Arrival

ADIRA

I don’t know what to think as I stare at the alien in front of me.

His strange skin has retracted and I realize it is not skin at all but some kind of…suit?

It seems to move without any external input from him, which is creepy enough because I am positive it was in my mouth—down my throat!—earlier.

What sort of suit can do that?

He is closer now but at least he hasn’t tried to force me out of my hiding spot.

And he is not alone.

Another of his kind is nearby. I caught sight of him with a fleeting glance.

They are large. Well over six feet tall and their actual skin is just a few shades lighter than the pitch black of their “suits.”

Their faces are…humanoid…but so, so different.

Their faces are filled with ridges.

The one in front of me, staring at me so intently with his arm still outstretched, has a set of ridges ru

His ears are different too.

Longer.

Pointier.

The sides of his head are bald. Along the top runs a narrow section of thick, black locks that are secured together behind his head.

He is attractive.

Surprisingly so.

For a moment, I forget my fear.

I can only stare.

I snap out of it when the alien sniffs. His lips move a little as he does this and my gaze focuses on them.

They are thi

I should be more terrified, but I feel my fear ebbing as each moment passes.

Still, I keep my arm up, the branch I found pointed in the alien’s direction.

It is the only thing that seems to be keeping him at bay. Though, deep down, I know this is not true.

He isn’t coming closer for some other reason.

I’ll take that as a win for now for he looks like he could snap me in two with one hand.

It feels like I’ve fallen from one bad situation right into another, but at least he isn’t attacking.

He’s not doing…anything.

Maybe I have seen too much horror over the last few months.

This should scare me more than it is.

My back is against tree bark. There’s nowhere for me to go.

I hadn’t expected him to find me so quickly. I’d thought he’d head farther into the trees and then I could run in the opposite direction.

Obviously, that plan hadn’t worked. He’d come directly toward my location as soon as he’d entered the trees.

As if he knew I was there.

That thought u

He speaks every now and then to the other one.

Strange sounds. A combination of clicks, whistles, and hums.

Sometimes, there is a deeper sound that vibrates the air around them and when that sound occurs, both aliens look in my direction as if they are talking about me.

His friend has come into view now and I’m greeted with piercing burgundy eyes.

That’s the only thing that separates them visually. If not looking into their eyes, I would think they are clones.

Lava Eyes says something and my gaze shoots back to him.

He is speaking to me, I think.

He’s looking right at me, at least.

Good God…his eyes are intimidating.

It’s like staring into a fire that will engulf me if I get too close.

He says something again—a click followed by a thrum—but, of course, I ca

He takes a step closer and I inhale sharply, my eyes darting to his friend then back.

A sharp click leaves his lips then and his friend responds with one of his own.

And then the friend is leaving.

I am alone with Lava Eyes.

I do not move.

I do not know how long I wait.

Hours maybe.

I only know a lot of time has passed when nighttime rolls in and the sky grows dark.

The alien moved from my view some time ago.

But he’s still out there.

Waiting.

Every now and then I hear twigs snap and I’m aware he hasn’t gone far.

What is he waiting for?

Surely, I can’t be that interesting.

I turn my gaze to the sky, watching the darkness swallow it, and I wait too.

It’s my only chance of sneaking out undetected.

Maybe the alien will fall asleep. Maybe he will get bored and leave.

I do not know.

But what’s worse, I do not know what he wants.

The giant walking orb was hostile. That had been clear from the very first moment when it landed.

I still remember the moment I realized that a catastrophe was begi

As I turn things over in my mind, I ca

Were they the ones controlling the orbs or are they fighting against them?

They destroyed one.

But why?

Who are they?

The chances of Earth being invaded by two separate species of alien in such a short time is highly unlikely.

That only brings me back to my previous conclusion.

The two are related somehow and I’ve seen enough shit in the past few months to just throw caution to the wind.

I know it’s a miracle I’m still alive.

I’m not about to throw that away.

And Sam…Mina…

I gulp hard and readjust myself against the tree trunk.

Everywhere aches and my stomach is empty.

