Groaning, Max rolls to his side. His eyes meet mine for a second, and in that moment, a twinge of panic flashes in his irises before he blinks.
I scour the ground with my eyes, looking for his gun. It’s nowhere in sight, and his hands are empty. We’re so stupid, why weren’t we paying attention to what was going on instead of each other? Are we going to pay for this mistake with our lives?
“Get up—slowly, or you won’t get up at all.” Leonard waves the tip of the gun toward Max, a sly grin turning his face into a lined caricature of a demon.
Tightening my body, I ready myself to tackle Leonard.
“Uh uh.” A large arm cuts off my air supply, and I grab at it, digging my nails into the thick material of his coat. “Stop struggling or we’ll finish him off right now.”
I become soft taffy, and the man—I’m assuming Roger—loosens his hold enough for me to gasp a huge breath of air.
Max’s eyes never leave my face as he stands, holding his hands up in surrender.
“I knew we’d eventually run into each other again.” Leonard keeps his gun pointed at Max but twists his neck to move his gaze over me. “Daddy’s little girl delivered right into my waiting hands. Must be ordained by God.”
Gritting my teeth, I fight an urge to stomp my captor’s shoes.
A slight shake of Max’s head reminds me our lives are at stake.
“Take her to the warehouse,” Leonard orders. “This one,” he nods to Max, “isn’t going to be much of a problem in a few seconds.” He flicks off the safety.
“No!” The single word is a deafening scream, and I can’t stop. “Please don’t. Please.”
“Tilly, it’s okay.” Max takes a step toward me.
“Don’t make me blow your brains out in front of the girl.” Leonard’s tone is low and conversational. “But I will if I need to. She’s my bargaining chip, but you’re expendable.”
“You son of a bitch.” I claw the arm holding me, but the man drags me toward the warehouse doors. “Let me go.” I try to bite his arm, but the material’s too thick. Like an idiot, I left my gun in the ditch.
“Don’t hurt her, please. I’ll do whatever you want if you promise not to hurt her.”
“Sorry, boy, but I don’t make promises to dead men.” Finger on the trigger, Leonard spares a quick glance toward me. There’s only twenty feet left until I’m dragged into the building, out of sight of Max.
“Let me go.” I kick, pinch, and claw my way through any skin I can find.
“Goddammit, you little bitch.” He whacks his beefy hand against the side of my head, and bright stars flash before my eyes.
“Stop, please.” Holding my hands toward Max, I sob, the cold tears spilling across my cheeks. Please, God, don’t let them hurt him. He’s just a stupid kid, like me, who got caught up in the moment.
Max squares his shoulders and draws a shaky breath. “Tilly, I lo—” His face snaps upward. “What the hell?”
There’s a whirring sound cutting through the night, a soft mechanical noise which doesn’t belong here in the outskirts of suburbia.
I follow his gaze to the night sky filled with faint stars but no moon.
Several black spheres, the size of small cars, zoom across the sky, blotting out the starlight. The only way I can make out their shape is from a lantern on the ground, probably belonging to Leonard, shining some of its glow upward. Instead of reflecting from the orbs’ smooth surfaces, it seems to seep into the round craft as if it’s being absorbed.
“What the fuck are those?” Roger asks, his grip loosening around my neck.
Instead of continuing to stare at the sky, I take the opportunity to give his shin a kick and sprint toward Leonard, whose neck cranes upward with dumbstruck awe on his face.
As I reach toward his hand to swipe the gun from his grasp, one of the black spheres shoots where the four of us stand, only inches above my head. The scent of burning ozone follows.
A white-hot laser cuts a path across the road, sending large pieces of rock and debris into the air as it reaches Leonard.
Leonard lets out a horrendous scream, and I jump toward Max, dragging him into the ditch with me. We roll and tumble into the frozen grass, then I shoot to my knees, keeping my head low, unable to tear my gaze from what’s happening, but patting the ground until my fingers latch onto cold metal. Thank fuck. Our guns.
Another sphere zooms in and shoots Roger, who falls to the road with a hard thump.
“Come on, Tilly, let’s go.” Max wraps a hand around my arm, but I shake it off.
