The Orbs Omnibus

by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

  Stars raced across his vision. And something else. Something blue. He blinked once. Twice. Then he saw it. There were four of them.

  Spiders.

  “Boys. I need you to listen very carefully. Take these two rifles and my pack to the building. I need you to break inside and head into the tunnels. You’ll have to go without me.”

  “But Dad,” Jeff protested.

  “I love you both very much,” Michael said, pulling the boys close and embracing them in one final hug. “Don’t wait for me!” he yelled, pushing them toward the building.

  “Dad, no!” Jeff cried, taking several steps backward. David released a frantic scream, tears raining down his face.

  Pushing himself off the ground, Michael grabbed his pulse rifle and limped after the boys. He knew they weren’t going to go willingly. Risking a glance over his shoulder, he saw the Spiders scampering across the sand. Their joints clicked like hungry teeth.

  They’re so fast.

  When he got to the front of the rusted-out building, Michael fired off a shot at the padlock. The door creaked open. “Get in,” he said, gesturing with his pistol into the darkness.

  “You’re coming with, aren’t you?” Jeff choked.

  “Yes, I’ll be right behind you,” he lied. “Now go!”

  He watched Jeff pull a flashlight out of the pack and usher his younger brother forward. Jeff turned when the two were halfway down the stairs and, for a single second, Michael locked eyes with him. And then he shut the door behind the boys.

  In one swift movement, Michael aimed his pulse rifle at the door hardware and fired. With any luck the destroyed lock and warped metal would seal them in.

  He turned to face the monsters. The Spiders had already surrounded him, their claws whooshing through the air. Michael closed his eyes.

  CHAPTER 10

  TWO DAYS LATER

  JEFF sat huddled inside the tiny storeroom next to David. They held each other in the darkness, trying to keep their breathing low. The clicking of claws echoed against the concrete as the aliens searched for prey through the hallways. The monsters were getting closer.

  Jeff and David had stumbled upon the storage closet within the first few hours after their father had left them. The room had ended up being a goldmine, with a stack of bottled water, a box of MREs, and even a drain they could use as a toilet.

  Over the last two days Jeff had plenty of time to think. In fact, it was all he had done. And he’d just come up with a plan. A plan to avenge their dad’s death. A plan to kill those things.

  Jeff glanced over at David. His pale face was mostly covered in dirt, except for the streaks where tears had run down his cheeks. “We’re going to be okay,” Jeff said reassuringly. He hugged his little brother and then stood. He paced over to the two rifles their dad had given them.

  “Come here,” Jeff said. He grabbed the hunting rifle and checked the safety. Just like his dad had taught him.

  “This one is yours,” Jeff said. “I’ll take the assault rifle.”

  David looked up at him from the ground. He hadn’t spoken much in the past two days. Jeff knew the boy was beginning to slip away. He needed to find a way to reengage him. He had to if they wanted to survive. They needed to become a team. There was no other option.

  “Come on, bud,” Jeff insisted.

  David slowly pushed himself off the concrete floor and walked over to Jeff.

  “Do you know how we can honor dad?” Jeff asked.

  The younger boy shook his head.

  “We can honor him by killing those things. But we have to do it together. We have to be a team.”

  David’s gaze locked with his older brother’s. There was a spark in the younger boy’s eyes, something Jeff hadn’t seen since before the invasion.

  Jeff smiled. “You ready to play a new game?”

  David narrowed his eyebrows. “What kind of game?”

  “The kind of game where we get to kill monsters.”

  After several seconds of consideration, David nodded and reached for the rifle. “I’m ready,” he said pausing. “And I’m going to win.”

  “You always win,” Jeff said, grinning.

  CHAPTER 1

  JEFF waited in the stillness with his back to the tunnel wall. The coldness of the concrete bled through his T-shirt, but he didn’t dare move.

  “Where are you?” his younger brother, David, asked.

  “Shhhh,” Jeff replied.

