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Miranda eyed Ben through half-lidded eyes. She’d been pretending to be asleep for hours now, willing her breaths to come out steady and slow, which was hard since her heart hammered painfully against her ribs.
Finally, Ben’s head lolled to one side, and a light snore came from the back of his throat. Experience told her she didn’t have long to enact her plan. Ben only slept a few sporadic hours a night. She didn’t know how he then had the energy to stay awake and alert all day to take them on miles-long walks through a sweltering jungle.
With watchful eyes on Ben, she quietly and quickly pushed herself up on one arm and gathered Adam, Lexi, and Lexi’s diaper bag close to her breast with the other. Ben was sitting—never laying—with his back against a tree. Even in sleep, he didn’t seem relaxed. Any noise from the surrounding trees and he would wake, be on his feet and ready to fight within seconds.
Then there was Esme. Miranda let her gaze roam to the right where Esme slept, protecting her kids from the other side. A week ago, Esme hadn’t known Miranda or her kids, but she’d helped to protect them too. Both Ben and Esme would defend her kids with their lives.
And that’s why she had to leave them.
It was for their own good. That alien Esme met had said as much.
If Ben and Esme stayed with her, they would never escape from this planet and return to Earth. Miranda didn’t need that on her conscious. She had to give them a chance to survive. Even if it meant doing the unthinkable. Trying to survive this on her own.
Miranda pushed the pod icon on her comlink. The ground slid back. She braced her children against her, squeezed her eyes shut, and suppressed a yelp as weightlessness took over. Her shoulder and hip slammed onto the bottom of the pod. The sleeping bag didn’t help to soften the fall at all. She looked up in time to see the top of the pod closing and the ground sliding back into place.
Miranda blinked, letting her eyes adjust from the world’s darkness above to the bright lights along the system of tracks. Everything was visible through the see-through pod. Before she could second guess her decision to leave and what it meant for her and her family, the pod lurched forward.
Too late to turn back.
Adam stirred against her chest, and Lexi squirmed around.
Adam woke with a drowsy gaze. “Momma?”
“Shhh, my sweet boy.”
Miranda loosened her grip to check them over. Lexi’s small face was pinched, but her eyes remained closed. She was a hard sleeper, just like her dad. Adam was desperately trying to open droopy eyelids. In a few more minutes, he would win his battle and wake fully.
She sat up, cradling them in her lap. She pushed Adam’s hair from his forehead. “We had a little fall. Are you hurt?” she whispered so as not to wake Lexi.
Adam rubbed the side of his head. “Just my face.”
His head had slammed into her chest during the drop. Her ribs hurt with each breath she took. Thankfully, he didn’t have a bruise, but she kissed his temple anyway. “Oh, baby. I’m so sorry.”
Adam finally opened his eyes fully. “We’re in the ground? Where are we?”
“We’re continuing our adventure.” Technically she wasn’t lying to him. They were on an adventure.
The pod came to an abrupt stop, and the ceiling opened. Miranda tightened her hold on Adam and Lexi as a force of air suddenly pushed them up and out onto the ground. They rolled, with Miranda taking the brunt of the impact. They rolled until they were covered in mud, and finally slowed to a stop. She landed on her back with the kids resting on her chest. She coughed, struggling to breathe. Everything hurt.
“That was fun,” Adam squealed.
“Yeah, right. Fun,” Miranda said weakly. “Yay! We’re having so much of it.”
Adam dug his elbows in her chest and pushed away. If she weren’t currently experiencing blinding pain, she would’ve stopped him from scrambling from her grasp.
Adam sat on the ground and glanced around. “Where are Esme and Ben?”
She hadn’t figured out what to tell him. Her only thought had been to give Esme and Ben a fighting chance at survival. She didn’t want to tell Adam yet another lie. She’d told him so many since they’d gotten here.
We’re on a camping adventure. I know I said we had to wait until summer to go camping, but look. It’s summer here!
This metal collar around all of the grown-ups necks? They’re necklaces. Aren’t they pretty?
Your new wristband? I bought it for you. Do you love it?
Adam had smiled and believed every lie that spilled from her lips. What good would telling him the truth do besides worry and scare him?
