Chapter 1

Ethan flinched as the woman’s body hit the floor. Bumping into a pair of legs, she raised her head. Her eyes widened in terror as she took in the alien appearance of the man seated beside her. Panicked, she scrabbled away from the soldier as fast as her bound hands and feet would allow eliciting laughter from her captors. The alien looked on with indifference from where he sat, tied to a post dividing the dilapidated kitchen from the equally shabby dining room. At least Ethan supposed it was indifference. He honestly didn’t know enough about the aliens to be able to judge their expressions, he had only encountered one for the first time that morning, so his experience was somewhat limited. To him, they all looked alike, including the one tied up. The other men in the room, humans like himself, simply looked away.

There really wasn’t anything they could do. All of the men were bound with their hands behind their backs and their ankles and knees secured in front of them. In addition, the alien prisoner had been tied to the post. Ethan wondered if perhaps he was a deserter and posed an additional risk. It stood to reason; not only did he resemble the other aliens physically, he was dressed in the same blue or green uniform whose colors shifted in the dim light making it difficult to determine its exact color. Taller and broader in the shoulders than the average man, the prisoner was built like a lethal bodybuilder. Ethan knew firsthand the aliens could pack a vicious punch. Despite his military training, he had been taken down quickly and with little effort. Slightly larger than the other aliens, Ethan could only imagine the damage this particular individual could inflict.

Ethan’s humiliation was not lessened when he was unceremoniously dumped in the kitchen with others from his unit. He didn’t recognize any of the other men, just the patches on their uniforms identifying them as part of the 5th Division. His own battalion had been scattered when a blockish ship landed right on top of their encampment, noiselessly squashing tents as soldiers poured out the openings on each side of the ship unleashing death and destruction at an alarming rate. Ethan’s commanding officer had ordered them to take cover and find defensive positions right before taking a shot to the neck.

Ethan never made it to cover. His head throbbed where he had been hit the first time, rendering him nearly unconscious as the enemy disarmed him, then trussed him up and carried him to the abandoned farmhouse where other men like himself were deposited in heaps. The room stank of sweat and urine, making Ethan’s stomach protest. He was glad he hadn’t had breakfast. His body hurt enough from the rough treatment he had taken after being tied up.

Overall, it had been a shitty weekend and it didn’t look like it was going to improve any time soon.

The man nearest him whimpered and one of the alien captors strode over and kicked the man until he ceased to make noise. A short conversation between the guards followed and two of the aliens grabbed one of the trussed up men. The man struggled in protest as he was dragged out the door leading to the farmyard. The remaining guard toed the woman with one black boot and she angled up her head at her captor, giving Ethan a clear view of her face. Under a short shock of matted brown hair, one eye was discolored around the socket and blood dripped from her mouth onto the oversized T-shirt she wore. If it hadn’t been for the bruising, he might have called her pretty. Besides the T-shirt, she wasn’t wearing much else and Ethan could see a dark stain on the inside of one bare leg.

The soldier who poked her laughed and spoke to her in a soft mocking voice, but whatever he said was as unintelligible as the conversation between the guards. The woman watched him warily as he chose a spot along the wall and sat, laying his unusual rifle over his knees. Outside, Ethan could hear swearing, then screaming. The long, agonized pitches grated on his ears, but were not nearly as awful as the silence that followed. The rays of the sun angled through the broken window over the sink, filtering through the tattered curtains and illuminating the dust motes that floated in the disturbed air. After a time, a pair of alien soldiers returned. Ethan couldn’t be sure it was the same two men, but like before, they selected another of the ragged group of uniformed humans and dragged one outside. This time the screaming lasted longer before it was no more.

Periodically, Ethan tested the cord that restricted his movement and numbed his arms and legs, but the binding was tight and there was no freeing himself from the sharp pain where it bit into his skin. Resigned to await his fate, he lie still, watching the shadows move across the chipped floor. From time to time, the alien soldiers returned and selected one or another of the men. Some struggled, others laid  limp; their eyes dull as they were dragged to their fate outside. Ethan tried to block out the sounds passing through the opening, remaining still and trying not to draw attention to himself. Not that he had a plan or expected a different fate, but merely a habit carried over from basic training where attention was not necessarily a good thing.

By evening, there was only Ethan and the man kicked into silence remaining in the kitchen along with the woman and the alien prisoner. It occurred to Ethan that the other man hadn’t made a sound since he had been viciously kicked and might be dead, leaving himself to be the next selection. In a way, he welcomed an end to the dreadful waiting and the burning agony in his arms and legs, yet another part of him was angry at the prospect of surviving the day only to meet the same ignominious fate as his fellow comrades.

