Disclaimer: I do not own "Falling Skies."

Nine: Something Bad

Matt…

The bed shook slightly, and I opened my eyes instantly to find that nothing had happened.

It was only morning. I could tell by the sun coming in from the window and the way my lips stuck together from all the grimy yuck in my mouth. My ear hurt too from being bent and pressed against the pillow as I slept. I hated mornings, and I hated them even more now. I could never take off my shoes or backpack. I was like a stupid camel with a hump on my back, and I glared at Hal beside me for shaking the bed as I rolled over to find Ben asleep too.

He was slumped over on the floor, and I paused for a second to make sure his stomach went up and down to make sure he wasn't dead like the girl in the kitchen cooler downstairs. I sighed as he breathed in and out, and then I realized no one had been on guard at all. Hal was going to be mad.

"Ben!" I said, going to the window to shake him awake.

He didn't budge, and I didn't care when I looked outside. There were people in the street like Hal and Ben had said. They stretched in both directions for blocks, and I ducked down when I saw all the spiders and robots on the ground. Could they smell us like Hal had suggested? I supposed they couldn't because they would have taken us already, and curiously, I leaned to look out of the window again.

I yanked the curtain back some as I saw the robots that were stationed on top of the buildings and pressed my cheek flat against the wall to see more. There were more people, and a big cluster of spiders were grouped together while others crawled up the side of the buildings. I felt bad for the people who were stuck down there, but I agreed with Hal. I didn't want to be one of them, and I wished we hadn't had to come to the hotel at all last night.

"Mattie! Get away from the window!" Hal said suddenly, and I jumped, elbowing Ben. He awoke too as Hal joined us on the floor. "What are you doing?"

"Looking at the people," I answered, and he grinded his teeth in frustration.

"Holy shit!" Ben said, and Hal looked away, turning to the window instead.

"Fuck!" Hal said as he looked outside too.

"What is it?" I asked, and knowing they were going to ignore me, I pinched Hal as hard as I could. "What is it?"

"Geez Matt!" Hal groaned.

"Well, what is it?" I demanded. "Tell me!"

"Last night there was a couple hundred, but now there's…there's…" Hal gulped.

"…there's at the very least a few thousand people," Ben said. "There's no way we're getting out of here."

"We're stuck!" I panicked.

"No…no we're not stuck…" Hal replied, but he kept eyeing the street below warily.

I was about to accuse him of lying, but I didn't get the chance as the room shook. It was then I realized that the bed had not shaken because of Hal tossing on his side. It was something worse. I could see the robot on the rooftop positioned diagonally from us, and fearfully, I looked up as did Hal and Ben.

"There's one up there," Ben said, holding his gun purposefully, and Hal did as well. I supposed it should make me feel better that my brothers had guns, but I only felt more afraid because it meant something bad was going to happen.

"How did it get up there?" Hal asked, looking to Ben. "Ben?"

"I don't know," Ben mumbled. "I fell asleep." Hal bit back whatever words he was about to say, but it didn't take much to imagine his ears steaming out of anger like cartoon characters did.

"What do we do?" I asked. "What if they find us?"

"I don't think they're looking for us," Hal replied.

"How do you know? That robot might know where we are."

"It would have come and gotten us if he did."

"Are you sure," I pleaded.

"Look," Ben said, pointing out at the captured people below. "They have thousands of people down there…I doubt they're worried about us. Okay?"

"Kay," I nodded, looking down as well.

We sat by the window the entire morning with the curtain opened a crack, waiting until we could sneak out unnoticed. However, our chance never came, and after a while it felt like watching a movie. I would be almost content, but then the robot upstairs would move. The entire room would shake as loud as thunder, and Ben and Hal would grip their guns even tighter. The only time they loosened their grasps was when Ben wiped his palms on his jeans when they got sweaty and when Hal lay his injured hand flat against the carpet, pressing down firmly.

"Why do you do that?" I asked after the third time Hal ground his hand into the floor, cringing in pain.

"Because," He laughed hoarsely, and I could tell he was trying to push the tears out of his eyes, trying to be brave. "It's healing, but I don't want it to heal wrong. You see it keeps popping out of place."

"Oh," I understood, getting excited. "We could make you a cast! Well, maybe…"

Hal smiled slightly, "We probably need a doctor for that."

"I bet there's one down there," Ben said, and the excitement I had over making a cast was gone just like that.

I lied down on my stomach, staring down at the people who had been standing for hours now, and I wondered if their legs hurt. Maybe, they had stood so long that their legs were numb like a thousand needles piercing their calves and feet. I blew my breath onto the glass for a while and drew stick figures in the fog. I kept drawing them—ones with hair and ones with clothes.

I drew all the people I saw below, and as I looked down again, I saw a girl look up at me. She was my age with red hair. I waved, and she brought her hand up a bit and waved back sadly. I wanted to look away, but I felt bad for her. She was trapped even more than we were. The little girl had no way out when at least my brothers and I had a chance. Her eyes became big suddenly, and she looked away quickly down the street. I did too.

