Морган Райс - Arrival

The space beyond was narrow, little more than a kind of crawl tunnel. If the two of them had been adults, they would probably have barely fit. As it was, there was enough space to scramble along on their hands and knees, hurrying to another hatch at the far end. Thankfully, this one wasn’t stuck, and opened smoothly to reveal the mountainside beyond.

“We need to be careful,” Luna said softly as the two of them dropped down onto the mountainside. “They might still be out here.”

They were, because Kevin could see figures further off, moving up the slope as if to get to the front entrance. There were some trees nearby, so he and Luna slipped into them, staying low and trying to keep out of sight.

They crept their way up the mountain, trying to work out where exactly they’d hidden Dr. Levin’s car. If they could get to the car, then they could get out of there, leaving the alien-controlled people, and go to the base.

Kevin spotted it a little way away, right where they’d left it, tucked out of sight. He crept toward it… and that was when he saw Chloe coming around a bend in the mountain road, from the parking lot at the summit. A pair of tourists, moving with the strangely coordinated silence of the alien controlled, were running after her, and they were gaining.

“We have to help her,” Kevin said.

“After everything she’s just done?” Luna shot back. “It would serve her right if we left her to become an alien too. She’d probably be less trouble.”

“Luna,” Kevin said.

“I’m just saying that she totally doesn’t deserve our help,” Luna said.

The controlled people were almost at Chloe now.

“That’s probably true,” Kevin said. He started forward. “I’m still going to help her, though.”

He set off in Chloe’s direction and wasn’t that surprised to find Luna running alongside him.

“I’m doing this for you, not her,” Luna said.

“Of course,” Kevin agreed, running faster.

“And you can stop smiling about it,” Luna continued. “I’m just doing this because you’ll only get aliened if I don’t help.”

“Aliened?”

“I’ll think of a better word later,” Luna said.

They were almost at Chloe now. One of the controlled people reached out for her but Kevin and Luna were faster, grabbing her and pulling her off the path and down into the trees. The slope made it treacherous, but maybe that was a good thing as one of the controlled people came tumbling past them.

“You came back for me,” Chloe said. “You—”

“Stop talking and keep running,” Luna snapped. “The car’s just ahead.”

And the remaining hiker was just behind, moving with all the tenacity of a wolf chasing a deer. Kevin didn’t want to think about how that kind of thing usually ended, he just kept running, switching directions through the trees.

The alien-controlled hiker grabbed for him and Kevin managed to dodge. To his surprise, Chloe was there, pushing the man from the side, sending him tumbling further down the slope, scrambling to stop his fall. She grinned at it, although Kevin winced, because even if there was an alien controlling that body, it still belonged to someone, and if they ever got it back, they would probably want it without broken bones.

“Get in!” Luna yelled from ahead. She was at the car now, hopping in at the driver’s side.

Kevin and Chloe ran for the car and got in as Luna started to turn the key. Kevin heard her cursing under her breath as she did, and it only took a moment to realize why: The car wasn’t starting. It made a kind of whirring, coughing sound, but other than that, nothing happened, no matter how many times Luna tried to get it to go.

Fear rose up in Kevin then, although there had been more than enough of it sloshing around in him anyway thanks to having to run away from alien-controlled people. He looked around at the trees, trying to spot movement, looking for any sign of the controlled people. Not just the ones who had stumbled down the slope, because there would be more. There always seemed to be more.

“It’s not working,” Luna said.

“It’s not going to work,” Chloe said. “You’ve flooded it.”

“As if you know anything about it,” Luna shot back.

It had the feeling of an argument that would take too long and be too loud; that would still have them sitting there when more of the controlled people came. Already, Kevin thought he could see rustling in the trees.

“We have to go,” Kevin said. He thought he could see shapes out beyond the nearest trunks. “We have to go now .”

He got out of the car again and the others followed with obvious reluctance. At least they followed, slipping away into the trees just in time as Kevin looked back to see hikers and soldiers, park rangers and families, descending on the car in a silent, coordinated mass. Some of them looked around, seeming almost to sniff the air. Kevin hurried away as quickly as he dared.

“They won’t be distracted by the car for long,” Kevin guessed. “We need to think of something else.”

“There are plenty of cars up in the parking lot,” Chloe said.

Luna snorted. “That we don’t have keys for.”

“I don’t need a key. That’s what I was up there doing, until they charged after me.” She still sounded as though she wanted to pick a fight, but right then, if they could all get out of there, Kevin could live with that.

“We’ll need to keep quiet,” Kevin said, and the others looked at him as if he’d just said the most obvious thing in the world. They all crept forward, making their way up the mountain to the summit and the parking lot that stood there for visitors. For the moment, at least, it seemed to be empty.

“You might as well take off that stupid mask,” Chloe said to Luna. “I told you, whatever they put in the air is gone. Or are you scared?”

The last one was enough to get to Luna. Pointedly, she reached up and took off her mask, hanging it from her belt.

“I’m not scared,” she said. “I’m just not stupid.”

“We need to find a car,” Kevin said, interrupting before they could argue again.

There were plenty to choose from, left wherever they’d been parked by the people visiting the mountain. There were SUVs and minivans, modern cars and old ones in all kinds of colors and—

“That one,” Chloe said, pointing to a pickup truck that looked beaten up to the point where Kevin was amazed there was anything left of it. The paintwork was peeling, rust showing through in spots. “I’ll be able to start that one.”

They went over to it, and it turned out that one of the windows was open a crack. Chloe pulled it down further, then reached in and opened the door.

“Doesn’t it worry you that she knows how to do all this?” Luna asked Kevin.

Chloe looked back over her shoulder. “Not all of us get perfect little lives, cheerleader.”

Kevin was almost grateful for the sight of a group of the controlled people advancing slowly, obviously searching.

“Quick,” he said, “in the truck!”

They got in, keeping their heads down. Chloe was in the driver’s seat working on something with the ignition. It seemed to be taking a long time.

“I thought you said you could do this,” Luna whispered.

“I’d like to see you try,” Chloe shot back.

“Just so long as you can get us to NASA,” Luna said.

Chloe shook her head. “We’re going to LA.”

“San Francisco,” Luna insisted.

“LA,” Chloe shot back.

Kevin knew he needed to intervene, because if he didn’t, they would probably still be arguing when the controlled people caught up to them.

“Please, Chloe, we need to hear this message. And… well, if it doesn’t work out, then maybe we could go to LA. Together.”