Somewhere Safe

The sky was bleeding.

Furious orange flames licked at the horizon, tickling the dark black clouds that blotted out the setting sun. Behind the flames, red dripped from the clouds and leaked through the cracks in the flames.

He didn’t remember what the color blue looked like anymore.

“Cammy, come on, we have to go.”

His older sister took his hand and he scrambled to grab the stuffed shark at his feet before she rushed him after her into the forest.

Behind them, San Francisco burned to ash.

He had only been six when the aliens invaded earth. Now he was eight.

The branches nabbed at his shirt and scraped along his arms as he ran, bare feet stumbling over rocks and twigs, but Charlotte didn’t stop, and she didn’t look back.

The aliens had come quietly at first, a spotting of strange spacecrafts here and there, a few occurrences of unusual activity. Their parents had been one of the only few to connect the dots.

They had infiltrated like termites through the supports of their planet, and when the beams finally snapped, the governments toppled like dominos, one after another, collapsing the world into total anarchy.

Charlotte stumbled to a cold stop and Cameron ran into her back. Her hand slapped over his mouth, silencing his questions, as she yanked him behind one of the trees.

The thump-thump-thump of their boots rang so loud it could be heard over the screams, but everything else about them was eerily silent. They gestured orders to one another and spread out like a fan. Charlotte pulled him closer and clenched her eyes shut, holding her breath as she pressed her back into the tree. Cameron watched with wide eyes, his fingers tight around his stuffed shark, as they got closer and closer until they were nearly upon them. He could feel Charlotte’s heart pounding through her shirt.

The boots stilled then retreated. Neither of the children dared move a muscle until the sound of their footsteps had long ago passed. Then Charlotte peered around the tree and dropped her hand from Cameron’s mouth.

“Where are we going?” Cameron whispered, his eyes flitting around them at the trees flickering in the light of the distant fires. Ash rained down like snow even all the way out here and they could never get the scent of smoke from their lungs.

“Somewhere safe.” Charlotte reached down and took his hand again.

But Cameron didn’t believe her. Nowhere was safe anymore.

Charlotte pulled him deeper into the forest.

Cameron’s eyes snapped up when he caught the rumbling of flowing water, and his fingers tightened around Charlottes’, his breath hitching. When they reached the riverbank, Cameron’s blood was ice cold.

Charlotte looked back with pleading eyes. “Cammy—”

“No.” He shook his head, tearing his hand out of hers and taking a step back.

“Cammy, come on.” She breathed.

He trembled. “I can’t.”

She eyed the tree line behind him. “You have to.”

Water sloshed at the shore behind her, splashing over her mud-caked feet.

Tears pricked at his eyes. “I can’t, Lottie.”

She bit down on her bottom lip and shook her head. Her tangled blonde hair fell into her eyes. She wouldn’t look at him.

“I’m sorry.”

His brows furrowed, then in one swift move she grabbed him round the waist and threw them both into the river.

Cameron gasped and sucked water into his lungs. His eyes burned and he cried out in panic. Charlotte’s hand clamped across his lips and held tight even as he flailed and kicked, and then they were on the other side, scrambling up the rocky shore. Cameron spat water out of his mouth and heaved.

“I’m sorry, Cammy.” Charlotte whispered. “I know its hard. I know—”

“You don’t know!” He snapped. “You weren’t there!” His furious, dripping, red-veined eyes turned on her. “You didn’t watch them—you didn’t—you didn’t—”

He collapsed in a fit of coughing. Charlotte reached for him, but he flinched.

“I know.” She breathed, her hand still hovering in the air between them. “Cammy, I know.”

He brought his soaking wet stuffed shark to his chest and curled his arms around himself. “You weren’t there.” His voice shook. “You didn’t have to see the look in their eyes. You didn’t have to see how they struggled as those monsters held their heads under. You didn’t have to see them slowly lose every last sliver of hope they had left. You didn’t have to see them give up.”

“I’m so sorry.” She dropped her hand and skimmed her fingers across the dirt.

“I’m not afraid of the water, Lott.” He murmured, his burning eyes lifting to hers. “I’m afraid of their ghosts.”

She raised her eyes to the deep, red sky. “God, I’m so sorry, Cammy.”

He got to his feet and held out his hand to her. “We have to keep moving, Lottie.”

She nodded and wrapped her fingers around his.

The forest passed by them in a blur as they ran. They hid at any sign of movement and clutched each other’s hands as though it were a lifeline. The bloody sky grew darker. They were quickly running out of time.

But then Charlotte stopped.

“Cammy,” She breathed, “We’re here.

He looked up and through the trees light glinted off a tall, steel wall. They walked forward, casting their eyes around them and checking where they stepped. When they reached the thick, metal gates, they lifted their eyes and saw, upon the ramparts, tens of masked soldiers with eyes straight ahead, backs stiff like metal rods, and hands tense on their weapons.

Cameron heard orders shouted and the steel groaned as the gates began to slide open. Charlotte’s fingers curled tighter around his and her breath hitched.

The gates cast long, thick shadows, and between them a tall figure came forth.

“Welcome!” He called out in a heavy accent Cameron couldn’t place. “You’ll be safe here, children.”

He stepped into the light and Cameron’s breath caught in his throat. The shadows of the tree branches flickered across the man’s deep, purple skin, and bright green covered even the whites of his eyes. A strange, burgundy feathered hat sat upon his bald head, matching his detailed vest and slick slacks, accented by his old-fashioned black tailcoat. His lips curled up in a smile and Cameron reeled backwards when he saw the sharp, pointed, black teeth.

The alien stepped aside and gestured them into the fortress.

“You fellow humans can’t hurt you here.”

If you enjoyed this story, check out: