Serena vs the thunderworm

Serena stands transfixed by the extraterrestrial pyramid. It appears to be drinking the morning sunbeams as it swirls across the glassy surface, creating a spectrum of color. Overhead, the dome seems to be an extension of blue sky over her hometown of Green Valley. In the space where alien technology and the earth touch are pits with piles of rock and dirt.

Click here to read part one

Click here to read part two

She descends the hilltop to follow the creek to the state park. Yesterday, Ben’s radio picked up the first transmission since they secluded themselves in his underground bunker on Invasion Day. It revealed that aliens are rounding up humans and placing them into camps. When strangers approached the bunker and Ben wouldn’t open the hatch for them, she overheard their conversation about the survivor group at Creek Park that included Green Valley residents that worked in DC. Hope bloomed in her chest, and she felt this was her best chance of finding her mother.

Her mind wanders from one horrifying thought to the next as her brain assaults her with images of alien camps. Her mouth goes dry, imagining her mother strapped down being experimented on by otherworld surgeons. Horrific ideas like attempting to crossbreed with humans and create a new race filter through more normal thoughts such as they are hoping to eliminate pollution.

At the bottom of the hill, the creek curves into woods. On the right is a well-worn path and on the left is a steep embankment. Serena’s backpack bumps against her lower back as her boots leave marks along the muddy creek bed. Clear as day, she pictures Ben shaking his head at the tracks she is leaving behind. Ben. The thought of him makes her heart squeeze and guilt ooze out. He may be relieved to have a break from listening to her sing Simple Minds all day or talk about how much she misses her mom. However, a shadow hovering in the corner of her mind warns her that her former boss could feel betrayed or, even worse, indifferent.

A fish jumps from the water, and Serena pauses to watch the fish darting between the rocks in the creek when a bush to her left starts rustling. She freezes, preparing herself to fight off an extraterrestrial soldier when a deer emerges. Her heartbeat is going at race car speed, and her stomach rolls as she realizes she was seconds away from a panic attack.

“Hello, lovely,” Serena says to the deer dipping its head to drink from the creek. “No one else to chat with, so I might as well share with you” Her voice is soft as she slides the backpack from her shoulders to the ground for a rest. “I feel guilty for leaving Ben behind after all the kindness he has shown me. Sure, he’s a neat freak who fiddles with tech round the clock and gets bossy with having us follow a daily schedule.” A flock of birds flies overhead, and she pauses to watch. “On the flip side, he makes me laugh, and he always makes sure I have what I need. But I need to find my mother, and that’s of the utmost importance to me” Serena idly drifted a finger through the dirt. “I was 12 when my dad took the job in Seattle and took only his receptionist with him. My mom didn’t fall apart; she put her all into spending time with my brother, Gabriel, and me. She did everything in her power to make sure we felt happy, safe, and loved.” Serena hoisted the backpack up with a grunt adjusting the straps on her shoulders, tears moistening her eyes as the deer froze watching her. “My mom won a silver medal in Javelin in the Olympics; I wish I would have put more effort into the practice she did with me.”

Serena watches the deer disappear among the trees as she recalls practicing with her mother in the backyard of her childhood home. She can still hear her’s mother’s voice loaded with patience reminding her to throw it. “You can’t go the distance without a big throw, and I know you have a big throw inside of you.”

The next few hours fly by with her lost inside childhood memories, and the sun is at her back when she hears the steady chop of an ax against the wood. The treelined creek gives way to a clearing and in the middle is a tall, burly man with flowing blonde hair, wearing an undershirt and jeans tucked into work boots.

“Well, hello, beautiful,” he says, grinning at Serena as he lowers the ax and wipes his brow. “I’m Caleb.”

“Serena,” she said, noting the way his eyes traveled lazily up and down her body. She shifts her weight, craning her neck to see any signs of the camp, her anxiety at a low hum.

“You found the Creek Park survivor camp. I’m in charge of this here outfit.” His chest seems to puff out. “Follow me. I’ll take you to meet everyone.

