Blackbird

00

Great Falls Air Force Base, 2125

A full moon hangs up in the sky, casting bright light for the dark earth. Crickets chirp and there's a rustle here and there. Then everything goes silent.

Owls turn their heads, animals prowling about freeze and look around carefully. Suddenly, there's a crash deep in the forest and all animals run to safety.

In the glimmer of the moon light, there are two figures. One tall and muscular, the other thin, but built.

"How long do we have to run?" the young woman asks. "We have to get out before it explodes."

"Not long. Just hang on," the masculine voice quickly replies. "We're sticking to the plan."

He adjusts the two backpacks on his back before leading the way once again. They keep walking, making their way out of the dense forest. Suddenly, a twig snaps. The couple freezes and the man steps towards his wife, pulling her close.

"Somone's close," he whispers to her, trying to keep his voice calm.

He leaves his wife's side and takes a couple of steps forward. He catches a glimpse of a shadow pass by and he quickly goes toward it.

Suddenly, the night air is split by a scream. The man's eyes grow wide in horror and his heart begins to race.

That is the scream of his wife.

He turns around and begins to run back to her.

A cloud covers the moon, making everything dark. The man can't see anything anymore. Not even his own hand. He begins to call out, knowing the danger it will cause him. But he doesn't care. All he wants is to save his wife... and the new born baby girl in her arms.

"Ally! Ally!" he calls out.

But the only sound he can hear is the pound of running footsteps on the moist ground. He's about to call out again, when he feels a hand cover his mouth tightly.

Reacting quickly, like he was trained, he grabs the attacker's hand and throws him over his back and onto the floor. But, the attacker reacts quickly and jumps on his two feet before tackling the father into the ground. He's about to keep fighting when something cold hits his temple.

A gun.

"Move again and I'll shoot," the attacker says in a gruff voice.

The man stops moving, realizing that he can't do much if he wants to live.

Suddenly, he hears another pair of footsteps.

"I got her," a woman's voice calls out to the man's attacker. "I think it's his wife."

She turns on a bright flashlight and shines it on the ground.

The man waits as the footsteps grow closer. Then he's pushed violently as the woman shoves his wife towards him.

"What are you two doing here?" the woman barks, shining the light directly at their faces.

Her partner lets go of the man and he quickly hugs his wife, who's holding the baby, tightly. He gathers the courage he has left and speaks.

"We were walking through the mountains, taking a walk. We didn't realize where we were going when night fell," the man lies easily. "Then we got lost and here we are."

There is only silence and the man looks down upon his daughter. He smiles when he notices that she's still sleeping.

The cloud moves away from the moon, revealing the faces of their attackers. The woman is an average height with her straight brown hair passing a bit of her shoulders. The man has shaggy black hair and is huge and muscular. Their both wearing night vision googles.