Red Handed

  Don't think about that. Not here of all places, where temptation lurks. What could I do to keep my mind occupied? Dance?

  No. If I joined the dancing circle, the fire would heat me inside and out and my resolve would weaken. I would smoke. If I smoked, I wouldn't stop until I was numb. And if I became numb, I wouldn't care about staying sober.

  In that moment, I felt more out of place than I had in a long time. I didn't belong here, and I didn't belong with the other kids at school, the ones who considered me better off dead. I didn't belong at home with my mother, either, a woman who made me feel guilty and depressed every time I looked at her.

  "Take your friend and go home," a deep male voice suddenly said.

  Startled, I whipped my attention to the side. My eyes widened. Ryan Stone was standing next to me, a slash of black clothes and intimidating male. I hadn't even heard him approach. Not the snap of a twig, not the roll of a rock or the pound of a boot.

  Up close, he towered over my five-foot-seven frame. His shoulders were broad, his arms hard and strong. His eyes were...freaky. I'd thought they were pretty from a distance. Wrong. They practically swirled with blue and flecks of purple. They didn't look like human eyes.

  Was he an alien?

  No, couldn't be. Except for his eyes, he appeared to be fully human. Aliens did not. I'd always thought they were recognizable with one glance. The Delenseans had blue skin and multiple arms. The Bre-Alees excreted slime, so they always appeared wet. The Mecs changed colors with their moods, glowing like neon signs. The Arcadians had similar bodies and facial features to us but their skin was much paler and their eyes were a metallic purple color, inhuman.

  There were more alien types than I could name. Still. Same story. They looked different from us. The ones I know about, at least.... But I did not want to consider that.

  Ryan frowned at me, and it was one of the darkest expressions I'd ever seen. Scary.

  "Take your friend and go home," he repeated.

  "Why?" I asked, raising my chin, refusing to budge. He'd dismissed me only a few minutes ago. The fact that he was now eager to get rid of me only made it worse. Who did he think he was?

  "There's going to be trouble with the Outers tonight, and you do not want to be a part of it."

  Aliens a.k.a. "the Outers." I had nothing against them; they'd lived and walked among us for over seventy years. I'd learned in history class that they'd only been allowed into our school system and workforce about twenty years ago. But they'd always been a part of my life and had never caused me trouble, so Ryan could go screw himself.

  Outers rarely caused trouble, to be honest; they were too afraid of being killed by A.I.R., Alien Investigation and Removal, an elite unit very similar to police or military or FBI. Except deadlier. Meaner. More blood thirsty.

  They were the stuff of legends and movies.

  Everyone, even humans, feared them. They could mow you down like roadkill if they even suspected you were guilty of helping an alien commit a violent crime. And it would be perfectly legal. They were judge, jury, and executioner.

  "What makes you think there'll be trouble?" I asked, humoring him. A part of me didn't want him to leave my side.

  He didn't look at me when he said, "Maybe I spotted a few aliens when I hiked through the forest."

  "So," I said with a laugh.

  "So," he said with a scowl.

  I snorted and waved a hand in dismissal. "Are you an Outer hater or something?"

  Ryan's eyes narrowed, but he didn't answer.

  "You paranoid, then?" I'd been thinking about leaving only a few minutes ago. Now I wanted to stay. Maybe it was the rebel in me. Maybe it was the fact that I was talking to one of the hottest boys I'd ever seen--a boy who, with only a few words, had made me feel more alive than I had in a long, long time, even though he couldn't wait to get rid of me. "Think the Outers are out to get us and steal our planet? Well, guess what? You should have paid better attention in class. Even I know the War of the Species is over. Has been for like sixty years. Everyone's friendly now."

  To end the war that had almost destroyed our planet, the Outers and humans had signed a peace treaty, which gave aliens permission to stay here and A.I.R. the right to police and destroy as needed. I'd had to memorize the stupid thing, not that I could recall a single word now.

  A muscle ticked under Ryan's eye. "You know for a fact that they're friendly?"

  "When was the last reported violent crime, hmm?"

  "So the media reports everything now? That's a newsflash to me." He laughed, but the sound lacked humor. "Ignorant, that's what you are. You have no idea what you're messing with, little girl."

