Red Sands
Author: Nicholas Sansbury Smith
Date: 2015-02-03 05:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Science Fiction; Fiction; Aliens; Short Stories; Post Apocalyptic; Dystopia; Horror; Apocalyptic
Description: A thrilling prequel to the bestselling Orbs series.Jeff and his little brother David are alone. Their parents have disappeared along with the rest of the world, replaced by glowing blue orbs and a terrifying army of aliens.But the boys are survivors. Living in the tunnels beneath the White Sands military base, escaping from hungry aliens, and searching for supplies, they hatch a plan. The boys will fight back, and before they’re through the white sands will run red with blood.
Publisher: Simon Schuster/ Simon451

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CHAPTER 1

JEFF waited in the stillness with his back to the tunnel wall. The coldness of the concrete bled through his T-shirt, but he didn’t dare move.

“Where are you?” his younger brother, David, asked.

“Shhhh,” Jeff replied.

He could hear David’s hands fumbling against the wall as the boy desperately searched the darkness for him. Jeff reached out with his right hand and their fingers connected. He pulled his brother close.

Dad had been gone for three days now. Maybe longer. Jeff wasn’t sure. He’d lost track of time down here in the damp tunnels. At first they’d waited at the bottom of the staircase. They’d waited there for hours, listening to the shrieks of the spiderlike monsters long after their dad’s gunfire had silenced. Had he died up there? Jeff didn’t know. Maybe he had run. Maybe he was still alive, searching for them like they were for him. Surviving. He liked to hope.

They’d found a storeroom shortly after, but the monsters had found them, the scratch, scrape of their claws echoing in the hallways. Jeff and David had barely escaped, and their hideout was destroyed.

Now, a day later, they were hiding in a tunnel somewhere under the base. He had no idea where exactly. All he knew was that the batteries in his flashlight were almost dead, and the food in his backpack would eventually run out. They couldn’t stay here forever.

Jeff tightened his grip around David’s back. “It’s going to be okay. Don’t worry.” He was crying, sniffling, and wiping his nose on Jeff ’s arm.

“Don’t cry. They’ll hear you.”

David’s whimpering quieted.

A noise echoed in the distance. Jeff reached for the handle of his assault rifle and listened. Somewhere a leaky pipe dripped steadily. The noise was soothing. It was recognizable. Man-made.

They sat there for an hour. Then two. And then Jeff wasn’t sure how long they sat. He held his brother, listening.

When his eyelids started to feel heavy, he decided it was time to move. He stirred David, who had fallen asleep in his arms. He woke with a yawn.

“We have to go now,” Jeff whispered. “We need to find a place to hide. They’ll find us here eventually.”

“No,” David protested, gripping his brother’s arm, his nails digging into his skin.

“David, you have to be strong, we have to find a place to hide.”

The boy whimpered. “But I can’t see anything.”

“I’ll use the flashlight.”

“No,” David argued. “They’ll see the light.”

“Take your gun, David,” Jeff whispered, his voice stern. He knew his brother would feel safer with the weapon.

The sound of metal scraping across the floor made Jeff flinch, but it was only David grabbing his hunting rifle.

“Got it,” he said.

Jeff stood and helped his brother up. A tingling sensation raced up his right leg. It was completely numb, asleep from sitting in the same position for so long. He winced and waited for the pain to pass.

“Let’s move,” Jeff finally said.

Grabbing David’s hand, he pulled the boy into the darkness. They walked slowly, cautiously. Heel to toe. Every few steps he would pause, let go of David’s hand, turn on the flashlight, and sweep the beam over the hallway for a couple heartbeats before clicking it off.

Every time he waited to see one of the monsters. But every time the flashlight would reveal nothing but damp concrete.

They continued on in this fashion for hours. The hallways twisted and turned until Jeff felt like he’d entered some sort of maze.

Were they going in circles? How far did the tunnels go?

He had no idea where he was leading his brother. He didn’t even really have a plan. All he wanted to do was avoid the monsters and find another storeroom to hide in.

Jeff tried to remember what the NTC soldier who had driven them to the tunnels had said shortly before his death. Something about how there was miles and miles of tunnels beneath the surface.

The thought made Jeff pause. He loosened his grip on David’s hand, this time drawing protest. “No,” the boy said. “Let’s just stop here and rest.”

Jeff gritted his teeth, ignoring his brother. He clicked the flashlight on and shone it over the passage. It flickered. His heart kicked as the beam faded out and then in again.

“The batteries,” David whispered.

“I know.”

Jeff reached for his brother and pulled him forward. Heel to toe, growing more anxious with every step. They needed to find another storeroom before the batteries failed.

The thought of being stranded in complete darkness made Jeff want to run. But he couldn’t let himself lose control. His brother was counting on him. They had lost their dad, but they still had each other.

Somewhere in the distance a metal thud rang out. The boys froze. Jeff felt David’s grip tighten. They listened.

Another clang followed, and then a scratching noise like nails being dragged across a blackboard.

David’s fingers dug into Jeff ’s palm.

“We need to go,” the boy said.

Jeff shook his little brother’s hand. “No, be quiet.”

He listened. The sound was coming from everywhere and nowhere. If they panicked they might run right into it. He needed to know where the monsters were before he decided what to do.

With his heart galloping, he pulled his flashlight from his belt and handed it to David. Then he shouldered his rifle and gripped it just like his dad had taught him.

At the end of the passage, a faint blue light crept across the floor. It intensified and grew into a pulsating sphere of blue. Jeff aimed his rifle down the center of the tunnel when David pulled on his arm.

“Hey,” Jeff whispered, anger rushing through him. He looked away from the tunnel to see his little brother running down the hallway behind him.

“David,” Jeff said, in a voice just louder than a whisper. “Get back here!”

But David wasn’t listening and the sound of his footsteps faded as he ran farther away, down the passage they’d just come from. Jeff hesitated, turning back to the glow and then to David. His outline was fading from sight.

“Crap,” Jeff muttered. He ran after his brother as fast as he could.

David had the flashlight out, the beam crisscrossing the path in front of him as he ran. The Spiders would see it for sure.

“Turn it off!” Jeff yelled. This time his voice was louder, fueled by frustration. Behind him, he heard a Spider shriek. Risking a glance over his shoulder, he saw the blue light growing brighter. They were being followed.

