"Wrong, Lee. I'm the guy that’s going to keep you alive. I've got a cabin a few miles from here. We'll be safe there, at least for a while." He grabbed several more magazines and some cartons of ammunition. But as he got up, he realised they were not with him.

  "Don't be stupid now. You aren't ready for this war. You’re just kids."

  But Lee was looking to Emma for leadership.

  "She's the one that kept us alive. I'll go where she goes."

  The others were quick to rally behind their star player.

  "Come on. This is ridiculous."

  Emma turned to Miles for advice. "What do you say?"

  "I want to fight this, but we have to be smart about it. I say we re-group and find out some more about what the hell is going on first. This cabin sounds a good place to do it."

  Foster groaned. Mostly because he wasn't happy about being bossed around by a girl and her nutcase brother.

  "All right, then. Let's go."

  Chapter 7

  "What sort of mileage we got left?" Ross asked.

  "A hundred miles maybe, probably not a lot more."

  "That's something."

  They knew it wasn't enough, but they'd improvise, they always did.

  "I never thought I'd see the day we were fighting to survive on our home soil," said Kim.

  Donny nodded in agreement. It seemed like a completely alien concept to him. So much so he had never even entertained the possibility.

  "There was always a chance of it, had to be," said Ross.

  "You know the last time the US mainland was invaded? Over a hundred years ago. I am talking Pancho Villa. Not exactly World War I either, was it?"

  "Yeah, well you know where complacency gets you," replied Ross.

  "Complacency? We have the most powerful armed forces in the world."

  "Apparently not," replied Donny.

  "What?" she demanded.

  "No one else was hit before us. Someone came gunning for us, the biggest guy on the block. You know what that tells me?"

  She shook her head.

  "That they know how strong we are, and they don't see us as a threat," replied Ross.

  "Come on, guys. This is getting a little far-fetched."

  "Like UFOs shooting down F-35s piloted by some of the most experienced combat pilots in the world?" Ross asked.

  That silenced her. It was a terrifying thought.

  "Hey, Jack," said Max. They all looked ahead. Two vehicles were approaching, a sedan and a pickup behind.

  "Stop them!"

  Max pulled the vehicle across the road, and the two of them formed a V shape. Ross leapt out to address whoever was coming. As they drew nearer, he could see the driver was armed, and another gunman was standing on the back of the truck. It was Miles with an AK47.

  "Get out of the way!" Miles shouted angrily.

  "Jack Ross, US Army!" he yelled back.

  "I don't give a shit. Get your crap off the road!"

  But Emma leapt out of her car as she recognised him.

  "You're that guy, the soldier that was at the Sheriff's office?"

  "You were looking for your boyfriend, the football player?"

  "Yes, yes," she said, as if hoping they had news, "Sam, have you found him?"

  "I'm sorry, no, but we've got bigger problems."

  "The town is under attack, and nowhere is safe. Yeah, yeah we know," Lee said, pacing up beside her.

  "Get out of the way!" Miles yelled again.

  But Martin rushed out and held up his hands as the voice of reason.

  "Guys, come on. I know whatever you were doing was covert the last time we crossed paths, but we both know the kind of crap that’s going on round here..."

  "You know? Well please, enlighten us, because all I know is we've been fighting some...army since we got here. I don't know who or what they are. Please, explain to me what this crap is."

  Kim stepped out of the vehicle to listen in. She stood out instantly with her Air Force insignia.

  "Is this who you came for, a downed pilot?" Martin asked.

  "You came here just for her? And left the rest of us to die?" Lee demanded.

  "No, no, please listen," said Ross.

  But it was getting more heated by the minute.

  "Enough!" Kim roared.

  Everyone was silenced, and yet they were still on a knife-edge.

  "Everyone please, take a breath for a moment. None of us have much of a clue why any of this is happening. So please, let's see if we can't help one another out, okay?"

  Lee begrudgingly agreed.

  "I am Major Kim Kelly. I was shot down while engaging a hostile target. A target that frankly I can't explain. I lost my wingman out there. But I was lucky enough that these boys happened to be there and were willing to come find me. Or I'd be out there alone. We are under attack, but I don't know by what, or who, or in what number. These guys don't know any more about what is happening than me, okay?" She offered her hands out as if to ask for them to go on.

  "My boyfriend was taken, and nobody believed me. My brother was attacked and forced to fight to survive. My school and my town were attacked. We barely got out. We barely made it this far," replied Emma.

  "We're heading to my shack. It's pretty isolated. We should be good there, for a while at least. Come with us," added Martin.

  There was a crackle in the sky, and they all jumped in shock. There was a smoke trail in the sky. It was an enemy vessel, badly damaged, and on fire. It was losing altitude.

  "Good riddance." Kim watched it go in to crash. It seemed to level off a little at the last minute, but still ploughed into a load of trees with a violent landing about a mile or two away.

  "We're going to my place for now, till we can work out what to do. Come with us, all of you," pleaded Martin.

  "Negative. We’re getting the hell out of this valley. We are to report back to base, and maybe get some idea of what this is all about. If you want to tag along, be my guest," replied Ross.

