Текст книги "Broken Skies"

Автор книги: Theresa Kay

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Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Epilogue

Back Matter

Acknowledgments

THERESA KAY

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

© 2014 Theresa Kay, all rights reserved, worldwide.

This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws, and all rights are reserved, including resale rights: you are not allowed to give, copy, scan, distribute or sell this book to anyone else. No part of this ebook may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the express permission of the author.

Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if we use one of these terms.

Any people or places are strictly fictional and not based on anything else, fictional or non-fictional.

Cover Art by Nicole Spence at Cover Shot Creations

(http://www.covershotcreations.com)

To Elizabeth, who loved Jax from the very beginning and even during those times that I didn’t. Your support and encouragement have been absolutely invaluable and I couldn’t have done it without you.

ONE

I drop to the floor at the sound of the knock, my breath hissing in through my teeth when I smack an elbow against the table on my way down. What is Emily doing here? She has to know that Jace went out with the hunting party this morning. Nosy sheep girl. I cradle my elbow and scurry across the floor, conscious to stay below the level of the windows. I’ve got my long, red hair pulled into a messy braid and I’m wearing my brother’s clothes– not exactly acceptable attire around here for a girl and not easy to hide. If she sees me like this it will completely ruin my day.

“Jasmine?” Emily’s voice calls from outside. Not after my brother then. She’s after me.

I slide along the wall until I reach my bedroom and pull an over-sized dress out of my closet, sliding it over my head and smoothing it down. She calls my name again and I roll my eyes. “Jax,” I mutter to myself. “My name is Jax.”

My fingers twist my braid into a loose bun and I secure it with two pins from my dresser before I finally answer the door, a smile plastered on my face. “Hello, Emily. What can I do for you?”

Emily startles and takes a step back, but her smile never falters. “Good morning, Jasmine. I was wondering if you’d like—”

“Jax,” I say. “And my brother’s not here.”

Her brown eyes flick down to my crossed arms and she sighs, shaking her head slightly. “I’m not looking for your brother…Jax. I was looking for you. I was hoping you’d join us for the sewing circle today. There are quite a few things I’d like to discuss with you.”

I barely manage to conceal my snort. Emily flinches. I guess I didn’t manage to conceal my expression. “Um…I can’t. I have to take this…” My eyes travel around the room, darting from one item to the next. I grab a small knife sitting on the table, “…knife to Jace. He’s out hunting and it’s his favorite.”

She has to know I’m lying, because I’m sure she’s fully aware that I’m not allowed outside the gates without an escort, but she’s too nice to call me on it.

“Well you’re welcome anytime,” says Emily, still smiling. She brushes a few strands of dark brown hair, escapees from her super tight bun, behind her ear. “We’d very much like to get to know you.”

I smile and nod at her. What am I supposed to say to that? No thanks I’d rather pull my fingernails off than sit around and chat about being Promised while sewing a dress I have no intention of wearing? They don’t need to get to know me. I’m not going to be around long enough to make a life here. “Well, uh, maybe next time?”

“Sounds great,” says Emily. Her hand lands on my shoulder before I can move away. She drops it almost the same second it touches me but I have to close my eyes to keep my breath under control. In. Out. One. Two. When I open my eyes again, her face is twisted with concern. “Jasmine…Jax…I’m so sorry…I…”

“No biggie,” I force my shoulders to shrug. “Just… I’ll see you later, okay?”

Her smile returns, weaker now, but still warm. “Sure.”

When she turns and walks back down the path, I let out a sigh and rest my back against the door, willing my muscles to relax again. Five minutes later, after ditching the dress, pulling on my boots, and wrapping a large cloak around myself, I’m out the door.

It’s only a few blocks to the East gate and I’ve gotten pretty good at small smiles and jaunty waves, but there’s still quite a bit of civilization I have to make it through and always the risk of getting caught. I’ve been caught before and still avoided punishment. You’d be surprised how well the mentally unstable card plays around here in getting me out of things. Of course, my brother is the best hunter in town and he’s also best friends with the son of our ‘illustrious’ leader so that might have something to do with it too. Better not to get discovered sneaking out though, I’d prefer to avoid the scrutiny.

