Chapter Sixteen

Damn male! How was it she got the one that actually cared about her feelings when all she wanted was to feel him deep inside of her?

You’re only pissed because he did the right thing.

If he did the wrong thing, you’d be on the warpath.

Is there no pleasing you?

No, I’m horny. Of course, there is no pleasing me. She smiled in the midst of her irritation. There was nothing worse than when the voices her head were correct. If you want to be helpful why don’t you tell me what happened in Ron’s house?

It was an old and powerful enemy. That was the alien voice in her head, and she was going to ignore her.

That’s what I love about humans, the ability to ignore what is right in front of their noses.

She finished conditioning her hair before she stepped out the shower and took a blow dryer to it. When she was done, it pooled around her shoulders in waves. Declyn was waiting on the bed for her.

“Are you ready to turn in or are you hungry? You haven’t had much to eat today.”

“I think I’ve been through too much. I just want to get some sleep.”

He nodded and moved over so she could crawl to the other side of the bed. He turned the lights off and laid down.

“Can I lay in your arms?”

“I thought you might not ask.”

He pulled her close with a sigh as her body snuggled into his warmth. He kissed her before closing his eyes and allowing his body to sleep.

The buzzing around her head had her moving restlessly until it stopped and she snuggled down for a deeper sleep. Then a buzzing sound went off telling her she had a text. Carefully she disengaged from Declyn.

It was a picture of a woman and two teens. A mother and her two sons. They were the family Cathy was working with. She almost had them back into normal housing and the mother into a real job before she was killed.

The text read ‘if you want them to live you’ll meet me at your place.’

He wasn’t ever going to stop, not until he got his hands on her. Suddenly she was glad that Declyn was one of the good ones. This way she wasn’t tied to him, and he wouldn’t miss her when she turned up missing. She crept out of bed grabbing her clothes and shoes and dressed in the living room. She felt the tears in her chest, but she refused to let them fall from her eyes. She wished she had more time with him, but she couldn’t allow another innocent person to suffer for whatever imaginary sins she had committed.

She tiptoed out the house and into the garage hoping he wouldn’t hear the engine when she turned the key. She pulled the car out onto the empty street and headed for the barrier.

The darkness felt like it was reaching for her making her jump as she drove through it. The idea of going back to that apartment building made her queasy whatever was in Ron’s apartment would be there to welcome her, she was sure of that.

She parked her car in her old spot. She wanted the world to know she was there, maybe it would help in some way if she advertised her presence.

Once again, she took the stairs not wanting to be shut up in a tiny space. The door was slightly open when she got there. The light in the hallway was off leaving nothing but the emergency lights that glared creepily making her shake. She placed her hand on the door and slowly opened it.

Yeah, this was the scene straight out of a horror movie, and she was the idiot walking inside. She raised her flashlight to shine it into the apartment while the imaginary movie audience was screaming at her to run away.

“Turn it off now.”

She clicked it off plunging the apartment into darkness. There was a pinprick of light that didn’t show her much.

“I’m here Ron, what do you want?”

“You’re long past Ron’s paygrade.”

“How many of your friends,” he spit the word out, “have you infected?”

“None I swear.”

“I don’t even know this mother and her sons. Cathy told me about them, but I never met them.”

“That may save their lives, but don’t pretend you feel for them. I know aliens, and you don’t feel for humans. You’re here to take over our planet to hunt us to extinction.”

“That’s not me. I’ve never wanted to hurt anyone I don’t even like guns.”

“Says the alien who paints pictures of other worlds to get into our mind and influence what we believe.”

“I’m just working trying to make money like everyone else.”

“Wow, what did you do?” Her hand came back bloody.

“It’s an arrow I thought it would be more fun this way. Every time you lie to me, I’m going to put one into you.”

She touched her side. It was a surface wound but it hurt like hell.

“I’m not lying that was the truth.”

She grabbed her shoulder and wobbled trying to stay on her feet as he sent a second one through her body.

“Eventually, I’m going to hit something vital. Now what were you saying?”

She stayed quiet looking in the direction his voice and weapons came from.

“Back to your friends. Should I kill them and if I do who should I start with. Would you like to do the honor of picking the first one to die?”

He used his penlight to show her each of their faces one at a time.

“Well, who dies first?”

“Me.” She straightened her shoulders. “I’ll die so they can live.”

“Don’t pretend, I’ve seen what you do, how you kill.”

“There is more than one type of alien and this alien doesn’t kill.” She lowered her voice as she talked to him.

“Drop the flashlight and walk towards me.”

It sounded like a mild thump on the carpeted floor. He reached out and grabbed her by the throat.

He turned to look at the doorway his eyes squinting in the darkness.

“I’m going to walk out of here alive. If any of you approach me, I swear I’ll kill her.” He dragged her out the apartment and down the stairwell tossing her into the front seat of his car. When he was about a half mile away, he slowed enough for her to jump from the car and sped away.