“Wait.” I slap a gun into his hand and peer farther down the street. Weird flashes of movement catch my eye. “What in the—”
A crowd appears with lanterns or homemade torches clutched in their fists. Terror twists theirs faces as they watch the skies and look over their shoulders, trying not to trip over each other. Their footsteps crash through the still night. Some sob, some yell, and some swear. All seem to be fleeing for their lives.
“This can’t be good.” Max’s voice is close to my ear. “What’re they running from?”
Laser light shoots above their heads, not hitting them, but close enough to singe hair, like the earlier burst which landed on Leonard. Behind the weapons-fire is a row of dark, flying orbs.
I tremble. These things don’t look like anything I’ve ever seen on base when Daddy used to bring Sissy and me with him.
Max squeezes me against his chest. “Don’t move. Maybe they won’t see us.”
The first few waves of bodies stop when they come upon the warehouse. Even though Leonard and Roger lie on the ground, chests still and eyes unblinking, the group doesn’t seem to notice. The only thing claiming their desperate attention is the sanctuary inside that building.
Can’t say I blame them. I feel vulnerable out here with nothing to hide behind but this ground and the night.
Droves of people cram themselves inside the warehouse, funneling through the opening like a line of clambering, frightened ants.
One man, at the end, casually saunters behind the crowd. Even though his back is to me, he’s freakishly tall compared to everyone else. Long, curly black hair touches the collar of his stiff coat, but I can’t make out anything else in the dark. He doesn’t seem to be too concerned about the hovering black spheres shooting toward the people.
As a matter of fact, it almost looks like he’s sitting back to watch the chaos unfold. But that’s a ridiculous thought. Maybe he’s overwhelmed with everything going on.
“Let’s go, Tilly.” Max lifts me into his arms and strides across the frozen field, lowering himself into a crouch.
I cling to Max’s neck, but my gaze lingers on the dark form standing six and a half feet tall, maybe more, while the spheres shoot near the people. Something about him pulls at me, even with the carnage and threat of discovery.
Slowly, his head turns in my direction.
My heart pounds like a jackhammer. I blink and narrow my gaze to get a better view, but it’s too dark. The little bit of light thrown by the lantern on the ground near the building doesn’t reach his face.
If he doesn’t go inside, those things are going to shoot him.
“Lookout, did you hear me?” Max yells into my ear and thrusts his face into mine, breaking my line of sight with the tall guy.
I drag my gaze to his, and it dawns on me he’s been trying to get my attention while running. His breathing is a harsh gasp of air.
“Put me down.”
“Thank God.” He sets me onto the ground, then jerks on my hand. “You weigh more than you look.”
“Jackass.” But I say nothing more, eager to leave whatever the hell those things were—and their firepower, too.
Finally, a quarter mile away, I find my bike hidden in the trees. Max and I both point them at the road and pedal as fast as possible in the opposite direction.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“It was horrible, Daddy.” I throw off my coat and lock the front door, ev
en though if those spaceship things want to come in, all they have to do is burn a hole through the house. Locking the door still makes me feel safer.
“What in the hell were you doing out scouting? I told you I’d take you next time—”
“Sir, that’s not what’s important.” Max shrugs off his jacket and throws himself onto the couch, holding a hand to his forehead and rubbing his shoulder. “Those… things… were shooting out laser fire. I don’t think,” his gaze meets mine, then wanders to my father, “they’re ours.”
“What do you mean? Not from the United States?” Daddy grabs me around the neck and gives me a squeeze, absently ruffling my hair while focusing on Max. Stale smoke tickles my nose. Cigarettes are becoming scarce, so he’s rationed them to one after a meal, thank God.
Kat pops from my room and heads toward us, a smile transforming her sweet face.
“No, I mean not from our planet.” Max swallows, the sound loud in the quiet living room.
The candle on the coffee table sputters and hisses, throwing dancing yellow light across the polished wooden surface and fighting back the darkness of the room—and of what happened at the warehouse.
