I moved away from the window. I hated the stars now, despised their mocking wonder and brilliance. The stars had held their own secrets, but they had been horrible secrets that theyd spewed upon us in waves of hatred and death. I wondered if the rest of the world was sharing in this horrendous experience, or if the aliens were moving slowly. Perhaps they were methodically taking over the world one town at a time until it was completely theirs. I felt that it was more than likely that it was the whole
world at once. They wouldnt want to take the chance of others finding out what was going on, and finding some way to stop them.
If there was any way to stop them.
There was no way to know what was going on elsewhere though, no way for us to establish contact outside of this town, without leaving it. I had no idea how we would get our mother that far if it ended up just being Abigail and I. That was a problem Id tackle if we came to it though.
Moving slowly through the kitchen, I avoided the table as I made my way back to the hall. I had just stepped out of the room when a light flashed over the back door. I froze, my heart hammering, my adrenaline pulsing rapidly through my body as I stood breathless and shaking. The light moved rapidly over the backdoor, bouncing around the room. At first I thought it was the beam from a flashlight, that either the aliens or some idiot was making their way through the woods behind our home. And then I realized that it was one of their smaller spaceships, one of the ones that I had only seen twice before. They were usually docked within the larger ships, hidden away. But when they had emerged theyd darted about with an easy grace that had been mesmerizing and stunning. The smaller ships had been purposely brought forth in order to show the government, and the people, the dexterity and speed that they possessed. They had been brought out as a way to gain trust, as a promise of brighter futures for all of us. Brighter futures that had turned out to be nothing but lies.
And now one of them was on the move again, but this time it was not whimsical and fascinating. This time it was terrifying. Nothing good could come from its sudden appearance. I slipped further into the shadow of the stairs, stunned by this sudden development. I didnt think for a moment that they might be moving on already. Instinctively I knew that they wouldnt leave until they made sure they had all of the people, and blood, they could gather.
The lights danced around the room, flashing off the countertops, floor, and table. It seemed as if they were trying to search for us within the house. But that was crazy. There was no way that they could know we were here. They couldnt. Or could they?
I shuddered at the thought, my heart pounded as my throat went dry. Cade was out there somewhere, unprotected and vulnerable to the searching lights. I took another step back and then froze as I realized the lights were also bouncing across the front windows, filling the living room and hall. I couldnt move, there was nowhere for me to go, no way to escape the increasingly frantic bounce and sway of the lights.
The silence was unnerving, profound. I could hear the frantic staccato of my heart as it hammered against my ribs. I didnt breathe, I wasnt sure I could draw air into my constricted chest. I stared at the roof above me, praying that Abby was away from the lights, that she didnt attempt to go near a window. I loved her dearly, but sometimes she didnt think through the consequences of her actions. I hoped that this was not one of those times.
I remained still as stone as the lights flashed over the house and me. The ships were moving far slower than they had during their exhibitions. What the hell were they doing?
And then, the screaming began.
CHAPTER 6
I bolted forward, racing down the hall as panic spurted through me. I completely forgot about the lights, completely forgot about my own safety as fear for Abby consumed me. I grasped hold of the banister and leapt up the stairs two at a time. My foot caught one of the steps wrong causing me to fall awkwardly. I scrambled to grasp hold of the banister; it was the only thing that kept me from tumbling over backwards down the stairs. Pain lanced through my knees and hands as I fell hard, but Abbys endless screams drove me swiftly back to my feet.
Abby! Abby! I raced down the hall, fighting against the blinding lights flashing rapidly over my stunned eyes. I felt like I was in a hideously bad horror movie as I lifted my hands to try and fend off some of the intense light. Abbys screams continued, rising and falling as her terror and fear pounded throughout the house. I plunged down the hall, no longer caring about the noise I made as I ran. It didnt matter anyway; they already knew we were here.
I slammed off of a table in the hallway, knocking it over with a clattering bang. It skidded a few feet away; I had to jump
over it as it tumbled down the hall. Abbys cries abruptly broke off; the ensuing quiet was far worse than her screams had been. Light flooded my mothers room as I burst through the doorway. I stumbled, fell, jumped back to my feet before stumbling back again and slamming into the bedroom wall.