Earth (The Invasion Trilogy Book 1) (8 page)

“I think I want to have sex with Hank.”

“What?” I quickly look back at her, seeing determination and nerves in her expression. I so don’t want to know this.

“It’s the end of the world, and I love him.”

“Don’t you think that’s moving pretty fast?” I blurt out, wishing we could have this conversation… never.

“Hello? Did you not hear me just say it’s the end of the world?”
she responds so calmly I wonder if she’s just accepted that fact now, or if the alcohol has made that easier to say. Because it definitely hasn’t made it any easier for me to hear.

“Well
, can you at least wait until Marduke and I aren’t around you? That is the last thing I want to see.” I smile and lightly elbow her, letting her know I’m not upset.

We begin walking again
, moving towards the final building on this small street. The old and faded sign reads ‘Marcy’s Market.’ It’s eerie to have it be so empty here.

“I can’t believe we’re finally together
. Can you believe that?” Lisa is still gushing over Hank.

“I can
, actually, since twice in two days I’ve seen you guys sucking face.” I roll my eyes at her as I grab a plastic bag from the one checkout at the front of the store. Then we move in to start filling it with canned food and bottled water.

“I can’t wait to tell my sister
. She’s going to be so…” Lisa cuts herself off. By the time I turn my head to gaze at her, she has tears falling down her face.

“Don’t cry. I’m sure they’re okay
,” I lie, wishing it wasn’t a lie. I wish we weren’t facing this reality.

“I don’t know what I’ll do without my family
. I need them, Mattie,” she cries into my shoulder.

“I know
.” I drop the bag and then hug her to me, feeling her grief coupling with mine. “But we have to be strong for them. We stay alive to keep their memories alive, okay?”

Lisa nods,
though I still feel the wetness of her tears on my shoulder and neck.

“So sex with Hank, hey? What do you think that’ll be like?” I force myself to ask, hoping it distracts her.

She takes a few deep breaths before she thinks about her answer. “Well, he’s officially the best guy I’ve kissed. If he can blow my mind just with a kiss, then I think I’m in for the best sex of my life. Plus, I’ve already seen his package, and wow,” she gushes as I swallow down any vomit that is forcing its way up. I’m not a prude, but Hank is like a brother to me. I definitely don’t need to be hearing this.

“
My last statement stands; try and wait until you’re alone.”

I watch her lean away from me and wipe her eyes dry. “We will
. Not that we’re ever alone, unless you take Marduke for a long walk or something. He seems like a nice guy.”

“He’s a bit strange.” I get the feeling that I’ll be spending a lot more alone time with Marduke if Lisa and Hank do actually sleep together.

“He’s easy on the eyes, that’s for sure. And he definitely seems to be infatuated with you.”

“I doubt that, but he does stare a lot. Have you seen his eyes? They’re this beautiful green colo
ur.”

Lisa stops walking and her mouth drops open in shock. “Are you actually talking to
me right now about a guy’s eye colour?”

“Yeah, why?”

“What about the rest of him? His broad shoulders, his muscled arms, his delicious chocolate skin or his chiselled jaw and those lips—gosh, don’t get me started!” Lisa gushes while I find myself getting annoyed at her.

“I’m sorry; do you like Hank or Marduke here?” I snap.

“Whoa, calm down there. I love Hank. I’m just pointing out to you that there is more to admire about Marduke than his ‘
beautiful eyes’
.”

“Whatever
. Are you going to help me or what?”

A
s we make our way to the very back of the store, I see a door that has been left wide open. Peeking through it, I find an office that appears to have been ransacked.

“What’s in there?”

“Just papers, I think.” I take another step in and notice a safe is open at the back and there is money scattered about inside. I’d imagine there is over five thousand dollars in random notes.

I don’t know why, but I move towards it and pick up some of the money.

Right now, and probably from now on, money will be useless. For something that used to mean everything to some people, it has no purpose now.