“What’s not from our planet?” Kat asks, grabbing my hand and swinging it back and forth. I open my mouth to answer, but she cuts me off. “Hey Tilly, I made you something. Wanna come see?” Her fingers tug on mine.
“Cool.” I disentangle from Daddy and stoop to her level. “How about in a little while? We’ve gotta talk about some adult stuff first.”
Her face falls. “Oh, okay.”
Mamma walks from the kitchen, wiping her hands on an apron tied around her waist. “What’s going on?”
Daddy licks his lips and scratches his beard, then cuts his glance to Kat, who trudges the hall with slumped shoulders and a slow gait. “It seems I was right.”
“About what?” Mamma steps closer, her jade eyes intense while searching Daddy’s.
“The EMP and who was behind it.”
A visible shudder runs through her body. “God help us.” She places a hand over her chest, near her heart. “I’ve been praying this whole thing has been the result of a natural phenomenon. Are you sure it’s… it’s…” Shaking her head, she closes her mouth and inhales, as if she’s not willing—or she’s unable—to finish the sentence.
“Tilly and Max ran into some kind of flying orbs shooting at them.” Daddy points a finger at Max. “You two are lucky you didn’t get hurt, or worse.”
“Well,” I say, “at least Leonard and his crony got what they deserved. They were going to kill Max and use me to get back at you.”
“What?” Daddy’s voice rises and his attention whips to where Max sits on the couch. “You okay, son?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Max stretches the shoulder Leonard kicked. “Tilly’s the one they clobbered.”
At his reminder, the side of my face aches. The air was freezing when we were pedaling for our lives, so I didn’t have a chance to think about that big asshole’s hand walloping me. But now, here in the warmth of the house and my family, the nerves of my cheek seem to come alive.
“Here, honey, let me see.” Mamma’s finger gently presses on the skin, causing me to wince. “Just a bruise, looks like. Let me see if I can find some ice outside to fight the swelling.”
“No, it’s okay.” I wave her hand away. “It’s no biggie. I’m more worried about those spaceship orb things. What if they fly here and start picking us off?”
Daddy plops into a recliner. “For now, I think the best thing we can do is keep a watch from the front window. Put out all the candles. Until we get more information, there’s not much else to be done until daylight. If everything stays quiet tonight, first thing in the morning is to go back into the city and see for myself what’s happening—or happened.”
“Ricky, no.” Mamma slides onto the armrest next to Daddy. “Maybe we should think about moving away from any kind of populated area.”
He takes her hand. “That’s the last thing we should do.” His serious gaze turns to me and Max. “There’s a reason for the saying ‘There’s strength in numbers’ and ‘Knowledge is power’. For now, we keep everything the same. If folks see us panicking, what do you think would happen to Callahan?”
Mamma frowns but nods. “It makes sense, but still…” she wraps her arms around her stomach, “it gives me the willies thinking about spacemen, or whatever you want to call them, flying around causing terror.”
“Not just flying, it sounds like, but actively seeking to hurt us, which means we have to devise a plan of some sort to protect everyone.” He turns to Max. “Son, you and squirt should stay here tonight in case those things head this way.”
Max stands and pulls the stress ball from his pocket, rolling it between his fingers. “Yessir. I agree.” He heads to the hall, but stops, his back to us. “It’s weird, though. I’d be dead right now if those things hadn’t arrived. Also, for some reason, those spheres didn’t chase us, even though I’m sure they have sensors or whatever and probably picked up our body heat.” Pivoting on the heel of his boot, his gaze meets mine. “It’s as if they were more interested in the large gathering of people, of herding them into that building for some reason. I think it means something, but I don’t know what.”
I tilt my head and search his face. So I wasn’t the only one who noticed it looked like they were being pushed into the warehouse like heads of cattle.
“Well, whatever reason they did it for, I’m glad you two are safe.” Daddy places a kiss on Mamma’s lips and holds her face between his cupped hands. “Let’s get these candles blown out so we don’t pull any attention, okay? I’ll keep first watch, then Tilly and Max can take shifts.” He pulls her to his chest and raises his eyebrows at Max and me. “That okay with y’all, Half-pint?”
“Sure.” I shrug.
