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romantic-anti-hero-blog · 6 years

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“I’m sorry, but there’s not much I can do for you. If you’ll all return to your vehicles, the matter will be resolved soon,” the soldier said, and waved his free hand toward the line of cars. He was on the smaller side, looked just shy of 21, but his sharp tone of voice and dutiful eyes projected confidence. A Private First Class patch velcroed on his sternum; ‘Lars’ on his right breast; a flashlight in his left hand. Three other soldiers stood nearby. Two were on either dark curb of the road keeping watch, tightly gripping the M4 carbines draped around their torsos. The other, standing behind a large metal roadblock spanning the width of the road, paced back and forth as he spoke quietly into a radio on his shoulder.

In front of the guardsmen stood a crowd of fifteen or more, all backlit against their headlights, and unanimous in their frustration. “If it’s not dangerous, why can’t we get through?” a young mother asked, a toddler in her arms. “There’s got to be another way around,” a burly flannel-wearing man said. A kid with a wisp of a goatee asked, “What aren’t you telling us?”

“What exactly’s going on?” Max asked. Frank stood next to him, and Jan beside his father. Elias stood behind the whole crowd, tapping away at his phone and lightly kicking at gravel by the side of the road.

A woman standing nearby leaned in. “He said a tanker-truck with chemicals crashed,” she said. Her arms were crossed around her waist, swaddling herself in a brown cardigan.

“Like I’ve told you,” Private Lars said above the crowd, and pointed a beam of light just to the right of further down the road. “A chemical spill, about a klick that way. There’s a team of environmental specialists investigating the site and severity of the spill.”

Jan unlocked his phone and found a map of the area on barely a bar. It was a choppy and frustrating ordeal navigating around, flexing in and out on nearby roads and paths.

“Alright, do you know how much longer it might be until we’re allowed pass through?” Max said.

“Sir, do you know what spilled exactly?” Frank said.

“We’re not sure yet, but they’ve confirmed it’s not airborne, and poses no immediate threat to human life,” Lars said. “The report now is we should be getting all you folks on your way within an hour or two.”

“Well how long has it been?” a man in the back asked.

“My family’s been parked here for two hours already,” a woman said.

“Jeez, and there isn’t a detour, just to get around it?” Max asked.

Jan turned to Frank. “An hour and a bit isn’t too long to wait,” he whispered. “But there’s a dirt road a half-mile back that takes us around and to the left of here.” Frank nodded.

“Okay- thank you, Private Lars,” Frank said, and began to usher his gang back down the line of cars. Lars gave a nod to Frank, and turned his shields up against the remaining complaining group.

Frank put them a couple of steps away from the crowd and guardsmen. “Jan found a route around,” he said as they walked.

“Good man,” Max said, and gave Jan a first bump.

The crowd behind them suddenly paused their commotion; the only sound remaining was the soldier on the radio who began yelling to his team. Something “unknown” at “high-speed.”

Jan noticed a low humming in the distance, faint but growing. His pocket vibrated.

“Guys,” Elias said, still on his phone, confusion in his voice. “Lia texted. Something in the sky.”

The group all turned their heads upward and scanned the airspace. Nothing but a field of stars on black. The ominous humming grew and grew, But where is it? Jan thought, his eyes darting around.

The soldier again, calling: “Eyes up - find cover.” Then Private Lars: “Everyone, back to your cars, now!” he shouted.

“Dad!” called Lia from the end of the line of cars. Sierra stood beside her, yelled, “Guys, here, now!”

Then Jan spotted it. “There!” he said, and pointed a finger up in the sky, right of the road. A purple pulsating glow - no, six of them, sticking together in tight formation - streaking through the night sky, miles away. They seemed to move slowly, only because of the distance. A moment of staring revealed their incredible speed.

The crowd roared up - “What’s happening?” “What’s going on?” “What is it?” “Oh my God!” “What the fuck?” - as the four soldiers crouched down against the metal barricade and on either side of the street, and raised their weapons toward the purple glowing engines. Closer and closer they flew before three of the ships broke off in the direction of the chemical spill - the other three stayed their course.