  Ignorant? Little girl? My eyes narrowed, just like his had done earlier. I closed some of the distance between us. He smelled like firelight and pine. "Every girl here is my age or younger. What'd you come here for? To get you a piece of ass from one of these little girls, right? So what does that make you?"

  His jaw hardened, making it a determined square. "That's not--"

  A strange, eerie howl suddenly cut through the night. The sound was raspy, animalistic. Close. Startled, I glanced left and right, halfway expecting a wolf to be nearby. Not that there were many left in the world.

  Just my luck, though, the last one still kicking would be nearby, hungry for a big, delicious platter of human girl.

  Ryan cursed under his breath. He withdrew a weird-looking gun from his side, and I gasped. I backed away, palms up, the wolf forgotten. "What are you doing? Put that away before someone gets hurt."

  Another howl rent the air, followed by another and yet another. Obviously, there wasn't just one wolf. There were...God knows how many. I shuddered.

  "I told you to leave," Ryan said. Frowning, he twisted a dial on the side of the gun. "But no, you had to stay. That decision's going to cost you."

  The howls blended with multiple growls, all of them low and menacing.

  I lost my focus on Ryan's weapon, forgot about his threat. "What is that?" I whispered, trying to see past the trees to something, anything, that could be making such a terrible sound.

  "That's death," Ryan said bleakly. "And it's too late to avoid it now."

  2

  Within the blink of an eye, a horde of animal-like creatures burst through the far coppice of trees, green leaves trembling against their onslaught. The creatures were flesh colored with not a single strand of hair on their wrinkled skin. They crawled on all fours. No, not true, I realized. They bounded, jumping from ground to tree stump, stump to ground.

  I gaped at the sight of them, repulsed and frightened, but unable to look away. Morbid fascination held me in its tight grasp. Kids screamed and ran around the fire and through the thicket, panicked, trying to get away. My heart began an erratic drumbeat in my chest, a rushed da da da. I'd seen some weird-looking Outers over the years, but I'd never seen anything like these.

  My eyes widened as one of the creatures jumped on top of an unconscious boy, meshing its mouth over the boy's and--

  "Oh my God," I gasped out.

  White-gold pinpricks of light flashed through the air between them, and the boy's body shook, as if something was being pulled from deep within him. He was unconscious, but still he struggled, still he flailed.

  "I don't think so," I heard Ryan say. He aimed his strange gun and fired once, twice. Pretty blue beams lit up the night. I could feel their heat, even from where I stood.

  More human screams blared, but the light from the gun didn't touch any of them. No, the beams slammed into the monsters, freezing them in place.

  Those who escaped the blasts chased and jumped on top of the panicked humans, knocking them to the ground, attempting to...kiss them? They lowered their mouths, opening wide, fusing alien and human together.

  "Wh--what are those?" I gasped out.

  "Sybilins," Ryan spat, firing again. Another stream of blue flashed. This one hit a monster dead center in the back and it, too, froze. But there were so many of them, and thei
r numbers only seemed to grow with every second that passed.

  Sybilins? I'd never heard the word before. I'd never dealt with anything like this before, and I wasn't sure what to do. But I didn't even consider running. My friends were here, some of them helpless, flying. Like Jamie, still at my feet. I could not abandon them simply to save myself.

  Several of the creatures--God, how many of them were out here?--growled and howled with rage, focusing their attention on Ryan. And me. Their eyes glowed red, bright red, perhaps the exact shade of radioactive blood.

  "Run," Ryan commanded without looking my way. "Go to you car. I'll hold them off." He fired his gun with one hand and withdrew a knife from a hidden sheath at his waist with the other.

  The sheer menace of him was as startling as the Outers' appearance. "Like hell," I said. I bent down and grabbed two rocks. Straightening, I bounced the heavy weights in my hands, preparing to throw them, to fight.

  "Leave!" Ryan barked. "This isn't a game."

  "Really?" I said dryly. I couldn't help it. I faced the aliens, adding, "You mean I don't get a prize if I'm still alive in the morning?"

  Ryan cast me a dark glare and I could tell he wanted to shake me. Or kill me himself. But he turned back to the creatures, feet planted on the ground as he fired several more rounds. "Things are about to get ugly."