“Oh no, oh no,” Jeff repeated. He wanted to cry. Up ahead, David had stopped in front of a steel metal door.

Authorized Personnel Only.

“What are you doing? Open it!” Jeff said, checking over his shoulder again. The glow now filled the entire passage.

Jeff pushed past David and tried the handle. It clicked open, just as a Spider barreled into sight.

Pushing the door, Jeff shoved his brother inside. Another terrifying screech echoed off the walls and he slammed the steel closed, locking the door and sealing the awful noise out.

David stood in the center of the room, surrounded by old boxes. “You okay?” Jeff asked. He noticed the boy’s pants were wet around the crotch, the trail extending down his right leg.

With his back to the door, Jeff scanned the room. More wooden crates and boxes lined the wall to his right. They were covered in dust so thick he couldn’t make out the labels. A yellowed map hung at an angle on the wall to the left. Finally, he thought, finally he could figure out where they were. He rushed over to the map and blew on the paper, a cloud of dust exploding in his face, causing him to sneeze.

The door shook an instant later.

“Crap,” Jeff stuttered. Reaching for David, he looked for a place to hide. There, in the far right corner, hidden behind a stack of boxes, was a flight of stairs. Jeff pulled his brother away from the door and they descended into another tunnel. He wanted to hug him, to reassure him that everything was going to be okay, but the rattling of the door made it difficult to think.

David leveled the flashlight over the narrow tunnel. They ran, panting and struggling with every footstep, the flickering beam guiding them.

Please, Jeff thought, please don’t let the light go out.

He could see the end of the tunnel now. It stopped. Just a concrete wall. They had come to a dead end. Jeff felt like collapsing to the ground until he saw a skeletal ladder.

The sound of crunching metal echoed through the halls. A Spider released an enraged scream louder now than anything they’d heard before. They had made it through the locked door.

Jeff grabbed the light from David and angled it up the ladder. Rays of white moonlight bled through the holes of a circular cover at the top.

“Climb!” he shouted, boosting David onto the metal rungs.

Once his brother had started climbing, Jeff turned and unstrapped his rifle, aiming down the hallway. One of the Spiders careened toward the stairs. The creature moved quickly, its high joints clicking. When it entered the tunnel it halted, two clawed limbs swiping through the air, unable to come any closer.

“Thank god,” Jeff said. The corridor was too narrow for the alien to get through.

Jeff looked up the ladder. David was halfway up, his weapon dangling from his chest.

“Keep going!” Jeff yelled.

Another Spider joined the struggling monster in the entryway, pushing it forward through the gap. The lead Spider let out a shriek in protest, turning to snarl at its companion with open mandibles.

Jeff grabbed on to the first rung and followed David up the ladder as the Spiders continued to wedge their bodies into the passage. David was at the top now, pushing desperately against the cover. The moonlight breaking through the holes illuminated his frightened features.

“It won’t move,” the boy cried.

“Hurry,” Jeff said. He squirmed his way next to David and stretched his left leg out to brace himself. Together they pushed, heaving with all their strength. The metal cover inched upward and slowly they slid it to the side.

“Move over,” Jeff whispered. He climbed over David and poked his head out of the manhole, staring at a panoramic view of the night sky. They were on the outskirts of the base. Buildings towered to the east and the north. There were no signs of the creatures, just the ghostly moonlight and the strange blue orbs hovering in the distance.

Below them, the first Spider reached the bottom of the ladder. Jeff hoisted himself above the ground and pushed himself to his knees. Then he turned to pull David up behind him.

“Help me,” he said, gesturing toward the manhole cover. Together they pushed the metal lid back over the hole. Below, the Spiders clawed futilely up at the boys.

There was no way they would fit up the ladder. But more would be more. There were always more.

Jeff ’s heart leaped as if it were escaping his chest. He gasped for air, trying to control his breathing.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you. But you can’t run away like that. You have to listen to me,” Jeff panted. “We have to stay together.”

David nodded before turning to look at the desert. In a low, solemn voice he said, “Is Dad out here somewhere?”

Jeff placed his arm around his brother’s shoulder, listening to the Spiders screeching in the tunnel below their feet. “I don’t know. But if he is, we are going to find him.”

CHAPTER 2

THE school bus honked outside.

“You guys are going to be late! Mr. Andrews isn’t going to wait out there forever,” Michael yelled from the kitchen.

Jeff yawned and ran a hand through his hair one last time in an effort to straighten it into something halfway respectable. David yanked on his arm. Mornings were always chaotic when their stepmom, Paula, was away on business.

“Come on. Dad said we’re going to be late,” his brother urged.

Jeff snorted. “Yeah, yeah.” Stepping into the hallway he swung his backpack over his shoulder and headed for the door, David following close behind.

“Guys?” Michael shouted. He walked into the hallway, his metallic leg creaking. “There you are. You need to get going.” The school bus honked again. “Let’s go . . .” He gestured them toward the door, opening it and waving at Mr. Andrews.

“Hey,” Michael said, turning to face the boys. He leaned forward and put his hands on both their shoulders.

Jeff recognized the somber look in his dad’s eyes, and noticed he was wearing his NTC uniform.

“You’re going away again?”

“Just for a little while,” Michael replied.

“But you said you were going to be home all week,” David whined.

Michael sighed. “I know, but I got a call last night that I’m needed back early. Your mom will be home from her trip by the time you get home from school.”

“She’s not our mom,” Jeff said, pulling away from his dad’s grip.

“Don’t start. Please,” Michael said. He brushed a strand of hair out of Jeff ’s eyes and pulled his sagging backpack strap higher up on his shoulder.

Jeff wasn’t amused. “You always do this. You’re never home.”

Michael’s eyes fell to the floor.

“Don’t worry, it’s fine,” Jeff said. He pushed past his dad and left David on the stoop.

“I’m sorry, Jeff. I love you, bud,” Michael yelled out.

Jeff heard him say a few words to David and then listened to his brother running down the walkway to catch up.

The bus doors hissed open and Jeff climbed the steps into the bus without looking back.

• • •

Jeff woke up. A headache had settled right behind his eyes, and he rubbed his forehead, trying to make it go away.