The screech of brakes and the squeal of tires stopping was enough to let her know that Declyn had been right behind her.

“Fire.” He picked her up looking over her body.

“I’m fine. What about that family?”

“They’re safe. Tomorrow Deja will find them a place to live. It’s too dangerous for them out on the streets or in the shelters.”

“How will they afford that?”

“Don’t worry we’ll take care of it.”

“It wasn’t Ron.”

He placed her in the passenger seat before getting into the car.

“Where are we going?”

“Home.”

“How did you know?”

“Did you really think you could leave the house without me knowing?”

She shook her head. “No, I was counting on the fact that you would follow me.”

“I’ll always follow you.”

“I don’t understand. He was talking about things that don’t make sense. He acted like aliens were real, and while I know they are real, you aren’t going around the world terrorizing people.”

“I don’t know what’s happening. I’ve already started going through the known races to see if any would do what he accused you of, but most are far too advanced for that.”

“And those that aren’t?”

“They don’t have the ability to leave their planet much like the humans.”

“He could just be crazy.”

He could be, but he didn’t think so. His eyes were haunted. He looked like a man that had faced evil and knew exactly what he was talking about making Declyn want to believe him. How could he be so wrong about Safire or was he so far gone that anyone that crossed his path was automatically classified as evil?

“Wolf?”

He looked over and gave her a smile. “Nothing’s adding up. I hate puzzles, they have moving parts that put my people’s lives in danger. I want another look at that website maybe we can trace the founders.”

“I didn’t see his face.”

“Neither did I but I saw his eyes and they were tortured. He saw something that scared him. Whatever it was he pegged it as alien.”

“I’ve seen things on Earth that I would have sworn were otherworldly.”

“How many of them scared you?”

Most of them amazed. To know that she was living on a planet capable of such diversity was amazing. Then there were the things that weren’t supposed to be true. The things that conspiracy theorist tried to prove every day. Those things gave her the creeps at times, but this wasn’t the same thing.

He had been sure there was something out there that had been terrorizing the world, and he was convincing. Even now in the warmth of the car she was scared to examine the shadows, scared they may reach out and bite her. She closed her eyes until they reached home.

“All I want to do is sleep.” she closed her eyes, but she was restless tossing back and forth in the seat as he made his way back to the house.

She walked into the living room looking lost. She lifted her head to catch him with her brown eyes.

“Cait’s coming over to take a look at you.” She nodded and waited.

They were standing when she knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

“I heard you got hurt.” She took at look at her wounds before she disinfected and wrapped them. “They are more flesh wounds. You got lucky this time.”

“Thanks.” Lucky, she grimaced. What was her world coming to when being lucky meant not being hurt severely?

She watched as Cait left before she turned to look at Declyn.

“I think I’ll just sit up and read a book.” She lifted her phone.

He walked over taking her phone and led her to the bedroom. He stripped her down to her lingerie.

“Declyn?”

“Mine,” he growled in her ear and placed her on the bed. He stripped and pulled her into his arms. She snuggled closer to him placing her head on his heart. The beat of it soothed her until she finally fell asleep.

He sent out an order to have the barrier checked before he fell asleep.

*~*~*~*

A terrified scream woke her up. She rolled to the floor looking for a weapon to defend herself until she realized she was the one screaming. Declyn was reaching for her even as she was fighting him off.

“Alpia you’re safe.”

“Declyn?” He was holding her close even as her body was shaking. “What happened?”

“You woke up screaming. I was in the kitchen making you lunch.”

“You cook?” she asked memories of breakfast sneaking into her mind.

“Only when I want to eat.”

She gave a shaky laugh. “I don’t know what happened. Do you think I’m going crazy?”

“No. I think a lot has been shoved at you.”

“I think I need a shower.” She gave him a shaky smile before she stood going into the bathroom.

There was something wrong with her she could feel it. It wasn’t shouting, she wasn’t even sure she could explain the difference she felt. It was subtle moving inside of her making her feel like her nerves were crawling. There was that itch on the back of her neck that she wanted to claw off, but she knew if she looked nothing would be there not even goose bumps.

How was she going to explain that to Declyn? He thought she wasn’t going crazy, but she knew better, and now she was questioning her own humanity. Maybe she was evil and didn’t know it. How many times had someone pissed her off and she wanted to drop kick them or felt the need to run their car off the road.

Of course, she never wanted anyone to die she just wanted them to get out her way. Was that really so bad?

Don’t let the enemy take us over.

He’s going to kill us.

That was fear she’d know that voice anywhere. The alien in her head walked over to fear and smacked it. This was just getting good. If only she had some popcorn.

Laugh it up while you can. I’m coming for you.

Now that scared the hell out of her.