Hey, sweetheart. You see that sun that’s brighter and oranger than the sun you’re used to seeing? That’s not Earth’s sun. Oh, and that pastel looking planet in the sky next to it? That isn’t Saturn. I know, I told you it was, but I lied. And the planet we’re currently on? It’s not Earth, baby. It’s called Turolois. And it only gets worse! Those people that jumped out from behind the trees and threatened to take us away aren’t men in costumes. They’re aliens, and they’re hunting us! Do you think you could not freak out while I decide how to save us from this hellhole? Awesome, baby. Mommy loves you.
No, she wouldn’t be telling her four-year-old son any of that.
She schooled her face to hide her pain. “We had to split up.”
He frowned. “But why?”
She pushed herself to sit up. By the grace of God, Lexi was still sleeping and cuddled in her lap.
“Because they have a different camping package than we do.” She pushed an icon on her wristband, er, comlink, and the sleeping bag began to fold.
Adam’s bottom lip quivered and his eyes watered. “But I like being with Ben and Esme. Ben is so tall, and he let me sit on his shoulders. I was so high up. I could see everything.”
“You’ll have to be a big boy and walk from now on.” She stored the sleeping bag in her comlink.
She hated the words even as they left her mouth. Adam was still so little. She would never be able to keep the same pace Ben had set, but she had to try. They had to keep moving. Staying in one place was just asking for trouble. They would be sitting ducks for aliens trying to capture them. Spencer and Mary Ann had decided to stay in one spot, and were never heard from again.
“This means we can take our time and do a lot more sightseeing,” she added quickly. “We’ll explore some of the natural wildlife habitats. We have an exploration camping package. Ben and Esme have to continue on their hiking package.”
“I liked hiking, though. Can we change our package?”
She let out a snort and ruffled the top of his head. “You liked it because your feet hardly touched the ground. Ben carried you around. Trust me. This is a way better package. We not only get to explore the wildlife, but we’ll also get to experience how the animals live too.”
Adam scrunched his face. “But I don’t recognize any of the animals on this campground. They’re so different from anything I’ve seen or read about before.”
“I know. I know. But that’s why we’re here. I wanted you to learn new animals.”
A small dark blur dashed into a thicket of bushes near them. Adam pointed toward it. “Can I learn about that animal?”
“Sure. Let’s see where it got off to.”
She pulled the infant sling from Lexi’s diaper bag and secured it around her tiny body. Then carefully, she placed Lexi inside and made her comfortable. She stood and slung the diaper bag over her shoulder while Adam crawled toward the bushes where the animal had gone.
“Maybe you should stand? It’s pretty dark out here, and we can’t see what’s on the ground.”
“Just some mud, grass, and sticks.” He growled, making animal noises.
“You can be that animal, but only if you do it softly.” According to Esme’s alien, all of the aliens returned to a lodge after the evening alarm rang, but Miranda couldn’t take any chances. She couldn’t afford to.
Adam stopped the animal noises but kept crawling. She could’ve made him stand, but what was the point? It wasn’t like he had to stay clean for a reason. She had to pick her battles and decided quickly that this wasn’t one of them.
Miranda followed Adam deeper into the thicket. The ground soon became muddier, and the grass sparse. The trees were thinner, the hanging branches intertwined together as they connected to the surrounding trees.
After a while, the sun began to rise and the jungle came alive, teeming with unfamiliar sights and sounds. Pretty soon, the morning alarm would ring, and the aliens would be on the hunt. Again.
Her knees weakened with the thought. Alien hunters would be after them soon.
And this time she would be on her own.
The terrifying thought made her lose her footing. Miranda stumbled then caught herself just as Adam glanced over his shoulder. She swallowed the lumps forming in her throat and inclined her head. “Keep moving.”
He did as told, and she followed him.
All we have to do is prove we can survive, then we’ll be able to go home.
A squawk erupted over her head. She startled and stumbled back, tripping over a tangle of branches that had fallen from one of the trees. She landed on her butt, jostling Lexi as she sunk into the mud. Lexi let out a high pitched screech.
“Sh. Sh. Baby,” she cooed, rocking Lexi. “You’re fine.”
Adam paused and watched them. “Be quiet, Lexi. We have to be quiet animals, not loud animals.”
