Earth (The Invasion Trilogy Book 1) (17 page)

“He’s tired, hungry and grumpy.
If you add in a nightmare about those awful machines and seeing you and me dead, you might get why he’s so upset. When he woke and couldn’t find you, he lost it.”

My heart breaks for him, reali
sing what my leaving has done to him. I never wanted to scare him.

“I’m okay
, Logan, and I even brought you food and something to drink,” I soothe, handing the bag over to Mattie who quickly opens it.

“Did you have any trouble getting this?”

I hesitate answering her, thinking back to finding Ival and the words he spoke.

“Right, tell me later.” She correctly reads that something
has happened, her eyes drifting down to Logan.

I’m not looking forward to telling her the truth. I already know she isn’t going to take it well. How will Logan take it? Should I not say anything to him?
Besides, he’s only five-years-old, so he’s unlikely to fully understand what I’m saying.

She takes out the clothes I
’ve stuffed away in there, her eyebrow raising high into her hairline when she sees the pink clothing I got for Logan. I didn’t realise the room I’d been in had been a small girl’s. In the dark I’d thought the clothing were dark colours like blacks, green and blues. It turns out most of the clothes I got were yellows, oranges and pinks. Yet, there are a couple of grey t-shirts that I change into, enjoying the fresh clothing against my skin.

Mattie watches me change
, and when she places on a clean, faded yellow t-shirt under her sweater, I curse again having her wear that vest. It continually stops me from seeing what I so desperately want to see. Yesterday it kept me from touching her. Even though it protects her, maybe it’s time I took it off, just for a short while...

Once Mattie has a can of cola in front of Logan as well as a packet of crackers I managed to grab, she moves towards me looking uncomfortable.

“What is it?” I ask, my stomach grumbling for food. I don’t crouch down to take anything from the bag, though, waiting for Mattie to first eat.

“Thank you for saving my life yesterday and for going out to get us food and for coming back
,” she says nervously and then hugs me.

Having her so close is torture, but before I can reach behind her to hold her to me, she moves away and reaches down for a can of
soda, passing it to me. She takes one also and drowns the liquid.

When I take a gulp, I
know this is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever tasted. I purposefully avoid looking at what ingredients are in it while also attempting to pretend this is cold. It does the job of quenching my thirst, at least for now. I also eat the canned apples Mattie passes me next.

After we all drink and eat until we’re full, we decide to start moving again.

“How’s your knee?”

“Sore. I found a place on my way back here and I think we should check it out.”

“Why? What is in there?”

“It just seems like a safe and comfortable place to have a chat. There is seating that isn’t on a hard ground.”

She eyes me wearily. “What kind of chat?”

“One we need to have. I have something to tell you
, and I think you’ll want to be sitting down to hear it.” I know I sound nervous, which is putting her on edge.

She takes Logan’s hand as she walks behind me, letting me lead the way.
“Okay, but we can’t stay too long. We’re close to Hank and Lisa, and I don’t want to lose them again.”

“This won’t take long
,” I promise, fearful that she won’t even let me finish my first sentence before she runs screaming in disgust and hatred, leaving me forever.

I don’t expect the completely different reaction I
receive instead.

Chapter 16

Mattie

We make it to the small shack quickly, and after searching around it, which takes all of ten seconds, I settle Logan on the couch with the paper and pens and ask him to draw me something.

Once he’s lost to concentrating on his work
, I step over to Marduke and lower my voice so Logan doesn’t overhear us. Feeling like I’m not going to like this conversation, I straighten my back and hug my arms around me.

“What did you see? How many more machines are outside here now?”

He appears thrown by my question, which is weird. Isn’t that what he wants to talk to me about?

“There are a few by the winery that was on fire
,” he states carefully, as though he’s expecting me to freak out on him soon. It means he’s holding something back.

“
Was
on fire? So they’ve put it out then?” I don’t want Earth to burn. I don’t know what humanity’s place will be on this planet—if we’re being killed off to the point of extinction or if we’ll manage to hide out here and keep going—but the thought of our planet being destroyed, too? That’s just too much. Why take us from our homes, murder us, just so they can also destroy our planet? How pointless and sad.

“Yes, they were putting it out as I was there. I could see it in the distance. I also saw my brother there.” He watches me carefully after saying that. His intense
I’m-seeing-into-your-soul type staring.

“Your brother?
You found him? Why didn’t you bring him with you? Is he hurt?” I can’t understand Marduke’s mood. He doesn’t sound pleased to have found his brother, which makes no sense.

“He is fine. I didn’t bring him with me because he’s trying to kill me, and he’s now trying to kill you and Logan.”