Ready to rest her tired legs and eager to find if her mother is here, Serena begins to follow him down a treelined path.

“How many people are here?” Serena asks as she smells campfire wafting towards her.

“There were 36 of us, but a thunderworm breached the south end of camp killing three people a few days ago,” Caleb says, ax leaning on his left shoulder. “Those alien bastards showed up and took 14 of our people, leaving us down to 19.”

“Thunderworm?” Serena is puzzled by this new term.

“You know, the things FI’s have running underground detecting human vibrations so they can round us up for their camps.”

“FI’s?”

Caleb levels an unreadable look at her.

“Damn girl, don’t you know anything? How have you been surviving out here all this time?”

“I was with someone,” she says, a knot forming in her chest.

“FI’s are foreign invaders. Aliens is a fear-inducing term that the American Admiral says we should not use.”

Serena is about to ask who American Admiral is when the lodge comes into view, and she sees smoke curling up from a campfire. Wisely keeping her mouth shut, thinking she has time later to gather more information.

“Don’t worry. We have clean water, beds, and plenty of food. We stay at the lodge they used for the scout groups.” Caleb says as genial chatter from the group drifts towards her.

Caleb explains that they have been hard at work chopping wood and carving spears as weapons to defend against alien worms. Spears that remind her of her mom’s javelin poles stick all around the ground like candles in a cake.

Strutting towards the survivors, Caleb announces, “Look what I found, a pretty girl wandering around in the woods.” Faces turn her way, and Serena’s hope drains as she realizes her mother’s face is not among them.

“Serena Fiore!” In a ponytail and hoodie, a young woman springs up from her seat by the fire, the spear she was carving clattering to the ground.

“Amber Hardwell?” Serena says as her childhood friend walks over and pulls her into a hug.

“I was hoping to find my mother here,” Serena says, feeling as if she’s a deflating balloon as they separate. Something flickers in Amber’s eyes, and she turns to look at the group surrounding the campfire. The so-called man in charge watches them before strutting back down the path, swinging the ax.

“Come sit down,” Amber says, maneuvering her to a camping chair. She introduces her to the others, and they exchange pleasantries.

“Where have you been hiding?” her friend asks after the others have returned to their weapon carving.

“I’ve been an underground bunker with my boss. Or well, former boss,” she says, sinking into the chair, relieved to be sitting instead of walking.

“And you left?” Amber says, keeping her voice low.

“I need to find mom,” Serena says, looking at each face surrounding the fire.

Her friend sighs and leans forward, propping her arms on her knees and leaning her forehead into her palms. She pulls back, and Serena is surprised to see tears in her friend’s eyes.

“Your mom was here, Serena.”

“What?” She feels as if Amber dumped icy cold water on her head and the chill runs down her spine.

“A few days ago, several of us were doing laundry at the creek when a worm breached the surface, killing three of us. FI’s showed up as we fled for safety and caught your mother and 13 others.”

Disoriented by the shocking news, the world seems to spin on its axis. A lead ball forms in her stomach as she realizes she missed her mother by only days.

The tears fall, and Amber rubs her back in comforting circles. Serena listens as her friend explains how her mother taught everyone javelin with wooden spears to fight against the thunder worms. When they emerge from the ground, a casing that protects their face peels back, and they are vulnerable to attacks at the time. Their tongues roll out, and spikes pop up. If the spear lands on the tongue, the worms struggle to get free, giving humans enough time to flee. The sun has dipped below the horizon, and stars are appearing as a few people start cooking over the fire, and Serena recognizes the smell of venison chili.

Dinner proves to be an educational moment for Serena as she learns that American Admiral is the voice on the radio broadcasting knowledge learned about the FI’s. With a pang, she realizes there was a message this morning and wonders if Ben heard it as well.

“Why are you all surprised they speak English?” says a man with a ruddy complexion waving a fork around. “If I were going to invade, I would want to speak the native tongue.”

“Remember what else American Admiral said?” the woman’s voice is authoritarian and seems at odds with her bubblegum pink sweatshirt and pigtails. Serena recalls that Amber said this woman was a lawyer at one of the top firms in the Capital. “Not only do they communicate with us, but they speak with the animals as well.”