Lexi didn’t pay Adam any attention. Even in the low light, her face was redder than usual. Miranda nuzzled her mouth behind Lexi’s ear and made kissing noises. Something that usually calmed her down. After a few deep breaths, Lexi’s whimpers settled.
“That’s my baby girl,” Miranda sang softly. “I know this is all so terrible, but we’ll get through it together.”
“What’s this?” Adam asked. His voice sounded too far away.
Miranda’s head jerked up. No Adam. The world seemed to stop. Her breath lodged in her throat as her eyes darted in every direction.
“Adam?” She scrambled to her feet, glancing around.
“Over here,” he called.
She shuddered in relief. “Get back here. We have to stay together, remember?” She didn’t care how loud her voice was.
“I found something.”
She hurried toward the sound of his voice in less than a second, only stopping when she encountered a barricade of branches blocking her path.
“Adam, come out.” She tore some of the branches apart with one hand, holding tight to Lexi with the other. There was too much debris to clear. Her heart raced. She wished for a knife to cut through. All she had was a taser and a diaper bag with dwindling baby supplies. “I can’t see you.”
“There’s a ladder. I’m going to climb it.”
She grabbed at more of the braches and tore. “Adam, wait!”
The patter of his steps from the other side warned he was on the move again. Fear motivated her to reach him. Holding Lexi’s sling to her chest, Miranda dropped to the ground and crawled. Branches stabbed and scratched at her bare arms, catching on her hair as well.
She reached the other side and stood. To her surprise, there really was a ladder. It led up the side of the tree, and Adam had already climbed half-way up.
“Come back down here,” she demanded in her best, I’m not playing around with you, mom's voice.
He kept going. Up, up. “Why? I’m almost at the top.”
“Adam! Stop!”
The birds in the nearby trees scattered. It was also enough to make Adam stop and watch her. She glanced around warily. She hoped the alien Esme had talked to hadn’t lied to her because if he had, she’d just broadcasted where to find them.
Taking a few steadying breaths, she said as calmly as her nerves would allow. “Adam, If I can’t trust you to listen to me, we’ll have to go home and our adventure will be over.”
“But there’s a bridge up here. I thought if we could get on it, we could see the entire campground. Even Ben and Esme.”
Bridge? If they were on higher ground, she might find out which direction they needed to go because she hadn’t a clue right now.
Adam took a few steps down.
“Wait.” She would rather know where she was leading her kids than to trudge along blindly. “Keep going, but hold on tight. I’m right behind you.”
She re-adjusted the diaper bag strap and made sure Lexi was secure, then climbed the ladder. When she finally reached the top, she struggled to catch her breath.
“Are you okay, Mommy?”
She heaved and coughed. Running after two young children was a lot different than trudging through a strange danger filled jungle. “I’m fine. Just a little out of shape.”
When she finally caught her breath, she stomped on the wood slats of the bridge, testing the sturdiness of it. With hands gripping the thick corded rope that made up the railing, she rocked back and forth. The bridge didn’t move. She looked over the side. They were high above the tree line.
“We’re so high up,” Adam exclaimed. “This is higher than Ben’s shoulders.”
Miranda nodded, then straightened. “Sure is.”
If she had a fear of heights, this would definitely trip her up. She took a few minutes to enjoy the view. It was breathtaking and scary at the same time. Trees and trees for as far as she could see, and there was a mountainous range far off to her left.
“Is this part of our adventure package? Do we go across the bridge or go back down?” Adam shifted on the balls of his feet and fidgeted about. His excitement was almost palpable
“Well, since we’re up here, we might as well go across. This seems a lot easier to get through than the thick trees on the ground.”
“I did good with finding this, right?”
She rustled the hair on top of his head. “You sure did.”
Big raindrops suddenly hit her head and face. Miranda held up a hand and tilted her head back to the sky. She would expect overcast or dark clouds signaling an impending storm, but she saw the same sky she’d seen every day here for the last few days. Pink and purple. “This also means we don’t have any cover from the rain.”
Adam threw his hands in the air and turned in a circle, giggling.
“Of course you don’t mind the rain,” she muttered.
“This is the best adventure ever!” He stopped and covered his mouth with both hands. His wide eyes were on her.
“We have to be quiet,” she reminded him.
Adam nodded.