I take an involuntary step back from his words, shocked into silence for a moment. What is he talking about?

“You must have this wrong
, Marduke. Your brother isn’t trying to kill you, especially not now. We’re under attack. This is the time we put aside whatever differences we had before and fight together,” I explain, wondering if he’s translating this wrong. I’ve never met his family before, but I can’t help feeling it’s unlikely that his brother would want to seriously harm him, and especially not while we’re being invaded.

He shakes his head, wringing his hands out nervously.
“My brother wants me dead because my father told him that he plans on making me his successor. I’m to lead our people when he steps down.”

“What people? France will be in the same position as we’re in now. There are no leadership roles or anything anymore
,” I say, wondering briefly how powerful his father is.

“I’m not French, Mattie. I’m not anything that you know. I’m not from Earth at all. I’m the reason Earth is being attacked. My father ordered this attack.”

I let his words sink in, and then pull out the desk chair beside us and push him down onto it.

“What are you doing?”

“I think you might have been hit in the head.” I move my hands over his forehead, feeling for any signs of excessive heat or any other injuries.

“I haven’t been hit in the head, Mattie.” He sighs, his eyes closing
. I swear he looks content. It’s either because my hands are touching him as I stand close and he’s feeling what I am, which is heat moving back through my body at our close contact, or he’s messing with me.

T
hen, it makes perfect sense.

I laugh, pulling my hands away from him and leaning over, laughing so hard I can’t stand up straight.

“Are you okay?” Marduke stands, his hand moving over my back. I don’t know how he can still keep a straight face while telling me this joke.

Logan giggles from the corner, not having heard the joke Marduke
’s said, but laughing because I am. Hearing Logan laughing makes me laugh even harder. I haven’t laughed in so long it feels good.

“Mattie, I’m not sure this is the right response to what I’m saying. I’m telling you I’m what you consider an alien.”

“Stop, Marduke. While I appreciate the laugh, we need to focus,” I tell him between large gulps of air. His face still looks serious.

“Focus on what?”

“On our next step. We need to find Hank and Lisa and decide what we’re going to do next. We haven’t had any problems in the woods, so maybe Hank’s idea of us staying here is a good one.”

“But what about what I just told you? You don’t have any questions for me? You don’t hate me for being an
alien?” His eyes are wide in shock.

“Marduke, stop
,” I say this more forcefully. I can take a joke, but I also know when a joke needs to end.

“Mattie, you stop. I’m not lying to you. I’m telling you the truth.”

He still looks dead serious, causing uncertainty to build up inside me.

“What truth?”

“I’m from a planet called Oden. We explore the universe and find planets that we can acquire and take over. We have nine other planets so far; Earth will be our tenth.” He takes a deep breath. “I didn’t realise how evolved you were. We’ve never found a planet with a species that look like us. My brother and I stayed here and gathered information. Then he ordered the attack. I didn’t know they were going to harm you. I thought they’d just take you all back to Oden and… Well, I don’t know. I was an idiot. I knew it was wrong, and I swear I wanted to stop my father once I realised that we had no right to Earth, but it was too late. My father informed Ival of his plans for me to become leader, and I had to run.”

I shake my head, not knowing what to think of what he’s saying to me.

He continues speaking, making me even more confused. “Those machines, the hinemas, were able to track me. We each have a tracking device implanted in case we get lost or find any trouble. Ival managed to make the machines come after me instead. I didn’t realise at first, but then, when we were running from the truck with Hank shooting, it still came after you and me. Then, when we were in that town and they started chasing me, I knew what he’d done. It’s why I cut my arm. I had to get the tracking device out. I needed to destroy it.”

I look down at his arm
. The blood has been washed off from the swim he took, but the cut is still open, and if I’m being honest, it now looks a little raw, maybe even a little infected.

Is this what is causing Marduke to go crazy? Is he suffering an infection?

I reach out, touching the back of my hand to his forehead again. He doesn’t feel hot. Then I realise, if the self-inflicted cut is causing him to go crazy, what made him cut himself in the first place? I saw that bloodied knife; I know he did that to himself. Why?

“Where were you living when the invasion began?”

“What does that matter?”

“Just answer me.” I need to know if we managed to rescue a mental patient. When I first saw Marduke, he
looked like he was giving up. He was talking to those machines as if they’d understand him. I never heard what he said, but he definitely looked as though he had a death wish. After saving that little girl, a normal person would have run; he just stood still and waited.

Maybe he isn’t all right. Maybe it’s taken until now for him to have a complete meltdown.

“I was on the run from my brother; I wasn’t staying anywhere. Before that, I was in America.”

“Were you living in a home for people with mental problems?”

