troops.
They’d all tried.
Immediately upon invasion, the Invaders had disabled most of our weapons technology and satellites. That was the little bit I’d picked up on the news and through word of mouth, but seeing these stealthy, elegant machines float above us in the flesh, it was all very clear.
They were a superior species, in all the ways that truly counted. Smarter, faster, and equipped with defenses we couldn’t begin to match, they had us exactly where they wanted us, and we knew it.
“Nope, haven’t been inside one of them. Only seen them on the ground.” He raised his canteen to me and I accepted it, taking a careful swig of water. “You can sit for a few. We need to rest before sundown so we can travel through the night.”
I handed him the water and took a place at his side, resting my head back against the tree trunk. The bark was soft and moist, cushioning and cradling me against it. “How’s your hip?”
“It’s been better. How are the cuts on your back?”
“That medicine helped. Thanks for sharing.”
“Need some more?”
“Nah, I’m good for now, thanks.” It occurred to me then that he hadn’t mentioned his sister Hera since last night, or what he intended to do if he never found her. What would I do if he didn’t find her? What if he did? Where did that leave me? When we reached San Francisco, if we made it that far, would we just split up and go our separate ways? Near the water was the last place I wanted to be if those things were gathering there, but I’d go if it meant finding answers.
If it meant helping Jet find Hera.
Sitting here, beneath this majestic oak tree under the hot afternoon sun in the middle of nowhere, the concept of time, present, and future, were all blurred. What was time if you didn’t know whether you had it?
When you weren’t sure what you had to live for?
I’d never felt more out of my element than I did at that moment, and I knew the only way to shut down my tired, overworked brain was to attempt to snag some shuteye. I let my lids fall shut, my head roll softly to the side until it landed on Jet’s shoulder. A gentle whisper whipped through the surrounding trees, tickling their branches, telling them secrets. It had been so long since I’d relaxed like this and allowed myself to listen to the whisper of the wind. So long since I’d given into it and said to hell with the invasion, the attack, rumors of life on Earth coming to an end.
So long …
“Skylla!” Jet’s voice ricocheted off something in the distance, and I woke with a jolt, realizing his shoulder was gone and that I was slumped over against the oak tree trunk, alone.
“Fire!”
My vision went from fuzzy to crystal clear in a split second, and I was on my feet, spotting Jet straight ahead, running toward me and aiming directly over my shoulder. Machine gun in his left hand and a Glock in his right, he started shooting. I pitched all of my body weight away from his fire, swinging around to aim in the same direction.
There in the late, tangerine sunlight, amidst the rich emerald trees, stood a mesmerizing pack of Invaders, their elegant skeletal frames swaying as if they would wither away and turn to dust with the slightest brush of impact. Their stance and orderly triangular formation, however, said differently. They were in complete control, even their slightest movements calculated. Their long fingers were strong, their grips precise while they snapped outward to shower us with a barrage of Aqua Bombs, each container spitting sharp and fast from their palms, heading straight for us. They hit surrounding trees as we dodged them, lodging into the trees with thick thuds, while others whizzed past us and soared outward into the distance. One clipped my shoulder and I screamed and ducked away just in time.
As I pulled the trigger and delivered relentless shots to the creatures’ heads, a warm, moist hand stopped me, closing around my throat from behind. My arm fell to my
They’d all tried.
Immediately upon invasion, the Invaders had disabled most of our weapons technology and satellites. That was the little bit I’d picked up on the news and through word of mouth, but seeing these stealthy, elegant machines float above us in the flesh, it was all very clear.
They were a superior species, in all the ways that truly counted. Smarter, faster, and equipped with defenses we couldn’t begin to match, they had us exactly where they wanted us, and we knew it.
“Nope, haven’t been inside one of them. Only seen them on the ground.” He raised his canteen to me and I accepted it, taking a careful swig of water. “You can sit for a few. We need to rest before sundown so we can travel through the night.”
I handed him the water and took a place at his side, resting my head back against the tree trunk. The bark was soft and moist, cushioning and cradling me against it. “How’s your hip?”
“It’s been better. How are the cuts on your back?”
“That medicine helped. Thanks for sharing.”
“Need some more?”
“Nah, I’m good for now, thanks.” It occurred to me then that he hadn’t mentioned his sister Hera since last night, or what he intended to do if he never found her. What would I do if he didn’t find her? What if he did? Where did that leave me? When we reached San Francisco, if we made it that far, would we just split up and go our separate ways? Near the water was the last place I wanted to be if those things were gathering there, but I’d go if it meant finding answers.
If it meant helping Jet find Hera.
Sitting here, beneath this majestic oak tree under the hot afternoon sun in the middle of nowhere, the concept of time, present, and future, were all blurred. What was time if you didn’t know whether you had it?
When you weren’t sure what you had to live for?
I’d never felt more out of my element than I did at that moment, and I knew the only way to shut down my tired, overworked brain was to attempt to snag some shuteye. I let my lids fall shut, my head roll softly to the side until it landed on Jet’s shoulder. A gentle whisper whipped through the surrounding trees, tickling their branches, telling them secrets. It had been so long since I’d relaxed like this and allowed myself to listen to the whisper of the wind. So long since I’d given into it and said to hell with the invasion, the attack, rumors of life on Earth coming to an end.
So long …
“Skylla!” Jet’s voice ricocheted off something in the distance, and I woke with a jolt, realizing his shoulder was gone and that I was slumped over against the oak tree trunk, alone.
“Fire!”
My vision went from fuzzy to crystal clear in a split second, and I was on my feet, spotting Jet straight ahead, running toward me and aiming directly over my shoulder. Machine gun in his left hand and a Glock in his right, he started shooting. I pitched all of my body weight away from his fire, swinging around to aim in the same direction.
There in the late, tangerine sunlight, amidst the rich emerald trees, stood a mesmerizing pack of Invaders, their elegant skeletal frames swaying as if they would wither away and turn to dust with the slightest brush of impact. Their stance and orderly triangular formation, however, said differently. They were in complete control, even their slightest movements calculated. Their long fingers were strong, their grips precise while they snapped outward to shower us with a barrage of Aqua Bombs, each container spitting sharp and fast from their palms, heading straight for us. They hit surrounding trees as we dodged them, lodging into the trees with thick thuds, while others whizzed past us and soared outward into the distance. One clipped my shoulder and I screamed and ducked away just in time.
As I pulled the trigger and delivered relentless shots to the creatures’ heads, a warm, moist hand stopped me, closing around my throat from behind. My arm fell to my
Similar Books
