Alien Mine (3 page)

No wonder I'm so tired.

She leaned against the tree, taking slow steady breaths to calm her racing heart. She gazed up at its stubby branches, remembering how worried she'd been when this crop of young trees had almost died the first winter after she'd planted them.

As a teenager, she'd griped when her survivalist father had forced her to learn every inch of the mountain. Now she was grateful she could find her way around blindfolded.

Shaking off her longing for her father, she gathered her strength and deliberately headed away from the cave. Only when she was too tired to continue did she start the climb back up the mountain. When the Forestry Department approached her five years ago to replant the pine trees decimated by beetles and blister rust, she'd started to use the cave as her workspace, nursing the trees from seedlings. Her father had, with typical survivalist paranoia, already begun to prepare the cave as a backup residence. After the raiders had burned her house to the ground, she'd moved into the cave, grateful it had been stocked with emergency provisions. After losing nearly everything, those provisions had kept her alive.

But why had the raiders even bothered coming to this isolated spot in the Rockies anyway? She could see them getting lost and stumbling upon her house, plundering it then burning it in a crime of opportunity.
But twice?
No, it didn't make sense. With the house gone, there was nothing left for them to loot.

She stopped and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep the cold from invading her body. Despite the harsh sun shining overhead, the high altitude made the days perpetually cool and she berated herself once again for her poor choice in clothing.

Though she didn't know the reason, she had no doubt the raiders' presence on her mountain was intentional. Which meant that if Murdoch, their leader, hadn't ordered his men there, he at least knew where they were.

What will he do when he learns his men have been murdered on my mountain
?

She gasped in horror and at the same time, a hysterical giggle scored her sore throat. After she'd lost her house, she'd stayed up here to escape the violence happening in town. Now in one miserable day, she'd had two invasions on her mountain. While that devil had dispatched one threat, he remained, and another, Murdoch, was sure to follow.

Her body ached. Every bruise and scrape came to painful life as she forced herself to continue the short climb to the cave.

She desperately wanted to believe the events of that morning were all a hallucination, an invention of her overactive imagination.
But, no.
There was no way she could have imagined such brutality, so much blood. Not to mention that devil. She'd never seen anything like him. It was as if he was from a completely different planet.

She stopped, her eyes staring in shock at the ground as the odd thought struck her.
Could he be
?

Last week, when she'd talked on the TC to her friend, Julia, for her weekly update on the happenings in town, they'd giggled over the rumors of a space ship that had supposedly crashed in the woods. Normally, most people ignored such an outlandish rumor, except that this time the rumor was started by the librarian, James Stocks. The pompous man was the last person Natalie would expect to believe in the existence of aliens, yet he swore he'd seen an alien ship crash in the mountains.

What if Stocks is right and the ship belongs to that devil
?

The idea that the stranger was an alien didn't surprise her in the least, considering the inhuman things she'd witnessed.
Wait, does that mean there are more of them
? It seemed unlikely that he would travel so far across space by himself.

She glanced around anxiously. Having one of those things after her was bad enough. What would she do if she ran into others like him?

Part of her wanted to believe he was her
savior, that
he'd shown up at the exact moment he did with the sole purpose of saving her from the raiders. But no one that skilled, that efficient at killing, could know mercy.

She started running again, remembering the way the raiders' bullets had bounced off his body. That was something her father had never taught her, how to protect herself against an invincible predator.

She stopped
twice,
just long enough for a quick puff of her inhaler each time, then sprinted the last quarter of a mile to the cave. Out-of-control giggles bubbled up in her throat as she ran. Who would've thought all this could happen in one day? She'd been captured by raiders, almost raped, only to be saved by an alien who may or may not be after her right now.

"Run faster, Natalie," she muttered, but her legs refused to cooperate. The stitch in her side hurt and she couldn't stop the soft wail coming from her mouth. She sobbed in relief when the huge monolith that hid the entrance to the cave came into view.

Skirting around it, she staggered inside and finally allowed her legs to give way, collapsing against the entrance wall. She closed her eyes and leaned her hot forehead against the cool stone, her breathing raspy.

Even behind her closed lids she could still see the alien lopping off heads, blood spurting everywhere.

Her sore fingers dug into the rough stone.

No. Everything's okay.

She was safe.
But for how long?
Sweat ran down her back and she shivered, the thin tattered material of her summer dress offering little protection from the cool damp of the cave.

As much as she hated the idea, she'd have to move into town. Her captors had confiscated her shotgun but she still had the various other weapons her father had stockpiled in the cave. Unfortunately, they would prove useless against the alien's bullet proof skin.

But I'll come back here
, she promised herself.
Once it's been declared safe.
Her mission to restore the forest was far from complete and she had every intention of finishing it.

The air behind her stirred, and all the hair at the nape of her neck crawled upright. Afraid her worst fear was about to be realized, she reluctantly lifted her heavy eyelids. A giant shadow loomed on the cave wall in front of her, growing smaller as the source of the shadow approached.