People already look at me funny, no need to add to their opinions of me. They say I’m unsociable, but mostly I just have nothing in common with the girls, sitting around and being obedient, just waiting to be Promised and start popping out kids, and I have even less in common with the boys who grew up under Dane’s watchful eye and think I’m less just because I’m female.

No matter what I do, I’ll never fit in here. And thank goodness for that. I would never want to be one of those silly sheep girls that inhabit this place. Dresses, buns, silence and subservience. That’s what’s expected from the females around here. I have a little wiggle room as I’ve still got two months until I hit eighteen. I guess I’m supposed to suddenly turn docile and compliant when it’s time for me to be Promised, but that’s not going to happen. I don’t plan to be Promised at all.

I didn’t ask to come here, to live within the walls of this stupid town. The largest and relatively safest human settlement left within hundreds of miles or not, I’d much prefer to be back out at our cabin than here. Jace and I were doing just fine on our own after dad disappeared four years ago. We hunted, grew food, and traded for anything we couldn’t make ourselves. It was perfect, and quiet, and private.

Somewhere along the way Bridgelake’s leader, Dane Jacobs, heard about our situation and set about offering his ‘help.’ On our third or fourth trading trip, the man ambushed us, smiling like he was approaching a cornered animal he didn’t want to spook. An overbearing, broad, brown-haired man, he frowned at my jeans and, after a simple hello to me, talked mostly to Jace. My brother got a kick out of that.

Dane offered us a place to stay and went on and on about how we shouldn’t be out there on our own. Admittedly, he almost had us, but then he started going on about how a lady should not be wearing pants and certainly shouldn’t be hunting. In Bridgelake, he claimed, they would make a proper obedient woman out of me and find a good husband for me.

Jace snickered when my jaw dropped.

“I don’t need a husband,” I said through clenched teeth. “We will be going now.” I spun on my heel, grabbed Jace’s sleeve, and pulled him away from the idiot.

Most of the way home, Jace laughed and muttered about me wearing a dress and how he pitied any man who ended up with me as a wife. He didn’t stop until I punched him in the arm, leaving a bruise that didn’t fade for two weeks. We didn’t go back to trade for almost three months and Dane kept his opinions to himself.

Then, a year ago, a couple of men found their way out to our isolated cabin when I was home alone. When Jace got home a few hours later, the men were dead and I was huddled in the corner, covered in blood.

After that, Jace insisted that we move behind the protective walls of the settlement and, since I wasn’t speaking at the time, I didn’t argue.

I’m arguing now though. Jace doesn’t know it yet, but we’re leaving soon, very soon. I’ve put up with the restrictions here because it made Jace feel better after what happened, but the only thing worse than being a sheep is being a brood mare. We will not be sticking around long enough for Dane to marry me off and breed me.

My steps slow as I approach the gate. The folds of fabric disguise my curves and as long as I don’t call attention to myself, I can slip past the two gate guards without much effort. It’s not like I haven’t done it before with no trouble. Put enough swagger in my step and no one pays much attention.

“Where are you going, Jax?” Flint’s voice stops me in my tracks. Dammit! It would be just my luck that my brother’s best friend is on guard duty this morning. There’s no way he wouldn’t recognize me.

Flint’s gun is still slung across his chest, his arms are crossed rather than making a move to grab me, and the other guard is busy examining a trader’s cart a good ten feet away. A good start at least. I have a chance at convincing Flint to let me by.

I turn my face and force the corners of my mouth up. There may even be a bit of eyelash fluttering going on. He just rolls his dark blue eyes at me, obviously not impressed, or maybe I just look like I have something stuck in my eye. Sometimes it would be nice to make use of some feminine wiles. I sigh and drop my shoulders. “Out.”

“You’re going to have to do better than that. You know I’m not supposed to let you out without an escort.”

“Please. I can’t breathe in here.” I step forward, stare up into his face and lower my voice. “Do you know Emily wanted me to come to sewing circle this morning? Can you even imagine?”

Flint’s mouth rounds up into a smile and he coughs to cover his chuckle. “No, Jax. I can’t possibly imagine you doing anything remotely feminine.”

I narrow my eyes. I’m no girly girl, but I know an insult when I hear it.

