Jim Thorn - Arrival - A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller

“I didn’t say I believe it. I said I want to listen to his whole explanation. He hasn’t told us how he knows all this.”

“And I’m not sure I want to after being ridiculed by your partner.”

“I apologize for my friend’s reaction,” Maya said. “But you can understand why he would laugh. People cruising internet forums and bulletin boards for evidence of an alien invasion aren’t exactly the most reliable types. But it doesn’t mean I’m not willing to hear you out. So, go on.”

The man stared at Reno, waiting for another barb or verbal insult. Reno rolled his eyes. Jack cleared his throat and continued.

“That obelisk that rose up and destroyed the Parthenon has been there for hundreds, thousands, maybe millions of years. It was buried deep beneath the Earth’s surface by an advanced alien civilization. Some of my friends in the ETC claim that there’s a generator beneath the obelisk, that it’s powering the dome. They say that, if we can somehow disrupt the power supply to the generator, we might be able to weaken or even destroy the dome. But that’s a long shot.”

“Slow down. If it’s been there for all that time, why did it decide that now was the time to rise from the ground and destroy the Parthenon? And why didn’t we know if it before now?” Maya asked.

“There are a lot of theories, but I think most of them are bullshit.” Jack paused as two men stumbled across the road, each with a fistful of the other’s shirt. “The truth is, no one really knows. But there is one thing I can tell you for sure—that obelisk didn’t just pop up out of the ground to drop a dome over Nashville because the aliens like country music. It’s a beacon—sending a signal out.”

“A signal?” Maya swallowed. “What kind of signal? To whom?”

“Maybe it’s notifying the mothership, over some kind of galactic Wi-Fi.”

“Bullshit,” Reno said.

“You don’t have to believe me. But I know it’s true. They always planned on returning, and it was never a question of if , only when.”

“And it just so happens that only losers and loners cruising internet forums know this.”

Maya shot a glare at Reno, but his sarcasm had become a lump in her throat—she wasn’t sure she could swallow Jack’s story. “How could the government hide something like that?”

“They are, and they have been for decades. If you don’t think that the government doesn’t have a top-secret team studying extraterrestrial life forms, then you’re a fool. I hate to be the one to break this to you, but we’re not getting out from under this dome. I don’t know if the government is bringing scientists in to do experiments on the outside of the dome, but there isn’t anyone inside of it that knows what to do. The police and National Guard—the only thing they’re trying is brute force, and that isn’t going to work. Your kids—you’re never going to see them again.”

Maya shuddered as Reno steered the rig to the side of the road.

“That’s it,” Reno said.

The paramedic slammed on the brakes. Maya extended her hands, palms out, and locked her elbows to keep from slamming into the dashboard. Reno threw the gear shift into park and turned to Jack, who had fallen off the gurney and now sat on the floor of the rig.

“Out.”

“What?”

“You heard me. I said, get the hell out.”

“That wasn’t the deal. I told you what I know.”

“You’re some bullshit con man. Now get. Out.”

Jack turned to Maya. “I’m sorry if I offended you. I really am. But you have to understand that—”

Reno unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed Jack by his shirt. He dragged the man over the seat and through the door. They both tumbled to the ground, Reno falling on top of Jack. Reno planted his hands on Jack’s chest and pushed himself up to his feet.

“You can walk from here. We’re almost to White’s Creek, anyway. Honestly, I don’t care where you go, but your ride with us is over.”

Reno stepped back up into the rig and slammed the door.

Maya expected Jack to be angry, and so she waited for him to jump up and rush the rig. But he never did. Instead, through the closed door, she heard something else.

The man was laughing.

She held eye contact with him until Reno pulled away and Jack faded into the rearview mirror.

“Don’t worry about what that guy said, Maya. It’s all lies.”

“Yeah, I know.”

But something about what had Jack said made sense.

Did it? Come on, Maya. Aliens?

What if it were true, though? Terrorists creating a dome to protect their city would be logical, but why encase an American city? And even if you could assume the dome was a weapon to be used against them, what about Jack’s beacon theory? How could anyone or anything get an object of that size and magnitude into the ground, and then raise it up with such destructive force?

Looking outside, Maya asked, “Where are we going?”

“My great aunt owns some land out this way in White’s Creek. It’s only a couple of miles from here. She’s in Florida living with my Uncle William for now, so I keep my eye on the place for her. It’ll be a good spot for us to regroup—catch a few hours of sleep. We can figure out what our next move is going to be.”

Maya smiled at Reno, sliding her hand inside of his. He glanced over at her, looking down at their interlocked fingers and then up into her face.

“Thanks for sticking with me,” Maya said.

“No problem. We’re partners. Right?”

She squeezed his hand. “Friends.” Then she let it go.

Reno smiled back at her, nodding. He cleared his throat and looked at the traffic, which had begun to thin out the farther they got from downtown Nashville. He drove a few more miles and turned onto several country roads before pulling into a dirt driveway. A quaint, ranch-style house stood at the end of the path, its lawn’s grass overgrown but with the windows and roof in decent shape—nobody had been living here for quite some time, but the house looked habitable. Empty fields stretched to each horizon, not another house visible. Reno pulled up next to the propane tank before shutting off the rig’s engine. Maya climbed out first.

“It’s beautiful out here,” Maya said. “Why don’t you live in this place if your great aunt and uncle are in Florida so much?”

“Too far from work. I stay here on the weekends sometimes, but that Monday morning commute is a pain. Plus, it feels a little weird. My great uncle, with some help from my grandfather, built this place with his bare hands. If the house is passed down to me when my aunt passes, which I hope isn’t anytime soon, I might move in. Until then, I’ll keep an eye on it for her.”

Reno unlocked the front door and they walked inside, breathing in air that was heavy with dust and the smell of old mothballs. It reminded Maya of her grandmother’s house in Birmingham, where she’d spent three weeks every summer until she’d turned fifteen.

“Make yourself at home,” Reno said. “I’m gonna check and see what kind of food is here. I usually stock some canned goods, but I can’t remember what I’ve got.”

“Would you mind if I took a shower? That’s all I can think about right now.”

“No problem. You want to wash your clothes, too? I’d let you wear some of my aunt’s, but I’d never be able to look at you the same way again.”

Maya laughed, blushing.

“Come on,” Reno said, blustering through the awkward silence. “I’ll show you to the bathroom.”

He led her to the master bedroom, where he went into the closet and grabbed a towel and a robe.

“You can put this on when you get out of the shower—while your clothes are washing.”