  He could hear David’s hands fumbling against the wall as the boy desperately searched the darkness for him. Jeff reached out with his right hand and their fingers connected. He pulled his brother close.

  Dad had been gone for three days now. Maybe longer. Jeff wasn’t sure. He’d lost track of time down here in the damp tunnels. At first they’d waited at the bottom of the staircase. They’d waited there for hours, listening to the shrieks of the spiderlike monsters long after their dad’s gunfire had silenced. Had he died up there? Jeff didn’t know. Maybe he had run. Maybe he was still alive, searching for them like they were for him. Surviving. He liked to hope.

  They’d found a storeroom shortly after, but the monsters had found them, the scratch, scrape of their claws echoing in the hallways. Jeff and David had barely escaped, and their hideout was destroyed.

  Now, a day later, they were hiding in a tunnel somewhere under the base. He had no idea where exactly. All he knew was that the batteries in his flashlight were almost dead, and the food in his backpack would eventually run out. They couldn’t stay here forever.

  Jeff tightened his grip around David’s back. “It’s going to be okay. Don’t worry.” He was crying, sniffling, and wiping his nose on Jeff ’s arm.

  “Don’t cry. They’ll hear you.”

  David’s whimpering quieted.

  A noise echoed in the distance. Jeff reached for the handle of his assault rifle and listened. Somewhere a leaky pipe dripped steadily. The noise was soothing. It was recognizable. Man-made.

  They sat there for an hour. Then two. And then Jeff wasn’t sure how long they sat. He held his brother, listening.

  When his eyelids started to feel heavy, he decided it was time to move. He stirred David, who had fallen asleep in his arms. He woke with a yawn.

  “We have to go now,” Jeff whispered. “We need to find a place to hide. They’ll find us here eventually.”

  “No,” David protested, gripping his brother’s arm, his nails digging into his skin.

  “David, you have to be strong, we have to find a place to hide.”

  The boy whimpered. “But I can’t see anything.”

  “I’ll use the flashlight.”

  “No,” David argued. “They’ll see the light.”

  “Take your gun, David,” Jeff whispered, his voice stern. He knew his brother would feel safer with the weapon.

  The sound of metal scraping across the floor made Jeff flinch, but it was only David grabbing his hunting rifle.

  “Got it,” he said.

  Jeff stood and helped his brother up. A tingling sensation raced up his right leg. It was completely numb, asleep from sitting in the same position for so long. He winced and waited for the pain to pass.

  “Let’s move,” Jeff finally said.

  Grabbing David’s hand, he pulled the boy into the darkness. They walked slowly, cautiously. Heel to toe. Every few steps he would pause, let go of David’s hand, turn on the flashlight, and sweep the beam over the hallway for a couple heartbeats before clicking it off.

  Every time he waited to see one of the monsters. But every time the flashlight would reveal nothing but damp concrete.

  They continued on in this fashion for hours. The hallways twisted and turned until Jeff felt like he’d entered some sort of maze.

  Were they going in circles? How far did the tunnels go?

 
He had no idea where he was leading his brother. He didn’t even really have a plan. All he wanted to do was avoid the monsters and find another storeroom to hide in.

  Jeff tried to remember what the NTC soldier who had driven them to the tunnels had said shortly before his death. Something about how there was miles and miles of tunnels beneath the surface.

  The thought made Jeff pause. He loosened his grip on David’s hand, this time drawing protest. “No,” the boy said. “Let’s just stop here and rest.”

  Jeff gritted his teeth, ignoring his brother. He clicked the flashlight on and shone it over the passage. It flickered. His heart kicked as the beam faded out and then in again.

  “The batteries,” David whispered.

  “I know.”

  Jeff reached for his brother and pulled him forward. Heel to toe, growing more anxious with every step. They needed to find another storeroom before the batteries failed.

  The thought of being stranded in complete darkness made Jeff want to run. But he couldn’t let himself lose control. His brother was counting on him. They had lost their dad, but they still had each other.