“Relax. I understand,” says Flint. “Just make sure you come back with Jace and don’t tell anyone I let you by.”

The smile on my face now is genuine. Reaching up, I ruffle his blond hair with my fingers and he smiles back at me. “Thanks. I owe you one.” I nudge him with my shoulder as I pass.

“Let Jace know I’ll meet up with him later, okay?”

“Sure will,” I call out over my shoulder.

Success! I wait until I’m out of sight of the gate before stuffing my cloak into my backpack and breaking into a jog.

* * * * * * *

Even though it’s mid-September, summer’s heat has lingered and by the time I make the short hike out to the lake, wisps of hair stick to my face with sweat. I hadn’t really planned on a swim, but the idea of jumping into the cool water sticks in my mind and my feet speed their pace, picking through the underbrush until I reach the gently sloped shoreline.

The lake is isolated and not something I’ve shared with anyone but my brother, but I still check to make sure no one else is around before I start stripping off my boots followed quickly by the faded jeans. My underwear and tank top stay in place, but I throw my bra into the air with a whoop. Damn uncomfortable thing. It doesn’t fall far from the rest of my clothes.

My arms and feet propel me out to the center of the lake. I hold my breath and sink into the water until my head is covered. With my eyes closed and the water pressing in around me I can shut out the rest of the world and just be. No rules. No expectations. No voices in my head. It is a wonderful feeling.

I stay under until my lungs are screaming for air, popping up at the last possible second and taking a gasping breath. This breath is cleaner and fuller than any I can take behind the walls of Bridgelake and it leaves me feeling more alive than I’ve felt in ages. It’s been much too long since I’ve left the house and relaxed under the open sky. I wasn’t exaggerating when I told Flint I couldn’t breathe in there. I’m not meant to be caged; some part of me just doesn’t handle it well.

I turn to float on my back, red tendrils of hair swirling around me. Puffy white clouds dance across the sky and a hawk glides on the breeze. A feeling of contentment settles in my stomach and the edges of my mouth turn up into a soft smile as I study the bird, a near perfect match for the metal pendant that rests against my chest, the one and only thing I have of my mother’s. The hawk shifts into a dive and disappears, but I continue looking up and begin picking out shapes in the clouds. A horse. A rabbit. I tilt my head to the side. There’s one that I can’t quite figure out… A hand grabs my ankle and pulls me under the water.

For a moment the darkness under the water is more a tomb than my refuge and my heartbeat picks up, pounding in my ears and sending a jolt of icy terror through my body. But then the hand squeezes my ankle and another comes up to tickle the bottom of my foot and a warm sense of safety washes over me.

Kicking the hands away, I pull my head above the water, sputtering. “Dammit, Jace!”

My brother’s head appears, his hazel eyes, the mirror image of my own, sparkling with humor. “I wish I could have seen your face. Was that a scream I heard? Did I scare you?” He laughs and pushes shaggy red hair the same shade as mine out of his face.

I scowl and send a splash of water toward him. “Not funny.”

“Aw come on, Jax,” he says, grinning and sending a splash my way. “Even you have to admit that was pretty good. I mean, I swam halfway across the lake underwater. You didn’t even know I was there. You should at least be impressed with my stealth skills.”

I fight a smile. I rarely let my guard down so it actually is pretty impressive that he was able to sneak up on me.

I swim closer to him. “I guess your stealth skills are pretty good… But not as good as mine!” I kick up in the water until I can grasp his head and push him under. Soon after, his hand finds my leg and I go under too.

We spend a long time goofing off, dunking and splashing each other, before we exit the lake. I turn my back to Jace, remove my tank top and wring it out before pulling it back on. He just stands there letting the water drip from his boxers and down his legs. Once we find a patch of grass under a tree to sit on, I squeeze the water out of my hair and braid it until it falls in a damp line down my back. With my bare legs extended in front of me, I lean back against the tree, my shoulder butting against my brother’s.

“Make any friends today?” Jace asks.

“No.” I narrow my eyes at him. “I can’t stand those girls.”

“You haven’t even given them a chance. I know Emily’s been—”

“Emily huh? She spent an awful lot of time batting her eyelashes at you last time she stopped by. Anything you want to tell me about?”