As soon as I looked, the window shook, and the ground trembled. I felt Hal pull me up to my feet along with him and Ben as the people screamed below. They kept screaming, and before the people could let out another scream, the alien ships began to land one after another. At first, I thought that the aliens were going to take everyone away to be tested on like they did in movies, but instead, another alien stepped out.

It wasn't a spider or a robot. It was tall and thin, shimmering like metal as it stepped forward. A spider approached it, and I started to breathe heavily. The alien turned, and then the spider tilted its head.

"What the hell are they doing?" Ben shuddered.

I looked up to see Ben and Hal with their guns aimed at the window, and I brought my hands up to my ears. Something bad was about to happen. I could feel it, and it did. The spiders rushed into the crowd along with the robots from every side, and even the robots on the rooftops started shooting. There were so many people I thought it would never end. It was all a blur of screams and running. The crackling of fire echoed all around.

Then, after what felt like forever, it ended.

"They stopped," I said.

"But there's still people," Ben said.

"They're all kids," Hal commented.

They were right, and I brought my hands away from my ears. The ships opened up, and like at school, hundreds and hundreds of kids were led in lines to the ships. I waited for them to run away, and some did. However, they were shot instantly as soon as they twitched, falling on top of the dead bodies of the adults and the littlest children lying in heaps.

I wanted to run away, but I couldn't. We were stuck at the window—trapped by the robot above us and the massacre below us. A part of me wished that I was dead too like the little girl who had waved at me, and I wondered what it felt like to die. I wondered if it hurt, or if it had been so quick that she hadn't even noticed.

The kids disappeared into the ships along with all the aliens, and the robots jumped down from the rooftops easily. The ships came to life, and then, they left, leaving us still standing at the window—completely and one hundred percent unstuck. There was nothing to stop us from walking away now as if nothing had happened.

"We should move in case they come back," Hal said, snapping out of the trance that captivated us all.

"Come back for what?" Ben muttered. "I think they got what they came for."

I didn't have time to think about what Ben said. I didn't have time to wonder why the aliens wanted kids. All I knew was that we were getting out of the hotel, and I rushed down the stairs with Hal barely coaxing me to go faster. We reached the kitchen on the ground floor, and I was ready to keep running when we heard the scuttle noise of a spider. I bit my lip hard, feeling the blood pool in my mouth. Why weren't they gone? Why couldn't they just leave?

Hal cocked his gun, and Ben took a slow step forward. Ben pressed the door open with his hand, and I waited for the spider to come rushing at us like it had at home. Nothing happened, and we stepped into the kitchen. There were two bodies lying on the tiled floor, and I understood what we had tripped over in the dark the night before as we scrambled into the kitchen.

"Please don't kick them again."

A voice said, and spooked by the comment, Hal and Ben aimed their weapons, lowering them as soon we peered around the cooking island in the center of the room to find a boy about Ben's age with his knees brought up to his chest and his back pressed against the cabinets. A little girl with matching brown hair was curled up next to him with her head in his lap, and a large red bruise was covering her forehead. She moaned in discomfort, and I noticed that her body wasn't just curled up. It was limp.

"Are they your parents?" Hal asked, pointing to the man and woman who were dead at our feet.

The boy nodded.

"I remembered seeing you last night…you ran into the alley first."

"Yeah," The boy laughed with his voice raspy from crying. "Lot of good it did us huh? My dad suggested hiding in here, but…but the mech's light was already on us...they were shot before the door could even close."

"And your sister?"

"Her name's Jessica—Jessie," The boy said, rubbing her back softly. "One of the skitters squeezed her head when they caught us yesterday morning. She was okay, but she fell asleep last night after…"

"After you all came in here?" Hal finished.

"She cried herself to sleep," He explained. "I've been trying to wake her up all day."

Hal hung his head and didn't reply. This was bad—very bad. I felt the tears prick my eyes, and I slipped my hand into Ben's much bigger one, knowing that the little girl was probably going to die. Ben looked down at me, giving me the same fake smile Hal kept throwing in my direction. They kept trying to assure me that everything was going to be okay, but the more they did, the more I was beginning to realize it wasn't.

"She isn't going to wake up. Is she?" The boy asked, staring down at his little sister.

"It's probably a hematoma. She's bleeding in her brain," Ben said softly.

The boy nodded his understanding, "She's cold. She has goosebumps."

"I'm Hal, and this is Ben and Matt. Why don't you let us help you take her away from here," Hal suggested, and the boy looked to his parents before nodding.

"Can you give me a minute?"

Hal agreed, and the three of us stepped out the back door into the street where people had fallen dead in their tracks because of the robots. I was angry, and I wanted to scream and kick. The aliens were gone, taking the children with them, but we were still stuck no matter what. We were stuck in the middle of dead people everywhere we went. I didn't scream though.

I balled my fists, pacing by the open back door while Ben and Hal faced either direction of the street cautiously. However when I caught sight of the boy moving inside, I stopped. He kneeled by his parents, and curiously I peeked through the door, seeing him close his eyes and clasp his hands. He was praying silently, and as he finished and said amen, my anger left me. I was only sad.

"I think he's ready," I said, turning to Hal. He nodded and went back inside, coming back out with the little girl in his arms. The boy had Hal's rifle in his shaking hands.