The guard seated against the wall dozed, his hand resting loosely on his rifle. Evidently he felt his remaining prisoners held no threat. The yard beyond the broken door frame was eerily quiet. Careful not to put tension on his bindings, Ethan shifted slightly for a better view. As best he could tell, the yard was deserted. The woman at his feet lie  still, her head turned away from him, possibly sleeping. The alien prisoner watched him with his dark eyes. Like all the other aliens, he had light brown skin and straight jet black hair that fell just short of three raised V-shaped ridges above his nose. Faint eyebrows and long dark lashes framed solid black eyes that lacked any iris or whites. Two slight indentations on either side of his face gave his high cheekbones an angular appearance that seemed at odds with his dimpled chin. Pointed ears tipped back smoothly along the shaved sides of his head, beneath which he could make out three thin slits. He assumed there were three more beneath the other ear. Ethan thought he detected a swollen lump on one temple, but it was hard to be sure in the fading light.

The eyes, a solid black, gave nothing away of what the man might be thinking. A few early crickets began their evening chorus and the sleeping guard’s head rolled to one side, his hand slipping off his rifle. If he had been in Ethan’s unit, the commanding officer would have had a field day.

The woman at Ethan’s feet stirred. She hadn’t moved in hours and he had wondered if she had passed out. Now she rose slowly, but steadily to her hands and knees. Unlike the men, only her ankles had been tied together leaving her knees free to gain purchase. For several moments she remained still, head turning as she scanned the kitchen and dining room, focusing on the alien prisoner for some time before turning her attention out the door to the yard beyond. From her vantage, Ethan guessed she had a pretty good view. She spent several minutes gauging the distance between herself and their guard before she moved, inching her way forward, her bare knees barely making a sound against the worn linoleum until she reached the guard. With infinite slowness, she lifted the rifle. The man slept on, unaware of his danger.

To Ethan’s surprise, she lay the rifle on the floor, just out of the guard’s reach. Twisting her arms, she then reached around his waist, careful not to come into contact with the soldier. Ethan frowned, wondering what she could be doing. His own instinct would have been to disarm the man and use his rifle against him; but it occurred to him that she probably lacked the upper body strength to deliver an effective blow and the noise of the rifle would alert others to her actions. A wicked knife appeared in her hand, the metal blade glinting in the rapidly fading light. Spreading her knees slightly, she crouched down, then suddenly uncoiled her entire body, thrusting the knife upward through the underside of the soldier’s jaw and into the back of his throat.

The man’s dark eyes flew open registering shock, but only a soft gurgling sound emitted from his throat before his eyes glazed and he slumped back. Her body quivered for several moments before she pulled the knife out and collapsed in his lap. She lay there for a short time as the front of the soldier’s uniform darkened. It was still quiet both inside and outside the house and Ethan didn’t dare to speak. Beside him, he could see the alien captive watching with interest.

When she did move again, it was to wipe the knife on the guard’s pants. Having removed some of the blood, Ethan watched her saw through the cord binding her ankles together. The edge of the T-shirt she wore had a fresh dark stain and Ethan thought he saw fresh blood on the filthy floor. After rubbing life back into her feet, she turned once more to the rifle. It slightly resembled the M4, but Ethan knew from seeing the gun in action it could do much more than the weapon he himself had been issued. She turned it over in her hands to study it, making Ethan wonder if she knew how to use the weapon. She didn’t handle it as though she had any training, but then again, with no way to cut her bonds, her hands remained tied at an awkward angle. He was about to suggest she untie him when her eyes came up and focused on the alien prisoner.

Rising to her feet, she silently tread across the kitchen until she stood between the alien prisoner and Ethan. Her eyes flitted from the prisoner, to himself, then back to the prisoner. Coming to some conclusion, she placed the gun at her feet and approached the alien. He pressed himself against the pole when she squatted in front of him, knife raised. Ethan heard the sharp intake of breath as she leaned forward and he found himself tense as the knife moved toward the defenseless man. The prisoner’s wide eyes were locked onto hers while she ran the knife along his chin leaving a thin red line in its wake, but he didn’t utter a sound.

Then to Ethan’s amazement, she lowered to one knee, reached around the prisoner and cut him free from the pole. The alien let his arms drop to his sides, but made no other movement. The woman moved back and nudged the gun with her foot toward the freed man. The man’s lips parted and his tongue darted out to wet his lips, but he still made no move. She nudged the rifle once more. This time the alien flexed his fingers, then took the gun. Deftly moving a switch near the trigger, he pointed it toward the open door.

The woman then turned her attention toward Ethan. Ethan lie still as she slithered over to him and bent over to cut his hands free. His eyes watered as the cords fell away leaving a wake of pinpricks in their absence. Remaining on his side, he waited until she cut the cords binding his legs and ankles before he attempted to sit up. When he finally did, she held her wrists out to him, the knife resting on her open palm. Nodding, he cut her free.

