Chapter Four: Temporary Safety

Jason and Claire arrived at the safe house. It was a rickety old house, scheduled for demolition or at least it was, before the Tallentiri bombarded the place. Jason was amazed that the structure was intact.

‘How did you find this place?’ Jason asked as they stood out the front.
‘After my parents divorced, my dad moved here. I’d stay with him sometimes when mum got… she’s an alcoholic so…’ Claire replied, a little sadly.
‘I’m sorry, about your parents’ divorce. While I never experienced it, I had friends who did. It’s something no one should have to go through’ Jason responded.
‘Yeah, anyway come on, best not hang around outside too long’ Claire said and Jason followed her up the footpath and into the house. As Claire opened the door, Jason was amazed at how the inside looked. The walls looked freshly painted a dull yellow, the lights (although they weren’t on) were sunk into the ceiling, the floor was perfectly carpeted.
‘He did it up,’ Claire said closing the door behind. ‘I know it’s not desirable or safest staying in the area that the Tallentiri invaded, but it’s getting dark now, if we moved now we could both be killed’
‘Agreed. We stay here tonight and move first thing in the morning’ Jason replied. Claire nodded and then showed him around.

‘We need to get of here fast Sarah’ Celeste said, standing next to a car.

'I know that, but you haven’t even started learning to drive, and even if you had, you don’t have the keys Celeste’ Sarah responded, groaning as she put more weight on her leg.
‘You’d rather hobble out of here?’ Celeste enquired. ‘The keys will be somewhere in the remains of that house’ she added, pointing.
‘Assuming that they are in there, how do you suppose we find them?’ Sarah replied, ignoring Celeste’s question.
‘You forget I have a knack for finding things. Just wait out here, stay out of sight, I’ll go find the keys-‘
‘I AM NOT WAITING OUT HERE-‘
‘Keep your voice down, or they’ll find us. Now are you going to help me or not?’ Sarah knew the argument was lost and so she agreed to go with her sister. Together they entered the remains of the house and while Sarah learned against a wall Celeste began clambering over the debris and entered another room. Sarah listened as Celeste began rummaging through other debris and five minutes later, returned holding a set of keys, she was covered in dust.
‘Found them near a collapsed table, let’s go’ Celeste exclaimed, helping her sister out of the ruins and into the backseat of the car.
‘Thank you’ Sarah said.
‘Hopefully, this works’ Celeste said as she started the car. She looked down at the gear stick.
‘Thank God it’s an Automatic’ she put the car into reverse and backed out, narrowly missing a tree as she reached the curb, she then put the car into drive and accelerated down the street.
‘Do you even have any idea we’re going?’ Sarah asked.
‘Not really. The plan was to get out of here and then worry about that’ Celeste answered, turning a corner.
‘Great’ Sarah said.
‘Oh, be a bit optimistic. I’ll find a way to fix your leg soon, but we need to be safe first’ Celeste told Sarah.

Chapter Three: Survivors

‘Quiet’ was all the voice behind him whispered so quietly he himself could barely hear it. Jason stood still both out of shock and out of recognition of the voice. They waited and the Tallentiri passed. Jason was the first to speak.

‘Out of all the people that could’ve survived, you had to be one of them, didn’t you Claire?’

‘You make that sound like it’s a bad thing’ Claire replied pushing her blonde strands of hair out of her eyes.

‘You make my life hell in school, and yet you save my life out here. And, for what it’s worth, even though I was never in danger, thank you’ Jason replied tonelessly.

‘As much as I despise you Jason, I doubt I could let another person be killed by those things, no matter how much I hated them,’ Claire responded. ‘And, by the way, what I do to you is less than what you did to me’

‘Are we really going to do this now?’ Jason asked. Claire smiled.

‘Follow me. We’ll talk along the way’ and so they walked, jumping the wall in front of them and headed down the laneway they landed in.

‘So when did it start?’ Jason asked.

‘About three hours ago, give or take maybe fifteen minutes. They’ve been patrolling the streets, looking for survivors. So have I’ Claire replied.

‘And have you found any?’ Jason asked curiously.

‘Let’s just say, you’re the only one I’ve found that’s been able to move’ Claire answered darkly. They continued walking and the sounds and smell of a storm was greater now. They could feel the electricity in the air.

‘So where are we going then?’ Jason enquired.

‘Somewhere that’s, for now at least, safe’ Claire replied and they continued to walk, in silence.

She coughed up dust. She could see the smoke hanging thick in the air. She pushed her now dirty blonde hair out of her blue eyes. The girl’s name was Celeste Hargrove.

‘Sarah!’ she called out. She needed to know her younger sister was ok. She waited for what seemed like forever and then she coughing from the other side of room, behind the collapsed ceiling.

‘Sarah, can you hear me?’ Celeste asked. The coughing stopped for a moment.

‘Celeste?’ Sarah replied.

