aliens are stupid • ben parish

15

The cold air continues to blow harshly through the open sided helicopter but I don't feel it. Ben's hand is still holding mine and every few minutes I bite my tongue to check if this is is actually real.

You know the whole 'pinch to see if you're awake' thing?

Yeah well I couldn't do because Ben would have questioned that so I bit my tongue instead.

I look back out and see that Wright-Patterson is slowly coming into view, it's barbed wire fences becoming clearer every second.

'You ready for this? We get Nugget and then we're out of there.' Ben turns to me and takes his hand away, my heart sinks a little at this but I know it meant nothing in the beginning, it was a sign of friendship.

'Mhm hm,' I say. I was biting my tongue at the time so that's all I could muster.

The helicopter rattles as it hits the asphalt and I brace myself on the back of the seat.

'Soldiers, return to your original barrack and you will be spoken to by Colonel Vosch as soon as possible.' The solider who first took us on the helicopter shoves us off onto the ground and into freezing wind.

Vosch will know something is up as soon as he sets foot in our dorm. We are going to have to escape as soon as possible.

The hangar doors open the pair of us walk or limp, whatever you want to call it inside and into the main air base.

'Here, Switchblade can you slow down a bit?' Zombie says, panting.

'Zombie you heard the man, we have to get to Nugget before Vosch.' I say and offer Zombie my shoulder to lean on. 'Here.'

'Thanks,' He smiles and we continue walking down the grey corridors. As he puts his weight on me again I feel my stomach flip and I try to calm the raging emotions inside me.

Jesus Dylan, please get a grip! You're trying to save the world here.

To think I'd been so stupid to let the Others go right under my nose, I always knew Reznik had some sort of strange enhanced senses but I didn't think it would be  that she's a freaking alien.

'Where exactly did you leave Nugget?' I ask the exhausted Zombie.

'Uh, just back in our dorm.' He says and I nod. We should be there soon.

I take the next left and then again and I see Barrack 10 fade into view at the end of the corridor. I speed up a little to Zombie's disappointment, he's barely standing. When we eventually get Nugget and leave Dumbo should be able to fix him up, at least I hope he can. I have faith in Dumbo.

I reach out towards the cold metal handle and shove the door open.

'Nugget! Where are you?' I call and my voice echoes round the room, bouncing off the stone walls and ceiling.

I leave Zombie at the door and walk down the centre aisle, checking on and under each bed for Nugget's small, childish figure but I see nothing.

'Are you sure you left him here?' I say to Zombie and turn back around to see Zombie there, grimacing with Vosch's arm around his shoulder.