I let go of the notes, watching them float down onto the ground, slightly fascinated by the sight.
That’s when I see something else in the safe. Something in the far back and maybe even what the person who made a mess of this safe was actually after.

There are two grenades just sitting innocently in the back.

Grenades! What the hell would a grocery store need grenades in it for?

I reach in and take hold of them, wishing I wasn’t holding explosives in my hand, but knowing that I’d be an idiot to leave them behind.

“Did you hear that?” Lisa hisses from the doorway.

“Hear what?” I ask, but when I start to listen, I hear in the distance my name being called. It doesn’t sound like Hank, so I assume it must be Marduke. Then I hear Lisa’s name being called, and that is definitely Hank’s panicked voice.

“It sounds urgent.” Lisa worries, already heading back towards the front door.

“Hank probably peed himself or something,” I mutter, hoping I’m right.

But boy am I wrong.

Chapter 8

Mattie

When I make it to the front door of the store, I don’t understand what is wrong at first. Hank is stumbling towards us and Marduke is trying awkwardly to get to us as well. I instinctively look to the sky, expecting to see some sort of spaceship above us.

There is nothing, not that
I’ve seen any in Vancouver when clearly there were. They might be invisible, so that doesn’t mean there isn’t something above us.

So
what has the boys so riled up?

Lisa and I run to meet Hank, and I look over my shoulder
, realising what has them screaming our names. Charging towards us is one of those awful machines.

The ground shakes as it nears us, kicking an abandoned car along the way. The car flies towards the main street
, straight through the store Lisa and I were just inside.

Lisa screams in fear
as she races faster towards Hank. Together, they run back to the truck. I’m not far behind them. I grab hold of Marduke’s arm, thankful he’s still close to the vehicle. I push him into the seat, throwing the bag of food on his lap and slamming the door shut.

“Keys!”
I yell at Hank, running around the front and making it to the driver’s side. Hank throws the keys at me and I catch them mid-air then jump in, Marduke already opening the door for me.

Out of habit
, I drive on the left side of the road—not that it matters—my foot slamming down hard on the accelerator.

We fly through the air, our t
yres sliding a little on the dirt ground before we find traction.

“Take some shots at it,” I yell at Marduke, taking my hand off the wheel to point at the weapons we were given resting between us.

“I don’t know how.” He sounds frantic, still reaching for the weapons.

Hank bangs loudly on the small window separating us from the back where he and Lisa are
. Marduke slides it open.

“Give me the guns now!”
he shouts at us, and Marduke quickly listens.

I look at the
rear-view mirror and see the machine gaining on us. Then it moves its arms and the sides open up. I remember easily what those things were able to do back in Vancouver. Hank and Lisa are completely exposed back there.

“Get down!” I scream at them, hearing the first shots erupting
.

W
ithout thinking, I put my foot down on the brakes and take a sharp left. The truck spins out of control as I fear how Hank and Lisa are staying in the back.

We spin twice before I properly
stop, the front of our truck now facing the machine as it opens fire again.

I duck down, grabbing Marduke
. We hug the seat as glass rains down on us. The truck flies backwards, thankfully not tipping over.

More shots are fired
, and when I turn my head to glance upwards, I see through the small window that Hank is using the cab as a shield.

He fires at the machine
. He’s a good shot; I know he’ll be getting direct hits, but it’s still coming. The ground shakes more violently, and the truck begins to move again, this time the front wheels come off the ground, and Marduke and I are thrown back in our seats.

One of the plastic bags hits me in the arm as it flies upwards and that is when I see the food and bottled drinks scattering out as
we’re jolted back to the ground. The grenades I had so haphazardly thrown in now shuffle to the ground.

“Hank!”
I scream his name, stretching my arm to reach one of the grenades.

The truck moves again and this time we do topple over. Neither of us
have put seatbelts on, so we both crash to the ceiling, my head taking most of the impact as my legs fall into the steering wheel.