“They probably read minds.”

“Don’t be silly, Susan, he said special powers, but I assume he means like running as fast a car or being stronger than a bear.”

“What if they can become invisible? They could be lurking around listening to us right now.”

Serena listens with interest between the breaks of worrying about her mother and wondering about Ben. From time to time, she catches Caleb staring at her, and discomfort thrums in her veins as he eyes her up like a trophy he’s hoping to win.

When the other women start doing dishes in the basin, she joins them. Susan tells her that her mother’s bravery was stunning. A fireball of pride glows inside her, warming her chilled heart, and as she expresses gratitude, a voice comes through the radio breaking the after-dinner routine.

“American Admiral here with the new information for the citizens listening to this radio broadcast.” The sounds of shushing and telling others to be quiet flitted around the campfire as Caleb reached over to turn the volume up. “Our incoming intel into the reasons why the FI’s are rounding up earth’s true children has yet to prove a why.” No one made a sound as a distant owl hooted. “There appears to be a tier system to their approach. The underground camps are the lowest tier, where we have yet to see a living being enter or exit. The second tier lives in an apartment-like structure’s the FI’s built-in in under a week. Those in that tier appear to follow a schedule and dress identically. In the third tier, observations reveal rows of tiny homes, similar schedules, and dressing. The humans observed here, work and some even live with family members or children.”

Serena shivers in the evening breeze, warning of winter’s approach as Caleb comes to sit on the camping chair closest to her. He smiles at her like a predator sizing up his prey.

“The final tier is the one where the humans work inside the pyramid with the FI’s. Our intel has noted they dress like FI’s and live in the abandoned towns’ human homes. Some reports claim that the president is staying in the pyramid, but that report is unconfirmed as others have claimed the light tunnels took him during the start of the invasion.”

Amber reaches over and rubs her knee, and the friendly gesture helps settle the taut nerves humming in her body from the proximity of Caleb to her. As the American Admiral recounts Thunderworm attacks in the area, he leans over and places a blanket around her shoulders.

“Thanks,” Serena says with a tight smile. Friendly but distant is the goal she’s aiming for, but Caleb proves the mark missed with his following comment.

“You are both cute and sexy; what a rare combo” he stretches out one long leg, predatory smile in place.

“How did you get to this camp?” Serena asks, redirecting him like he’s a toddler.

“I came here with my girlfriend. Those FI bastards took her along with your mom.” Caleb says, standing up and walking over to the woodpile as Serena’s I’m sorry hangs lamely in the air.

A woman comes to sit in his vacant seat. “Hey Serena, it’s an honor to meet Roni’s daughter. With all her help teaching us to throw these poles, we now feel prepared to face a thunder worm attack.” She smiles wide, gesturing to the poles staggered about, some fully finished, others in need of their ends sharpened.

“What happened to the one that attacked the camp?” she asks.

“We killed it,” she says with pride before her eyes darkened. “It feels like it was all in vain, as we lost over a dozen people.”

Hours later, Serena finds herself awakening to the feeling of a finger trailing along her ankle. Her eyes spring open to see Caleb running his index finger up her leg; he pauses when she lifts her head from the pillow. The sounds of sleep, breathing, and snoring mingle around her as she stares without speaking. He’s shirtless with his hair tucked behind his ears and his face hard to read in the moonlit room. After a moment, he backs away, silently, with eyes locked on her face, and returns to his bunk.

Serena’s heart is hammering, and she balls her hands into fists, letting the anger flow through her like a river. She knows Caleb’s type, and it’s not her first rodeo with alpha male behavior. The rest of the night passes at a snail’s pace as Serena listens to the snoring and surprises herself with how much she misses the underground bunker.

