The skies are crying for Jordan too, she thought as she looked up at the dark clouds as another bolt of lightning lit up the horizon. She stared back at the mound of dirt as it started to turn to mud. She reached over for the weeds that she had pulled out and placed them around the growing mud heap. Her hair quickly became matted to her head and the black dress she was wearing started sticking to her skin.
Ali looked up from her work and saw something that surprised her slightly; off in the distance was a faint glow. She decided to investigate what was causing the light and why it was there. She got up and started making her way to the light. When she got closer she realized that it was coming from a small encampment of tents. Curiosity got the better of her and she continued making her way to the tents.
Trae looked down at the charts on the desk as the rain pounded on his tent and sighed. He was pretty sure this building was the place that his father said the aliens were currently living. My father, he thought, killed by Ali and her stupid aliens. As he thought about that child he clenched his fist tightly. The child had seemed ordinary and innocent until her memory returned and she became fierce and cruel. Even though she had spared him he hated her with every fiber in his being because of what she had done to his father.
A woman walked in and stood in front of the desk. Trae looked up and said, "What is it? I am very busy right now."
The woman nodded quickly and said, "We found a survivor."
Ali sat on a chair in one of the tents; a large blanket was wrapped around her shoulders. She sipped the steaming liquid from the mug in her hands as she stared around the room. It hadn't been that hard to get in, all she did was start screaming and run to the compound. The people there came running when they heard her scream. Ali couldn't help but smile as she thought back on the memory.
Two men had chased after her and one managed to grab her around the waist. She had kicked at them and tried to break free but eventually gave up. The man that had caught her carried her back to one of the tents and gave her a blanket and the steaming mug. When Ali first took a sip she started gagging from the bitter tasting brown liquid but, after a few sips and a small pack of sugar, she found that she really liked this beverage. It had a strong smell to it that smelled better than it had first tasted. And that is where Ali was now, smiling and looking around the tent.
Ali turned her head as the flap of the tent opened and a young woman stepped inside with a smile. Ali hid her smile and replaced it with the look of a terrified child as the woman stepped closer to her. The woman slowly pulled up a chair closer to Ali and sat down so that she faced Ali. Ali put all her energy in trying to look scared and vulnerable. After a while the woman spoke, "What is your name?" she asked. Ali looked at her, trying to pretend that she had just gotten out of a horrible ideal.
"Ali" she said but quickly regretted it. If these people were after the aliens then they might already know about her.
But the woman just smiled and said, "My name is Mary. Don't worry, you're safe now. We won't let anything happen to you."
Ali smiled slightly and said, "Can you help me with something? When I was checking out the orphanage building with a friend we got separated. I was wondering if you could help me find her."
"Why of course, just let me get some back-up," Mary said as she made her way to the front of the tent.
"No!" Ali shouted. Mary looked at her, slightly confused, so Ali said softly, "I mean, I want to find her as soon as possible, and if we get back-up it might be too late." Ali buried her face in her hands and started crying.
"Oh sweetie, I'm sorry. We'll leave right away. Just, let me go and get a flashlight," Mary said. She left the tent and was only gone for a few minutes before returning, carrying a large flashlight in her hand. She also strapped a gun to her belt. Ali had to fight from smiling knowing the gun would do the lady no good.
Mary took Ali's hand and led her out of the tent. It was dark outside but it had stopped raining. Mary kept the flashlight off as they walked quickly and quietly, not talking until they reached the edge of the compound. They continued walking until they had almost reached the orphanage. Mary paused to turn on the flashlight then continued toward the dark building. Ali held on tight to Mary's hand, pretending to be afraid as they walked through the gates. Mary gently pried her hand out of Ali's tight grip so she could open the door. The door opened with a loud screech and Mary froze. When nothing happened, Mary opened the door all the way and stepped inside.
"Stay close to me Ali," Mary said as she slowly walked into the dark building. They walked in silence as Mary scanned the path way in front of her with the flashlight. Ominous shadows jumped out at every corner. Mary was starting to get a bad feeling about this place but she didn't want to show her fear in front of Ali. Suddenly, a dark shape on the floor caught Mary's eye. She held her breath, hoping that the shape wasn't a body. As she crouched down to look at the shape she sighed with relief; it was just a hole. Mary examined it closer and noticed that the edges of the hole were charred, as though burned.
Something suddenly rammed Mary hard in the back and the next thing she knew, she was flying forward. She screamed as she fell into the total darkness of the hole. The world rushed around her for a few seconds before she hit the ground hard. She rolled over and was able to avoid smashing the flashlight against the ground. But she paused when she realized that she had landed on something bouncy. She looked down and saw that she was on an old bed. Mary looked around slightly confused and noticed that the room was filled with rows of desks. The ground had a thick layer of dust except for two lines. The two lines came from the door and ended at the bed. Mary realized that the bed had been dragged into this room, but why? Movement from the corner of the room caught Mary's eye and she looked over. The flashlight beam shook as Mary tried to penetrate the darkness to see what was over in the corner. A soft laugh came from above and Mary tipped the flashlight up to see Ali standing over the hole, looking down. The beam of the light reflected in Ali's eyes, giving them an unusual glow.
A hiss came from the room and Mary screamed. She dug around for her gun but dropped the flashlight. The flashlight crashed on the ground and the light bulb shattered, plunging the room into total darkness. Mary let out startled breaths as she held the gun out in front of her. The gun rattled in her hand as her whole body shook. She couldn't hear anything over her breathing so she forced herself to calm down. Trying to keep as quite as possible, Mary looked around the room. Her eyes were slowly getting used to the dark and she could see the outline of the desks. Suddenly, one of the desks moved. Mary focused on it and realized that it wasn't a desk, it was a living thing. Whatever it was it moved skillfully and gracefully, weaving around the desks but staying out of aim of the gun. Mary didn't even think as she began firing off at the creature. The thing dodged all of the bullets and lept at Mary with a screech.