All at once, the screaming crowd turned and charged for their cars. “Come on, back to the van!” Max said and led the sprint. As Frank took off, he put his palms against Jan and Elias’ backs and began pushing; the boys’ legs quickly switched into double-time. They only managed to run a few feet before the ships were upon them.

At the moment they were overhead the ships all split apart - the outer two, slightly smaller than the middle, forked to their left and right - and braked 50 feet above the ground; they spun, drifting mid air, rear engines burning against their forward momentum, quickly bringing them to a near stop. Floodlights on their noses burst open, blinding everyone beneath. Gently they sank through the air and set down on the left side of the road.

A panicking few ran off the road and into the dark rural farmland. Most took shelter behind their cars and cautiously took in the sight.

The ships were a deep black; they’d be invisible in the night sky, if their reverberating neon engines didn’t light their backsides up as though they were propelled by purple shooting stars. They had curving slender pyramidal forms: long and flattish on top and back, narrowing toward the bottom and the front; 20 feet tall, and a wingspan of 50. A slit ran across their noses where cockpits likely lay. On either side of their swooping hulls were prominent red and black triangular symbols thinly bordered in white.

The larger ship was much thicker toward the bottom, with a circular hatch under its nose - the hatch shot open from either side. Four figures stepped out.

Max, Frank, Jan, and Elias all ducked behind a Ford F150 for cover. Sierra and Lia, both crouched, ran and joined them.

“What are you doing here?” Max whisper-yelled at Sierra. “What’s she doing here?”

“Why aren’t you getting back to the van?” Sierra whisper-yelled back.

“Shhh!” Elias whisper-yelled.

Peering over the truck bed, they watched the team of four soldiers, guns trained on the aliens, attempt at handling the situation. “Don’t move!” one of them cracked. “Fucking freeze!” another yelled, his voice wavering.

The aliens marched forward in intricate grey armor over their blue skin. Long sleek helmets framed their reptile-like yellow eyes. The one in front, leading the others, wore a set of two red and silver bands around its wrists, and a silver pair of outward-pointing chevrons etched into the forehead of its helmet. The three followers carried with them oblong chrome devices in both hands.

The alien leader said something unintelligible in a high pitch - “Hrrantsss mmie ‘taat.” - and pressed at a small spot on the inside of its wrist.

“Stop, or we will shoot you! We will fucking shoot you!” Private Lars screamed.

The leader spoke in its high-pitched tone. “Frank Hale,” it said. It turned to face Frank and dispassionately fixed its eyes on him. “Pleasse comme quietly.” Everyone hiding along the long line of cars turned to the named man.

Jan’s stomach dropped through the crust of the earth. Elias’ whole body convulsed. Not Uncle Frank, Lia thought, and dug fingernails into the back of her left hand. Max and Sierra’s eyes shot open. We fucked up, they both thought.

Me? Frank asked. Me. It wants me. He felt himself try to think a way out, but nothing came. He was stuck, frozen, his eyes locked with those of A blue alien who came here for me, he thought. Frank stood up.

“Dad, no,” Jan said. He grabbed his dad’s plaid shirt and tried to pull him back down.

Elias grabbed his dad’s arm, pulled down too. “Dad, get back down,” he whispered.

“Frank, stop it,” Sierra told her brother.

The soldiers briefly turned their attention to see Frank standing, his eyes fixed with the alien leader’s.

What else can I do? Frank thought. Any other choice defies the aliens who could probably kill anyone they like. He fought off his sons’ strength and began walking forward.

The leader gave a nod. “Thannk you, ssir,” it said.

“No!” Jan yelled. “Stop!” Lars ordered. “Lay down your arms or we will open fire!” Another soldier shouted.

A third soldier: “Mr. Hale, sir, stay right where you are!” he yelled, and turned his weapon on Frank - the other soldiers kept their sights on the aliens. “Mr. Hale, if you step any further, I will have to shoot you!” Frank froze mid-stride.

