Striker (The Alien Wars Book 2) (4 page)

Kenneth saw that
soldiers were in the process of filling the truck with crates and assumed it
was them who had tossed the packs on the ground.

As Lieutenant
Davidson had a word with one of the men, Kenneth tossed a backpack to
Derek.

Suddenly, one of
the men dropped a crate from the back of the cargo bed. It struck the ground
hard and part of the top slid off. Kenneth bent down to help the man with the
crate but paused in astonishment.

The entire crate
was filled with assault rifles. Not the cheap civilian knockoffs they’d made do
with so far or even military ones. These were clearly extraterrestrial.

The man shoved Kenneth
aside and, with the help of another man, carried the open crate into the truck.

At that moment,
the lieutenant rejoined them. “I’m sorry, but it seems like the convoy isn’t
going ahead as planned. Something came up.”

“Is that why
you’re loading those crates?”

“You know I can’t
discuss operational details with civilians.”

“But how are we
going to get to
Boise
then?” Molly whined.

“I don’t know. Look,
I’m truly sorry, but you’ll need to leave this area.” The lieutenant escorted
them to the entrance of the military compound. Standing by the checkpoint, he dipped
his hat at the teens. “I hope you find your parents.”

Without another
word, he spun on his heels and marched away.

Kenneth walked
past the checkpoint. To his right was the main entrance to the relief
center
. A large tent had been set up, with signs indicating
where to register. Thousands of people milled around. “So, shall we go in and
register?”

“We could get
some water first,” Derek suggested. “I’m thirsty.”

The three of them
joined the throng of people and were soon lost in the crowd. They had to join
hands to avoid becoming separated.

They finally
spotted the drink tent, but the line was so long that Derek didn’t feel like
waiting. It was clear to Kenneth as they made their way to the side of the
field that doing anything here would take a long time.

Though the field
next to where he was standing looked like a tent city, it was clear that at
least half the population would be sleeping under the stars.

Even finding a
place to sit took a while. Staring at his watch, Kenneth discovered it was
nearly
noon
. Thinking back to the crate of guns, he wagged his finger at the
teens. “Did you see what was inside the crate that fell on the ground?”

Derek shook his
head. “I only remember the soldier pushing you aside. Why? What was in it?”

“The same weapon
that the Seods are using,” Kenneth said.

Molly and Derek
were shocked. They shared a disbelieving glance.

Derek was the
first to speak. “Are you sure?”

Kenneth scratched
at his jaw stubble. “The crate was also filled with straw, probably so the
weapons don’t get damaged while being transported, but those were definitely silencers
packed in there. I’ve seen too many of those damn things up close.”

“The military
could have developed something that looked like a laser gun,” Molly suggested.

Kenneth shook his
head. “No, not unless they knew that silencers existed a year or so ago.
Which, I guess, is possible if the Seods do have a base on Earth—
”

“George was
pulling our leg,” Derek interrupted. “There’s no such thing as a base on Earth.”

“Then how did
they get those silencers?” Kenneth asked. “I know I only saw inside one crate,
but if all those other crates contain the same amount of silencers, then the
army must be putting together a big operation.”

“They’re not
losing any time either,” Molly said as she pointed at the military compound.

Kenneth gazed in
that direction and saw she was right. A convoy of jeeps and trucks were heading
out. “Well, whatever it is, the Seods are sure going to be in for a surprise
when they come against those men.”

Molly stood up. “I
say we hitchhike to
Boise
.”

“Hitchhike? But
it’s
a few hundred miles!” Kenneth said.

Derek also stood
up. “Maybe so, but it looks like the only way. I told you we wouldn’t stop
until we found our parents. Nothing’s changed.”

The teens strutted
away. Kenneth hesitated for a moment as a million worries raced through his head.
Then, slinging the backpack onto his back, he hurried after the others. “Hold
on, you two. I’m coming.”

Fortunately, Kenneth
and the teens only had to hike for ten minutes before hitching a ride with some
kind gentleman heading north to search for his niece.

They chatted with
him for a while before they chanced taking a rest. Some time later, they were
woken by the man. They had arrived.

The three climbed
out of the vehicle, grabbed their backpacks, and explored the outskirts of
Boise
. It was just
like the lieutenant had said—deserted. Nothing moved, not even an animal.

Everything was
still and silent, just like a ghost town. Walking down one of the main streets,
they saw that someone had come along and broken into every last shop. Everything
had been picked clean, even in the arts and crafts stores. Broken glass lay
scattered on the sidewalk, while piles of garbage littered the side streets.

“We’ll never find
your friend at this rate,” Kenneth said as he searched around. “We need to get around
faster.”

“Hey! What about
those bicycles? It won’t be as fast as driving a car, but since that isn’t an
option, it’s probably the next best thing,” Derek said.

“I wonder why
there’s so many,” Molly said.

Kenneth surveyed
the side of the road where at least fifty bicycles lay. He went over to them
and propped one up. “It seems to work okay.”

“Maybe there was
some kind of bike race going on when the invasion occurred,” Derek said.

“That’s a good
theory,” Kenneth said. “Either way, they’re here, so let’s see if we can find
three that are the right size for us.”

Five minutes
later, they each found one that fit them quite well. They
pedaled
down the street.

“So, do you have
any idea where this man lives?” Kenneth asked as they passed a sign for the
town zoo.

“I think he was
close to a golf course,” Molly said.

Kenneth braked.
They were now in the
center
of town, certainly not
where a golf course would be. “Well, where is that?”