  Somewhere in the distance a metal thud rang out. The boys froze. Jeff felt David’s grip tighten. They listened.

  Another clang followed, and then a scratching noise like nails being dragged across a blackboard.

  David’s fingers dug into Jeff ’s palm.

  “We need to go,” the boy said.

  Jeff shook his little brother’s hand. “No, be quiet.”

  He listened. The sound was coming from everywhere and nowhere. If they panicked they might run right into it. He needed to know where the monsters were before he decided what to do.

  With his heart galloping, he pulled his flashlight from his belt and handed it to David. Then he shouldered his rifle and gripped it just like his dad had taught him.

  At the end of the passage, a faint blue light crept across the floor. It intensified and grew into a pulsating sphere of blue. Jeff aimed his rifle down the center of the tunnel when David pulled on his arm.

  “Hey,” Jeff whispered, anger rushing through him. He looked away from the tunnel to see his little brother running down the hallway behind him.

  “David,” Jeff said, in a voice just louder than a whisper. “Get back here!”

  But David wasn’t listening and the sound of his footsteps faded as he ran farther away, down the passage they’d just come from. Jeff hesitated, turning back to the glow and then to David. His outline was fading from sight.

  “Crap,” Jeff muttered. He ran after his brother as fast as he could.

  David had the flashlight out, the beam crisscrossing the path in front of him as he ran. The Spiders would see it for sure.

  “Turn it off!” Jeff yelled. This time his voice was louder, fueled by frustration. Behind him, he heard a Spider shriek. Risking a glance over his shoulder, he saw the blue light growing brighter. They were being followed.

  “Oh no, oh no,” Jeff repeated. He wanted to cry. Up ahead, David had stopped in front of a steel metal door.

  Authorized Personnel Only.

  “What are you doing? Open it!” Jeff said, checking over his shoulder again. The glow now filled the entire passage.

  Jeff pushed past David and tried the handle. It clicked open, just as a Spider barreled into sight.

  Pushing the door, Jeff shoved his brother inside. Another terrifying screech echoed off the walls and he slammed the steel closed, locking the door and sealing the awful noise out.

  David stood in the center of the room, surrounded by old boxes. “You okay?” Jeff asked. He noticed the boy’s pants were wet around the crotch, the trail extending down his right leg.

  With his back to the door, Jeff scanned the room. More wooden crates and boxes lined the wall to his right. They were covered in dust so thick he couldn’t make out the labels. A yellowed map hung at an angle on the wall to the left. Finally, he thought, finally he could figure out where they were. He rushed over to the map and blew on the paper, a cloud of dust exploding in his face, causing him to sneeze.

  The door shook an instant later.

  “Crap,” Jeff stuttered. Reaching for David, he looked for a place to hide. There, in the far right corner, hidden behind a stack of boxes, was a flight of stairs. Jeff pulled his brother away from the door and they descended into another tunnel. He wanted to hug him, to reassure him that everything was going to be okay, but the rattling of the door made it difficult to think.

  David leveled the flashlight over the narrow tunnel. They ran, panting and struggling with every footstep, the flickering beam guiding them.

  Please, Jeff thought, please don’t let the light go out.

  He could see the end of the tunnel now. It stopped. Just a concrete wall. They had come to a dead end. Jeff felt like collapsing to the ground until he saw a skeletal ladder.

  The sound of crunching metal echoed through the halls. A Spider released an enraged scream louder now than anything they’d heard before. They had made it through the locked door.

  Jeff grabbed the light from David and angled it up the ladder. Rays of white moonlight bled through the holes of a circular cover at the top.

  “Climb!” he shouted, boosting David onto the metal rungs.

  Once his brother had started climbing, Jeff turned and unstrapped his rifle, aiming down the hallway. One of the Spiders careened toward the stairs. The creature moved quickly, its high joints clicking. When it entered the tunnel it halted, two clawed limbs swiping through the air, unable to come any closer.