“Then get some rest. I’ll wake you in three hours or so.”
I follow Max into the hall as he steps into Sissy’s old room. Without candlelight, it’s varying degrees of black and dark grays. Only the metal headrest reflects soft light from the outside starshine drifting in from the opened curtains.
He sits on the made bed, creating a soft squeak of springs. “Come here.” His outstretched arm is a murky line in the room.
Hesitantly, I step toward him, careful to feel my way across the floor.
When I reach him, he grips my hand and pulls me to his side, pushing me to sit on the bed, and sighs. “Better.”
“Uh.” My heartbeat is so loud I’m sure he can hear its staccato rhythm in the quiet room. “What’re we doing?”
“I’m reassuring myself you’re really here, I’m really here, that the whole goddamn world is still here.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders and props his chin on my head. “I thought we were dead tonight, Tilly, and I felt so helpless.” His words are thick, like he’s forcing them through his throat. “I’ve always had to be the strong one, the one who takes care of his little sister, who protects others, but tonight…” Squeezing me tighter, his chest shakes against my upper arm, as if he’s holding in emotion. “Tonight? I felt exactly like what Emory called me—trailer trash. Not good enough or strong enough to protect either of us.” His voice breaks on the last word, and a silent sob wracks his body.
Sorrow wraps my heart and squeezes it like a vise.
“Max, don’t.” I thread my arms under his and pull myself into him. “You were so fucking brave tonight. You knew they were going to kill you, yet you stayed calm and tried to make things better. And then you carried me to safety.” I glance toward his face. Though I can’t see his features, I press my palm to his cheek and stroke the stubble. “That was one of the bravest things I’ve ever seen.”
The silent shaking of his chest slows, and the muscles of his arms relax somewhat. He bends backward to lay on the bed, pulling me with him, then cradling me into his side, as if he’s afraid I’ll try to squirm away.
“Really? You thought I was brave?” His tone is
firmer now, no sign of the raw anguish he tried to hide.
“Absolutely.” I smile, even though I know he probably can’t see it. “You were my lookout tonight.”
“Tilly,” he whispers, using a finger to tuck a loose strand of my hair behind my ear, “I love—”
“Hey, Max,” Kat shouts from the doorway. “Can you sleep with me and Tilly tonight? I’m scared.”
He chuckles, then sits up. “Well, it’s up to Tilly if she wants to sleep with me.” The ball hits the side of my head.
How can he even see in this blackness? My cheeks burn from the underlying meaning in his words. “Well, I want to sleep with Kat, but if that’s the only way she’ll feel safe, I guess you can sleep on the floor.”
Max leans into my ear. “Not quite what I had in mind.” His hot, minty breath whispers through my hair, causing a delicious shiver across the skin. “Sure, Kat. I’ll keep you ladies safe tonight, as long as Tilly promises not to snore too loudly.”
“Jerk.” I snort and punch his arm, hoping my actions seem normal, even though inside, my insides quiver.
“I’m not a jerk, I’m being honest.” He stands and wraps his fingers with mine, gently tugging me to stand beside him. “I can hear you from two rooms away. I don’t know how Kat ever gets any sleep when we stay over.”
“Hey, I do not—”
“Yeah, one time, I was having a dream,” Kat’s silhouette appears next to me, and she grabs my other wrist, “and this big, mean bear started roaring at me. It was so loud I woke up, and then I realized the roaring was Tilly’s snores.” She giggles.
A high-pitched guffaw pierces the air, and I give Max a death glare. There’s no way I snore.
“Come on, let’s go to bed before Tilly turns into a bear for real.” He drags a finger against my palm, then squeezes my hand, leading Kat and me out and toward my bedroom.
Though I’m a bit pissed at the snoring comments, being with him is comfortable, and even though I imagine tomorrow’s going to bring more trouble, for now, my heart is light. He’s beginning to mean more to me than just a friend, and I kind of wish Kat would’ve waited a couple more minutes before barging inside. What was he going to say? That he loved me? If so, what do I feel for him? I don’t know yet, but the beginnings of… something… stirs in my blood.
The Intrusion: Baltin Prequel Page 18