Starseed (10 page)

“
It's my job.”  The sheriff patted Jim's shoulder. “I’m here for you Jim. Don’t hesitate to call me if anything else happens.” 

“
I know that, Henry, but there’s just nothing any of us can do about this stuff.”  He kicked the dirt. “You'll be the first person I call.”  Turning his back to them, Sandborn’s shoulders slumped in defeat as he led Bonnie into the back of his horse trailer.

“
Come on, Kole. Let’s get back to town so you can get those pictures developed.” 

Jim waved to them as they drove away.

“Sure.”  Kole shut the car door and became lost in his own thoughts.
Why are the Grays here—now? Are they after the Dropa stones, Elle or me?

Chapter Eight

Ignoring the No Trespassing sign, Elle held a flashlight in one hand and pulled the barbed wire fence back with the other for Sara to crawl through
. Once and for all, she needed to know what was going on out here. Herman needed her help and it seemed like she and Sara were the only ones there for him.

“
We shouldn’t be doing this, should we?”  Sara slipped through the hole. “What if someone catches us?”

“
It's after midnight. There's nobody out here this late.”  The only sound was their whispered voices above the cadence of crickets and tree frogs. Elle slid through behind Sara, her determination growing with each movement. This was her only chance to check things out without prying eyes watching her every move. What was making that noise in the cave earlier in the week? She had to find out. “Look.”  She waved her arm around. “There's nothing but the moon, the stars and night critters.”  She hoped her words would put Sara at ease.

Sara snickered
. “That's what I'm afraid of . . . the night critters.”  She gasped and reached for Elle’s hand. “I heard something.” 

“
It's your imagination,” Elle said and patted her on the shoulder. She tromped ahead and led the way to where she and Kole had been apprehended by the military. There wasn’t any noise or glow coming from the cave. Everything seemed normal, but a prickly feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, driving her forward in the pale moonlight. She’d see what there was to see and then they’d high tail it out of there. A sudden shiver crawled up her spine. She stopped in her tracks.
We’re not alone
.

“
Look out,” Sara’s muffled scream filled the cool night air, sending shivers up Elle’s spine.

Before Elle had a chance to think or turn around, from out of nowhere, a huge blinding white light swallowed her
. Two long metallic arms reached out and clasped Elle in their grasp. She couldn't move. Sheer unadulterated fear pulsed through her veins as she watched Sara slump to the ground. Something was pulled over her face. The cloth smelled of something medicinal, something strange.
Damn.
Blackness engulfed her.

* * *

Waking up, Elle turned her head. An unconscious Sara was strapped to a cold metal table beside her. Fright swept through Elle’s mind. She took control and embraced the evil sinister vibrations that hung in the air surrounding them.
Oh, what have I
gotten us into? This can’t be happening
. Cold steel bit into her back as she racked her brain, trying to figure out how to get them out of this mess. A bright light burned into her eyes and a whirring sound suddenly filled the room. Where were they? Turning her head, she realized the noise was the same sound she’d heard coming from the cave. “Elle. Where are we? I'm scared,” Sara whispered and pulled at her wrist straps.

“
Me, too, but I’ll get us out of this.”  Elle pulled at the strap holding her right hand. “I think we’re somewhere in the cave.”  They had to escape. The military would never treat them this way. And she felt it wasn’t the aliens, but it was someone else. Someone dangerous.

“
I can't move,” Sara complained.

“
Try to stay calm. I'll think of something.”  Elle worked against the strap binding her and focused her attention to freeing her hands. One was slightly looser than the other. She shivered and pulled against the tension, loosening it further.

“
Good, you're awake.”  A tall thin gray being with huge black bottomless eyes appeared over Elle and retightened her bonds.

Elle’s heart fell to the pit of her stomach as swift penetrating fear worked to flood through her mind
. The creature looked like the beings they called the Grays in the tabloids at the grocery checkout, but she sensed something wasn’t right. Her vision blurred for an instant as icy fright fought to submerge her inner thoughts. She sucked in a deep breath. She had to take control of her emotions. They were trapped with this creature and she had to do something. Then her sixth sense kicked in and she knew. No matter how real it seemed, this wasn’t a real alien. It was someone in costume.