Without moving her head from the wall, she looked down at the club she kept at the cave's entrance for emergencies. Adrenaline pumping through her system, she grabbed the club and swung around, hitting the intruder as hard as she could. The club struck his head with a sickening crack.

His gaze locked on hers, and she took a nervous step back.
Is that satisfaction in those crimson eyes
?

The alien stood there for a moment before toppling to the ground, falling with such force she almost expected the cave to shake.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
The old saying popped into her head, repeating over and over.

Was he friend or foe? There was a small chance he really had come to save her from the raiders before. Though, after she'd just clobbered him, she was pretty sure he'd exact revenge the moment he woke up.

"I'm so dead," she murmured in horror.

Chapter 3

"I'm dead. I'm so dead." Natalie turned around one hundred eighty degrees, desperately searching for a way out of this alien-induced nightmare.

She pounded her fist against her head in frustration.

Right to this cave. I led him right to this cave.

And why, oh, why did she hit him? He could have just wanted to talk. Not likely, but it was a possibility. Technically, he had saved her. But no, she'd clubbed him in the head and effectively signed her death warrant.

Natalie stared down in horror at his unconscious form. Her hand cupped her throat as the pulse in her neck beat madly. Now he'd kill her, the way he killed those raiders.

She grabbed the backpack and survival jacket she always kept ready near the entrance of the cave then, giving the alien a wide berth, hurried outside. Shivering from shock and cold, she dropped the backpack and shrugged on the red jacket. It took several tries before she could get her shaky hands to zip it closed.

Scooping up the backpack, she raced down the mountain path as fast as the loose dirt and gravel would allow. For the first few minutes, she kept looking back, scared he'd awakened and was following her. She bit off a scream when she stumbled, her momentum carrying her several meters down the mountain side. Skidding to a halt, she lay on her back for a moment, waiting for her dizziness to clear. Her body already felt like it was covered in bruises from her ordeal that morning and now she'd given herself fresh ones.

Pressing her lips together, she crawled back to the path and forced herself to focus on the rocky ground in front of her.

After fending for her life and running all the way back to the cave, she was exhausted. The few moments of rest she'd had before she hit the alien weren't nearly enough to replenish her strength. Her lungs burned and, no matter how hard she tried, her body refused to move as quickly as her fear demanded.

Please let him stay unconscious long enough for me to get a good head start.

Surely she could elude him. She knew this mountain like the back of her hand.

She stopped and looked back in the direction of the cave. What if she'd killed him? Killing anyone, even a dangerous alien, didn't sit well with her. And there was still the possibility that he'd saved her. And she'd repaid him by potentially clubbing him to death.

She nearly slipped again and grabbed a jutting rock to steady herself. Her cold hands stung at the contact. She frowned down at them. Each finger was stiff and clawed from the cold.

This morning she'd put on a sundress, optimistic when she'd woke to a brilliant sunny day.
Could the temperature have dropped that quickly
?

With mounting panic, she turned in a slow circle. Very light flecks of snow sifted down, settling on the dry ground.

She'd seen this before. If the snowfall continued, the path down the mountain would become a slippery death trap in no time. Her gaze darted around. The sparse pine trees and gray boulders were already transforming into an icy landscape.

The wind had picked up, whisking her hair into her face. Natalie sat down on the nearest boulder with extreme care and dug in the pockets of the jacket, her fingers so cold she couldn't feel anything. Finally, her hands fisted painfully around her gloves and drew them out, along with the woollen cap she always kept in the pocket. With shaking hands, she pulled them on, pushing her hair under the cap.

She had to keep moving. Without the shelter of her cave, she was vulnerable. On the mountain, temperatures could drop drastically in a matter of hours. If she could get to the truck, there was a chance she could make it to town before the snow blocked off the pass.

She'd been worried about her first winter in the cave, doing everything she could think of to prepare. Still, it was safer than moving to town. Apart from regular attacks by raiders, the locals had formed vigilante groups, spurred on by the pastor's fanatical sermons.

So what was the lesser of two evils? Being trapped on a mountain with aliens and the dead bodies of raiders? Or living under martial law and in constant fear of being raped and murdered?

Her foot slipped on the loose pebbles scattered all the way down the mountain path, now hidden under a coating of snow. Natalie slowly righted herself. Her shoulders bowed as she pressed her cold hands against her body under the jacket in a desperate bid for warmth.

***

Zgaaaachrrr, third son of Zyghrczryn stood looking down at the human. She didn't have the odd smell of other humans. And she was female. When she'd lifted the club, his first instinct had been to kill her. But she'd attacked a Zyrgin warrior and that showed great courage from someone born of such a weak race.

He'd been curious to see what such a courageous woman would do with an unconscious male. And she had acted with honor. She didn't attempt to harm him while she thought he was helpless.