  "I kind of had a suspicion," I replied, gripping the rocks more tightly. The fear hadn't left me, and only seemed to grow.

  "You can still run."

  Running and hiding sounded good. But I couldn't. I wouldn't. That would make me a coward. That would make me no better than my dad, who had abandoned me and Mom when things got tough.

  I'd hated him for that. I wouldn't turn around and do the same thing.

  Ryan's gun held the monsters off for a bit, but soon they learned how to dodge the hot, blue streams and leapt toward us, closing in. Almost...there...bile rose in my throat, but I managed to hold steady.

  As Ryan fired, I launched a rock. The gray stone slammed into a wrinkled face, right between glowing red eyes. My rock didn't stop or even slow the creature down, but only enraged it further. Fear continued to stab at me, sharper than a knife.

  The creature snarled low in its throat and flashed a funnel-like tongue at me. It was so close now, I could see the yellow saliva dripping from its too-large mouth.

  Again Ryan fired, but the beast bounded left, then right, reaching me in the next second and knocking me to the ground. I still had one rock left and used it to smash the monster in the temple.

  Howling, it rolled off me. Ryan used its distraction to his advantage and shot it in the face. It froze, posed exactly as it had been, features contorted in pain, that disgusting yellow saliva half dripping from its chin.

  "Thanks," I muttered, pushing myself into a crouch. I couldn't stand on my own. My arms and legs were too shaky. It had touched me; that thing had touched me, and I felt violated. Enraged and sick.

  Expression bleak, Ryan offered me a helping hand. I took it, and his strong fingers closed around me. My shaking grew worse as he hauled me to my feet. "Good work with the rock."

  "Thanks," I repeated. More human screams--terrified, pain-filled--pierced the darkness. Goose bumps broke over my skin. "What's happening?"

  Ryan kept one arm extended, firing in a quick half circle, protecting us from invasion for several precious seconds. "The Sybilins are sucking the water out of your friends, drying them out."

  His words echoed in my mind, surreal, almost foreign. How was that possible?

  How is any of this possible? I thought, incredulous. Sucking the water out of human bodies...I'm not sure I would have believed it if I'd seen it in a movie or read it in a book.

  Aliens were nonviolent, working and going to school side-by-side with humans. Like humans. Right?

  Not these Sybilins, that's for sure.

  "Where did they come from?" I managed, hand covering my throat.

  "Does it matter?" Ryan returned, dialing his weapon to a hotter setting. I knew it was hotter because I could feel the singe of it, nearly blistering my skin. "Shit!" he gritted out. "This isn't working. They're still multiplying."

  Without another word, he raced forward. When the creatures--the Sybilins--came within striking distance, he cut them with his knife. Yellow liquid spewed from them, thicker than their saliva, dripping on the ground. Ugh. There was a human girl out there fighting, as well, I noticed.

  Allison Stone, I realized a moment later.

  For a moment, I just watched, awed and terrified. Ryan and his sister fought the Outers expertly, slashing with their hands, feet light and quick. The motions were almost a dance. Lethal, controlled, bloody.

  Obviously, they'd done this before. Perhaps many times before. I'd been in a few fights myself, but nothing had ever been this violent. Nothing had ever been so in-your-face fatal.

  I had to help them.

  I bent down, afraid to switch my focus as I searched for more rocks. I felt only dirt.

  Two hysterical kids raced past me, knocking me onto my ass in their haste to escape. As I struggled to right myself, one of the kids tripped over Jamie's body, scrambled upright, then continued running. Jamie gave no reaction.

  I should follow them, I thought; I knew I should, despite my desire to protect.

  Instead, I found myself finding and grabbing onto a long, thick branch. It was bare and jagged. Perfect. I was unprepared for the macabre scene unfolding, yes, but I would go down with a fight.

  I stepped toward the circle and stopped, a thought shooting through my mind. Would I be a distraction to Ryan and Allison?

  They knew what they were doing. I didn't. If I hindered them or caused them to be harmed, everyone here would be doomed. "Think, think," I chanted under my breath, my grip tightening on the stick. I moved forward another step, then stopped again. What damage can I really do with a stick?