Though there were no whites to his eyes to indicate movement, Ethan knew the alien was alternately watching both the door to the outside and the doorway leading to the rest of the house, as well as himself and the woman by the slight movements of his head. Having regained the feeling in his own legs, he debated the wisdom of cutting the alien’s legs free. His silent argument was cut short when a shadow filled the doorway, blocking out the last rays of light. The rifle flashed mutely and the shadow staggered in, then dropped to the floor with a thud.

It took a half a second before Ethan realized the alien soldier wasn’t going to rise again. Stirring himself to action, he scurried over to the alien prisoner and cut his legs and ankles free, before rushing to the downed soldier to relieve him of his weapon. The freed prisoner joined him, grabbing the canteen that hung from the dead man’s belt and pulling off the cap to gulp the contents down. Ethan searched for, and found, a second knife. Glancing behind him, he could see the woman leaning over the soldier who had been kicked into silence. He slid the first knife across the floor to her.

The alien prisoner gripped his wrist, drawing his attention back to the rifle in his hands. Moving his fingers along the stock and stopping just above the trigger, he flipped a switch, then tapped his own rifle so Ethan would know that the setting had been changed to match the silent function the alien had used on the dead soldier. When Ethan nodded his understanding, the alien handed him a box from inside the man’s jacket before moving to the deceased guard against the wall.

Ethan rapidly rummaged the dead alien soldier for anything he thought might be useful. Taking the knife with its sheath from the man’s belt as well as a sidearm, he unfastened his own belt and looped them through. Meanwhile, the alien prisoner similarly stripped the foolish dead guard and pulled the man’s body armor free, donning it over his own broad shoulders as he continued to watch the door. Despite being larger than the guard, the prisoner managed to get it fastened. Ethan mimicked him, wrestling with the large soldier on the floor until he too had the body armor vest over himself. In his case, it hung loose, but it was better than nothing.

The woman sidled up to Ethan. In addition to the oversized T-shirt, she now wore a baggy pair of fatigues, cuffed tightly at the ankles. In place of a belt was a length of cord knotted in the front, with the knife tucked beneath at an angle where it couldn’t fall loose. On her feet were a pair of boots, obviously too big and probably belonging to the dead human soldier. Ethan didn’t look. Together they moved next to their alien ally who was finishing the contents of the guard’s canteen. Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, the alien clipped the canteen to his belt and crouched in the doorway, his rifle doing a sweep of the yard outside.

It was nearly dark, but Ethan could see the yard was empty. Cautiously, he pivoted out the door, sweeping to one side while the alien swept in the other direction. He started along the house when the alien caught him by the shoulder. Using hand movements, the alien indicated they should cross the yard to the decayed remains of a barn a short distance away. Ethan didn’t like the idea of crossing the open yard with its ominous dark stains in the dirt, but before he could protest, the alien was in motion, the woman following his lead. Cursing to himself, Ethan ran in a half squat until he was alongside the barn. Encountering no one and seeing nothing of his squadron's men who had been dragged outside earlier, they continued to move quickly, rounding the edge of the half collapsed building, in what Ethan considered a reckless manner.

The alien never slowed. Reaching the far end of what had once been the front of the barn, the man spun around the second corner, giving off two short bursts that flashed noiselessly from his gun. Ethan checked the growing gloom behind him, but the area was still empty. Slipping around the corner, he found the alien relieving another dead soldier of his weapon, this time handing it to the woman. Ethan assumed he had already switched the weapon to silent mode. The alien paused a moment more to drink the soldier’s canteen before dropping it on the ground and grabbing the woman by the arm. Together they sprinted into a field of tall grass and headed toward a small grove of trees.

Cursing, Ethan scooped up the canteen, thinking it might be a good idea to have a second vessel to hold water should they find a clean source. Breaking into a full run, it took several minutes to close the distance between himself and the trees where the alien and the woman disappeared. Entering the grove, he pulled up short before nearly colliding with the alien. The alien was barely visible, his uniform having changed to match the shadows that engulfed them. The woman was doubled over, holding her side with one hand, the rifle hanging loosely in the other. Ethan did a quick sweep of their surroundings.

Leaves rustled in the cool breeze, which did little to relieve the sweat on his brow, but the tall grass they emerged from was still, showing no signs that they were pursued. Ethan couldn’t make out the alien’s face in the darkness, but he could see the pale features of the woman who accompanied them and it was clear she needed a rest. A cricket resumed its interrupted song.

The alien started to move further into the trees. “Wait.” Ethan whispered.

The alien turned and cocked his head, then started again. Ethan grabbed his arm and tugged until the bigger man faced the woman. There was silence for a moment before the alien bent down and swept the woman over his shoulder, causing her to gasp and drop her rifle. Turning back into the trees, he started off once more.

Tucking the empty canteen he carried into his oversized vest, Ethan scooped up the rifle and followed once more into the dark cover of the trees.