I scream in shock
, and as my mind catches up, I realise there is no way Hank and Lisa would be okay after being crushed into the road.

“Hank!”
I scream out again, panicking as the truck is hit once more and we slide along the road. “Lisa!” I screech when we finally stop and hands grab hold of me, dragging me through the windshield which broke long ago.

It’s Hank
, and as he drags me free, he quickly moves back to take hold of Marduke. Blood pours down from my forehead, but I don’t bother checking myself any further. My eyes first find the machine as it leers over us then I see Lisa off to the side, hiding by some bushes.

“We need to get out of here, now!” Hank has Marduke up and on his feet. The truck shakes as the machine shoots at it
, and I’m half expecting a fireball to burst out at us.

“Take this!” I thrust the grenade into Hank’s hand and
then wrap Marduke’s arm over my shoulder.

Hank begins shooting with the handgun, heading around the truck and jogging in the opposite direction to Lisa.

I stumble her way with Marduke, hoping Hank can keep the attention on him while we get away.

Marduke grunts in pain as he has to put heavy pressure on his knee
, and I cry in shock when I feel his body jolt forward from the impact of a bullet hitting his back. He pushes me off him and I lose my balance, falling to the ground.

“Run!”
he yells at me. But before I can even consider moving at all, an explosion erupts and everything goes black.

***

“Mattie?” Someone shakes my arm roughly. In fact, my whole body shifts from the force.

I open my eyes, not seeing much around me because of the darkening sky overhead. When did it get to be
night-time?

“She’s awake. Lisa, she’s okay.” Hank’s voice is clear, but he’s definitely not close enough to be sitting next to me,
crouching over me.

I jolt away from the touch that is still over my arm.

“Mattie?” Lisa wails my name then I feel her arms wrap around me as she sobs my name over and over.

“What’s going on?” I ask Hank, feeling sore as I move my arms up to wrap around Lisa.

“We killed that fucker, but you got hurt and blacked out,” Hank explains.

“Hurt how?” I feel my head, pain radiating strongly there as well as my neck. I can’t feel any blood, dried or fresh.

“You’ve got a nasty gash along your forehead; otherwise, I don’t know. You would have hit your head pretty hard when the truck toppled over.”

“Toppled over?” I try to remember what happened,
suddenly recalling the terrifying event. “How did you guys survive that?” I gasp, checking them both over for injuries. Apart from Lisa’s knees having holes in the jeans and obvious blood stains around the torn material along with a few scratches along Hank’s arms and face, I see no breaks or loss of limbs.

“Hank threw us out before it happened. Didn’t warn me
, of course, of what was going on,” Lisa says, her voice breaking and more tears falling down her face. Taking a closer look at her, I’d say she’s been crying for a while; her eyes are bloodshot and puffy.

“It wasn’t like I had much time to think. That grenade saved our lives.” Hank lightly slaps my shoulder, leaving his hand there to squeeze. I see the relief in his eyes. He was worried about me. They all were. Even Marduke appears relieved.

“You were shot!” I gasp, finally taking in Marduke’s appearance.

“The vest protected me again. I think this shirt might be ruined
, though, or at the very least, it is bad luck.” He smiles, perhaps trying to make a joke, but it falls flat.

“I can’t believe we all almost died
,” Lisa cries, sobbing freely again as she wraps me and Hank in a hug. I’m pulled into a sitting position and the head rush I feel isn’t pleasant.

We stay like this for a few moments before Hank pulls her away from me and lifts her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her and trying to soothe her. Their earlier buzz from drinking is definitely long gone.

“What do we do now?” I ask, grateful to be released from the awkward position.

M
y heart breaks for Lisa. I hate how upset she is and that none of us can really have any words to make her feel better. What has just happened to us is scary as hell and nothing we can say will change that.