Swallowing her fear, she squeaked,
“Let us go. We taste terrible.”  The thing ignored her. Apparently, humor didn’t impress the imposter as he watched her with his cold empty eyes. Someone had done a great job with the disguise.

“
Do not fear us, Earthling.”  It peered into her eyes and brushed hair away from her face with its sticklike hand.

Too late for that
. The panic coursing through her body almost made her pass out. With her psychic abilities she knew this wasn’t a real alien, but whoever he was had them at his mercy.

“
Cooperate and you'll not be harmed.” 

The squeaky voice grated against her nerves like scratching long fingernails across a chalk board
. He ran a cold clammy hand across her cheekbone causing her skin to crawl. Another larger Gray imposter hooked patches connected by wires coming from some kind of strange whirring machine to her body. She didn’t feel a thing.

“
We will examine you. Then you will be set free.”

Sara,
please forgive me
. Elle squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block out the alien pushing something up her nose. It caused her to pass out. The last thing Elle heard was Sara's scream.

Bright sunshine shone in Elle's face as she cracked open one eyelid to see a vast blue sky above her
. With her wrists unbound, she pushed her fingers into the dirt. Good solid ground lay beneath her. She could still smell the night dew on the grass and weeds. “Sara, are you here?”  No answer. A rush of dizziness overcame her as she tried to set up and slid back down. She leaned against a large rock and took shallow breaths. A moaning came from somewhere near her. “Sara, is that you?” 

Elle couldn't move fast
. Her arms and legs felt as if they were made of lead and weighed a ton. All she could do was lay there, listening. A tear trickled down her cheek. The muffled whimper came from her right.

“
I’m here,” a whisper filled the air.

Thank goodness
.
With relief, Elle turned her head and saw Sara's shoulder. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

“
I don’t think so. Just dizzy and I can't move too well.”

“
Me, either, but it seems to be wearing off.”  Elle rubbed her arms and legs, getting her circulation going, and pushed herself away from the rock. Finally, the world stopped spinning as she slowly crawled over to Sara. “We're all right. They dumped us somewhere.”  She squinted and tried to get her bearings. “I think we're in Red Rock Canyon by the Array.”

“
Thank goodness.”  Sara slowly sat up and rubbed her forehead. Confusion clouded her face. “I can’t believe the aliens took us.”

Elle checked out her arms looking for odd marks or finger-nail shaped scars
. “I don't have any marks or anything on me. Do you?”

“
No, not that I can see.”   Sara pulled up her shirt sleeves and her arms were fine.

Elle hugged Sara and whispered in her ear
. “They weren’t real.”  

Sara scowled at her and leaned away
. “What do you mean?”  One eyebrow lifted in a frown. “They were as real as it gets. I felt their slimy cold hands on me.”  She shivered and rubbed her arms.

“
I know we experienced it, but something was off kilter.”  Elle sighed in frustration and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I can’t put my finger on it, but I know they weren’t aliens.”

“
Until you do, they were scary enough for me.”  Sara’s eyes were wide with fright. “Real or not, do you think they will come back after us? Like Herman.”

“
No, they could've kept us.”  She sighed and sat back in the dirt. “They got what they wanted. I think they wanted to scare us away from the cave.” 

“
Maybe you’re right. It did the trick for me. I don’t care if I ever come back. Let’s get out of here.”  She peeked over her shoulder looking as if the demons of hell were rising behind her.

“
Can you stand?”  Elle reached down to help Sara to her feet.

“
Yeah, I feel fine now,” she said, and brushed off the backside of her jeans.

“
Me, too, whatever they gave us has worn off. Let's try to get our bearings.”  She turned in a circle, getting a good look at their surroundings. “I think the caves are back to the west of here and that's where we left the car.”

