Altered Earth (Soldiers of the Earth Book 2)

Chapter 4

A low rumble of thunder ripples through the air, and immediately my muscles tense. I hold my breath, waiting to see if any of the others awaken from the noise.

"Don't you need this to find Razec?" Rebecca's voice startles all of us. We turn to find her holding Kira's tablet that she must have swiped from Damien.

"Yeah, nice work," Kieran smirks, noting the same.

"Hope you guys weren't planning on leaving without me." Her eyes pierce into mine as she packs her bag.

"Oh, no, we would never," Leah replies with exaggerated sincerity.

"What exactly do you plan to accomplish?" Rebecca continues, not bothering to lower her voice. I feel my jaw clench. She knows this, along with the thunder, may wake up the others, including my-

"Rachel?" My mother's half-asleep confusion causes me to squeeze my eyes shut in frustration and defeat. When I open them, everyone seems to be waking up. Great.

"Razec helped us. I feel like I owe her, and she deserves help." I answer, avoiding my mother's gaze. I begged her to come, yet here I am caught trying to sneak away. Because I know what I want to do is stupid. It's driven only by the desire to have my family and friends safe and by my side. Pure desperation that pathetically shoves away all rationale.

"And you're hoping you can get on the ships if the reinforcements find you." Rebecca states. There's no judgement or malice in her voice. Has she hoped for the same? "That hope is useless. No matter how badly you want them back, the only way you will survive is if you think of them as already gone."

Her words hit me like a splash of icy water, and I shiver. How can I think of Mary as gone? Of Callie as gone? Tyler and Alfie as gone? The hope of getting them back is what keeps me going. I can't deny that it endangers me, but what is my alternative? I've been training for months, watching my mental health deteriorate as I stay in the same place and watch the ones I care for wither away from torture. Staying would have meant falling apart.

I would risk brainwashing. I would risk death. It all looks so much better than staying still and rotting away. I don't care what it takes anymore. It's always been pulling me apart, and I want to do something about it.

"I say no thanks to alien fuckers finding me." Older Annie scoffs. "I'm heading back." Trina agrees with her, as do Bob and Craig.

"I'll help. It'll be fun." Harrison grins, his eyes shining in the moonlight.

"Have you lost your entire mind? Like....are you insane?" Annie gapes at him. "Going out there is a death wish. Best case scenario, you get brainwashed. Actually, that's if you find the other aliens. What you should really hope for is just getting lost."

"Come on, Anna Banana," He looks at her mischievously. "You know you wanna come fight some aliens with me."

"I'd really rather not," She rolls her eyes. "I like being alive."

The rain from the impending, inevitalble storm starts to fall. It comes on fast, and in seconds we are soaked and can barely see. This leads to us sprinting to find shelter in the closest neighborhood. Once we find a decent house and ensure it's abandoned, we settle in. Everyone agrees we will discuss what to do in the morning.

Bob finds the necessary supplies to start a fire in the fireplace. My mother and Trina scavenge dry clothes for everyone to change into. I wait for everyone else to take their pick, settling on an oversized T-shirt with the logo of a software company and shorts that are way too short. Everyone hangs their soaked clothes to dry before trickling off to find a place to sleep. Kieran steps out onto the porch, announcing he will take first watch. Damien offers to join him. I settle in by the fireplace, watching the flames dance and crackle.