Redness in his cheeks gives away his feelings more than words ever could. “No,” Jace says, frowning. “I’d just like to see you branch out, socialize… get better,” he glances at me and winces, his next words coming out in a rush, “It’s gotta be a lot more fun than sitting around the house and hiding from everyone. No offense, Sis.”

I snort. “A lot more fun for you maybe.” I settle my back against the tree. “Every time they try to pull me into the fold, I’m worried one of those sheep girls is going to ambush me and force me into a dress so I can be Promised to the first guy willing to take me.”

“Well, it might improve your temper.”

I punch him in the arm.

Jace leans against the tree next to me. “There’s nothing wrong with being sociable Jax. It can’t be just us forever.”

“I’m happy with just us.” I cross my arms over my chest. “Plus, it’s not about me being sociable. It’s about conforming and being some perfect little obedient robot. Oh, and Dane’s desire to marry me off. The only way I’ll ever be Promised is if they lobotomize me. I am not one of those girls.”

“Lobotomize?” Jace raises his eyebrows. “You’ve got to be reasonable here. I’m sure one of the guys would be more than happy to take you on, bad attitude and all. I mean, look at me, I’m gorgeous and you’re my slightly less attractive twin.” He grins when I nudge him with my shoulder. “What about Flint? He’s nice enough.”

“Oh yes, I’m sure Dane would be willing to part with his precious son.” I roll my eyes. “Besides, it’s not going to happen.”

“It’s not up to him.” He won’t meet my eyes. “Flint is my friend and he makes his own choices. He likes you. He’d take good care of you. It wouldn’t be that awful right?”

It’s my turn to blush. “Whatever. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” Tomorrow. That’s when I’ll tell him about my plan. We can’t stay in Bridgelake much longer.

I close my eyes and let the sun warm my skin, enjoying the quiet companionship. Jace’s hand finds mine and I drift off to sleep.

TWO

The distant screech of a hawk and a tremble in the ground startle me awake. The sun is much lower in the sky and I must have slept for a few hours. I blink a few times to clear my eyes and stretch my arms over my head. Jace is still fast asleep beside me, softly snoring. I poke him with my finger, but he only hunches his shoulders and slumps further down. That boy can sleep through almost anything.

My mouth drops open and my breath catches in my throat when a silver ship comes into view over the crest of the trees. Obviously E’rikon, but what the hell are they doing way out here? For that matter, what are they doing outside of their city? I don’t know much about the aliens, but I do know they don’t belong out here. I scramble for my jeans and pull them on, slam my feet into my boots and run into the woods the ship has just passed over.

I’m running so fast I almost run right into the meadow where the ship has landed. I stumble over my feet stopping myself and shimmy up a tree. I should turn around, wake Jace and get out of there, but ever since the aliens showed up, I’ve always wanted to see one up close.

There are a lot of rumors flying around about them, most probably untrue, but everyone agrees that they look remarkably like us and that, even though when they first showed up about ten years ago a few groups tried to engage them, they aren’t looking for a fight. They pretty much ignore us actually. Thank goodness, because although there don’t appear to be that many aliens, there aren’t many of us left either.

The war was bad enough, with fighting on every continent, but it was the biological weapons that did it. Each country had vaccines and cures for their own, but no one ever stopped to think about what would happen if the bugs mutated, combined, or whatever it was that happened to create something that killed over ninety percent of the world’s population.

It’s been thirty years since the Collapse and I’m almost glad that I’m too young to know what it was like before. Sounds to me like people were stupid and selfish. Not much different than now, but on a much larger scale.

Of course, now has its own dangers. Like breeders, traveling bands of men who will pay a good price for a woman– or girl– of child bearing years. For some reason the plague was especially virulent in females and we’re a valuable commodity now, along with any children we’re able to bear. That’s the one good thing about Dane, he sends his soldiers out to keep them out of this area. Though, he’s got his own breeding program with his whole Promising thing, so I guess he’s just the lesser of two evils.

Hopefully, these particular aliens aren’t here to become a third evil.

My stomach churns as three male aliens exit the ship. They do look remarkably human-like in their proportions and their stature. All three are older, maybe around fifty if they were human, with various shades of wildly colored hair, at least by human standards. My hair is pretty bright too, but nothing like this.

