Running and hiding sounded good. But I couldn't. I wouldn't. That would make me a coward. That would make me no better than my dad, who had abandoned me and Mom when things got tough.
I'd hated him for that. I wouldn't turn around and do the same thing.
Ryan's gun held the monsters off for a bit, but soon they learned how to dodge the hot, blue streams and leapt toward us, closing in. Almost…there…bile rose in my throat, but I managed to hold steady.
As Ryan fired, I launched a rock. The gray stone slammed into a wrinkled face, right between glowing red eyes. My rock didn't stop or even slow the creature down, but only enraged it further. Fear continued to stab at me, sharper than a knife.
The creature snarled low in its throat and flashed a funnel-like tongue at me. It was so close now, I could see the yellow saliva dripping from its too-large mouth.
Again Ryan fired, but the beast bounded left, then right, reaching me in the next second and knocking me to the ground. I still had one rock left and used it to smash the monster in the temple.
Howling, it rolled off me. Ryan used its distraction to his advantage and shot it in the face. It froze, posed exactly as it had been, features contorted in pain, that disgusting yellow saliva half dripping from its chin.
“Thanks,” I muttered, pushing myself into a crouch. I couldn't stand on my own. My arms and legs were too shaky. It had touched me; that thing had touched me, and I felt violated. Enraged and sick.
Expression bleak, Ryan offered me a helping hand. I took it, and his strong fingers closed around me. My shaking grew worse as he hauled me to my feet. “Good work with the rock.”
“Thanks,” I repeated. More human screams—terrified, pain-filled—pierced the darkness. Goose bumps broke over my skin. “What's happening?”
Ryan kept one arm extended, firing in a quick half circle, protecting us from invasion for several precious seconds. “The Sybilins are sucking the water out of your friends, drying them out.”
His words echoed in my mind, surreal, almost foreign. How was that possible?
How is any of this possible? I thought, incredulous. Sucking the water out of human bodies…I'm not sure I would have believed it if I'd seen it in a movie or read it in a book.
Aliens were nonviolent, working and going to school side-by-side with humans. Like humans. Right?
Not these Sybilins, that's for sure.
“Where did they come from?” I managed, hand covering my throat.
“Does it matter?” Ryan returned, dialing his weapon to a hotter setting. I knew it was hotter because I could feel the singe of it, nearly blistering my skin. “Shit!” he gritted out. “This isn't working. They're still multiplying.”
Without another word, he raced forward. When the creatures—the Sybilins—came within striking distance, he cut them with his knife. Yellow liquid spewed from them, thicker than their saliva, dripping on the ground. Ugh. There was a human girl out there fighting, as well, I noticed.
Allison Stone, I realized a moment later.
For a moment, I just watched, awed and terrified. Ryan and his sister fought the Outers expertly, slashing with their hands, feet light and quick. The motions were almost a dance. Lethal, controlled, bloody.
Obviously, they'd done this before. Perhaps many times before. I'd been in a few fights myself, but nothing had ever been this violent. Nothing had ever been so in-your-face fatal.
I had to help them.
I bent down, afraid to switch my focus as I searched for more rocks. I felt only dirt.
Two hysterical kids raced past me, knocking me onto my ass in their haste to escape. As I struggled to right myself, one of the kids tripped over Jamie's body, scrambled upright, then continued running. Jamie gave no reaction.
I should follow them, I thought; I knew I should, despite my desire to protect.
Instead, I found myself finding and grabbing onto a long, thick branch. It was bare and jagged. Perfect. I was unprepared for the macabre scene unfolding, yes, but I would go down with a fight.
I stepped toward the circle and stopped, a thought shooting through my mind. Would I be a distraction to Ryan and Allison?
They knew what they were doing. I didn't. If I hindered them or caused them to be harmed, everyone here would be doomed. “Think, think,” I chanted under my breath, my grip tightening on the stick. I moved forward another step, then stopped again. What damage can I really do with a stick?
“Two on your left,” I heard Ryan say.
I spun, but there was no one to my left. All of the monsters were now in the center, battling Ryan and his sister. He must have been talking to Allison. I whipped back to the fire just in time to see Allison pivot, a blur of black as she fired off two quick shots, nailing both of her targets in their chests.
They didn't freeze; they burned to ash. Flesh sizzled, soot filled the air, nearly choking me.
What should I do? What would most help them?
“We need backup,” Allison grunted, swinging up her leg and bringing it down with intense force. The blow slammed into a creature's back, forcing it onto its stomach. She fired; it too died a burning, flaming death, its screams echoing in my ears.
My mouth dried.
“They should be here soon,” Ryan said.
When I saw one of the injured Sybilins crawl on top of a prone human female, I finally pulled myself from petrifaction and leapt into action. I'll make my mother proud. I'll do whatever I have to do to protect my friends. Ryan and Allison couldn't destroy all of the creatures, especially the ones slinking and sneaking along the dirt floor. Those I could handle without hindering the siblings.
As the creature's lips descended on the girl's, I closed the rest of the distance and swung my stick. Contact. My arms shook from the force as the wood smashed into its cheek and sent it tumbling to the ground.
A shocking wave of satisfaction washed through me.
“Ryan!” Allison shouted, a desperate edge to her voice. “I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.”
“Just keep firing,” he told her. “That's our only hope until the others get here.”
I faced them and could see that Ryan and Allison were completely surrounded, still pinned in a menacing circle. The sound of grunting and groaning filled my ears. Blue and yellow lights flashed.
Okay. Taking out the Sybilins on the fringes wasn't going to do much good, I realized. I'd have to do more.
I raced forward to guard Ryan's back, but I was knocked to the ground by an Outer before I'd taken three steps. I lost my breath. Dizziness pushed through my mind, hard, and all I could do was remain in place, trying to regain my bearings.