She looked toward the sun. She had maybe another hour before the ear-piercing alarm sounded. It also meant Ben and Esme would be waking soon and find her gone. They’d be upset at first, and maybe a little relieved too. They had to know deep down that her leaving was for the best, and they were better off without her.
“Come on. We better get going. Don’t lean over the edge.”
Adam skipped ahead, and Miranda followed. Although the bridge was a nice change of scenery when the sun was fully up, and the alarm sounded, they needed to be on the ground. The bridge was an easy place for the aliens to trap them. Not to mention they would bake without the coverage of trees to soften the sun’s rays. Lexi’s skin was already beginning to peel.
But for now, she let Adam enjoy his adventure. She pulled a protein bar from the diaper bag. “Hey, adventurer.”
Adam turned and walked backward. She tossed him the bar, and he caught it with both hands. “Eat it all this time. I know it doesn’t taste that great, but we can’t waste food.”
He took a bite before turning around and skipping ahead. They’d finished the food she’d initially packed for a day out on Earth. It hadn’t been much, a few jars of baby food, vegetable snacks, and juice boxes. Since the food pods seemed to be limitless, she’d been calling for one every break. Whatever they didn’t eat, she stored. She didn’t know how long the free food would last, and having food readily made her feel better about their situation. She could go without food for a little while, but the kids needed three meals a day.
Something hit her in her head, breaking her concentration. It bounced on the bridge with a clunk. “Ouch.”
She rubbed the side of her head and glanced where the object had come from. Three monkeys—no, not monkeys; they were covered in fur and about the same size as monkeys, but they had six limbs and three large eyes. A group of them sat huddled in a tree, watching with curious eyes.
Adam picked up what they’d thrown, something round and orange. He giggled and tossed it back. One of the not-monkeys caught it and took a bite out of it, then threw it back. Adam caught it and opened his mouth.
“No!” She smacked the item from his hand. It fell to the ground and rolled, falling off the bridge. “We don’t know what that is. Better yet, I don’t want you eating after animals.”
The not-monkey screamed and jumped, shaking the branch it was on. The screams soon became screeching. It bared sharp white teeth and smacked the side of the tree.
She passed Adam and pulled him to follow. “Come on, let’s keep going. I want us on the ground before the alarm sounds. We have to hurry and try to cover as much ground as we can.”
The not-monkeys followed them, using the long branches to help swing and propel them from tree to tree.
“I think we made new friends,” Adam said, watching them.
“Miranda?” Ben’s voice came across the comlink. “Miranda, where are you? Answer me.”
Before Adam could press the communication icon on his comlink, Miranda grabbed his hand. “We can’t talk to him. Not right now.”
“Miranda? Answer me. Talk to me,” Ben begged, his voice cracking.
Miranda gnashed her teeth together. She wanted to answer him. He deserved to know why she’d left. It took all her will not to. Without Ben helping, they wouldn’t have made it this far. They would’ve been caught along with Spencer and Mary Ann. But if she stayed with Ben and Esme, they would all end up like Spencer and Mary Ann. No. He would understand. He had too.
“Why can’t we talk to him? Ben is our friend,” Adam whined.
“He’s our friend, but we have different packages, remember?”
Adam skipped by her. “So, since we can’t be part of his hiking group anymore, we can’t talk to him?”
“We’ll talk to him again. Later.” After he realizes he’s better off without us.
Just then something tugged her backward. Lexi screamed. Miranda turned around just in time to grab Lexi’s leg. One of the not-monkeys had an arm around Lexi’s neck, yanking her from her carrier.
“No!” Heart slamming against her chest, Miranda pulled her back. The not-monkey held Lexi tight, and another launched from the tree to help his friend.
Her pulse kicked up in true fear as she punched the not-monkeys with her free hand, landing strikes on any part of their body she could connect with.
“Let my sister go!” Adam yelled.
Her punches didn’t have much effect on them. She changed to gauging the not-monkey’s eye with her fingers. With an ear splitting scream, the not-monkeys finally released Lexi and jumped in one bound from the bridge back to the trees. Their continuous loud screeches blasted through the air, signaling their displeasure.
Weak-kneed, Miranda let out a cry and squished Lexi to her chest. No longer able to steady her shaking legs, she dropped to her knees and pulled Adam close to her as sobs tore through her. Tears rolled steadily down her face. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop crying.
How are we going to survive this alone?