Her heart feels the painful squeeze as she reflects on the shock that her mother was not at the camp. That hope had propelled her into walking almost 20 miles, leaving behind the comforts offered by the bunker. Familiarity with the schedule and the tinkering sounds of Ben at work at his desk. Amber rang her warning bell about Caleb before bed, but now it was clanging too loud for her to ignore. Her mind raced over the memories of sleeping and dressing in the bunk without ever feeling uncomfortable or worried she was being watched in the shower.

Sunlight hints at the horizon as Serena walks down the trail leading from creek park. Return to the bunker, apologize to Ben and listen to American Admiral until she has enough knowledge on how to rescue mom is the plan Serena plays on repeat as her steps hit the ground with determination. By her side, the spear Susan told her was her mother’s.

“This was your mom’s,” Susan had told her, touching it as though a saint had blessed it. “After the FI’s got her, this was left behind, along with this.” She digs in her back pocket and produces a gold locket. Choked with emotion, Serena picks up the necklace holding two pictures of her mom holding each of her children as babies. It was the only piece of jewelry her mother never removed.

Descending the hilltop with FI pyramid view and leaving the creek behind her, Serena feels a faint rumble beneath her feet. Quickly, she makes it to the railroad tracks that lead her to the bunker. Thunder rumbles from below the earth, skyrocketing Serena’s panic.

Looking at the cornflower blue sky, she grips the pole in her right hand and starts running along the tracks. Adrenaline propels her as she hears the second rumble closer at hand, causing her heart to lodge in her throat. When the bridge comes in view, her legs pump at maximum speed, trying to outrace the growing rumble beneath her feet.

Steps away from the bridge, the ground explodes, and Serena rolls to avoid the earth raining down. A rock lands next to her, ricocheting dirt into her face, and she spits it out as an earsplitting roar erupts behind her. A monstrous worm covered in grey chitinous plates peels its armored head helmet back, revealing the wrinkled bloodred flesh of its face. Frozen in terror, Serena reacts when it drops to the earth spreading its mouth wide and rolling its tongue. Rows of short spikes like bristles on a toothbrush cover the surface, and Serena reels back, her hands landing on her mother’s spear.

“Just throw it, Serena” she can hear her mother’s voice in her memory. “Pull your arm back and throw” Thinking of her mom, she takes a deep breath and starts running towards the thunder worm; her arm cocked back as she gains momentum, and she throws the spear, watching it sail through the air and land among the sharp tongue. The worm’s body jerks as the creature attempt to wriggle free, and Serena runs fast enough that her backpack is hammering at her back. She winces with each whack as she races towards the bridge. She can feel the rumble beneath the earth, and one quick turn reveals the worm is not only free but subterranean again.

Serena leaps onto the bridge, rolling into a crouch and peeking behind her as the thunder roars at the hill’s edge. The worm explodes in its glorious fury beneath the steel train bridge and ungracefully falls, landing in the river below. Gasping for air, Serena watches as it struggles in the water, its roar petering out. Remembering that the worm appeared before FI’s did, she races along until she arrives at the bunker before sunset.

Exhausted, Serena sinks next to the false treestump covering the hatch, feeling nervous about seeing Ben. Lifting the cover, she attempts to raise the hatch, realizing it’s locked. She starts knocking and calling Ben’s name.

“Hello, Ben, it’s me, Serena,” she calls down, lumps lining her throat as her panic grows. Silence. Darkness creeps closer as she repeats her greeting; this time, her voice unleashes alarm. Anxiety tightens her chest as she sinks next to the place where she spent 40 days.

“Calm down, Serena,” she mutters to herself, closing her eyes and concentrating on her breathing. After counting to ten, she opens her eyes and feels more clear-headed and more in control of her growing panic. Looking across the hatch, she notices the zombie fallout sign from the bunker on the tree. Curious, she walks over, wondering why Ben removed it from the ladder top and fastened it to the tree. Running her fingers along the edges, she feels the cold metal of a key. She pulls it loose and opens the bunker with a pounding heart, descending into the tomb of darkness and silence.

“Ben,” she tries calling for her former boss one more time as the generators whine at being kicked on. She reaches the main room as the lights struggle to flick on, giving the bunker an eerie glow. On the chalkboard, Ben left her a note.