Faint moonlight bled through the tinted windows of the black SUV they’d found abandoned not far from the tunnels. The leather seat creaked as Jeff stirred. David was curled up next to him, his head resting on an NTC jacket someone had left behind.

Careful not to wake him, Jeff slowly scooted across the seat and checked the back window. On his side of the truck there was only desert. The dunes were brushed with moonlight, making them look like snowcapped mountains, and they stretched as far as his eyes could see.

Jeff climbed over the center divider into the front passenger seat. Buildings and towers protruded from the landscape beyond the windshield. Nothing moved.

Was everyone really gone?

He glanced back at the sleeping outline of his brother. He had a hard time believing that two kids were the only survivors on the entire base. Surely there were others out there. Maybe even their dad . . .

No. He couldn’t think like that anymore. They were on their own.

Jeff sank into the seat. His shoulders sagged as he pulled his knees up to his chest. Tears flowed down his face. He could remember so many times he’d been mean to his dad, so many times he’d ignored him or taken him for granted. He wished there was some sort of time machine so he could go back and fix everything.

David’s voice filled the silence. “Jeff, where are you?”

Brushing the tears from his eyes, Jeff turned. “Up here.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes.”

“Why are you crying?”

“I’m not.” Jeff spun back to face the windshield, his vision cloudy.

“Yes you are.”

Jeff watched David in the rearview mirror. The boy climbed over the center divider and said, “Scoot over.”

“No, stay put.” He ran his sleeve across his face and noticed movement inside the facility to the north.

David saw it at the same time. He extended a finger toward the windshield. “What’s that?”

“I . . .” Jeff wasn’t sure. He strained his eyes to see in the dim light. Several blue orbs floated over the concrete outside the main observation tower. The glow sent a chill through his body. Every time he saw one it reminded him of the woman inside the hovering ball back on the highway, days earlier. Maybe there were people inside all the orbs.

But there was something else there as well. Moving between the orbs, hidden by their glare. Could they be other survivors?

He reached over into the backseat and grabbed the hunting rifle.

“That’s mine,” David protested.

“Don’t worry, I’ll give it back. Just want to get a better look.” Jeff returned to the front seat, shouldered the weapon, and put his right eye against the scope. Squinting, he rested the rifle against the windshield and sucked in a breath, trying to keep the crosshairs steady.

“What do you see?” David urged.

“Give me a second,” Jeff said.

He sucked in another breath and steadied the gun. This time he saw the orb perfectly. Something flickered inside it, reminding him of a tadpole. Surrounding it were several Spiders. They clawed at the sides of the fragile ball, goo spilling out around them.

“Oh my god,” Jeff whispered.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

He focused on the orb again. In the blink of an eye, the ball deflated, the sides collapsed, and the human contents discharged onto the concrete. One of the Spiders tore into her, its claws sinking into shriveled flesh. The others huddled around the glistening mess and slurped up the goo. A smaller Spider thrashed behind the group, trying to get in on the feeding.

Jeff looked away.

“What did you see?” David asked.

“Nothing. Lay back down, bud. We should try and get some more sleep. I want to move when the sun comes up.”

David retreated to the backseat but Jeff stayed put. He raised the rifle to his eye again and watched the Spiders. They had finished eating and were dispersing to the north, away from the SUV.

He leaned his head back on the leather headrest. He finally felt like he could breathe, but his heart was still racing. If it weren’t for the darkness David might have seen the goose bumps covering his arms, or the tears that were still cascading down his cheeks. Jeff wiped them away and then covered his arms with the sleeves of the NTC jacket he’d found in the backseat.

It took him an hour to relax, but he knew he would never fall back asleep. He couldn’t. He had to keep watch. Besides, Jeff knew his dreams would be filled with the nightmarish creatures and alien orbs.

A sliver of crimson peeked over the sand dunes on the horizon. The sun was finally rising. He closed his eyes, just for a moment, wishing more than anything that he could go home.

CHAPTER 3

THEY’D been lucky, maneuvering through the Organics’ fleet without being spotted. When I have the time I’ll have to thank the pilot personally, Dr. Hoffman thought as he strolled through Biome 1 with Amy Carlson close on his heels.

She stumbled across the dirt with her eyes glued to her tablet. “Sir, we’ve lost all contact with ground forces. The Organics have taken down all communication networks.”

Her words didn’t take Hoffman by surprise. Frankly, he was surprised it had taken the aliens this long.

He bent down, gritting his teeth in anticipation of the pain. His back creaked as his right knee touched the soil.

“Sir,” Amy said.

Hoffman ignored her, instead reaching for a handful of dirt and letting the fine grains run through his fingers. It was an amazing thing to hold soil from Earth on a spaceship that was on a journey to Mars. In a way, it was no different from how life probably started on Earth. He had always believed that asteroids brought the first microscopic organisms to the planet, a couple billion years ago. If he was right, that meant the Organics weren’t the first aliens to reach Earth. But, like Christopher Columbus, they would probably be given credit for the discovery, Hoffman mused.

“Sir,” Amy entreated.

He let the last specks of dirt fall back to the ground and then stood. “I heard you, Miss Carlson.”

Her face reddened, matching her strawberry-colored hair. She was a beautiful woman and probably one of the last in the solar system. There would be a lot of lasts in the coming days. He only hoped his biospheres would survive.

“Have we secured the connection to our satellite?” Hoffman asked.

Amy checked her tablet and flicked through several screens. “I . . .” She squinted, a strand of long hair falling across her face. She brushed it away and said, “Yes, sir. The connection has been secured with Lolo.”

“Excellent. Then we should have access to the biospheres.” The trip to Mars was a long one. Three years if everything worked properly. Monitoring the biospheres would at least give him something to do in any downtime the trip afforded, although he already had plans to keep himself busy. There was much to be done on the journey. People were counting on him.

“Where are you going, sir?” Amy called after him.

“To the CIC. I want to know how my biospheres are doing.”

Hoffman climbed up the ladder onto the platform in Biome 1 and made his way to the command center. The distant hum of the quantum propulsion engines was a sweet and beautiful sound. Everything was working seamlessly. Even the artificial gravity drive was functioning at near-perfect levels.

“All hands, this is chief pilot Burns. We have just received the first images from Lolo. Please report to your stations for a brief report.”