One has close cut silver hair with a slight gold tinge. And I’m not talking about a blond gone gray. His hair has the metallic shine of metal. The other two have slightly more normal looking hair, one with a bluish tint to his brown locks and the other with a more yellow hue. If it weren’t for the hair and the fact that I’d seen them disembark from an E’rikon ship, I could have easily mistaken them for human.

Their clothes, form fitting pants and some kind of fancy, high collared jacket covered in gold markings, are a boring gray. Knee high boots in the same shade cover their feet and they all wear a silver cuff on their right wrists. A uniform of some sort?

I’m about to climb down, fade into the trees, and head back, my curiosity sated, when a fourth alien leaps down from the ship. He’s young, maybe close to my age, with angular lines making up his clean shaven face. He’s wearing darker clothing than the others and his jacket is plain. The pressed charcoal fabric hugs his frame, broad in the shoulders and tapering at the waist. He stands straight with his shoulders back, as if at attention, and scans the forest around him. The only thing even slightly mussed about him is his hair. It stands up in short curled tufts scattered over his head and framing his face, the shine of gold standing out among the bright green tips. He is beautiful.

The tallest alien, the one with the gold and silver hair, pushes the green-haired youth forward. I can’t make out their words, but the steady set of green hair’s shoulders isn’t enough to hide his shaking hands. His steps are steady and the other three follow behind him almost as if they’re stalking prey. The boy stops and the tall one pushes him again, but this time he doesn’t move forward. Instead he turns and faces the group behind him.

They appear to be arguing, one of them gesturing toward the ship and then throwing his hands up in the air. I lean out over the branch, hoping to hear their conversation and the branch I’m sitting on cracks. I scramble back toward the trunk and push my face into the rough bark, closing my eyes. They didn’t hear. They didn’t hear. I crack my eyes open and the three aliens have stilled and are looking into the woods– in my direction.

I gulp down the acid in my throat. The only weapon I have is a small knife in my boot. I could throw it, but that would only take out one… maybe. As far as I know, they aren’t very susceptible to human weapons. Any information I have at all is, at best, third or fourth hand, and that’s all from observation, not interaction. But they’ve never attacked us, never really had anything to do with us. These aliens aren’t a threat to me, right? I should climb down, calmly approach them and let them know I’m not a threat either. But something keeps me in that tree, gripping the trunk with white knuckles.

A whistle comes from the woods to the right of me and the sound of someone crashing through the underbrush reaches my ears. I see a form approaching the meadow. It’s Jace. I open my mouth to call out to him, to warn him but he looks directly at me and shakes his head, putting one finger over his mouth. He knows I’m there and he’s trying to draw their attention. Of the two of us, Jace is the more diplomatic one and in a normal interaction he could probably talk his way out of almost anything. But something about these three… I don’t know.

Wait a second. Three? Where did the green-haired alien boy go? My eyes dart around the clearing, but he’s nowhere. Maybe he ran off while the others were distracted.

The aliens move closer to the edge of the meadow where Jace is about to appear. They are silent, the one gesturing before stopping the others with a raised hand when they move forward. As if they’re waiting in ambush. Why would they be doing that?

Jace does an exaggerated trip into the meadow, catching himself and then straightening to greet the aliens. “Hello,” he says.

The alien that stopped the others from moving into the woods steps forward. “Hello, human,” he says. “What are you doing in these woods?”

“Hunting,” says Jace, holding up a rabbit. “Gotta eat something.”

The alien looks at the rabbit with distaste, much the same look he gives my brother. “Are there any other humans in the area?”

“No,” says Jace. He’s too busy making eye contact with the speaking alien to notice the glance that passes between the other two.

“Wonderful,” says the alien. He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. Raising a hand, he motions the others closer. They fan out on either side of the third, forming a semi-circle with Jace in the center.

Jace narrows his eyes. “What’s going on here, alien?”

The alien says nothing, but the smile drops from his face as Jace takes a step backward. “Stay.”

“I’m not a dog,” says Jace.

The alien ignores his comment. “Do you have any weapons?”

