"Hey, Sneakers." Perry said.
Sneakers was padding around the floor of Prince's apartment, making pawprints that were incredibly tiny. She looked up at him and blinked her huge eyes.
Prince was examining Remy.
"We'd better hurry." Perry said. "And get as far away from Danville as we can. Aliens are going to invade in three minutes. We can't stay here."
Prince narrowed her eyes. "No one gets in here unless I say so."
"You can't hold them off, Prince. These guys are powerful. All electronics are useless. Nothing else does much damage, either. I fired my grappling gun at one, and… I think I got the worst of it."
Prince huffed. "We're gonna let them push us around?"
"Prince, we have to go. We have to keep the pups safe."
Prince sighed. "All right. Grab Sneaks."
Sneakers had begun to levitate. When she got a foot off the ground, she began to spin around slowly, glowing a faint pink color and giving off the scent of vanilla.
Perry picked her up out of the air and put her under one arm. The vanilla smell made him light-headed. He wanted to get her the best, safest, most comfortable house in the world… he would get her every single sanctuary he could find…
Perry snapped out of it. He dashed down the stairs after Prince.
They stopped in the parking lot of the apartment complex, next to a silver van. Prince handed Remy to Perry and dug around in her jeans pocket.
"You have a car?" Perry asked.
"Not yet." Prince answered. She produced a small pocketknife and began picking the lock of the car door.
"Prince, cut it out! That's someone else's car!"
"So?"
"SO, you can't steal cars!"
"I just did." Prince said, opening the door. "Get them in the back seat. You drive."
"Prince, this is wrong-"
"Well, the invasion starts in one minute. So either you drive this nice car and we get away, or you go buy a whole new car and we all turn into alien slaves. Get in."
Perry sighed and hopped into the driver's seat. He closed the door and pushed the button to lock the car.
He placed Remy in the backseat next to Sneakers. Sneakers promptly floated up until she hit the roof.
"She'll come down in a couple minutes." Prince said.
Remy stirred slightly. "Mommy?"
Prince strapped her in to the backseat. "Drive."
"I don't have the keys to start the car."
Prince jammed her pocketknife into the keyhole and twisted it. The car started.
"There ya go." She said.
Screams, shouts and crashes were audible from outside.
Perry backed the car out of the parking lot and drove.
"We should try to get to the quad-state area." He said. "Gretalyn only said she was taking over Danville- so far, anyway."
"Intense." Prince said. "Remy, honey, are you okay?"
"Mommy…"
"We're getting outta here, Rem. Don't worry."
Perry swerved to avoid a person being dragged out of his house by an alien. People were running frantically around. They may have been insane, but they were aware of what was happening.
"The others." Perry said. He turned the car around.
"You're going the wrong way." Prince said.
"My other pups." Perry said. "The boys. We have to find them."
He drove back the way they had come. The humans seemed to find nothing wrong with running around in the street. Perry had to work hard to maneuver around them.
He parked the car in front of a house with no lights on.
"Get down." He told Prince. "If anyone bothers you…"
Prince smiled and held up a small handgun. "I'll take care of it."
"Good." Perry looked over at Sneakers, who had begun to descend. She curled up on the car seat and fell asleep.
Perry closed the door of the car. He ran toward the house. He heard what sounded like a lamp crashing against the wall.
The front door opened, and two platypuses came running out. They appeared to be holding a hose.
"Come on!" Perry called to them.
Paisley and Peppily trotted over to him. Perry picked them up.
"Where are the others?"
"Pawmew is coming." Paisley said. "And Pamewa."
"Dey hawve to thwow wamps at de meanies fiwst." Peppily said.
"Toto and Pops? Where are they?"
"I dunno." Paisley said.
Another platypus came running out of the house, tossing marbles behind her. Her eyes lit up when she saw Perry.
"Daddy!" Pamela flung her arms around him.
"Where's Pal?"
"In the house. Smashing aliens. He'll probably come in a sec. PALMER!"
"Where are Pops and Toto?"
Pamela shrugged. "We haven't seen them since we ran in opposite directions. PALMER!"
Palmer bounded out of the house. A few aliens tried to follow him, slipped on the marbles, and crashed into the porch.
"Get in the van." Perry ordered.
He carried the twins inside. Palmer and Pamela hopped into the backseat.
Perry tossed the twins in the back and locked the door. He drove away just as the aliens regained their footing.
Remy sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"Pawmew basheded an alien on da head." Paisley notified everyone.
"You guys okay?" Perry asked. He was shaking.
"More or less." Palmer said. "They came in through the wall, so we pretty much threw anything we could at them and got out."
"I threw a Barley doll at them." Pamela said.