Hoffman grinned. Perfect. The first pictures of the biospheres were awaiting him in the CIC.

• • •

“Where will we go?”

Jeff stuffed the flashlight and the leftover food into his backpack, ignoring his brother’s question.

“Jeff ?”

“What?”

“Where are we going?”

Exhaling a nervous breath, Jeff turned to face his brother. “I don’t know! I don’t know anything. Don’t you see? I’m just as scared as you.”

David looked away. His short brown hair was matted. The oversized NTC jacket covered him from his chin to his knees. He looked so helpless.

“I’m . . .” Jeff shook his head. “I’m sorry. I just . . .”

David crawled away from the window and hugged Jeff. “It’s okay.”

The sun had risen, and it was time to move. He hadn’t seen any of the creatures for a few hours now, and the blue orbs that had been scattered throughout the base were eaten.

Jeff studied the buildings in the distance. He remembered the three hangars north of the observation tower, but he didn’t recognize any of the facilities to the east. Then he saw the small white building with the red roof. That’s where his dad had been posted. He brightened at the familiar sight and remembered the weapons he’d seen inside before the invasion. Hopefully some would still be there.

Maybe it was the thought of his dad or maybe it was because he didn’t know where else to go, but that’s where he would take David.

“Got your rifle?”

David grabbed the stock and propped it up against his shoulder. The muzzle extended far above his head, touching the top of the truck’s roof.

“Okay, time to go,” Jeff said. He checked for Spiders one more time and then grabbed the handle of the back door.

It creaked open and the cold morning breeze brushed against him. Jeff jumped out onto the concrete and kept low next to the side of the truck. When he saw that it was still safe, he helped David out.

Together the boys walked slowly to the front bumper where Jeff peeked around the corner. The observation tower was about half a mile away, maybe a bit more. If they ran they could make it in about five minutes.

Maybe.

It was a long distance to travel in the open and Jeff hung back. He suddenly wasn’t so certain it was a good idea. What if those things were watching?

“What’s wrong?” David asked, picking up on his apprehension.

“Nothing,” Jeff lied. There were several other vehicles and a few buildings separating them from the base. Maybe they could use them for cover as they snuck through the area.

Taking a deep breath, Jeff nodded, more to himself than anyone and locked eyes with his brother. “You ready?”

“No. I don’t want to leave. Can’t we stay here?”

Jeff closed his eyes, frustrated, again. “Let’s move.” He took off running for the first Humvee about three hundred yards away. A beat later, he heard David’s footsteps. Good, Jeff thought. He had started to worry he was going to have to drag his brother across the road.

They made it to the first vehicle without being seen. Jeff rested his back against the truck’s dusty surface and waited for David to catch up. He had no idea what he was doing. Even if they could reach the guard building, then what? They were stranded on a military base, far away from civilization. And there was no one left to help them.

Sucking in a breath, he turned and poked his head over the hood. The distance between them and the towers looked farther now.

Crap, crap, he thought. What had he done? He’d left the safety of the SUV only to get him and his brother marooned out in the open.

David joined him at the front of the Humvee. “Are we staying here?”

“No,” Jeff said firmly. He dropped to his stomach and squirmed under the truck. They were smack in the middle of the main road leading into the base. A car that looked like the one Paula had driven was parked about two hundred yards away. But after that there wasn’t much cover before the other buildings.

Jeff rested his chin on the warming concrete and paused to think. There were no signs of the monsters. Maybe they hibernate during the day, he thought. The possibility was reassuring, although unlikely.

“All right,” he said, scooting out from under the vehicle. David sat with his back to the wheel well. His hunting rifle shook in his hands. Jeff doubted he would be able to use it when the time came.

“Here’s what we’re going to do,” Jeff said. “There’s a car not far from here. We run there first. Then if it’s clear, we run as fast as we can to that building with the red roof.”

David strained his eyes. “Is that dad’s old guard post?” He brightened at the sight.

“Yeah. You ready?”

David nodded, but he didn’t really seem to be listening. The sight of their dad’s old building transfixed him.

Jeff grabbed his brother by the arm and pulled him to his feet.

“We can do this.” He paused and waited for David to focus. “Okay?”

A short nod.

“Let’s go.” They ran side by side, their gear clunking on their backs and their oversized weapons bobbing in their arms.

The sunlight stung Jeff ’s eyes. He squinted and kept his gaze trained on the car ahead of them. Its tinted windows looked out over the desert.

David fell behind a few seconds into the run.

“Come on!” Jeff insisted. “Don’t stop!”

Jeff slid into the sand behind the car, coming to a stop next to the bumper.

Panting, David dropped to both knees beside him. Sweat streamed down his forehead and glistened in the morning sun. He reached for the zipper to his jacket. “This thing is hot.”

“Take it off, put it in your pack,” Jeff replied. He glanced around the bumper. There was still no sign of the Spiders, but he could see the remnants of the balls now. They reminded him of deflated balloons.

Ahead, he spied the white guard building. It was one of a dozen buildings in the center of the base.

When he turned back to David, the boy was stuffing his jacket inside his pack.

“This is it. One last run, and we’ll be safe,” Jeff whispered.

David looked unsure.

“You ready?”

“One sec,” David replied. He finished jamming the jacket into his bag and then flung it back over his shoulders. Then he pushed himself up and joined Jeff by the side of the car. He looked like he was going on a long camping trip. The bloated pack stuck up from his back like a turtle shell.

A week ago, Jeff would have laughed at the sight, but he didn’t feel much like laughing now. Instead, he focused on the journey ahead. It was the longest of the three runs, and they would be completely exposed when they left the road. Anything or anyone would be able to see them. They had to move fast.

“Remember that time you walked into that beehive?” Jeff asked.

David paused to think. “Yeah . . .”

“Remember how fast you ran?”

A nod.

“That’s what I need you to do now. Run like there are bees chasing you.”

Another small nod.

“You ready?”

David smiled. “I got it.”

Jeff patted him on the shoulder. A smile was a good thing. It meant they were still alive. “Let’s go.”

CHAPTER 4

THE images were crap. Complete and utter crap. “We spent fifty billion dollars on this stealth satellite, and it can’t take decent pictures?” Dr. Hoffman was furious. Sitting in the CIC, he scanned the faces of his staff, and one by one they looked away.