‘Yes. You need to relax I’m going to get to you, ok?’ Celeste told her. Celeste moved towards the collapsed ceiling and began trying to clear a path, but many pieces of the ceiling were too heavy to move by herself, so instead she turned and walked over the debris to get to the door way that entered the main hallway. She knew had to move fast. In this condition, weatherboard would be unstable and if it collapsed and covered the doorway at the other end of the lounge room, Sarah would be trapped there. Celeste turned into the small kitchen and walked around the square table and into the back room. The other doorway to the lounge room was clear and in she went. Sarah was in a bad way. One of her legs was trapped beneath the collapse and she had large cut across her forehead.

‘Sarah, I’m here’ Celeste told her.

‘Celeste, help me’ Sarah replied. Celeste moved towards the piece of ceiling covering Sarah’s leg and pulled it up. It cracked apart freeing her leg, but Celeste could see that the leg was broken in at least two places. Celeste sat her sister up.

‘I need you to keep your leg really still ok’ Celeste said.

‘Why?’

‘Because it’s broken and we can’t stay here,’ Celeste told her and then she pulled Sarah up. ‘Put your weight on me. You don’t want to be relying on that leg’ eventually, Sarah stood up, while being supported by Celeste.

‘Thank you’ Sarah told her sister.

‘You’re welcome, now let’s get out of here’ Celeste replied and very slowly they made their way out of the house.

Chapter Two: The Invasion

Scarborough, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, January 15 2068, 2:30pm

Jason Blake had just gotten off his bus, slung his school bag over his shoulder and began the walk home from the bus stop. He looked up at the sky, noticing the dark clouds rolling in as the wind blew his long, brown fringe across his forehead. He closed his eyes and sighed contently. He liked thunderstorms and from the look of the sky, he was going to get one. He opened his eyes and also noticed oddly rounded clouds. Clouds that looked like the underside of a bowl, but they did that sometimes. He crossed the road and walked down the alleyway on his usual shortcut. Thank god, he thought to himself, thank god it’s Wednesday. Most schools in Australia don’t operate during the Summer break, but his school was well behind the others academically and the move to operate during the Summer break was supported by the parents as well. It also meant they got slightly longer breaks during the terms. Wednesday his entire year group finished after third period and could leave, and they did in droves. The local transport actually ran double buses on Wednesday’s. When he got home, he let himself in (he was the only one there) and headed straight for his room. Once there, he dropped his bag onto the floor and then lay on his bed, thinking about what was really on his mind. His dad had died, in a research lab in Cairns. The army had sent someone to talk to them. Jason replayed the memory in his head.

‘He died a hero’s death…. You should be proud, he gave his life to protect this country…. In sacrificing himself he saved the lives of hundreds of people” all that came to him were those sentences. When Jason’s mother asked if they found his body, the army official said no but handed over the Aug A3. It was the only thing they could find that he owned. The plan was to bury it at the funeral. Jason fell asleep, thinking about how much like his father he was, wearing long pants every day of the year for starters.

He didn’t know how long he’d been asleep. Hours at least. But what woke him up was the rain. The roof of his house was gone and there was clearly destruction everywhere. He sat up and looked around him. He could see smoke clouds in the distance from houses that had been completely destroyed. He also noticed his face and clothes were covered in dirt and mud. He clambered over the debris in his room and set foot in the surprisingly clear hallway. He skipped checking his mum’s room. Even if it was normal day, she wouldn’t have been home until late that night; instead he headed straight for the store room and found the Aug A3. Jason knew a thunderstorm couldn’t have done this. The Tallentiri were responsible and he would feel safer having something to defend himself with, even if there weren’t Tallentiri around. His dad had taught him how to use and load most weapons; the Aug A3 included, and he always kept spare ammo in the house for when he went down to the firing range. Jason found and pocketed the ammo before raiding the kitchen for food and water. He then went back to his room and found his bag. He emptied it off everything, bar his laptop. It could be useful, he thought. Jason placed the food and water in the bag and the slung it over his shoulder. If Tallentiri were around, then this wasn’t the place to stay. He needed to find shelter before the night set in, and hopefully, other survivors. He walked out the street and instinctively turned left and walked. There was a deli and supermarket not far from the top of the hill and the houses near there could still be intact and be his best chance for survival during the night. As Jason turned and walked up the hill, he had to throw himself into cover. Three Tallentiri were standing at the intersection. Jason peered around the wall he’d used for cover and watched them. They seemed to stand there forever and then they began moving down the street, his way. He didn’t want to have to take on three of them at once. He had to move quickly, he knew that. He looked around quickly for added cover. There was a little walkway between where the wall turned and the wall of the house that the wall belonged to. He ran into it and it shielded him from view and Tallentiri seemed to pass him without noticing. Suddenly a hand clamped itself over his mouth and he could tell it was definitely Human. A survivor seemed to have found him.