"I don't know how to use it," He admitted nervously as we walked away from the hotel.

"The safety's off," Hal replied. "You hear something, you cock it. You see something, you pull the trigger. Got it?"

"Got it," He nodded, but I could tell by his face that he was scared not of the aliens but of the weapon in his hand. I couldn't blame him; I would be too.

Luckily though, nothing happened on our way back to the grocery store, and this time we brought the bikes inside after gassing them up, setting them up by the shattered door after clearing away the glass. We set up a bed for Jessie too, using blankets and sleeping bags. She even had pillows, and the boy set a teddy bear beside his sister's head.

"How long does it take someone to die when they're bleeding inside?" I whispered, not wanting the boy to hear me as he hadn't moved from his sister's side for hours while Hal, Ben, and I walked the aisles to find dinner.

"I don't know," Ben shrugged.

"Just keep quiet Matt," Hal said, and I nodded.

We all kept quiet as if one whisper would bring an alien down upon us as we went back to the patio setup with cans of ravioli and the only loaf of bread we found that wasn't moldy. Hal made up four plates, setting one beside the boy without saying anything. The boy only blinked, thanking Hal, and when it grew dark, Ben lit a single candle, setting it on the floor. Hal left to keep watch by the door, and Ben and I lay down in the lawn chairs. Ben flipped on his side, falling asleep quickly, but I remained awake, watching the boy and his sister.

He loved her very much, holding her hand even though she didn't hold his back. After a while, she stopped moaning in pain. Her breath slowed. Eventually, it stopped. I waited for him to scream and cry—to panic and check that Jessie was truly dead like we had with Mom, but he didn't. He kept holding her hand, kissed her forehead, and lay down beside her.

I turned on my side to find Ben still awake, and I knew by his face that he had been watching too. He didn't say anything, just lifting his blanket, and I rolled off my lawn chair, curling up under his blanket with him and listening to the boy's crying until I fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was light again. Ben was gone. The boy was gone, and the blanket had been brought up over the girl's head. My stomach felt sick as I remembered, and I went to the door to look out. Ben was in the parking lot, walking back towards the grocery store with Hal and the boy in his wake. They had shovels and dirt covered their shoes.

"We dug a grave in the park across the street," Ben said when he walked in. "Put your coat on, and get your bag."

I did as told, and the boy picked up his sister, leading the way to the park. It was a good spot I supposed. It was underneath the trees and near the playground. It was still warm enough for flowers to be in bloom, and after they finished packing the dirt overtop her, the boy said another silent prayer and laid a bouquet of flowers on the ground over her.

"Thank you for your help," The boy said without looking away from his sister's grave.

"Are you sure you don't…" Hal began but stopped when the boy sat down by the graveside.

"You can go now," He said shortly.

"We're sorry for your loss," Ben said, and we left then, leaving the boy by himself as we retrieved what was left inside the store and grabbed the bikes.

"Come on Matt," Hal said, pulling up the choke and waiting for me to get on behind him, but I couldn't help but squint to see the boy sitting in the park alone.

It wasn't fair, and I was glad more than ever that I had Hal and Ben. The boy had no one. He was by himself, and I tried to calm the anger that bubbled in my stomach again. Nothing seemed very fair anymore. I got to keep both of my brothers when this boy lost his only sister. It was then I realized that there was one thing worse than being stuck in the middle of people dying—being stuck alone. I wondered if that was what Dad was experiencing right now.

"Matt?" Hal asked.

"I'll be right back," I said, rushing across the street to the park.

"Matt!" Hal hollered behind me. "If he doesn't want to come, he doesn't have to!"

I didn't care what Hal told me though, I ran straight into the park, stopping just a few feet shy of the boy and the grave. He jumped at my presence, and I mumbled an apology.

"What do you want?" He asked, sounding just like Hal and Ben when I came in their bedroom unwanted which was almost every time.

"We're going to find our dad," I said.

"That's what your brothers said," He sighed.

"Oh…well, what are you going to do?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. Stay here, I guess."

"I wanted to stay by my mom's grave, but I didn't."

"Why not?"

"Because I was afraid."

"Of what?"

"Of being left alone"

"You're like her," The boy laughed. "Jessie hated doing things by herself. She was always nagging me to play with her…I can't leave her alone now too." He shook his head.

"She isn't there you know," I said. "My mom…she wasn't in there anymore. It was her body, but she was gone. I don't think my mom would have wanted me to stay with her body and be alone."

"Why do you care so much kid?" He sighed, sniffling and resting his head on his arms in annoyance.

"Because I don't think your parents and sister would have wanted you to be alone either." I knew it was the truth by the way he was still. "Are you sure you don't want to come?"

"If I come will you leave me alone?" He asked, and I nodded. He stood and wiped his eyes with the bottom of his shirt as we walked out of the park.

"What's your name by the way?" I asked as we caught up to Hal and Ben.

"James Boland," The boy replied. "But you can just call me Jimmy."

Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the reviews of support and encouragement! I really appreciate them. Also, I apologize for the very long hiatus between the end of summer and the posting of the last chapter a week ago. Hopefully, that won't happen again. – GG