“No one can explain this to me?” He looked for Robert Bailey, the chief engineer. The bald man sat at the far end of the oval-shaped table, his beady eyes focused on the tablet he was obviously pretending to read.

“Robert. You’re my engineer. So give me a damn report,” Hoffman barked.

The man ran a hand over his shiny head, the skin gleaming under a bank of LEDs overhead. Then he shrugged.

Hoffman attempted to maintain his self-control. He glared at the stocky engineer, wondering if his attitude would change if he threatened to shoot him out an air lock.

Hoffman continued. “I expected to have the ability to monitor the biospheres. I expected the engineers that designed Lolo to provide me with images I could actually make out.” He flicked the screen again to look at what was supposed to be the Cheyenne Mountain biosphere. He remembered Dr. Sophie Winston and her team, wondering if they’d figured out what had happened outside yet.

“I apologize, sir,” Robert said. “I will see if I can reprogram Lolo. Honestly, she should be capable of high-resolution photos.”

“I want to know what’s going on there. I need to know. If an alien ship lands on that tarmac or hovers over that mountain, I want it documented. Same goes for every biosphere. Got it?”

Robert nodded. “I’ll get right on that, sir.”

Repositioning his glasses, Hoffman squinted. He expected to see the blast door and the tarmac outside the tunnel leading into the mountain. But all he saw was the grainy image of a huge chunk of rock.

Hoffman sighed and turned to the chief pilot. The man looked like the typical NASA astronaut. He was chiseled, his body filling out every corner of his blue space suit. His hair was spiked into a crew cut, indicating he was ex-military.

“Good flying, Burns,” Hoffman said. “You made me nervous for a few minutes, but . . .” He paused, remembering the pilot that had almost killed Dr. Sophie Winston on her flight to Cheyenne Mountain. The poor bastard was probably dead by now. He’d given the man a hard time. A trace of regret surfaced and then vanished. He’d resolved not to dwell on the losses on Earth. The human race was destined for Mars. Their future was on the Red Planet.

“Thank you, sir,” Burns said. “Secundu Casu is one hell of a spaceship.”

Hoffman nodded, folded his arms across his chest, and turned to Amy. “Better tell everyone what you told me back in Biome 1.”

She stood and pushed in her chair. Hoffman studied her, interested to see how she would react under the pressure of such a grim report. To his satisfaction she spoke professionally and without reservation. It was the same Amy he’d hired years ago.

“We’ve lost all communication with ground forces. Every NTC facility is now off-line,” she said. “The last radio signal we intercepted was from a stealth navy destroyer. The chatter was confusing but we recorded this final transmission. She leaned forward over her chair and pressed a button on the keyboard of the center console. The PA speakers coughed static.

“This is Captain Mark Griffey of the USS Infinity, requesting support from any known vessels. Our position has been compromised. I repeat, our position has been compromised. Three unidentified spaceships are following us at the following coordinates—”

A surge of white noise filled the room for several seconds until the commander finally came back online. His voice seemed strained, like he knew exactly what fate awaited him.

“Three beams have locked onto our position. We’ve lost all power. I’m ordering all hands to abandon—”

The feed clicked off.

Amy stepped away from the table. She stood there, her eyes locking with Hoffman’s. They both knew no other words needed to be spoken. The most powerful military in the world had just been wiped out in a little over three days. The war for the planet was over, but the fight for the human species had just begun.

• • •

Jeff focused on the white building with the red roof. Nothing else mattered. That was their target. He ran as though his life depended on it, because it did depend on it. Fueled by adrenaline he grunted and pushed on. They were almost there.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see David’s backpack bobbing up and down. He was running faster than before. Maybe he really was imagining bees chasing him.

“Keep going!” Jeff insisted.

He caught a glimpse of movement to the east, but when he turned, he saw nothing but an endless sea of sand.

The road curved toward the guard building. But first they would have to pass around a half dozen or more of the ruined orbs. They scared the crap out of him. He knew each slimy mess was the remains of someone who had worked on the base.

“Jeff, what are those bags?” David asked.

“Keep moving.”

They did. Running faster now. The first orb was only a few more feet away. Jeff ran past it. Hardly glancing at the bits of gore spread like jelly across the ground.

The white sun beat down on the boys. It was still midmorning, but the dry heat was intense. The light caught something as they ran, sparkling. Jeff slowed when he saw it glisten from one of the destroyed orbs near the door.

David ran past him but Jeff reached out and stopped him, yanking on his backpack.

“Hey!” David said, panting.

Jeff took a knee and raised his rifle to look for the monsters. The base still seemed deserted, but it didn’t feel that way.

The door to his father’s guard hut was closed, and three of the ruined orbs covered the walkway to the entrance. The metallic object was halfway tucked under a flap of the shriveled blue shell, flickering in the sunlight.

Was it a weapon?

“Okay, let’s go,” Jeff said, standing. David had his rifle out now, too. The muzzle bobbed up and down as he walked. They still hadn’t fired their weapons, choosing to run and hide instead of take on any of the creatures. But Jeff knew it was only a matter of time before they were forced to stand and fight.

Clenching his teeth he walked on. He bit back the fear that was trickling through him. He had to be strong. For David. They were so close now.

Jeff cautiously navigated the orbs’ withered sides. The sour stink of rotting flesh filled the air. He choked and gagged but kept moving. He had resolved not to look at any of the contents, but the glistening metallic object beneath the orb just outside the door had piqued his curiosity. If it were a pulse rifle then he would gladly borrow the gun. The previous user no longer needed it.

Another footstep and Jeff froze. This was no rifle. It was not a weapon at all. It looked like a . . .

Jeff nearly dropped his gun on the ground, a cry escaping his lips. His dad had survived long enough to run back to his guard hut. But that was as far as he’d made it. Jeff held his little brother there, trying to cover his eyes and keep him from seeing their dad’s robotic leg. That was all that was left of him now, an expensive chunk of metal.

“What’s wrong?” David asked. The boy took a few steps forward but Jeff turned and blocked his view.

“Close your eyes,” Jeff said.

“What?” the boy protested, squirming to look around Jeff.

“David, please. Close. Your. Eyes.” He reached out and grabbed the boy by the hand.

