aliens are stupid • ben parish

- epilogue

For the next few days, we lie low. Not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to the small farmhouse that we're sheltering in. Vosch knows we escaped and will want us back, dead or alive.

On the second day, Cassie manages to to get my stories of Squad 53 out of me and she eventually tells me about Evan. She tells me he's coming back. I know somewhere, deep down that he might not have survived the explosion, but I'm not in the mood for breaking people's hearts today so I just agree with her.

And anyway, I've decided to try out this new 'hope' thing that the Sullivan's are so big on. It worked for Nugget and Cassie seems to think it works too. I probably should have tried it out at Wright-Patterson because apparently it works because soon enough, a bloody and battered Evan turns up at the front door later that week. He's covered in his own blood and looks pretty rough but he's still Evan.

Dumbo should be able to help, after all, he treated Poundcake's wound and got straight to work on mine. My arm is in a makeshift sling and it's healing quickly.

Cassie is over the moon to see Evan and pulls him into a long lingering kiss. I look away, feeling slightly awkward for intruding on a what should have been, a private moment. So when Cassie pulls away I motion that I'm going to see the others.

I head over to my old squad mates who are playing cards on the old, falling apart, leather sofa in the corner of the room. Nugget and Teacup are curled up on one end, sleeping. The other three are in heated conversation about the rules of poker.

I notice Ben isn't there. I ask Ringer where he is. She doesn't know so I decide to go look for him. Ringer still hasn't told me her real name. When I told her mine she didn't offer hers in reply, instead she just nodded as if she was storing the information in the back of her mind.

I find Ben on the porch, fiddling with a locket around his neck. I've never noticed it before, he probably had it tucked under his shirt most of the time.

'Why are you out here all alone?' I ask him as I walk over to him. He turns around and looks at me with a mix of surprise and gratefulness.

'I just wanted some time to myself..' He says and I nod.

'Sorry, do you want me to go?' I ask turning back in the direction I came from. I understand, I needed some time alone when we first got here.

'No. No, stay. Please.' He says and at first I'm surprised at his answer but then I walk over to him and sit down.

I don't say anything, but I watch him continue to stroke the necklace in between his forefinger and thumb.

'Do you know who this belonged to?' He asks holding up the locket for me to see.

I shake my head and he continues.

'It was my sisters, I grabbed it from her the night she died. The night I ran and left her to die.' He says his voice shaking and his eyes filling with tears.

I know Ben was very close with his sister. I remember after ever football game he played, regardless of whether they won or lost, he would parade her round on his shoulders.

'I'm sorry Ben. It wasn't your fault.' I say and reach out to take his hand. He flinches away at first but then let's me take it.

'But it was. I didn't save her.' He says. 'That's why, when you first came to Wright-Patterson, I made a promise to myself that because I couldn't save her, I was going to look after you with my life.'

'But why me? You didn't know me before the waves.' I ask him he shakes his head.

'Yeah I did. You were in my Chemistry class. You were best friends with Cassie and you liked running but weren't on the track team.' He runs off a list of facts about me so easily that I'm more than slightly taken aback.