The Grey Ones

by Candra Baguley

Chapter 32

  “Ready to move out?” Travis asks, throwing on his backpack. After the Radio Room, we hurried to the Z Room to pack our things, and stock up on supplies and ammo. What was left at least.

  “Ready.” I reply, throwing my bag on. “What about you guys?”

  “We’ve been ready.” Jace laughs. Lilly and Allie are holding hands, standing side by side with him.

  “Let’s do this then.” I say with a smile.

  “Wait,” I hear Kay yell from the corner. Turning to face her, I find her jogging over to me. She shakes her head and says, “We’re not coming with you.”

  “What? Why?” I ask.

  “We have to stay here and take back Portland, for Leon.” She replies with a faint smile. I can see the tears welling up inside her eyes.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Yes, it’s our home. And Leon would’ve wanted us too.”

  “Okay, I understand. Good luck, Kay.” I say, hugging her quickly. When I pull away I look over her shoulder to where Justin is packing Leon’s belongings. “Good luck, Justin. You two take care of yourselves.”

  He nods his head back at me then returns to his brother’s things. “Maybe we’ll come visit you guys once all of this is over.” I say, staring back at Kay.

  “You know where to find us.” Kay smiles, then turns and jogs away.

  “Alright, let’s go.” Travis yells from the entrance. Jace, Lilly, and Allie have already walked out into the empty tunnel. With the backpack bouncing each step, I run to my family.

  We walk down the dark tunnel as we make our way towards the Bullseye Room. The restaurant was the only other way out before, but it was destroyed in the fire. When we reach the ladder that leads up into the warehouse, Cano begins barking loudly. I expect the worst as I climb up with my lucky dagger in hand. I burst through the hatch door to find Billy and Heather on the floor, unconscious. The rope tying them together looks loose, like they were almost free.

  “What do you want?” Chad asks, stepping up inside of the entrance to the warehouse. Behind him, Katie follows wearing a large camouflage backpack. When she bends over to fix her shoelace the dog tags around her neck slip out from the collar of her black shirt. They must have been her father’s.

  “What happened to them?” I ask. Their chests rise with every breath they take. They’re still alive.

  Chad’s boots stomp loudly across the warehouse floor until stopping directly in front of me. The hunting camouflage he wears seems to be a little big on him. Almost like it belonged to someone else before he got it. His eyes narrow in on me as he looks me up and down aggressively.

  A disgusted expression comes over his face when he replies, “Why? Are you worried about your little friend?”

  Before I can argue back Katie cuts in, “Shut up, Chad. I didn’t see you out the fighting today like Isabelle.” Shifting her brown eyes to me she says, “In order to ensure that the prisoners don’t escape, I gave them a little something. They should be out long enough that we can chain them both up inside of the Humvee. Do you guys mind helping before you leave?”

  “For you Katie? Anything.” Jace says flirtatiously with a wink. So much for sympathy.

  She ignores him and says, “Travis, can you carry Billy while Isabelle and I carry Heather.”

  “Yes ma’am.” He replies with a nod. He tucks the handgun in a holster on his hip as he marches towards Billy. Cano follows at his ankles, growling louder with each step he takes towards Billy and Heather. He can definitely sense something different about them.

  “It’s alright, boy.” Travis says while patting him on the head. His deep growls go silent in an instant, but he continues to glare at the tied up beings. Quietly, he plants himself firmly on the ground.

  Travis turns around to me and says, “Belle, your dagger.”

  I move next to him and hand him the dagger. He bends over the prisoners and uses the blade to cut the rope. While he saws the blade through the fibers, Katie steps up to my shoulder. Her warm breath hits my neck when she whispers, “Thanks for helping me with her. I could easily carry her, but I don’t trust myself. I would find a way to kill her myself.”

  “I don’t blame you. If she were responsible for the death of someone I loved… Well, I would find a way to kill her. And I would do it myself.” I say turning to face her. Behind her long dark hair, her brown eyes are bloodshot and sunken in. She’s been crying again. When her bottom lip begins to tremble she bites down on it. Tears fill her eyes.

  “I’m so sorry about your dad.” I whisper. In an attempt to comfort her, I gently set my hand on her arm and rub it up and down.