“I didn’t see a
golf course on the way into town,” Derek said, “so I say we continue east. I
seem to remember that the place was near the mountains, so it will be on this
side of the river.”

Kenneth rolled
his eyes. “Well, that narrows it down. But I guess it will have to do.”

They made steady
progress as they cycled through town.
A while later, Kenneth
pointed to a sign indicating that the Warm Springs Golf Course was just up
ahead.
“Look!”

They continued
riding along the road until they reached the entrance. Kenneth stopped beside
the clubhouse. He chuckled at the long grass on the fairways. “Imagine playing
in those conditions. You’d lose a ton of balls.”

“Hey! I remember
this course.” Derek turned to Molly. “Isn’t this the one they played on the
last time we came here?”

Molly shrugged. “It
could be.”

“I’m pretty sure
it only took a few minutes to get here.” Derek closed his eyes in thought. “And
I don’t think we went through town to get here, so it must be the other way.”
He opened his eyes and looked in the direction they hadn’t ridden through.
 
“Can you hand me the binoculars?”

Kenneth got them
out of his backpack and the teen gazed through them. Craning his neck right, he
saw the river. To the left sat a ton of houses built against the mountainside.

Most were two stories
tall and one even had a massive barn next to it. Derek chewed the inside of his
lip. The barn seemed so familiar. He waved at the others. “There’s a house up
there with a barn. I think that’s the place.”

“Let me see.” Taking
the binoculars, Molly smiled as she studied the place. “Yes, that’s the one. I forgot
about that barn, but now it’s all coming back to me.”

Kenneth was next
to study the building. It was on a slight slope and closest to the mountain
range. A steep driveway led to the two-story house. It seemed very fancy. “Let’s
see if he’s home.”

Hanging the
binoculars around his neck, Kenneth climbed back onto his bicycle and
pedaled
away.

Even though the
road started to climb as it neared the slopes, the three of them didn’t slow
down. So close to their destination, they were running on pure adrenaline.

Kenneth braked
hard at the bottom of the steep driveway. He climbed off his bike and tossed it
onto the grass. He did the same with his backpack and the teens followed suit.

Kenneth looked
through the binoculars at the house once more. No one was in sight. He did
a three-sixty sweep of the area
and still didn’t see or hear
anyone. Turning back toward the house, he halted. Was it his imagination, or
was that a face peering through one of the upper-story windows? He frowned and
checked again, but the face was gone.

Derek tensed. “What’s
wrong?”

“Just thought I
saw someone by one of the windows,” Kenneth said.

“Why is that a
bad thing?” Molly stepped closer. “Now we can find out if he knows what
happened to our parents.”

She started to
bolt up the driveway but Kenneth grabbed her arm. “Just stop for a moment.”

“What? Why?”

Kenneth reached
into the backpack and pulled out the only weapon they had. After checking that
the pistol was loaded, he put it into his pocket. “I want you and Derek to wait
here.”

“Why?” Derek
asked.

“I want to check
the place out first,” Kenneth said. “There’s something about that face that’s
troubling me.” He looked around. “Besides, why is your friend the only one
here? If everyone left, why didn’t he?”

“But he might not
open the door if he sees you,” Derek said. “After all, he doesn’t know you.”

Kenneth
hesitated. “You’re right. Well, come with me then.”

“What about me?”
Molly asked.

“You stay here,”
Kenneth replied. “When I wave, you can come up. But if we turn and hurry back,
get on your bicycle and start riding away. Got it?”

“Okay,” Molly
said, sulking, and kicked the grass in annoyance.

As she sat down,
Kenneth and Derek went up the driveway. With every footstep, Kenneth was alert.
He studied each window in turn but didn’t notice any movement.

“So, what’s this
guy’s name?” Kenneth asked. “And what does he look like?”

“His name’s Mike.
He’s a short guy with blond hair.”

Kenneth crouched
by the garage. He didn’t see a vehicle, so he prowled over to the door and
rapped on it. A minute passed without incident. Then two minutes.

Derek looked at
Kenneth. “Are you sure you saw a face?”

“Sure as I am of
anything at this point.” He stepped away from the door and peered up at the
windows on the second floor. As he studied them, a head appeared. “Hey, Mike!
Is that you?”

The face in the
window stayed still, the piercing blue eyes staring at Kenneth. It wasn’t until
Derek also yelled up that he disappeared from sight.

The two waited
for the man to open the door. Two minutes later, he did just that, but only a
tad. “What do you want?”

Derek smiled at
the man. “It’s me, Derek Richardson.”

The man frowned. “Do
I know you?”

Derek explained. “My
parents, Donald and Mary Richardson, were going to meet up with you three weeks
ago.”

The man smiled.
“Of course.
How could I forget?” The man opened the door
wider and stepped outside. As he closed it behind him and moved toward the two
of them, Kenneth studied him.

He was roughly
five foot one, with blond hair, blue eyes, and an athletic build. Derek had
told him that Mike was a plumber, but Kenneth thought Mike could have easily
gotten a job as a model.

Mike smiled at
the teen. “So, what brings you to
Boise
?”

“I’m trying to
find my parents. Have you seen them?” Derek asked eagerly.

Mike shook his
head. “No, I’m afraid I haven’t. Last time I saw them was just after your
fifteenth birthday.”

“So they haven’t
contacted you in the last few weeks?” Kenneth asked.

Mike eyed Kenneth
warily. “Who are you?”