“No, I was in an apartment with Ival in Oregon.” He gives me a confused look. I swallow down my sigh.

“And Ival is your brother?”

“Yes. Listen, he’s dangerous, and now he knows about you guys. You deserve to know that and you deserve to know the truth about me. I like you a lot, Mattie, more than I’ve ever liked someone before, and I don’t want to lie to you. I don’t want to trick you into anything.”

My heart breaks with his words, not because I believe what he’s saying, but because he does. He really thinks he’s doing the right thing because he actually believes what he’s saying is real.

“I don’t know what you want me to do here,” I reply, feeling a weight leaning down over my shoulders.

“Do you believe me?”

I open and close my mouth several times without the slightest idea how to answer that because I don’t know how I’m supposed to deal with someone having a mental breakdown. Will I send him over the edge by arguing? Is he even safe to be around anymore?

“Mattie, what are you thinking?”

“Honestly? I’m feeling a little scared. I don’t know what you want from me here. Why is it so important to tell me this? Weren’t you happy with how things were? We were a unit before, and now what?”

“I’m still the same person
. I’m just not hiding my past from you anymore.”

I look over my shoulder, seeing Logan scribbling away at the page. There are several loose pages that have fallen onto the ground and they all have drawings on them. He has no idea what is happening over
on the other side of the room.

“I think we need to leave and try to find Hank and Lisa
,” I say slowly, a million thoughts vying for attention in my mind, giving me an instant headache.

“It’s not safe outside this forest
. In fact, it probably won’t be safer much longer in here. We need to move deeper into it and away from where we last saw Hank.”

“Away from Hank?
No, we need to find them,” I argue.

“They’re not safe where they are
, either, finding them will be too dangerous.”

“I’m not giving up. I will find Hank and Lisa
, and you can either come with us or we can split up right here and now.”

“I’m not going to leave you unprotected.” He frowns.

“If you believe what you’re telling me, then you’ve just put targets on our heads. How is that protecting us?”

“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.” He shrugs at me, coming across as nonchalant
, igniting my anger.

“You didn’t mean to go insane and start spurting out crap about being an alien?” I snap.

“I’m not lying; I really am from a planet called—”

“Crazy! You’re from a planet called crazy. How dare you do this! We don’t need this
. I thought… I thought you were someone I was supposed to be able to rely on.” Tears well in my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.

He winces
, noticing my distraught state. “You can rely on me.”

“No
, I can’t. You’re either insane, or… no, there is nothing else. You’ve lost it.” I throw my hands up in the air.

“I’m not crazy!”
he yells at me while punching his fist into the desk beside us, scaring the hell out of me.

I jump back and behind us Logan gasps. We all stay silent, even Logan doesn’t make a sound
. The tension in the air thickens with every passing second.

“You have to believe me
,” he says carefully, his voice muffled as he grounds his jaw shut, as if he’s trying his hardest not to yell again.

Logan reaches out behind me, having silently gotten up
. He holds onto my leg, wrapping his arms around me. “Mattie, I’m scared,” he whispers.

I want to tell him that I’m scared
, too, that I’m not capable of doing this alone, that I don’t know how to take care of a five-year-old in the middle of an invasion. I don’t know how to take care of a five-year-old full time. I’m not prepared. I’m not ready, and I don’t want to do this alone. I can’t tell him that, though, because he is a kid who needs me. He doesn’t need to hear my fears or see my tears. He needs to believe I can take care of him because it’s obvious to both of us now that Marduke can’t.

“It’s okay; everything is going to be fine
,” I tell him, patting him gently on the head.

I reach down beside me, picking up the bag and
moving it over to the couch where Logan’s papers are scattered about. I don’t glance directly at Marduke, however I’m aware of where he is. I need to know if he tries to make any sudden movements.

“What are you doing?”
he asks me, his voice suddenly nervous.

I take out some food, unsure of how much to leave behind. Marduke
has risked his life again to get this food; it feels wrong to take it, but I can’t leave it all behind. Logan doesn’t deserve to go without. If I’m going to do this on my own, I’ll need something to start us off with. So I pull out the bag that Marduke has brought back with him, the one that we’ve just emptied into the bigger gym bag, and start tossing food into it. I give him most of it, leaving Logan and me just enough food for a couple of days. I leave us a few cans and two empty bottles as well. Maybe we can find water somewhere to fill them up.

“Mattie?” Marduke takes a step closer
, and I pull out the handgun. I don’t point it at him because I can tell he’s no longer angry; he just looks defeated. I don’t feel scared enough to believe he’ll physically hurt me, either. Plus, I don’t want to scare Logan.