Chapter Three
The conference room buzzes like a beehive, and the voices overlap with impatience and anxiety. After our short bus ride to the town center, we were led into a large room scattered with chairs and told to wait until the doctors came in and called our names.
I’m weaving slowly through the groups, arms crossed as I scan the faces of the twenty-four fellow survivors. We’re all restless, waiting for the doctors to get this over with. Everyone looks like they’ve been through hell, but then again, we all have. At least we got to clean up in the restroom.
Jamie and Shayla are huddled in a corner, whispering to each other when my shadow falls over them and Shayla looks up, asking, “What’s taking so long?”
“Welp…” I drop to a crouch and lower my voice. “… Actually, I do have some interesting news. Tory overheard them talking about waiting to start our debriefing until they locate the four missing guys.”
If that’s the case, this could be a while. Ray made it very clear from our brief conversation that the men were not sticking around to get caught again. Although I can’t imagine they’ll get too far.
Shayla glances around, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Who’s missing?”
I chew on my chapped lip, following Shayla’s gaze as she looks over the others scattered around. Maybe some others are missing besides those four men. Who knows?
All I know is my gut is churning, and it’s not from hunger. I’m not sure if it’s because we’re back here or if my imagination is just running wild as I watch the personnel walking by the open double doors that lead to the hall. I keep expecting to see a scaled face, and I lean in, whispering, “I have a bad feeling about this.”
Jamie stiffens beside Shayla, who is rolling her eyes. “What do you mean?”
I’m surprised she hasn’t thought of this. “Why did they separate us from the other service members who showed up to see us?”
Other people have come and gone, eager to find out what happened to us. No one I know, but there were even some who rode on the bus with us from base housing to the town center. They’re not here now though.
Shayla nods, remembering how they stopped her boyfriend Kyle from joining us earlier.
“They said they’d have a different quarantine procedure.” Jamie looks better after washing up, but I can tell from her red-rimmed eyes she’s been crying again.
“Don’t forget we disappeared from here.” I feel trapped all over again, like back in that cage. The thought sends an involuntary shiver down my spine. I shake it off, refusing to let the fear take hold.
“Summer?”
The sound of my name slices through the chatter. My head snaps toward the door. It’s Sara, my roommate, poking her head into the chaos from the hall. She has a concerned look on her face, and my chest tightens with relief at the sight of someone I trust.
I push off from the floor to stand, sidestepping people and chairs as I make my way toward her.
“Hey,” I whisper, reaching her at the doorway and pulling her into a hug. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Me neither,” Sara replies, worry creasing her forehead as she pulls back and wrinkles her nose. “But when I heard you were back, and they were keeping you all here, I had to come. Are you okay?”
I look around the room, then back at Sara. Her eyes are filled with genuine concern, and I realize how much I’ve missed her presence during this ordeal. Taking a deep breath, I nod. “I’m surviving. Just waiting for this debriefing to be over.”
“What’s happening? Where were you? What’s going on?”
“Long story,” I murmur back, my eyes darting around to make sure we’re not drawing too much attention. The hum of the room provides a cover for our conversation. “They said it was a last-minute assignment,” I explain, and I can see the questions piling up behind Sara’s eyes.
“An assignment?” She pulls back slightly, confusion etched into her features. “No one told me anything about an assignment. They just said you were gone.”
I take a deep breath, feeling the weight of my facade crumbling. I just want to get home and take a bath. “That’s because there wasn’t one.” The words spill out, and I watch her eyes widen.
“Wait, what?”
“Look, I...” My throat tightens, and I swallow hard, forcing myself to meet her eyes. “I wasn’t on an assignment. I was taken, Sara. By them.”
“Them?” Her voice cracks at the word, and I nod grimly.
“Aliens. Look, I know how it sounds, but we all were...” I trail off, the memory of the abduction is still vivid. “I’ve always known they’d come back for me. And they did. Again.”
“Summer, I—” Sara starts, but I shake my head, cutting her off.
“Let’s just say my job as a communications expert didn’t exactly cover dealing with extraterrestrial kidnappers.” I try to inject a trace of humor into the stark reality. But the laugh doesn’t come.
“God, Summer, I had no idea.” Sara’s eyes are wide, reflecting a mix of emotions—shock, fear, maybe even a hint of disbelief. But underneath it all, I see the steadfast resolve that I’ve always admired in her.
“Nobody did.” For a moment, the chaos of the conference room fades away. It’s just me and Sara, and I wish I could tell her everything. This was entirely different—even completely different aliens—from the time I was eight, but I can’t get into it right now.
“Are you safe now?” she asks, her hand finding mine and squeezing tightly.
“Safe is relative,” I answer with a wry smile. “But at least I’m here, right?”
“Right,” she echoes, and there’s something in her voice that steadies me. It’s going to be okay—or at least, that’s what we’ll keep telling ourselves.
“Promise me something?” I ask, my grip on her hand tightening.
Feet pound down the hall toward us, and all the personnel in the hall stiffen as the closest leans in the room, grabbing Sara’s elbow. “Let’s go.”
Sara cringes, taking a step out the door. “What’s going on, Alex?”
The commotion near the elevator in the hall grows louder, interrupting my confusion and drawing the attention of everyone in the room. The conference room behind me is now filled with whispers and speculation as people crane their necks to see what’s causing the disturbance.
“We have to shut the doors,” Alex replies to Sara, who spins, waving at me slightly.
“See you a little later.” She turns and follows Alex, who’s leading her quickly down the hall, although they both glance over their shoulders at the elevator.
I can’t help but feel a gnawing anxiety in the pit of my stomach, fearing that this disturbance might be connected to the aliens or even the military’s secret experiments. The elevator dings erratically, its numbers flickering like a faulty neon sign in the dim corridor. I watch as the doors slide open with unnatural speed, revealing an empty shaft before slamming shut again.
“What the hell!” It’s a disconcerting sight—machines aren’t supposed to behave like this.
As the noise from the elevator area continues to escalate, soldiers charge down the hallway, and their boots thud against the floor. Their voices rise as the doors to the conference room close, sharp and commanding.
“…missing men… one of them is in the elevator shaft…”
My heart skips a beat. Could they be referring to Ray?
The energy is contagious as I back up into the room with the others, spreading like wildfire. Everyone around me cranes their necks to see the commotion as they rise from their seats, drawn to the disappearing spectacle.
Questions ring out, “Who was that?”
“What’s going on?”
“How much longer before I can take a shower?”
“I’m starving.”
Over the loudspeaker, a voice booms, “People, line up.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding,”
I can’t help but wonder what’s really going on behind the now-closed doors. And whether I’ll ever know.