Jace turns his head, looking at the other two aliens and takes another step backwards. “Yeah,” he says. “I’ve got this!” Jace swings the rabbit forward by its ears, sending it straight into the alien’s face and takes off into the woods before the other two have time to grab him. I let out the breath I didn’t even know I had been holding. Jace knows these woods almost better than I do. The aliens don’t stand a chance of catching him.

After a moment of hesitation, the three aliens take off into the woods– a lot quicker than I expected them to. Jace led them off so I could get away, so why am I still sitting here staring into the clearing? I shake my head and climb out of the tree. My knees bend at the impact of jumping the last few feet and, when I straighten up again, the younger alien is standing in front of me. Why did he sneak off and why isn’t he with his buddies?

This close I can see his eyes more clearly. Black pupils ringed with a sliver of gold and blending into an emerald green on the outer edges, much like his hair. I’ve never seen anything like it. Now those eyes I could never mistake for human.

It takes a moment before I realize I’m gaping at him and move to back away. My foot hits a rock and I stumble, barely catching myself before I fall. I wince, but he hasn’t made a move to pursue me so I dash farther into the woods. In only three steps, I crash against a hard chest and bounce backward, this time landing on my butt on a cushion of pine needles.

Looking up, I’m face to face with the alien. Damn. He moves fast. I don’t have time to think anything else before he springs forward and grabs my wrist, pulling me to my feet. He takes a step away once I am standing and glares at me.

“Where are you going?” he asks.

I say the first thing that comes to my mind. “Away from you.” He almost laughs. I don’t know why he would find that so funny. It’s the truth. I narrow my eyes and return his glare, putting my hands on my hips. “What do you think you’re doing in my meadow?”

“Your meadow?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Yes. Now take your friends and leave.” The less he says, the more my hands sweat. I hope he can’t tell how nervous I actually am.

This time he chuckles. He mutters the word ‘friends’ under his breath and shakes his head to himself. “They are no friends of mine, little girl.”

Any fear I felt is replaced by a fast striking anger. “I’m not a little girl.” I move to turn around and walk away, but he grabs my arm again and I freeze in place. His fingers dig into my bicep and ice cold fear seems to spring from his grip, slowly working its way through my body. I have to remember to breathe. In. Out. In. Out.

The blood leaves my face and my head spins. My eyes involuntarily widen and as I work on controlling my breath and swallowing the lump climbing up my throat. The alien cocks his head to the side with a curious look on his face. Then his eyes widen and in another second, I hear it too. There’s someone coming this way, a group of someones by the sound of it. The alien puts one finger to his lips, moves his hand to my shoulder, and shoves me down to the ground.

We have just enough time to slide down behind a bush when the three older aliens crash through the brush only feet from our location. The last one is dragging a struggling Jace by one arm, the other arm hanging limp at his side. Jace stumbles into a tree with his shoulder and cries out in pain. I try to catch his eye to let him know I’m there, but he just trips along behind the alien, not even pausing to look around.

When they reach the clearing, the lead alien faces Jace and shoves him hard. Jace stumbles back a step and then falls to his knees.

“Now let’s try this again, human,” he says, leering down at my brother. “Do you think you can cooperate this time?”

“I don’t have much of a choice now do I?”

The alien backhands Jace across the side of his face. “I don’t tolerate disrespect from vermin.”

Jace’s head rocks to the side and it’s as if someone has taken all the air from my lungs. I inch toward the clearing.

The alien tilts his head and narrows his eyes down at Jace. “What…?”

Jace doesn’t get up, but the alien pulls him to his feet by his shirt and tosses him to the other two aliens. “It seems we may have already found what we are looking for. Take him.”

“No!” I can’t stop it. The shout comes echoing out of my mouth and into the clearing. The aliens tense, instantly on alert.

Jace looks almost directly at me. “Jax, run!”

I scramble backwards on my hands then spring to my feet and take off into the woods with tears running down my face. I don’t hear the aliens pursuing me, not that I would. After my experience with the younger alien, I know that if they want to catch me they will. I keep running anyway. The world slows down around me and my feet drag. My brain barely registers the surge of—something– behind me before I’m knocked forward into the dirt and blackness overtakes my vision.