“Our enemies have never come at us out in the open like this before, at least not on this planet,” said Talan.
He still couldn’t believe what he’d seen. Dregorgs and Cyturs both, out in the brilliant light of day for everyone to see? Cyturs hated sunlight. They couldn’t tolerate it without dark red goggles to protect their eyes. If it hadn’t been for Radek standing guard, the approaching group would have taken Talan completely by surprise.
Behind them, a large black van pulled onto the main street. It took the turn so fast its left side tires lifted from the pavement. Through the tinted windshield, Talan could just make out the spindly shape of a Raide with hair the color of bleached bone.
Krotian.
“We’re being followed,” he warned. “My guess is that van isn’t empty.”
Radek took a hard corner, sloshing Zoe around in the seat. Talan braced her against his side to keep her from getting injured.
“Krotian is getting desperate,” Radek said. “Otherwise he wouldn’t have sought us out in the light of day where a dozen humans could have seen.”
“Or he doesn’t care if anyone knows they’re here,” Zoe said. “You said they keep invading new worlds. What if it’s Earth’s turn?”
Talan caught Radek’s meaningful look over Zoe’s head. She was right. This could be really bad news for the human race.
That was how it had happened on Loriah. A few Dregorgs and Cyturs showed up every few days and started killing, scaring people into a frenzy. The social fabric of Loriah ripped as people scrambled for basic necessities and places to hide. Within a few weeks, production had shut down because no one wanted to leave the safety of their homes and go to work. Food became scarce. People began fighting each other for what was left. Thousands died each day, and the bodies piling up caused a rash of sickness, killing even more.
By the time the Raide showed up with their armies of war slaves, the whole planet was already in a state of chaos and despair. It hadn’t taken much to slaughter entire populations, leaving few to fight. If not for men like Talan being hidden when they were boys and trained in secret, the war would have been lost long ago.
There were even fewer left to fight now, and it seemed like the Raide had a never-ending supply of war slaves to command. The new ones weren’t always skilled in combat, but they were desperate to save their families left behind on their home worlds, and that had been more than enough to outweigh any shows of force Loriahans offered.
If that scenario were to play out on Earth, Talan had no doubt the outcome would be just as devastating.
“Everything is going to be fine,” he said to Zoe, hoping it wasn’t a lie. “Radek drives well. We’ll deal with this threat, then go to a safe place and figure out our next move.” He forced confidence into the words to reassure her.
“We can’t leave those monsters to hurt someone,” she said. She clung to his arm so hard he could feel the bite of her fingernails against his skin.
“We won’t. Just hang on and this will all be over in a few minutes.”
Radek gave him a look that said he was full of shit.
Talan glared at him, a silent command to back off. “Our best bet is to find a place to confront them. Someplace defensible, isolated.”
“You’re going to fight them?” asked Zoe, going a shade paler.
“It’s the only way. We can’t leave them alive to follow us or to terrify humans.” He wanted to comfort her, but there wasn’t time. They needed a plan—one that allowed as few humans as possible to see the enemy.
He looked behind them and saw that the van was still there, close enough to see but too far to risk using projectile weapons against it. There were civilians around. Children. He wouldn’t take chances with the lives of innocents like that, no matter how good his aim usually was.
Zoe’s tone was one of resignation and defeat. “There’s a state park and campground just south of town. The weather’s been so cold, I doubt there are many people there. Maybe not any. If you’ve got to wage war, that’s the safest place I can think of to do it.”
Radek followed her directions. As they neared the gate, they could see a sign strung on a thick wooden bar.
“It’s closed,” said Zoe. “But I don’t see anywhere to turn around.”
Radek grinned. “Doesn’t look all that closed to me.”
Talan barely had enough time to pull Zoe’s head against his chest to shield her from the impact. The truck slammed into the barrier. Frozen wood splintered into shards painted with orange and white stripes. A heavy chain scraped over the hood, and the attached sign flattened against the windshield.
Radek activated the wipers to shove the sign out of the way.
The truck slowed as it hit the remnants of snow on the unplowed roadway.
“You ready?” asked Radek.
“Right behind you.” Talan cupped Zoe’s pale face, forcing her to look at him. “Stay in the truck. This will only take a minute.”
She nodded, but the motion was so weak he could barely feel it against his hands. She was looking right through him, slipping away.
He didn’t have time to stay and reassure her. Once the threat was gone, he’d do what he could to ease her. Until then, he had no choice but to leave her on her own. Her safety had to come before her comfort.
By the time his feet hit the snow, Radek had already engaged the enemy.
Alien creatures seemed to come out of nowhere, charging Talan and Radek within seconds of them leaving the truck.
Zoe was still shaken from her father’s words, struggling with the weight that was now squarely on her shoulders. She’d managed to keep from totally freaking out until this moment, but she could feel the walls of her control shuddering under the strain.
In the bright glow of daylight reflected by brilliant snowfall, it was easy to see every horrible monster that came after the men. The big, lumbering Dregorgs were unsettling with their fleshy bodies and bizarre orange eyes, but it was the other creatures—the ones she’d heard called Cyturs—that were truly terrifying.
Their matte black bodies were more legs than anything. Each one of them had at least eight or ten—it was hard to tell without getting one of them to stand still. Those limbs were tipped with razor sharp points that slashed and stabbed at the men. What she guessed was a head was in the center of those limbs, protected from attack. That head was filled with pointed teeth and disturbingly feline eyes and topped with cat ears. A cross between some kind of deep sea fish, a cat and spiders, but way bigger, the Cyturs seemed incapable of speech beyond a strange clicking sound.
Zoe wasn’t sure how many eyes they had under those red goggles, but they must have been on all sides of their body, because no matter where the men went to attack, the Cyturs saw it coming.
She looked away from the battle, unable to face the horror of what was right in front of her. She was close to slipping into herself, away from the terror, but if she did that, she’d be of no use to anyone.
The box of weapons her father had left her was still in her purse. She scrambled to find it now, hoping something in there would be of use. Perhaps some kind of monster repellant.
As she searched the black depths of her bag, the fight developed a strange sort of music with the deep grunts of the Dregorgs, the sharp clicks of the Cyturs, and the occasional short burst of words from one of the men. A rhythmic crunch grew louder, giving the whole thing a strange beat.
It wasn’t until she heard that crunch right outside the truck that she realized it wasn’t part of the battle—it was coming for her.
Panic stole her breath and narrowed her field of vision. Outside in the snow were clear footprints leading right for her from the van parked several yards away.
A second later, her door was ripped open and the form of a Raide came into clear focus, shimmering out of thin air.
Part of her mind was so busy figuring out how that was possible that she didn’t react before he grabbed hold of her.
She felt herself being pulled toward him, toward that painful gaze he used as a weapon. The urge to keep her eyes open so she could see to defend herself was nearly overwhelming, but she knew what waited for her if she looked at him: invasive, searing pain.
Zoe scrunched her eyes shut and grabbed the angular edge of her box of weapons. She slammed it into what she guessed was the side of the enemy’s head. The grunt of pain she heard in response was more satisfying than a peace-loving woman had a right to feel, but she was too busy pulling her arm back for another blow to worry about her pacifist side.
If the asshole was going to hurt her and her friends, she was going to hurt him right back. Hard.
Before she could land the next blow, a bony hand gripped her wrist tight enough to make her drop the box.
That had been her father’s box. It was filled with his creations as well as hers. It was precious, and because of that, her instincts were to open her eyes and see where it landed.
That was the most painful mistake she could have made.
Before she had a chance to look away, Krotian caught her gaze and held it.
Zoe screamed.