"Was that our last stop?" Prince asked.
"No. This is."
Perry stopped in front of the Flynn-Fletcher house and got out of the car.
"You all stay in here. If anything happens, Prince is here."
"Prince? Are you related to my friend King?" Palmer asked.
Prince scowled.
Perry ran into the house, devastated to find that the front door was already open.
All the lights were out.
Perry walked into the living room. His heart dropped.
The furniture was completely overturned and torn up. Pictures had fallen from the wall, and the frames were cracked. The floor was covered in streaks of mud.
Perry sat down in the middle of the rubble and closed his eyes. The cool night air blew in from the open front door.
Other than the wind, there was silence.
Perry opened his eyes again. On the floor was a ripped-up piece of black construction paper. It had once been a tiny top hat.
...
Perry was glad no one was talking on the drive to the quad-state area.
He had barely said anything when he arrived back at the car. He had simply gotten in, muttered "Gone" and started to drive.
He felt cold and stiff, like someone had drained everything out of his body and just left the outer shell.
"Turn right here." Prince said. "Go to Pumpkin Lane. I forgot to tell you, I bought a house. Needed more space for Rem. So I got one in the quad-state area. Never fully moved in, though. I was waiting for you. So… anyway. Fully stocked with food. We can hide there. Sorry I never told you."
Perry just nodded.
The car was silent again. Peppily put his paws on the window and gazed outside. Sneakers began to levitate again. Remy sleepily pulled her back down.
"Rem's fine." Prince said, looking in the backseat. "Probably just got a little stunned."
Perry nodded again.
He pulled in next to a sidewalk and turned the car off.
It was a huge house, and it looked very nice from the outside. It also looked like all of the other houses on the block.
Prince opened the back door and picked up Remy and Sneakers. Palmer hopped out of the car, followed by Pamela and the twins.
"Big house." Paisley said.
...
Perry sat on the stoop in the backyard of the house and stared up at the sky.
It was nice and warm and cozy inside the house, but Perry didn't want to be inside. He just wanted to be alone.
Why couldn't anything ever work out to where everyone was safe? Why was there evil in the world? Why wasn't anything he loved safe forever? Why did it have to be taken away from him?
Perry remembered Gretalyn's twisted smile right before she jumped away from his grappling gun.
He remembered the torn construction paper lying on the floor, the top hat crushed almost beyond recognition.
Perry felt the heat rise into his chest. He stood up, grabbed a pot, and tossed it at the brick wall separating the house from all the others.
It broke into many pieces.
Perry grabbed another ceramic object. He had no idea what it was, but he threw it as well and watched it break.
Perry threw a plate and the empty plant pot that was on top of it.
Breathing hard, Perry sat back down on the stoop. He could find nothing else to throw.
He felt something warm and fuzzy wrap around his shoulders. He quickly turned around.
Palmer took a step back. "Sorry. Didn't mean to freak you out. You looked cold."
Perry nodded. He pulled the blanket around him.
"Did you regret getting us first?"
Perry shook his head.
"Then why did you break half of the things in the backyard?"
"Because I thought it would make me feel better."
Palmer said nothing.
Perry stood up.
"I'll glue them back together." He said. "I'll fix them."
He followed Palmer back inside.
...
"Don't be sad." Prince said.
Perry burrowed under the covers. "I just can't believe they're gone."
"She didn't intend to wipe out all life. Just enslave it. They're probably fine." Prince said. She got into bed.
"I have to find them. I have to protect them."
"You're at more risk than they are. You tried to fight Gretalyn. I'm worried about my uncle, but I had to get my pups safe. Don't worry. They'll be rescued soon enough. You honestly think Danville's gonna take an alien invasion lying down? They're probably starting a rebellion as we speak."
Perry said nothing.
Prince turned out the light. Perry lay awake for a while.
He sat up. "Crusher. We forgot to get Crusher."
"She can take care of herself." Prince said.
Perry lay back down. "Sorry I wasn't much help… I'm just so sad right now."
"It's okay. The pups are all asleep. I put them to bed."
"Good."
Suddenly another voice was audible in the dark. "I cowdn't sweep."
"Which twin are you?" Perry asked.
"Paiswey."
"Come on up."
Perry felt tiny paws hop onto the bed. Paisley curled up next to him.
"The awiens wewe scawy." Paisley said.
"I'm sorry. You're safe now."
"I know. You wiw pwotect us. You awe invincibuw."
"I wish I was." Perry said.
"You awe." Paisley said sleepily. "You wiw save evewybody."
Even though he doubted it was true, it somehow made Perry feel better. He smiled.
"'Night, Paisley."