  One quick glance over his shoulder assured him that Aubree was uninjured, aside from being knocked to the ground. Again by him, of course.

  Focusing his attention on the newcomer he reached for his
weapon, then moved closer. Offered assurances of the male’s intentions were reinforced when he noticed the group centered around the crumpled form of a small man. Narrowing his gaze, he recognized him as the same male that threatened them earlier. Twisting back to Aubree, who was now off the ground and walking toward the stranger.

  Without turning around, she shouted over a shoulder, “He’s right. That asshole had his gun centered on my chest. He knew who I was. I could see it in his eyes and the smirk on his face. He fully intended on killing me.”

  With a sigh of regret, Seth relaxed his stance and walked toward the other male. Reaching a hand down, he offered his regret, “My apologies. I thought you were attacking Aubree.” He glanced back at the other man that would no longer be a threat to anyone, “Thank you for saving her. I shouldn’t have trusted that male.” Shaking his head, he chastised himself, “I should have taken his weapon the first time he threatened to use it. I just never would have considered he might attack one of his own people.”

  James thrust a hand out, “Yeah, well…welcome to Earth. Where there’s no shortage of assholes and idiots. Name’s James Creason.”

  Remembering what Phil taught him, he gripped the other male’s hand in a friendly gesture. “Seth Balliol.”

  Walking toward the gathered men and women, Seth stopped to look down at the male who’d nearly killed his small female. There was a single hole that bored through his forehead, centered between his unseeing eyes. “Good shot.” He looked back at James, “Are you a warrior?”

  James’s gaze flicked to the dead man, then back to Seth. “Was. Now I’m just a farmer. Well…” he looked over his shoulder toward the woods that surrounded his retention pond. “I guess I’m not even that, well not anymore, anyway.” His gaze hardened, “Maybe we could go somewhere and talk?”

  Seth pointed toward the stairs on the other side of the building where several people were gathered.