A tear rolled freely down Jeff ’s face.

Jeff wanted to drop to his knees—he wanted to collapse and just give up. And if it weren’t for a high-pitched shriek in the distance he probably would have. The sound pulsated through the base.

David struggled out of Jeff ’s grip. “They found us!” he yelled, stumbling around Jeff.

Before Jeff could respond, David screamed again. A chill ran down Jeff ’s entire body.

Fueled by adrenaline, he shouldered his rifle and scoped the eastern edges of the base. Sure enough, four of the high-jointed Spiders were scampering across the desert.

David wailed behind him. “They’re going to get us! They’re going to kill us!”

Jeff pulled away from the scope and ran, grabbing David by the collar and pulling him toward the guard building.

“Be quiet. Please. You have to be quiet,” Jeff whispered.

But David continued to cry. He was hyperventilating, the whimpers turning into snorts as he struggled to breathe. Jeff propped the hysterical boy against the side of the building and then reached for the door handle.

The door clicked open and Jeff entered with his assault rifle drawn. Sunlight spilled into the office. The room was clear.

“Come on!”

Jeff yanked David inside and went to swing the door shut when he heard the crack of gunfire. Peeking through the gap he watched the Spiders suddenly change course. They moved away from the road and into the sand as pulse rounds tore up the concrete.

Holding his breath, Jeff finally shut the door.

• • •

Dr. Hoffman licked his dry lips as he stared through the single porthole window in his small office. The view was breathtaking. Nothing but infinite space lay beyond the glass. There were more stars than grains of sand on Earth, and they all seemed to flicker in front of him.

Since he was a child, Hoffman was fascinated with the solar system and everything beyond. At an early age he’d been captivated by questions about the creation of the universe.

The Big Bang was the explanation most scientists accepted. But what happened before that? What created the Big Bang? And for those God-fearing people like Amy Carlson he would ask another question: Who created God? In some ways, religion and science were very similar. They both required faith and a belief in the unknown.

He believed that the Organics weren’t coming back to the Red Planet. That humanity would have a chance to start over there. There was evidence that implied they had already removed all surface water from the planet and moved on, traveling through the solar system and beyond before coming to Earth. But a part of him wasn’t sure if he was right. He was operating on faith.

The chirp from the display on his monitor pulled him from his thoughts. A message was coming through. He swiped the monitor.

Robert Bailey’s chubby face emerged on the display. His forehead glistened with sweat. “Sir,” the man said, “Lolo has captured some images of Edwards Air Force Base in California. I think you need to see them.”

“Patch them through,” Hoffman replied.

Robert nodded and the transmission ended. Seconds later the display filled with hundreds of tiny images. Hoffman enlarged the first one and the desert landscape that surrounded Edwards Air Force Base spilled across the screen. He moved to the next picture. The first few images were of the flight control tower, dozens of hangars, and the tarmac. He moved through them quickly until he found the four-tier barbed wire fence that surrounded the abandoned missile silo where they’d built the biosphere under the base. He could see only the western edge, and quickly flicked to the next image.

Hovering over the facility was a large black ship. A mass of blue, spiderlike creatures disappeared into one of the hidden entrances to the biosphere.

“How . . .” Hoffman mumbled, squinting in pure awe. “How did they find it?”

He flinched at a rap on his door and grunted. “It’s open.”

The smell of Amy’s perfume filled the room. Hoffman didn’t look up from the screen. The next frame revealed more aliens. He couldn’t believe his eyes. If they found Edwards, then they could find the other biospheres. He’d hand-selected each facility and the one at the air force base was supposed to be the most secure.

“Shit,” he muttered. “Have you seen these, Amy?”

She strolled over to his desk and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Yes. I’m sorry, Doctor.”

Hoffman sat back in his chair, shaking his head. He simply didn’t understand. How could the aliens have found the biospheres? Could they detect life? Could they sense there were people hiding there?

“Tell Robert I want a visual from every biosphere on the planet. I want updates on the hour. If more have been compromised I want to know the moment it happens.”

Amy removed her hand. “Understood, sir.”

“Oh, and Amy.”

She glanced down at him.

“Tell Burns I want him on the alert for alien ships. If they can find the biospheres, then they can find us.”

After she left, Hoffman turned back to the monitor and skipped to the last image. The shot showed the sloped hill on the backside of the buried silo, where several old storm drains jetted out of the ground. Someone or something was sliding down the hill. He zoomed in for a better look.

“My god,” he said, staring at the frozen shot of a soldier in a black NTC armored suit. A member of the team had escaped out the backside of the biosphere. Hoffman felt a deep dread tugging at his gut. Had he underestimated the Organics?

CHAPTER 5

JEFF and David huddled next to each other until dark. They didn’t sleep. They didn’t eat, and they only drank enough water to keep their throats from going dry.

The gunfire had stopped minutes after the boys had pushed a desk and chair against the door, but neither of them was brave enough to see if the coast was clear.

Wiping the salty tears away with his forearm Jeff finally forced himself off the floor. The time for self-pity was over. He was tired of being scared, and tired of feeling helpless. His dad was gone, and so was everyone he’d ever known, but he couldn’t cry anymore. If this was what the world had become, then he wasn’t going to be some baby hiding in a shed.

He was going to get revenge. His dad would want him to be strong.

Jeff swept the beam of his flashlight over the row of lockers that hung at the back of the building. Several of the metal doors were open, and he rummaged inside. The first one was empty and he continued to the second, swinging it open and feeling for a pulse rifle or pistol or anything.

Nothing.

The soldiers must have taken all the rifles when the ships showed up, Jeff thought.

He shone the light inside the locker, illuminating six grenades. Only, they didn’t look like the kind he saw in the movies. He pulled one out. It didn’t have a pin. Instead, a small button at the top looked like it activated the weapon. Holding the small gray cylinder under the flashlight, he read the label out loud.

“EMP.”

Electromagnetic pulse, he thought to himself. He’d heard of them before. They’d used bigger versions in China years ago. He stuffed the grenade in a bag and zipped it up, continuing to the next locker.

By the time Jeff was done scavenging, he had twenty-four grenades and a pulse pistol. He’d also snagged more MREs and a jar of energy pills labeled Jacked. He popped one of them into his mouth and took a swig of water.