  "Two on your left," I heard Ryan say.

  I spun, but there was no one to my left. All of the monsters were now in the center, battling Ryan and his sister. He must have been talking to Allison. I whipped back to the fire just in time to see Allison pivot, a blur of black as she fired off two quick shots, nailing both of her targets in their chests.

  They didn't freeze; they burned to ash. Flesh sizzled, soot filled the air, nearly choking me.

  What should I do? What would most help them?

  "We need backup," Allison grunted, swinging up her leg and bringing it down with intense force. The blow slammed into a creature's back, forcing it onto its stomach. She fired; it too died a burning, flaming death, its screams echoing in my ears.

  My mouth dried.

  "They should be here soon," Ryan said.

  When I saw one of the injured Sybilins crawl on top of a prone human female, I finally pulled myself from petrifaction and leapt into action. I'll make my mother proud. I'll do whatever I have to do to protect my friends. Ryan and Allison couldn't destroy all of the creatures, especially the ones slinking and sneaking along the dirt floor. Those I could handle without hindering the siblings.

  As the creature's lips descended on the girl's, I closed the rest of the distance and swung my stick. Contact. My arms shook from the force as the wood smashed into its cheek and sent it tumbling to the ground.

  A shocking wave of satisfaction washed through me.

  "Ryan!" Allison shouted, a desperate edge to her voice. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up."

  "Just keep firing," he told her. "That's our only hope until the others get here."

  I faced them and could see that Ryan and Allison were completely surrounded, still pinned in a menacing circle. The sound of grunting and groaning filled my ears. Blue and yellow lights flashed.

  Okay. Taking out the Sybilins on the fringes wasn't going to do much good, I realized. I'd have to do more.

  I raced forward to guard Ryan's back, but I was knocked to the ground by an Outer before I'd taken three steps. I lost my breath. Dizziness pushed thro
ugh my mind, hard, and all I could do was remain in place, trying to regain my bearings.

  A second later, I was flipped onto my back. One of the creatures pinned my shoulders and trapped my hands between our bodies. It fit its lips over mine. They were wet and warm, too wet, too warm, and only growing more so. I heard a slurp, a pop, then felt a hard suction pry my mouth open. That funnel-like tongue I'd seen earlier lowered over my tongue and covered the back of my throat.

  I gagged.

  The Sybilin began sucking, sucking. Sucking. Over and over, again and again. I couldn't breath, but that didn't panic me. I'd flown so many times I was used to going without air. What bothered me was how dry my mouth suddenly felt, how slow my blood began pumping. How tight and hard my skin became.

  Fight, Phoenix. Fight! I thrashed my head, jerked on its hold, trying to dislodge it. Finally I managed to work my hands free and beat against its head. Nothing budged it. Then the creature recaptured my wrists, holding them at my sides. Not once did it stop sucking from me, draining every drop of water it could. I began to grow cold. So cold, despite the heat radiating from the still-raging bonfire beside me.

  That's when panic threatened to consume me. Stop. Stop! I tried to scream. Let me go! I wasn't ready to die. I'd just gotten clean. Stop!

  Calm down, Phoenix, I told myself in the next instant. Calm down and think. I forced myself to be still. What should I do? How could I get the water-stealing bastard off of me? Better hurry...

  Black spots winked in and out of my vision, a spiderweb that was thickening, spreading. Time was running out, I knew that much. I really would be drained soon. My fingers were already blocks of ice, my arms almost too heavy to lift. And still the creature sucked. My entire body jerked. Spasmed.

  The creature's eyes pulsed that eerie red, overshadowing even the spiderweb in my mind, becoming my only focus. Becoming...lethal. Fight it. Fight this. I'm smart. I can escape. I'd been held down like this in rehab, strapped down as I fought for freedom, for drugs. I'd been overpowered, like now, yet I had managed to escape time and time again.

  Now my life hung in the balance.

  Drawing deep on a reservoir of strength that always managed to surprise me, I bucked upward, the action painful, almost impossible, shaking the Sybilin to the side. It released my left wrist to steady itself. With a roar, I shoved two fingers into its eyes. I cringed at the wet warmth I encountered.