  “Thank god,” Jeff said. The corridor was too narrow for the alien to get through.

  Jeff looked up the ladder. David was halfway up, his weapon dangling from his chest.

  “Keep going!” Jeff yelled.

  Another Spider joined the struggling monster in the entryway, pushing it forward through the gap. The lead Spider let out a shriek in protest, turning to snarl at its companion with open mandibles.

  Jeff grabbed on to the first rung and followed David up the ladder as the Spiders continued to wedge their bodies into the passage. David was at the top now, pushing desperately against the cover. The moonlight breaking through the holes illuminated his frightened features.

  “It won’t move,” the boy cried.

  “Hurry,” Jeff said. He squirmed his way next to David and stretched his left leg out to brace himself. Together they pushed, heaving with all their strength. The metal cover inched upward and slowly they slid it to the side.

  “Move over,” Jeff whispered. He climbed over David and poked his head out of the manhole, staring at a panoramic view of the night sky. They were on the outskirts of the base. Buildings towered to the east and the north. There were no signs of the creatures, just the ghostly moonlight and the strange blue orbs hovering in the distance.

  Below them, the first Spider reached the bottom of the ladder. Jeff hoisted himself above the ground and pushed himself to his knees. Then he turned to pull David up behind him.

  “Help me,” he said, gesturing toward the manhole cover. Together they pushed the metal lid back over the hole. Below, the Spiders clawed futilely up at the boys.

  There was no way they would fit up the ladder. But more would be more. There were always more.

  Jeff ’s heart leaped as if it were escaping his chest. He gasped for air, trying to control his breathing.

  “I’m sorry I yelled at you. But you can’t run away like that. You have to listen to me,” Jeff panted. “We have to stay together.”

  David nodded before turning to look at the desert. In a low, solemn voice he said, “Is Dad out here somewhere?”

  Jeff placed his arm around his brother’s shoulder, listening to the Spiders screeching in the tunnel below their feet. “I don’t know. But if he is, we are going to find him.”

  CHAPTER 2
r />   THE school bus honked outside.

  “You guys are going to be late! Mr. Andrews isn’t going to wait out there forever,” Michael yelled from the kitchen.

  Jeff yawned and ran a hand through his hair one last time in an effort to straighten it into something halfway respectable. David yanked on his arm. Mornings were always chaotic when their stepmom, Paula, was away on business.

  “Come on. Dad said we’re going to be late,” his brother urged.

  Jeff snorted. “Yeah, yeah.” Stepping into the hallway he swung his backpack over his shoulder and headed for the door, David following close behind.

  “Guys?” Michael shouted. He walked into the hallway, his metallic leg creaking. “There you are. You need to get going.” The school bus honked again. “Let’s go . . .” He gestured them toward the door, opening it and waving at Mr. Andrews.

  “Hey,” Michael said, turning to face the boys. He leaned forward and put his hands on both their shoulders.

  Jeff recognized the somber look in his dad’s eyes, and noticed he was wearing his NTC uniform.

  “You’re going away again?”

  “Just for a little while,” Michael replied.

  “But you said you were going to be home all week,” David whined.

  Michael sighed. “I know, but I got a call last night that I’m needed back early. Your mom will be home from her trip by the time you get home from school.”

  “She’s not our mom,” Jeff said, pulling away from his dad’s grip.

  “Don’t start. Please,” Michael said. He brushed a strand of hair out of Jeff ’s eyes and pulled his sagging backpack strap higher up on his shoulder.

  Jeff wasn’t amused. “You always do this. You’re never home.”

  Michael’s eyes fell to the floor.

  “Don’t worry, it’s fine,” Jeff said. He pushed past his dad and left David on the stoop.

  “I’m sorry, Jeff. I love you, bud,” Michael yelled out.

  Jeff heard him say a few words to David and then listened to his brother running down the walkway to catch up.

  The bus doors hissed open and Jeff climbed the steps into the bus without looking back.