An hour later Jeff felt like he could take on an entire pack of Spiders. He organized their gear and woke David, who had finally fallen asleep. “Time to eat, bud.”

David wiped the sleep from his eyes and snarled, “I’m not hungry.”

“You have to eat.”

“Leave me alone,” David growled.

He curled back up on the ground and Jeff shook him.

“Hey!”

Bringing a finger to his lips Jeff said, “Keep it down. And sit up.” He handed the boy a granola bar and then tore off the end of his own. He chewed quickly and gulped the nutrients down. If they were going to fight, they needed energy.

David took a small bite and then tossed the bar on the ground. “I’m going back to sleep.”

Jeff reached out and grabbed his arm. “No, David. You aren’t. Because we’re leaving soon.”

“What? No! I want to stay here.”

“We can’t stay here.”

“Why?”

“Because we have to fight.”

Silence.

David looked up from his lap. “But those things will kill us.”

“Maybe,” Jeff replied. “But they’re going to kill us if we stay here, too.”

“No. They won’t find us here. We can stay here, Jeff. Please, let’s stay here.”

“Remember what I told you before in the storage room? About how we can honor dad?”

A short nod.

“All we’ve done since then is run. I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of running. I say we fight.”

David shook his head back and forth.

“Fine. You can stay here. I’m going to the highest building I can find and I’m going to wait until those things come. Then I’m going to shoot them. And I’m going to kill ’em.”

“No!” David protested. “You can’t leave me here.”

“Then come with me.”

David let out a whimper and looked like he was going to start crying again. Then he reached for the granola bar. He stared at the wrapper and then jammed it into his mouth. Chewing with his mouth open he said, “Do you think we can really kill those things?”

Jeff nodded, although he wasn’t sure exactly. All he really knew was that they had to try or eventually the monsters would kill them.

After swallowing the final bite David said, “So what are we going to do?”

“Climb onto the building where they keep the spaceships. It has a good view of the entire base. Then I’m going to use an electromagnetic grenade to lure the Spiders in. When they’re in range we’ll shoot them.”

David stared back with an incredulous look on his face. “I don’t know . . .”

“Just trust me.”

“Okay.”

Two hours later, the sun had set, and the two boys slipped outside. It was dark now, but the moonlight was enough to guide them.

When they reached the observation tower, they ran for the hangars that housed the impressive NTC spaceships Jeff had seen on previous visits. The largest hangar was his target. That’s where he was going to set up the trap.

He paused at the edge of the building, peeking around the corner at the wide set of doors. They were slightly ajar at the middle. He listened for any sound of the aliens but heard nothing.

They proceeded through the doors. Holding his breath, Jeff braced himself as he flicked on the flashlight. The beam revealed an empty hangar. No spaceships, no humans, and no monsters.

Jeff slid the doors closed behind them.

In the center of the room sat metal tables. Monitors and abandoned hardware littered their surfaces. He walked over to them.

Crouching, Jeff found boxes full of gas masks and body armor. He knew right away the suits wouldn’t fit either of them. Instead, he reached for one of the masks and slipped it over his face. The smell of plastic filled his nostrils, but he didn’t remove it. For some reason it made him feel safe. Invisible even. As though the aliens wouldn’t be able to see him in it.

“Here,” Jeff said, handing one of them to his brother. “Put this on.”

As they prepared to move out, Jeff ’s light uncovered an open hatch a few feet away. Taking a knee he pointed the beam inside. A ladder extended into the darkness and he could see a tunnel at the bottom. Good, he thought, this can be our escape route. David stood behind Jeff and peered over his shoulder.

“Can’t we just go down there instead?”

Jeff grunted his response.

They moved to a staircase. The steps led to a small office that overlooked the hangar floor. Inside, another ladder led to a hatch in the ceiling. Jeff opened it. Moonlight hit him.

“Let’s go,” he said. The boys climbed onto the roof and walked across the metal surface.

“I’m scared,” David whispered, his voice muffled by the breathing apparatus.

“Me too.”

He guided his little brother to the north edge of the rooftop and set down their bags. The combination of adrenaline and energy from the pill made his heart race. It felt like it was trying to burst out of his chest.

When they’d set up their gear and weapons, Jeff reached for the bag of grenades. He wanted to get started as soon as possible, knowing that his courage wouldn’t last all night.

“You ready, David?”

He shook his head just as Jeff expected him to. “If things get bad we retreat into the building and into that tunnel.”

“Okay.”

He reached for his brother’s hand and then pulled him into a strong hug. “I love you, David. Dad would be proud of us.”

“I love you, too.”

As soon as they pulled away, Jeff reached inside the bag, pushed the button on the grenade, and tossed it as far as he could into the desert.

• • •

Twenty biospheres in four days. Hoffman couldn’t believe the situation report. Each image showed the same type of black ship hovering over a buried biosphere, blue spiders swarming into an opening they’d made. He felt completely defeated. The Easter eggs he’d left for humanity were failing. One by one.

Hoffman had sealed himself in his quarters and was staring through the porthole window. Every time his monitor chirped, he feared the worst. That another biosphere had gone off-line. The thought filled him with overwhelming dread. He’d known all along that the military wouldn’t be able to stop the Organics. But he’d hoped his biospheres would be safe. He’d put so much work into finding the perfect locations and filling the buried bunkers with the most capable men and woman the human race had to offer.

And in the end, the aliens had found them. Soon there wouldn’t be anyone left. It was an odd feeling, knowing that no matter what he did, he couldn’t help anyone back on Earth. Sure, the submarine under the command of Captain Rick Noble was monitoring the biospheres, but there was little that man could do for any of them. By now the captain probably knew the truth. That humanity’s days were numbered. The doomsday clock was ticking.

Hoffman wondered exactly what was going through Noble’s head. He was a strong man, the son of a navy commander Hoffman had known personally. He remembered how paranoid the man had been in the years before his death, always talking about the apocalypse.

Had Commander Noble known what Hoffman now knew?

Sighing, he pushed the thoughts away. There wasn’t anything he could do about Earth now besides sit back and watch all his plans fail. He had to look to the future.

Hoffman relaxed in his chair. Punching in a few commands, he loaded the confidential NTC database filled with images of the Mars colony.

