Invasion

27

Maya continued to glance at the sky as she sped down the highway. Although the alien ships hid in the upper atmosphere during the day, she didn’t want to risk everything on that observation after two close calls.

The day had begun like any other, but without jets flying overhead, truckers using their loud air brakes, or the sound of other cars on the highway. In a way, Maya was getting used to it. Despite the situation, the sound of the rattling engine felt comforting.

The kid had climbed into the backseat, where he shared a can of mixed nuts with Cameron for breakfast. They’d offered some to Maya, who had declined. She knew she needed to eat, but she wasn’t feeling up to it. She was so close to reuniting with her kids, and it was all she could think about. Hunger was the last thing on her mind.

She glanced into the rearview mirror and saw Cameron laughing and flirting with the teenager in an innocent way. She had her arm around him, and they’d been trying to sing some country song which was as foreign to Maya as contemporary jazz. She preferred to rock.

She’s empathic. Kind. Once you get past the stripper attitude.

Thoughts about Cameron inevitably led to Gerald. Maya couldn’t understand who he was now or what was motivating him. He’d taken the children and abandoned his woman. Why? It didn’t make sense, but she hoped to be able to hear his explanation to Cameron in person, and soon.

“Up there.”

In the mirror, Maya saw Cameron pointing straight ahead. She hadn’t noticed what was approaching herself, being so lost in thought.

We made it.

The American flag flew high above the main entrance, its gate topped with barbed wire, closed and secured. Maya didn’t see any soldiers out front, but the fact that the gate was closed had to be a good sign that it was protecting whatever lay inside. She hoped that would turn out to include her children.

Cameron unbuckled her seatbelt and squeezed forward through the space between seats to sit in the passenger seat. She let out an excited laugh and slapped Maya on the shoulder.

“Does it look like anyone is there?” Luke asked, finishing off the nuts while sliding into the middle of the backseat, pushing his head into the space between the front seats.

“I don’t know yet,” Maya said.

She hit the gas, speeding faster toward the base. Gripping the steering wheel, she felt sweat on her palms. Her stomach fluttered and, for a moment, she thought she might pee herself.

The front gates slid apart. A smile stretched across Maya’s face until three JLTVs came speeding out onto the road. The two in front stopped side by side, blocking the entire width of the road. The vehicles came to a sudden stop fifty yards from the front gates. Maya slowed down, stopping the Civic ten yards from the JLTVs.

“Something feels off.”

“Maybe they’re just coming out to greet us,” Luke said.

Three armed soldiers jumped out of the vehicles, aiming their rifles at Maya’s car.

“Don’t move!” one of the soldiers shouted. “Remain in your vehicle!”

Cameron checked her eyes in the mirror with a scoff. “I’m not sure that’s a greeting committee.”

“Everyone, just stay cool and do what they ask,” Maya said.

One of the soldiers remained in front of the car while the other two appeared on each side of it. The windows were already down, as they’d been riding with the A/C off to conserve fuel. A female soldier pointed the barrel of her rifle into Maya’s window.

Maya said, “Hi, I’m here to—”

“Quiet.”

Maya raised her hands and sat back in the seat. Did they look like aliens?

“Have you had any direct contact with them?” the male soldier on the passenger side of the car asked.

“With who?” Luke asked.

“Don’t fucking play smart with us, kid,” the female soldier said.

“No, we haven’t had direct alien contact.” Maya glared over her shoulder at Luke. She hoped her stare conveyed that she wanted him to keep his mouth shut.

“Are you armed?” the female asked.

“Yes. I’ve got a pistol nudged between the seats, and he’s got a shotgun in the backseat.”

The soldiers raised their weapons higher and took a step back. They glanced at each other, then refocused on the people inside of the Honda.

“Step out with your hands up,” the male soldier said.

“Slowly,” the female added.

Maya opened her door and raised her hands in the air, slowly getting out of the car. The female soldier grabbed Maya by the back of her shirt and led her to the hood of the car.

“What the hell?” Maya asked.

“Put your hands on the damn hood.”

Maya obeyed and the soldier patted her down. The other two soldiers did the same with Luke and Cameron. Cameron grumbled something about the man touching her, and that it would only happen again in his dreams. None of the soldiers seemed to care about their civil rights. Once the body searches ended, one of the soldiers went into the car and retrieved the two guns, which had been right where Maya had said they were.

“I told you. I’m not lying.”

The female soldier glared at her. “Listen, Ms. Priss, I’m following orders. You have no idea what we’ve been through.”

“Are you serious?” Cameron put her hands on her hips and blew a lock of hair from her face, stomping one foot on the asphalt. “You have no idea what we’ve been through, lady.”

Maya raised her hand to silence Cameron. “They’re just doing their jobs. Stay calm.”

“Listen to your friend,” one of the male soldiers said.

Cameron narrowed her eyes and shook her head.

The female soldier pulled one of the men aside, and after a few whispers, she turned back to Maya.

“All right. You’re clear.”

“Thank God,” Cameron said.

“Now, get back in your car and go somewhere that isn’t here,” the female soldier said.

Maya stepped forward, no longer caring whether weapons were still pointed at her. “What? No, wait. You don’t understand, my k—”

“You heard her,” one of the male soldiers said. “Load up and leave.”

“You listen to me.” Cameron approached the soldier nearest her.

Luke tried to hold her back, but couldn’t grab her before the soldier raised his weapon again.

“Hold on,” Maya said, putting her hands up for the soldiers to stop.

A door slammed then, and Maya looked up to see someone climbing out of the third JLTV. The soldier strode toward them in full gear, complete with a helmet and sunglasses. He stepped out in front of the other two JLTVs and removed his helmet to reveal a head of curly black hair. Then he took off his sunglasses to expose a familiar face.

“Gerald?”

“You know him?” the female soldier asked Maya.

“Stand down,” Gerald said. “They’re with me.”

Cameron pushed the soldier out of the way and ran toward Gerald. She stopped, smiled, and then came across his face with a slap so loud that birds flew out of a nearby tree. The soldier’s raised their weapons.

“Thanks for leaving me, asshole. I hitched a ride with your ex.”

Gerald stuck his chin out and pushed his shoulders back, pausing to take a deep breath. He turned and nodded at Maya as she approached and asked him one question.

“Where are my children?”