  Emma was already shaking her head.

  "It will be dark in a few hours. You don't want to be on the road when that happens."

  "That's a chance we'll have to take."

  Martin sighed, but he understood.

  "Do you know where we can get any fuel around here?"

  "There's a farm twenty miles up this road on your left. They'll have as much as you can carry," replied Miles, who seemed eager to get them out of the way.

  "Thanks, you take care of yourselves, you hear?"

  Ross got in his vehicle. None of them looked happy about the situation. They wanted to stick together, and yet neither party like each other's plan. Max backed their truck out the way and let the other two vehicles go. Kim watched from the road beside the other vehicle.

  "They're fools," she said with sorrow in her voice, as if they were heading to their deaths.

  "That's their right," replied Ross.

  Emma waved goodbye as they rode on past. Neither group really understood the other, but they weren't going to stand in each other's way.

  "We could go with them, you know," said Lee.

  "Lots of things we could do, but I'm betting this trouble is all over. Where would you rather be, on the road and in plain sight in somewhere you don't know, or right here?"

  "They have a mission to do. It doesn't involve us. They'll do whatever they need to in order to see those orders through. That isn't for us," added Martin.

  Nobody said another word except for his directions to his cabin. It was even further out in the sticks than her brother’s place. It was accessible by car, though there were no tracks to be seen.

  "When was the last time you came up here?"

  "Couple of weeks back."

  "How? No vehicle has been up here in a while," replied Lee.

  "I ride."

  "You ride?"

  "Yeah, horses."

  "Fair enough," smiled Lee.

  They drew up to the small shack. It was about as remote as you could get, but was also tiny.

  "How did I not know about this place?" Miles leapt from the pickup.

  "It's my place to go where I don't want the rest of the world to be, so they don't know about it."

  "Yeah, but I know every inch for miles around here."

  "Apparently not."

  Miles smiled. It both amused and bewildered him. Martin opened up the cabin, and it was as small inside as they had expected; one single room with some basic wooden furniture that looked homemade, as well as a small single bed and a stove.

  "Let's get that fire going," said Lee.

  "No, let's not attract any more attention than we already have," replied Miles.

  * * *

  Ross yawned as he tried to stay awake. They'd been on the road for over an hour since they left Emma and her people, but it felt a lot longer. There was a couple of hours light left at most. He looked up and stretched out as they were taking a bend. But the brakes were suddenly thrust on, and he was thrown forward violently as they slid to a standstill.

  "What the hell?"

  But as he rubbed his eyes and looked out, he took in the extent of their problem. The tunnel for the highway that led out of the valley had collapsed. He threw the door open and got out to get a closer look.

  "You have got to be kidding me," said Max.

  "This is no accident," said Kim.

  "Not a chance," added Ross. Thousands of tonnes of rock, concrete, and rubble were blocking their path.

  Ortiz kicked a huge boulder of rock as if expecting to move it.

  "Goddamn it!"

  Ross was looking up and around for any hope of going around.

  "Before you ask, no, there aren't any roads over," said Max.

  "You're sure?"

  "Yeah."

  "We could do it on foot," said Ortiz.

  "You kidding me? We'd have hundreds of miles to go, and it’s not like Olsen and Pope are really up to it."

  "We'd just have to get over this. Find new wheels the other side, and keep on moving," Ross added.

  "You want to be up there when the sun goes down?"

  "Not really, Donny, but you got any better ideas?"

  "We go back," declared Kim.

  "Back? The only other route out of this town is the other side of it, and we can’t get through that," Max protested.

  "I didn't say through. Seems to me like the powers that be want us here. Certainly, there are some folk that could do with our help."

  "Our duty is to get back to base and be ready in whatever capacity we are needed. If this country is at war, then that is our duty," replied Ross sternly.

  * * *

  Lee was pacing back and forth in front of the shack. He was already restless after just a few hours.

  "Maybe we should have gone with Ross."

  "No, they aren't any better off than we are. At least we’re home," replied Emma.

  "Home? You call this home?"

  "All right, take it easy," sighed Martin.

  "It’s easy for you to say. You don't have anyone back there you care about."

  "Don't think I don't care, Foster."

  "Yeah? Well, my parents are back there. For all we know they could be dead already. We left because we couldn't fight, but we got these now," he said, holding up his rifle, "We can fight back."

  "Don't be a fool. A few football players with rifles aren't going to take on the army that you say has over run Wood Point."

  "Maybe, but at least we could try."

  "This isn't a game. This is life. We get one shot at it when it life and death, so be smart about it."

  Foster looked angry and disappointed, and so he turned to his friend.

  "Lee, what do you say?"

  "We aren't going back to town. Not until we know more, and have a fighting chance."

  Martin nodded in agreement, but he soon went on.

  "I say we go for that wreck. That aircraft we saw go down. You want to know more about our enemy, there's our chance."

  "What? No, we came here to stay out of it," replied Martin.

  "No, we came here to re-group. We needed a place to think. Well, I thought about it. This fight ain't over, but they're winning. Give it much longer, and the whole valley will be gone. What do you say?" he asked of the rest of them, "I'm sick of sitting around doing nothing, of running, of being on the back foot. It's time to play forward. Let's go find some answers."