Chapter One: It Begins

Cairns, Queensland, Australia, 1:30pm, January 11, 2068

Helicopters flew overhead, supporting the ground troops moving towards the captured outpost. By now, the Tallentiri had declared open war and Humanity, having no star fleet at all, was screwed. It was quickly apparent however that they were intent on capturing Earth instead of destroying it. Russia had been abandoned due to invasion and use nuclear weaponry, part of Asia had been successfully captured by the Tallentiri and now they made moves onto Australia. The captured outpost was actually a research station.

‘Alright guys,’ said a caucasian man with short wavy brown hair, blue eyes and wearing a clearly military uniform;  Black jacket, flak vest, long black pants boots that went half way up his calves. ‘, The invasions of other countries began this way. Tech and research facilities were taken first and then lowly branched out to cities. Our job,’ he stopped again outside the entrance to the station watching it carefully. ‘, Our job is to make sure they don’t take this one. Liberate it or die trying. We’re going to coordinate an assault on this lace from four directions, forcing them to barricade themselves deep into the structure; at that point I’ll call for the airstrike. Everyone clear?’ he asked.

‘Yes sir’ everyone replied.

‘Teams of ten, watch your asses these things are fast, let’s move out’ he said. The group immediately divided into four groups and headed to their various points he walked up to a panel next to the steel door and input a code but panel just beeped at him. He tried again. Still the panel beeped at him.

‘Sir, I’ll override the door’ one of the soldiers said.

‘Good Lieutenant’ he said as he raised his Aug A3 and aim carefully at the door, waiting for it to open. After a few seconds the door opened and a wide corridor faced them. Dead bodies lay strewn across the floor. The Tallentiri had obviously taken no prisoners in their capture; the walls were covered in blood.

‘Ok. Move in’ he said. As soon as they stepped over the threshold an overwhelming stench consumed them, similar to the smell of rotten meat and yet completely different at the same time.

‘What’s that smell?’ one of the soldiers asked. The man turned to look back.

‘They’ve been breeding’ he said as he turned around. He turned back and led his team through the structure, which gradually grew darker and darker with each step they took and yet they encountered nothing. It wasn’t a door shut behind them that they knew they were screwed.

‘Back to back everyone, you see something move out there, don’t ask, just shoot’ the man said.

‘Are we gonna die in here Colonel?’ of his soldiers asked.

‘Negative sergeant’ the Colonel replied, pushing his back against the sergeant. Suddenly the lights went out. It was pitch black and all they knew was that they were in the centre of the room.

‘Flares, now!’ the Colonel ordered. Within seconds the room was illuminated with a harsh red light and they saw several hundred Tallentiri attached the walls, their dark, black eyes staring at them.

‘Hold your fire,’ the Colonel said. ‘Don’t fire unless they attack’, and sure enough they launched themselves off the walls. The sound of gunfire rang throughout the room, and did the smell of ammonium nitrate in the gunpowder filled the room.

‘There’s too many of them Colonel, we’re never going be able to shoot them all down’ another soldier said.

‘Patience Lieutenant’ the Colonel said taking a small package out of his pocket and tore off the end.

‘C4 are you insane? It could destabilise the whole place!’ the Lieutenant said.
'We’re not gonna be here when it blows. When I throw it, run for the door’ the colonel said. And with that he threw it as far as he could across the room and the soldiers fled, still firing at the Tallentiri who had somehow managed to grow in number. The Colonel was the last to make it to the door, closing it behind him, breathing slowly and steadily. Then he heard the explosion. The force of the explosion sent Tallentiri flying everywhere, dead. But the gaseous ammonium nitrate set off a secondary, very powerful explosion causing the outer corridors to collapse. When the corridor the soldiers were in collapsed suddenly, there was nothing that could be done. When the smoke cleared, the colonel was lying flat on his back, his legs pinned. The soldiers tried to free him. First by trying to move the debris of the collapse, but it was too heavy to move. So then they tried to pull him out, but he screamed in pain.

‘STOP!’ he yelled. ‘You need to go. Don’t worry about me. You only have as long as it takes them to find us again.

‘Sir…’ the lieutenant began but the Colonel looked at him.

‘You’re in charge,’ he said. ‘But I do have a final order for you. Get these people to safety and call for the air strike…’

‘No sir…’

‘That’s an order, Lieutenant’ the lieutenant swallowed.

‘Yes sir’

‘Go. Now.’ The Colonel said pulling out two standard edition pistols.

‘Alright people, you heard the man. Let’s move’ and they left, just like that. He waited a few second to make sure he was alone.

‘Come on,’ the Colonel yelled. ‘Bring it! I know you’re here’ and sure enough, Tallentiri crept around corners and the Colonel opened fire. Knowing the airstrike was maybe less than a minute away. As he ran out of bullets he switched back to the Aug A3 and opened fire, decimating the Tallentiri numbers and the structure rocked.

The last thing the soldiers saw was an explosion where the lab had been. A huge fiery cloud rose into the air and everyone knew, then and there, that nothing could have possibly survived.

I'll be posting a new chapter every week as they take a fair amount of time for me to write.