Setting Fire to the Stars (a MM Sci-Fi Romance)

Chapter 10: Hunted

(**Note: mentions of blood, explicit language, physical violence, and mild sexual language)

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Lauren
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I was never any good at sports.

As a kid, my lanky legs, coupled with my lean frame, always led people to believe I would be a runner. My growth spurt hit before most of the other boys', and honestly, it was pretty great. By the time I was in sixth grade, I was taller than most of my class. But then the years went by and the other boys caught up, easily surpassing my five feet seven inches.

At the start of high school, I was left in the dust. No matter what I tried, I didn't seem to get any taller. I fell behind the other guys in gym class in both speed and strength. Peter quickly discovered he'd been made for football. I'd watched him try out as a freshman, and by our senior year, he'd earned the spot of starting quarterback. Not that I went to any of his games. I definitely didn't.

Okay, so like, maybe one time. But it was only because Mateo had invited me to the first game of our senior year. Mateo and I weren't exactly friends, but he was a good roommate, trying occasionally to include me in his friend group activities. I think it was because he felt sorry for me.

Football games weren't my scene, but that night I felt compelled to accept his invitation. After the game started, it was almost sad how quickly my gaze had zeroed in on Peter among the crowd of burly men. Not just because his navy blue jersey displayed 'DUCANE' across his back in bold white letters, but because I recognized the way he marched across the field like he owned it. I couldn't take my eyes off him the entire game. He was magnificent. The moment they announced that the Winchester Boys Academy Blue Falcons had won the game, he'd yanked his helmet off, the most breathtakingly beautiful smile on his sweat-soaked face.

What was the point that I was trying to make again?

Right. I was not athletically inclined. That was why I was struggling not even an hour into our one-hundred-and-twenty-mile trek towards the capital.

My side was throbbing from the pain in my ribs and my legs were incredibly sore from trying to keep up with Peter's brutal pace. Columbus, Ohio was our best bet at finding other survivors, and more importantly, some answers regarding the alien attack. My family and Peter's both lived in Jackson and if Wyatt's info was correct, they too were all hopefully heading toward the city's Safe Zone.

Ice-cold fear spun within me as I wondered what had become of my family. Although Peter had his phone, there was no service and that meant no way of contact. As much as I wanted to snag a car and drive to Mom's house, there was a high chance they wouldn't be there. I had to believe that I'd see them in Columbus. The alternative would be too much for me to bear.

So instead, I busied myself by silently trying to figure out more about the alien's motives. Popping half a granola bar mouth in my mouth, I chewed thoughtfully while stewing amongst my latest theories. Where had these strange beings come from and what was their goal? Control of Earth and its resources? If that were the case, why kill humans? Were we not considered a worthy resource or were the attacks simply meant to thread out the population? I had so many questions.

What I couldn't figure out was where our armed forces had gone. It had only been a short time since the initial invasion and yet there were no signs of any U.S. military activity be it on the ground or in the air. The silence that had consumed the world was what scared me the most. Thankfully, we hadn't encountered any ships, both the sky and road vacant of any life bigger than the occasional rabbit.