  Katie bats her long eyelashes quickly, blinking away the tears. She clears her throat, but her voice remains unsteady. “No, it’s okay. And you’re right. As soon as we figure out how to kill them, she’s mine.”

  “So you’re going to San Diego too?” Jace’s voice sounds disappointed. He must’ve been eavesdropping.

  Katie glances over at him, her cheeks red. “Yeah, I’m driving down with Chad. That’s what my dad would have done. Why does it matter to you?”

  “I didn’t mean it rude or anything. I just, never mind. Good luck.” He seems disappointed when he turns and walks away slowly. Lilly and Allie exchange looks then follow him to a nearby table.

  Breaking the awkward silence, Travis states, “Chad will lead us to the Humvee.” Turning to me he orders, “Belle. Katie. Grab Heather and come with us.”

  He throws Billy’s lanky body over his shoulder then follows Chad to the entrance. With Cano barking wildly next to me, Katie and I bend over to lift Heather. Before we can get her off the ground Jace interrupts.

  “Excuse me ladies. I’ll grab that.” He pushes past Katie to where Heather lay unconscious on the cement floor. With one easy swoop he lifts her up and over his shoulder. A small smile spreads across Katie’s face as she watches him walk out the door.

  “He might not be so bad after all.” She says, still looking his way.

  “You’re not becoming interested in him, are you?” I ask with a short laugh.

  “No,” She laughs, “He’s still not my type.”

  “Mom, let’s go!” Ty shouts at the top of his lungs. Sunlight shines down on his brown hair as he holds the door open for the rest of us to follow. Now that the rain has stopped completely, and the sun is back out, we should be safe. At least until sundown.

  I glance back at Katie and ask, “You ready?”

  She lets out a deep breath then replies, “Yes. I’m ready.”

  We walk in unison towards the opened door. One by one, we step into the daylight. Katie walks ahead, straight for the Humvee where Travis and Jace are throwing our prisoners into the back. I overhear them as they ask Chad if he needs any help chaining them up, but he refuses it; says he can handle it himself.

  Once they’re both chained up inside, Chad jumps out the open back doors. He doesn’t say a word as he makes his way to the driver door. The door swings open and he climbs inside. The ground rumbles as he uses the key from the Colonel to start up the engine.

  Katie raises her voice over the engine, “We have the number to that phone memorized so we’ll call you once we know more information.”

  “Okay sounds good.” I reply calmly.

  I don’t want to get my hopes up, but inside I’m feeling excited to find out more information about these aliens. Now that we know the Grey Ones aren’t the only ones to worry about, we need to find a way to fight back.

  I’m so lost in my thoughts that I don’t hear Colonel Kirk Samuels until he passes me. When he approaches Katie he pulls her body into his for a hug. She embraces him and sobs in his chest. They look like an uncle comforting his niece over the loss of her parent. With a proud smile he says, “Your father was a hero Katie. I know that he died honorably. You should be proud of him.”

  “I am. Thank you.”

  “He’d be proud of you and how you’re handling things. You’re brave, j
ust like your father.”

  They hug again for a few more seconds. Both of them have eyes full of tears. The only noise between them is the sound of their light breathing while they choke back their cries.

  As he pulls away, he says, “I’ll see you in San Diego.”

  “See you there, Colonel.” She replies with the same firm tone. Her head turns to us at us and nods. When she looks at me she says, “I hope to see you around.” A small smile flashes for a quick second before she disappears around the front of the vehicle.

  The Colonel marches to the driver’s door, where Chad sits. The bartender pushes open the door and flashes a smile. They speak for a minute before saying goodbye to one another. Shutting the door, he immediately shifts the car into first gear. The Colonel joins us as we watch our best chance of ending this war drive away.

  When the Humvee is no longer in sight, Colonel Kirk Samuels turns to us and says, “Thank you again for all your help. We will keep in contact. Good luck out there.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want us to escort you to the base?” Travis asks. When he had offered our help earlier the Colonel turned it down. He insisted that we focus on finding shelter for the night.

  “Once we figure out what the hell it is we’re up against, I will call you.” He replies. Before turning away, he says, “We’re going to win this. We’re going to destroy these monsters.”

  Travis nods with pursed lips. He wants to say something, but is holding back. I slide my hand into his, our fingers lacing together perfectly. With a smile, I say, “Come on, let’s go.”