Clusters of white-domed buildings peppered the alien landscape. Beyond the facilities there were massive cylinders. The terraformers, he thought with a half smile. They would be fully functioning by now, slowly making the planet hospitable to human life. He filtered through the pictures, stopping on the farm of solar panels and then the silos where robots were already storing and preserving the first batches of crops.

By the time Hoffman’s and the other ships arrived, the colony would be fully prepared for the human race. There would be food, power, and most important, oxygen.

A message from Robert rolled across the top of the screen. Hoffman read it aloud. “Biosphere 21 has gone off-line. Will transfer images shortly.”

Hoffman replied with his own message. “Don’t bother.”

There was no response. Flicking off the screen, Hoffman walked back over to the window. The dread he had felt earlier had vanished. It was replaced with hope. The fight for Earth may have been lost and the biospheres a failure, but the view of space reminded Hoffman that the future of the human race was on Mars. And that’s all that mattered.

CHAPTER 6

A PACK of Spiders came rushing out of the desert to the east. Jeff counted six of them. Their bodies cast an eerie blue glow over the sand as they moved toward the base.

“Jeff . . .” David said. “I’m scared.”

“Concentrate. Aim like dad taught you.”

Jeff followed his own advice and lined the crosshairs of his rifle on the pack of approaching Spiders. They skittered past the guard tower and onto the roadway that curved onto the base.

The monsters were so fast, the high joints in their legs allowing long strides.

“Get ready,” Jeff said. His heart was thumping so hard now that he could hear it. He took a deep breath and waited.

Shrieks filled the night as the Spiders fanned out.

“Crap,” Jeff muttered. He thought of his dad and fired off the first shot.

The weapon hammered back into his shoulder. He let out a cry and then refocused. The round had gone wide, missing the intended Spider that was now rushing toward the hangar.

He fired again.

The bullet chipped the pavement, leaving a dent in it. The creature halted, pawing the air with its front claws. Mandibles opened and more of the high-pitched sounds filled the night.

“Shoot, David! Now! ”

The boy did as he was told. The hunting rifle cracked and put David on his ass. But the bullet hit one of the Spiders. Jeff watched in horror as a blue shield pulsated around the monster.

“Crap. Crap, crap!” he shouted. Then he fired again. Every round bounced off and tore into the surrounding concrete.

Jeff pulled off his mask, suddenly feeling like he couldn’t breathe. He didn’t know what to do. He’d doomed himself and David. The Spiders couldn’t be killed. They had freaking shields!

Frantic, he reached for the bag of grenades and pulled out another. It was his last hope. Without hesitation, he pushed the button and launched the grenade from the rooftop.

Then, he pulled himself up and waited for the invisible blast. What came next sent a thrill through his body that made the Jacked pill he’d taken earlier seem like a piece of candy.

The closest three Spiders instantly dropped to the ground, shrieking, their legs thrashing madly at the air.

Jeff joined David at his position and together they watched the other three Spiders crash into the side of a building.

“Shoot them! Shoot them now!” Jeff said. He positioned his rifle on the ledge and opened fire. The bullets tore into the lead Spider’s unprotected flesh. Blue mist burst into the air, peppering the concrete with goo.

He moved on to the next Spider and continued firing.

Seconds later, the last creature groaned and died.

Panting, the two boys glanced over the rooftop at the mess below in awe. “We did it,” Jeff said, his words slow but confident.

“Wow,” David said. He rubbed his shoulder. “This thing hurts when you shoot it.”

Jeff laughed.

They continued to look down at the alien corpses with morbid fascination. Jeff felt satisfied, like he’d just passed the most important test of his life.

“Would dad be proud of us?” David asked.

Jeff hugged his little brother and said, “Yes, bud. Dad would be proud.”

• • •

Jeff couldn’t remember how long they’d been at White Sands. The days and nights continued to tick by, and somehow they continued to survive. Had they been out here five days now? Six days?

He shook his head and pulled up his gas mask for another bite of granola bar. It was the last one he had in his bag. There were still MREs left, but judging by the package, they weren’t going to taste that great. But, what the heck?

He had already torn into the side of the package with his knife when he heard voices. David heard them, too. The boy jumped to his feet and grabbed the ladder to the open hatch. They climbed onto the roof of the hangar and sprinted to the west wall.

Could they really be voices? After all this time?

When they reached the ledge Jeff saw something that he wasn’t sure he would ever see again. Human beings. Two live human beings.

Jeff wanted to jump and shout and scream, but instead he ducked down, out of sight. He reached up and pulled David down with him.

“They could be bad people,” Jeff said.

“But . . .” David started to say. He nodded. “Okay.”

Peeking over the side, Jeff watched one of the soldiers walk into the hangar. Raising a finger to his mask, Jeff said, “Shhhh.” The sound came out muffled and deep.

The boys walked back to the ladder and quietly made their way down into the office. Jeff watched the soldier drop to their knees in the center of the room and let out a wail. “No!”

Waving his brother forward, the boys raced down the staircase to the bottom floor with their rifles drawn. They cautiously approached the person in black body armor. Stepping into the light Jeff caught the soldier’s eyes through their visor. Tears fell down her face.

Jeff turned to David, unsure of what to say. But deep down he knew they were finally leaving White Sands—that they were finally going somewhere safe.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

NICHOLAS SANSBURY SMITH is the author of several post-apocalyptic books and short stories. He worked for the State of Iowa for nearly ten years before switching careers to focus on his one true passion—writing. When he isn’t daydreaming about the apocalypse, he’s likely racing in triathlons around the Midwest. He lives in Des Moines, Iowa, with his family and several rescued animals.

For more info, visit him at: www.nicholassansbury.com.

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ALSO BY NICHOLAS SANSBURY SMITH

ORBS SERIES

Orbs

Orbs II: Stranded

Orbs III: Redemption

Solar Storms

White Sands

THE EXTINCTION CYCLE SERIES

Extinction Horizon

Extinction Edge (March 2015)

Extinction Age (Fall 2015)

THE TISSIAN CHRONICLES

The Biomass Revolution

Squad 19

A Royal Knight

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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2015 by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

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First Simon451 ebook edition February 2015

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ISBN 978-1-4767-8899-9

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

About the Author