“It’s going to get dark soon
, and obviously, the truck is unusable. I think we should just camp out somewhere around here, hope nothing comes for us through the night, and then figure out a plan tomorrow,” Hank suggests.

“Okay
,” I agree then turn to see Marduke nodding his head.

Hank picks Lisa up, watches to make sure I’m steady on my feet, which I barely am, and then he walks away from the road and wreckage towards a small grouping of trees up ahead.

Marduke’s arm falls down over my shoulder and at first I think he’s trying to ask me to help him walk, but then he pulls me towards him and wraps his other arm around me, holding me to his chest.

“I’m happy you are awake. I was… it was scary when you wouldn’t open your eyes. I felt… I’ve never been so afraid before. It was… new.” His voice shakes
as he speaks.

I don’t know how to answer that, so I just rest my head on his shoulder for a moment and relax in his arms.
For a few seconds, I allow myself to be enveloped in his warmth and feel almost like I’m caged in a security blanket. Then I pull back and grab his left hand when he tries to move his arm off my shoulder.

“I’ll help you.”

“You don’t need to do that; I can manage without you.”

“I’ll feel better if you let me help
,” I say honestly, grateful when he leaves his arm around me because, yes, I will feel better knowing he’s not struggling behind us. Also because I think I could use the contact to ward off the terror trying to still grip me at what we’ve just gone through.

We stumble into the field while my headache grows worse,
but I keep in my complaints. I still hear Lisa’s quiet sobs. I hope she cries herself out soon.

My mind is reeling from what it means that we were found by that machine. It was expected that we’d find those machines in the city, but part of me thought we’d be safer out here. As far as I can tell, there is no one
else around us. This small town is empty. People either left of their own volition or were taken. Why did the need arise to come back through here? Why was it here? Can they sense us? Did they know there were humans alive here? If they can track us, then we’re in a lot more trouble than we’ve realised. How are we supposed to survive, even in a forest, if they can find us no matter what?

“Are you okay?” Marduke asks
, sounding breathless. He’s beginning to lean down more on me, so I know his injured knee must be killing him.

“Yeah, just thinking,”

“About what?”

“About those things and how they found us. It could have been a coincidence, maybe one was just coming through this way and got lucky, but what if it’s a different reason?”

“What reason?” Marduke stops us and he lifts my chin so I’m forced to look into his eyes. He appears deadly serious, and it gives me shivers to be standing so close to him.

“Maybe they can track us? Maybe they won’t ever stop coming for us.” I hear the hitch in my voice
and feel the tears falling down my face. I wish he didn’t have to see me looking so weak.

Marduke pulls me back against him, hugging me again to his chest
with his arms tightening around me securely. “I’ll keep you safe, I promise,” he whispers. Even though we both know he has no control over those machines, I appreciate the effort he’s making, considering we don’t know each other very well.

“Guys, it’s getting dark
,” Hank calls out.

I quickly pull out of Marduke’s arms
, seeing Lisa staring at us, her mouth open. Although I should be annoyed about the interrogation she’ll have for me as soon as we’re alone, I’m not. I’m just grateful to see she’s not crying, and just maybe her over-thinking things about me and Marduke will give her a few moments peace from worrying about those machines.

We quickly reach them
, and when I sit, I find the ground is soft and the grass is cold. I miss sleeping on a proper bed.

“Mattie?” Lisa’s voice sounds uncertain
.

I crawl forward until I bump into her. She grips hold of my arm and wraps herself around it, cuddling into my side
. I get the feeling she won’t be letting go anytime soon. I hear Hank settling in next to her, and Marduke manages to make his way next to me. He keeps his distance, yet his hand touches my own and our fingers link together. I feel content like this, my headache receding a little.

For a few moments it’s silent, and then I hear a growl.
And then a louder one.

“What is that?” I whisper.

“My stomach. I’m hungry,” Hank whines.

“Don’t talk about food
,” Lisa hisses. Seconds later, I hear her stomach growling, too.