Somewhere.
Hundreds, maybe thousands, of pods had fallen, releasing aliens into the city.
I ran to the orphanage. Pounding on the door, I shouted, “Let me in. I’m here to help.”
But something yanked my leg, hard. I fell, banging my chin on asphalt. I felt a tightness around my ankle and was dragged down the road by my foot. Shifting onto my back, I saw a Heavy. One of its horrific arms pulled me toward it.
The massive alien towered over me by a meter. Cobalt-blue body armor covered its chest—same as the pod metal—six dark purple tentacles extended from its arthropod spine. Its round head held bulbous inky eyes that stared at me. Snarling, its mouth glistened with dagger-sharp teeth.
Two other Heavies lurked nearby, but then chased after a tank down the street. The creature had latched on to the leg that carried my switchblade, so I couldn’t grab it to defend myself.
I would be dinner. Bile flooded my mouth and my body tensed as adrenaline coursed through me. Fight or die.
The Heavy’s hulking body leaned over me. Another tentacle appeared and grabbed my right shoulder, hooking under my back. The alien lifted me into the air, then slammed my body onto the road. I cried out in pain as it smashed me again, knocking the wind out of me. Moaning, I lay crumpled, when a tentacle reached around my neck.
The thing released its hold on my ankle. Pulling up my legs, my fingertips grazed the switchblade, but the Heavy grabbed my thigh and pinned me down.
The grip on my neck tightened like a python’s vise. My hands grasped at my throat, clawing at the alien limb that choked me. Tears flooded my eyes while my lungs burned for air.
Spots formed at the edges of my vision. I was so tired; I wanted to stop fighting. Digging my nails into the fleshy tentacle, I could think of only one thing to do.
The creature loomed over me, its long, pointed tongue flicking in and out of its maw as it neared my face. I concentrated on my hands, willing the nano implants to do something, anything. An intense tingling traveled down my arms until my fingers burned.
The Heavy’s hold on my neck loosened. I gulped in air, greedy for oxygen.
A deep growling sound emerged from the creature’s throat as it pulled away, releasing me. The Heavy hissed and clutched its tentacle—the one I had touched. Had I hurt it?
I rolled forward onto my feet and grabbed the knife from my boot. Flicking the button to release the blade, I waved it. “I’ll kill you!” I shouted, in a raspy voice.
It growled and then looked past me.
Crack-crack-crack. Gunfire rang out, and I sank to the road instinctively, curling up in a fetal position.
The Heavy staggered back, shrieking. It grabbed for me, but another round of gunfire erupted behind me.
The creature crashed to the ground, shuddering; its tentacles flailed.
Perez edged over, her rifle trained on the alien. “Is the goddamn thing dead? I shot it in the head.”
I slowly rose and stood beside her.
Below, the Heavy writhed. Its purple flesh seemed to boil beneath the skin where it had been struck. The head turned black and stopped moving.
She spat on it and looked at me. “Not losing another medic on my watch. Get inside. We’ve been waiting.”
Inside the building, a thick dust hung in the air and coated the floors and walls. I smelled smoke and realized part of the orphanage must be on fire. Perez led as we climbed the stairs two at a time.
At the second floor landing, we stepped into a corridor. She readied her rifle, scanning for danger.
Down the hall, Farrelly signaled all clear and hastened us into a room, where a nun dressed in a black gown with a white head veil sat against a wall. In her lap, rested a girl who looked about fourteen years old. Blood soaked her left side. Farrelly kneeled beside her, pressing a bloody rag against her body.
My legs and hands shook at the sight of the injured girl.
The nun peered up at me and spoke in a foreign language.
Farrelly translated. “She wants to know if you can help.”
The soldier moved so I could inspect her wound. Shrapnel had torn her flesh ragged, and a piece of metal had lodged—a screw or nail. Her forehead was cold and clammy, her face pale from blood loss.
“Hello,” I said.
The girl’s eyelids fluttered, and she focused her gaze on me. A good sign.
“I’m Ida. I'm here to help you. Do you speak English?”
“Y-yes,” she managed.
“Good. What’s your name?”
“Hanna.” She tried to lift her head as if searching for someone. “Samuel?” Her eyes rolled back.
“Stay still.” I glanced at Farrelly with raised eyebrows, and the nun spoke to him.
“She has a younger brother,” he translated. “He's with the others.”
In an opposite corner, another nun huddled with five other children of various ages. From a distance, they looked uninjured. One child sat in a wheelchair.
“These goddamn animals,” Perez muttered under her breath, pacing the small classroom floor. “Farrelly and Doc, let’s get the hell out of here.”
“I need time to work on the girl,” I said.
“Forget it,” said Farrelly. “She’s a lost cause. Don’t hang back trying to save someone who’s hopeless. That’s how the last medic bit it.”
“Just a few minutes,” I begged. “I know I can help her.”
Farrelly glanced at Perez, spoke to the nun in Polish, and grabbed her arm to help her up.
Clattering sounded in the hallway, and a metal door slammed nearby.
“Take cover,” Perez said, as she aimed her rifle at the classroom entrance. Two Heavies rushed inside, ushering in a dank, metallic smell. Perez blasted them with bullets while Farrelly tried to block the children.
I shielded Hanna and the nun with my body. My heart raced, and I wished for my gun.
Perez took down one creature by aiming at its head. But the other hissed, and a tentacle reached for her,