My arm lies limp at my side and my wrist is throbbing.

I feel battered and bruised. The only thing I want to do is take a moment to rest.

To breathe.

But every cell in my body is still on high alert.

I’m not safe.

Not yet.

No more sounds have come from the lakeside since I heard that scream.

I wonder if Sam and Mina are still alive.

For one brief moment, I squeeze my eyes shut and think.

I can do this. I’ll get out of this somehow.

The stars are begi

Maybe the alien has finally left.

I sure as hell hope so.

I need to head back to the lake, check on Sam and Mina.

I have to at least know if they are alive and maybe we have a chance of making it out of here together.

I can’t just leave. I have to check on them.

But I have to wait a little longer.

The darkness is my only ally.

Minutes tick by and it soon becomes so dark I can’t see my hand before my face.

Only starlight guides me as I ease forward, my ears perked for any sound.

I haven’t heard a twig snap in ages and though I assume the alien finally left, I’m not sure that’s the case.

For all I know, he’s out there close by.

Watching.

Waiting.

I lean out of the tree, gritting my teeth at the pain that ricochets up my back.

I have some pretty bad bruises. Healing is going to take a long, long time.

I wince, the pain causing me to hiss, and then I freeze, cursing myself for making any noise at all.

But there is no other sound.

Nothing, not even a slight breeze moves in the trees.

Gathering some courage, I squeeze the rest of the way out of the tree and pause, cocking my head as I listen.

Still nothing.

Twigs snap under my bare feet as I head in the direction I think the lake is.

A part of me prays the aliens have left and somehow Sam and Mina are still alive, but even as I think this, I know the thoughts are like those of a juvenile.

The world doesn’t work that way. It never did. And especially now, this world doesn’t work that way.

I break into a limping sort of jog, fighting the pain echoing across my entire body and the tears that spring in my eyes as a result.

I’m making progress and my courage begins to build when the darkness to my left moves.

My breath hitches in my throat.

There’s only a single second before something crashes into me.

Pain shoots through me but I am dimly aware of it. All I can feel is that I’m being encased by something, someone, much bigger, much stronger than I am.

A terrified glance behind me and molten lava eyes meet mine. I can’t breathe, choking on air, choking on the scream trying to barrel through my chest.

I’m in his arms somehow, his chest against my back. He holds me in place without much effort.

“No!” Oh God, please no!

I kick back against him, slamming my heels and my elbows back, but it’s like hitting against a wall.

It is clear I am having no effect on the beast that has me in its grasp.

My life flashes before my eyes.

I don’t want to be captured again.

I don’t want to be a pawn for another race once more.

Thoughts of my time within the orb, waiting for the day I’d be bred, the day I’d die, those thoughts flash across my mind.

Since the aliens landed, I’ve never been free.

“Please,” I beg, a sob tightening my throat. “Please, just let me go!”

The alien grunts and it feels like his arms tighten around me even more.

I can’t imagine what he wants to do to me.

But even as I struggle, I realize something.

He’s not…manhandling me.

As a matter of fact, his arms are simply like a cage. He isn’t moving.

I’m so terrified, my heart thumps so hard I swear I can hear it.

I can’t think straight but fighting against the alien’s strong grip isn’t working. I’m like a fly caught in a web, weak and overpowered, just waiting for the predator to devour me.

There’s a click above my head as the alien speaks, and then he does something else.

I can only describe it as a vibration that starts in his chest. It runs up my back as the alien lifts one hand from my waist and grasps my neck.

My head is forced back against him and as he leans down, it feels like I am being attacked by darkness itself.

He melds into the shadows as if he is a part of them.

His face is covered again but nothing can shield those eyes.

I grit my teeth, struggling to break free as I stare up into my end and the red-eyed demon holds my gaze.

I grasp the hand holding my neck and it’s almost as if I can feel his skin—no, his suit—writhe under my touch.

I lift my foot and kick backward. If he has nuts, I surely just made them retract into his body but this motherfucker is tough.

He doesn’t flinch.