“
Hey, there, what are you two doing out here so early in the morning?”

Elle's heart leapt at the sound of Kole's voice
. “Oh, God, Kole, I’m glad to see you.”  She moved close to his side. “You're a sight for sore eyes. We came out to watch the meteor shower and got lost in the dark.”  She glanced at Sara warning her with her eyes. “We ended up spending the night out here.”  She couldn’t bring herself to tell him they’d been abducted. Knowing the way he felt about aliens, fake or not, he’d think she was as crazy as the townsfolk made her out to be.

“
Well, now you're found.”  He laughed. “I can see where it would be easy to get turned around in the dark in this huge maze of rocks.”  Towering red sandstone surrounded them with sparse scrub oak growing out of the sides of the rock. He glanced toward Sara. “Are you doing okay?”

“
Yeah, I’m just exhausted and want to get home.”  She walked up close to Elle and Kole.

“
What are you doing out here so early?”  Elle already felt safer having him with them.

“
I came out to get some shots of the early morning dew on the huge array of antennas and red rocks. Sunrise is always a special time for photos.”  He grinned and her heart beat a little faster. “Do you want some food or water? I have extra bottles and some fruit in the Jeep.”

At the mention of food, Elle’s stomach growled
. “Yes, that’d be great.”  There was a crackle like a twig breaking, but she didn’t see anything. She clung to his hand as they headed toward his vehicle. His presence gave her much-needed peace of mind as she glanced back to make sure Sara was okay. Sara followed close behind, glancing over her shoulder from time to time, no doubt checking to see if anything was behind her. Not that Elle could blame her. It was odd Kole would show up right after their ordeal, but thank goodness he had. This was his second time to rescue them.

Were they aliens
? Elle didn’t think so. Her thoughts ran in a circle. Now, in the light of day, it seemed like a bad dream, not an actual experience. Her psychic inner voice told her the people who took them were humans. But they had their cold slimy hands on her body. She had peered into the bottomless pits of their eyes. Right now, she didn’t think she'd ever sleep again. That had been real. She clutched Kole’s hand tight as they neared the Jeep.

“
Here, have some water.”  He handed them each a bottle. “You both have to be worn out.

Elle drank the water gratefully and then bit into an apple as she leaned against the Jeep and listened to him.

Kole stored his camera. “I've got the pictures I need. Why don't you let me take you girls back to town for some real food. We can come get your car later.”

Elle realized they were both shaken from their experience and probably in some kind of shock
. Sara had barely uttered a word since Kole showed up. “That would be great.”  She sighed, hating that they needed anyone’s help. “But only if you’re sure you’re through with your work.”

“
Are you kidding? It’s my pleasure to escort you lovely ladies anywhere you want to go.”  He winked at her, causing a fluttering in her stomach. “It’s no bother. Come on. Let's go back to town.”

“
Can you take us to the diner? I'm starving,” Sara said, finally breaking her silence.

Kole smiled
. “The diner it is. I’ll have coffee with you, but then I have to run some errands.”

A short time later, Dotty was serving them pancakes, ham and eggs sunny side up
. “How was your tour of the High Mountain Array?” she asked.

“
Interesting. I had no idea those antennas reached so far in space.”  Elle sipped her coffee and gained more clarity and strength by the minute.

“
Yeah, a few weeks back, Bill took me out there and showed me around. It's something to see. He's doing good work.”  Dotty dashed off to help another customer.

“
I wonder where Kole disappeared to.”  Sara gazed out the window still in some kind of daze. “He's been gone a long time.” 

“
He said he had something to do and he’d be right back.”  Elle looked around at the customers, searching for a familiar face and saw the last person she'd wanted to see. Of all people, Elle wasn’t in the mood to deal with Liz this morning.

“
Ladies, how are you doing?”  Liz leaned toward the table and grinned at Elle. “I overheard Dotty saying you girls had a little adventure.”  She laughed. “Why didn't you call somebody?”