  Martin couldn’t believe it.

  "Jam, Lem?"

  They nodded in agreement.

  "Foster?"

  "I guess."

  "You're gonna need a guide," replied Miles.

  "I'm coming, too."

  "What?" Martin asked.

  "You're either a fighter now, or you’re dead. I want answers, and I want payback," Emma replied angrily.

  "By all means, stay here, and look after Mikey. He's still a bit out of it," replied Lee as they climbed into the Tuckers' truck. Martin was at a loss for words. He didn't know whether to chase after them or not, but he looked back to see Mikey looking out as if unsure of where he was.

  "Shit," he growled.

  Chapter 8

  "You really think this is a good idea?"

  "I don't know anymore, Emma. But I sure know that doing nothing ain't gonna cut it," replied Lee.

  They were losing light now, but there was still enough to see for a good distance.

  "Well, look at that," said Jam.

  "This'll do. Pull us over here," said Lee.

  "We can get closer," replied Lem.

  "No. Who knows what we'll find down there? If there is anything still alive, I want it to be a surprise."

  "You're looking for a fight?" Emma asked as she stepped out of the truck.

  "Looking for one? No, but I'll sure as hell give them one if they want it." Lee slung the shotgun over his back and took up his AK.

  "We're going down there for information. That being said, if you get a chance to pop one of these sons of bitches, you do it, you hear?"

  "No problem, Miles," replied Emma.

  "She sure made light work of them in town," added Foster.

  "I don't see how. I put round after round into those things. You hit one with that scatter gun buckshot and they go down?"

  "You said the thing you faced was big?"

  "Yeah."

  "These were no bigger than I am."

  "Then we faced different things. I just hope we find your things down there, and not mine. The heavy fucker that came after me was like trying to take a bloody elephant down."

  "Like you'd know anything about that?"

  "I might live in the middle of nowhere, Lee, but I still have the Internet, retard," he snapped.

  Foster couldn't help but laugh at Lee's expense, and he looked foolish as a result. Emma took one last look at the wreckage of the enemy ship. It was hard to miss, as two small fires were still burning from the wreckage, as well as the lane of trees it had felled on approach. The vessel had to be half the length of a football pitch, but half as narrow. They started on their trek towards it.

  "Where do you think it's even from?"

  "China, probably, Lem," replied Jam.

  "Come on, guys, get real. This isn't some everyday tech or regular army," replied Miles.

  "Yeah, then what is it?"

  "Two options. Secret tech, or something off world."

  "Off world?"

  "He means alien, Lee," said Foster.

  "Right, of course. That makes all the sense in the world."

  "I guess you have a better answer for all this? You see that's the difference between us. You accept everything you think you know, and don't think about anything outside that."

  "If you mean, I don't believe in aliens, yeah, sure," he replied as he laughed.

  "I don't believe in aliens."

  "No?" Foster asked.

  "No, but I'm willing to consider the possibility when the evidence presents itself. This isn't some attention grabber with a camera claiming he was abducted for sex experiments. We've seen this with our own eyes."

  "He's got a point," said Jam.

  "No, he doesn't. There're all kinds of tech around the world we don't know about. You think black ops use tech that we can get access to? I bet the government has access to all kinds of stuff that would blow your mind," replied Lee.

  "No doubt, but not this. Do you have any idea how far off we are from some of this stuff?"

  "I don't get it. I thought you conspiracy guys would be all over government plots and secret tech like this."

  "And I really didn't think the high school quarterback would be so knowledgeable on the world."

  "Yeah? Well, surprise, surprise."

  "He was joking," said Emma.

  Miles began to laugh, and the Tucker twins joined in with their low down and deep barrelling laughs. Even Foster couldn't help himself.

  "Fuck you guys!" Lee rushed on ahead.

  "Hey!" Emma raced after him to keep talking.

  "What you, too? You want to rag on me more?"

  "No. I'm just here to talk."

  "Just because I play football, doesn't make me an idiot."

  "No, and just because my brother lives the way he does, doesn't make him a nutjob."

  Lee nodded in agreement, starting to understand the parallel.

  "I bet it’s easy being you. Sure you put in the effort, but you've got a heap of talent for sport, plus all the girls love you."

  "Yeah? Not all of them."

  She looked at him in shock, suddenly understanding why he was so distant and strange with her at times.

  "But, you...you never liked me. You never even talked to me."

  "Because you were with Sam."

  She looked sad as she thought of him, but felt blessed to know how he thought.

  "Come on, you'd never go for me, of all the girls in school?"

  "You're wrong. I always liked you, but I never had the courage to say it. That's what Sam had that I didn't. He was fearless."

  She blushed, for it was the last thing in the world she’d expected to hear. It was also a spark of light in such dark times.

  "Shh." Miles rushed past them, hunkered down low, "We're close now."

  "Game face, bro," said Foster as he rushed up behind Miles.

  Lee should his head at Foster who was acting like he was playing Call of Duty. But he looked back to Emma to see the look of relief and appreciation for his words.

 

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