His lip curled. She was courageous but not that intelligent. A piece of wood wielded by a female could never fell a warrior of Zyrrggghnnnn, he thought with an amused snort, observing her some more.

***

Natalie desperately searched her mind for a way to get to safety more quickly. The only way to reach the shed housing her old pick-up was to hike out. But it was at the bottom of the mountain, on the other side of a massive rockslide. In true paranoia, her father had blown up the pass leading up the mountain.

In the years since, no one had tackled the climb, until today, when the raiders showed up. Usually, being cut off from the outside world had made her feel safe. But now, she was trapped. If the alien didn't kill her, it was only a matter of time before Murdoch came looking for revenge.

The snow was falling heavily now, the wind whipping it up into a frenzy. She vaguely remembered a broadcast she'd seen on the TC a few years back, where they'd discussed theories behind the radical weather changes. Her father had always said the government had done too little too late and now the people were paying for polluting the earth. Not long ago, New York had a blizzard and a heat wave in the same week. Even this morning, the fall sun had burned her fair skin, yet now she was shivering, despite her red down jacket.

If the snowfall followed the same pattern as last year, within an hour she wouldn't be able to see a foot in front of her. And if she didn't fall blindly off a ledge, she could easily die of hypothermia. She considered the survival gear and small tent in her backpack, but knew they wouldn't be enough to protect her for long. Even so, she fished out a pair of long pants and slipped them on under her torn sundress.

The TC
! In her panic and fear she'd run out of the cave without the TC-Comm.

Dammit
! She could've made several emergency calls by now. She smacked her forehead with her palm in frustration.

What've I done to deserve this
? She stared up at the darkening sky and bit back a sob. But a few tears managed to escape, freezing almost instantly to her cheeks. She wiped them away, staring at the small ice crystals on her glove.

She had no choice. Natalie bit her lip until she tasted blood. She'd have to go back to the cave. To the alien.

She turned around and began the slow arduous trek back up the mountain.

She'd only taken a few cumbersome steps when she froze. Something stalked her. Something big and mean, she could feel it. It was the same feeling she'd had as a teenager when she'd had a rare encounter with a bear. But bears hadn't been seen on the mountain for years.

This had to be something or
someone
else.

Had the alien woken up and followed her? She frowned at the snow beneath her boots, half expecting to see footprints. Afraid of making any sudden movements and drawing her stalker's attention, she slowly looked around, squinting her eyes to see through the haze of snowflakes.

Nothing. No copper-green alien or sparkling diamonds. Only trees and snow.

After a moment, the feeling passed and she felt like she could breathe again.

If the alien's wandering around the mountain side looking for me, that means he's no longer in my cave.
Of course, there was always the possibility that he'd come back, but she refused to think about that right now.

Somewhat reassured, she grabbed onto a boulder and pulled herself up the path. Slowly, taking careful, measured steps and using the slippery outcroppings of rock for support, she made her way back to the cave.

She was exhausted, freezing, hungry, and bruised--all because of those horrible raiders--not to mention terrified that an alien warrior might still be out to get her.

The cave, her only safe place, was now anything but. When she reached the massive rock hiding the entrance to the cave, she hesitated.
Please be empty. Please let the alien be gone.
Taking a deep breath, Natalie rounded the monolith.

He was still there, his unconscious body taking up most of the cave's entrance.

Will any of my prayers be answered today
?
She couldn't help feeling that God was punishing her for something.

Natalie let out a heavy sigh then fisted her hands on her hips and considered him. She couldn't leave him loose. If he woke, he might attack her before she could explain.

A blast of cold wind whistled across the cave's opening, sending a harsh spine-chilling shiver through her body. She had to get the cave closed up and get warm, or it wouldn't matter if the alien regained consciousness. They'd both freeze to death.

The TC
!

She took a step toward the wooden chest where she kept the TC then hesitated.

Should I tie up the alien first
? She glanced down at him.
It'll be okay, if I hurry.

She rushed forward, grabbing the pink plastic communication device off the wooden chest. Last month there was a fascinating program on the TC about old devices called televisions and cell phones. When the Touch Cell was developed that combined the functions of both as well as those of the old computers it was hailed the sign of a new era of technological superiority. Locating the small gray
Activate
button, she pushed it, or at least she thought she did. Her fingers were so cold, she couldn't tell. Having the voice activated model sure would have been useful right about now, but the damn things were so expensive only a handful of people in the country could afford them.

She pulled off her damp gloves and pushed the button again, harder this time, her frozen thumb stinging in pain.

"Service temporarily unavailable. Please try again later," the overly friendly, fake-metallic voice said. She nearly threw the TC on the floor and stomped on it. Did anything sold by Cell Soft ever work like it was supposed to? The TC should allow her to make emergency calls, even if she'd used up her monthly allotment of hours.

Her hand still poised above her head, ready to chuck the useless device, she realized it would be another week before she was allotted more time. She sank to her knees, letting the TC fall from her hand onto the hard earthen floor.