Lia felt the back of her hand grow warm and wet. Elias’ eyes shot back and forth - from his dad, to the corporal, to the aliens - not sure what to do. Max felt the incredible urge to grab his wife and daughter and run. Sierra couldn’t leave her brother behind.

The aliens all turned to the soldiers; the three armed ones aimed their silver guns toward them. “Corrporral, you annd yourr mmenn will nnot ssurvive a connfrronntationn wit uss,” the leader said.

“I am not allowing you to take this man,” the corporal said.

Jan sensed a change in the leader’s demeanor at the corporal’s ultimatum.

“Sso be it,” the leader said, followed by, “K’wal.” The three subordinate aliens discharged their guns with crackling thin beams of vibrant orange light - shot through the soldiers before they could let off a single shot - leaving gushing perfect holes from the soldiers’ chests through to their backs. Onlookers started screaming. Frank got down low to the ground for shelter, raised his hands up to show his lack of threat.

Private Lars, last of his team standing, rolled back and to his left, and took cover behind a blue minivan before the aliens could fire on him. Lars looked up to see a husband and wife cowering next to him. The aliens continued firing, ripping into the body and engine block of the minivan. The husband and wife took off running, into the tall dark grass by the side of the road.

They’re still shooting at me! Lars thought, listening to the rapid barrage of gunfire behind him. I can’t surrender faster than they’ll kill me! He dropped his gun, got to his feet, and began sprinting down the line of cars, making sure to keep his head and body low. Vollies of energy kept blasting toward him. If they mean to take that Frank Hale alive, they might not risk his death; he may be my only chance! Lars dashed toward Frank; metal and glass exploding just above him; people making themselves into as small targets as possible as they screamed for dear life.

Frank turned to see the young private charging at him from behind a car ten feet off. Now, as close as he could get while still behind the cars’ cover, Lars swerved between two vehicles and launched himself at a spot just behind Frank. The energy blasts didn’t let up, but Lars’ leap added to his speed. For a moment he was totally exposed, but he was too fast for the aliens to keep their aim on him.

The leader saw what his troops didn’t. “Tinn k’wal!” it ordered. Lars slid, the sleeves of his fatigues grazing asphalt, and came to a stop right behind Frank. The aliens obeyed the command; as they ceased fire, a final energy blast cracked out, and sliced through Frank and Lars. The two men were dead instantly.

Gasps and shrieks rang out from the crowd.

“Dad!” Jan and Elias screamed. They both charged forward.

Max tried to grab them but they were out of reach.

“Frank!” Sierra cried. “No!”

Max put an arm around his sobbing wife and held her tight, keeping her from running forward.

Lia grabbed at the back of her dad’s shirt, coiled the cloth in her hands tightly, and pulled herself in; she’d have buried her head, but she couldn’t take her eyes off her murdered uncle.

As Jan reached Frank’s body, his eyes spotted a sidearm strapped to Lars’ right hip. His head beat to the rhythm of a jackhammer. Swelled with anger, he ripped off the velcro release strap, found the gun’s grip, and, letting out a hateful guttural howl, raised it on the one who killed his dad. The team of aliens raised their guns- but not before Elias threw himself into Jan’s back. A single gunshot slapped the air but found no target. The brothers landed hard. Jan felt a fresh cut above his right eye where his head hit the ground. Elias smashed an elbow into Jan’s pistol-gripping hand. Jan felt a snap and released the gun. “Stay down,” Elias whispered, tears beginning to blur his vision. “Please stay down.”

“Tinn, tinn ssek!” the leader shouted and raised a hand. The aliens lowered their guns.

Jan’s felt an odd throbbing in his brain. The pain of his cut and his hand began fading away. “Murder-er..,” he said before wooziness took hold of his mind and consciousness slipped away.

The leader ordered its troops in their alien tongue: **Take the boys. The rest of them will be interned and processed once phase two begins.**

The one who killed Frank Hale would be dealt with later.

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