The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Incubated

Chapter 3 — Inappropriate Sanguinity

Movement at the bathtub drew Sophie out of her drifting thoughts. She had tried to clean up Nora while the other woman slept, with limited success. At least she had managed to get the majority of the alien goop into a wodge of paper towels lying in the corner of the cramped room, without getting any on herself.

Several hours of terror and boredom had passed while Sophie had waited for something to happen. She had removed her earplugs and set them on the counter so she could hear if anything snuck up on them. Strange noises outside had occurred several times, but nothing had tried the door of the bathroom.

Ogling Nora’s unconscious body could only take up so much time, and she felt dirty for doing it—it was a betrayal of the imaginary relationship she wanted to have with Alys. This was a bitter pill to swallow. She couldn’t get what she wanted, so her sex drive was trying to force her to consider her other options.

Even so, time had moved faster than she had thought. The angle of sunlight had started to change, descending in the sky. It felt like it had just been noon recently, but she had lost track. Her bikini bottom felt a bit wet, and her breasts felt swollen, but that wasn’t too surprising. It was hot in the small, enclosed room.

“How are you feeling?” whispered Sophie, feeling drained from the interminable wait. She was intensely aware that she had no idea where the aliens were or what they were doing. The fingers on her left hand ached a little from squeezing the gun too tightly.

Nora groaned and licked her lips. “I feel like I’ve been chewing sandpaper,” she complained, keeping her voice low. “Or on a wicked bender. Call me some emergency help, I’ve drunk down the ocean.” She burped and grinned, her eyes still a little unfocused. “Give me a moment, I think the room is starting to stabilize. What’s our situation?”

Sophie’s heart fluttered less, her confidence returning now that Nora was becoming her bold self again. “We’ve been backed into a corner. You’ve been out for a few hours. I’ve heard a few noises, but nothing recognizable. Nobody else has shown up. We’re still alone.”

“In that case, time to find out if anything is inside the bungalow.” Grinning like a devil, she grabbed her rifle which had been leaning against the wall next to the toilet. She opened the bolt and pulled the magazine to check how many bullets were remaining.

“Don’t you think we should—” started Sophie, but was cut off by a shushing motion from Nora.

“We can stay stuck in this bathroom, but sooner or later something is going to find us, or we’ll need to leave anyway for supplies. Might as well rip the bandage off now!”

The sweat on her face belied her flippant tone, but she reloaded the gun and reached out to open the door anyway. Sophie clutched the kitchen knife in her hand, gripping it tight as the door swung open. Their barricade was still in place, but the corpses of the crawlers they had killed had vanished. The room was still and silent.

Nora looked around, taking special care to look at ground level and in nooks and crannies, just in case one of the smaller crawlers had managed to hide in ambush. “Nothing!” She whispered. “Let’s get everything together!”

They started grabbing everything they wanted to take with them, packing necessary items into backpacks they had retrieved from the bedroom. Clothing, toiletries, a few paltry snacks, and extra ammunition. Their few remaining weapons remained on the floor for easy access—the rifle, pistol, fire extinguisher, and kitchen knife.

Nora grabbed a granola bar and bit into it with gusto. “You hungry?” She tossed another one to Sophie, who sank her teeth into the dense snack.

“Good luck shitting tomorrow!” Nora declared with a grin.

Sophie smiled, her mind already moving on. “What should we do next? We don’t have a lot of food, so we can’t stay here.”

Nora scrunched her eyes in thought. “One of the other bungalows might have something useful. Or we could try to get to that convenience store that we passed on the way to Shark’s Cove.”

Sophie shivered. “I want to get away from this place. If we remain trapped for any period of time we’ll be forced to come out anyway. Better to try and get out now.”

Nora jumped up and let the wrapper flutter to the ground. “Let’s do it!”

She grabbed one of the backpacks and slung it across her shoulders, grabbing and shouldering her rifle as well. Less enthusiastic, Sophie put on her pack and picked up her weapons, the pistol in her left hand and the knife in her right.

“Should we try the back?” asked Sophie.

Nora took a peek outside and spotted a large, dark shape patrolling the beach. “On second thought, let’s try the front door.”

Together, they sidled up to the front door. A large dent creased the door towards the top. The violent force had warped the door so much that it wouldn’t sit flush in the doorframe.

Nora slid the deadbolt open and tried to open the door. It wouldn’t budge. The bend in the door had locked it together with the frame. Nora pulled harder, straining until it started to open with a metallic squeal.

There was a moment of terror as two small crawlers that were lying in wait scuttled forward and raised their tails. Her heart pounding, Nora tried to pull the door shut, but one of the crawlers had managed to pin its razor sharp leg in the door. It fought to get in, Nora pushing back with her shoulder to the door.

“Do something!” she shouted, her tennis shoes sliding against the floor. One black leg had spiked the floor, its powerful musculature levering the door open. Another was flailing above it, looking for grip between the door and the frame.

Her mind completely focused, Sophie sighted on the joint of the lower leg and pulled the trigger. Her mind swam in circles when nothing happened. The expected recoil hadn’t materialized. Shit! She kicked herself mentally—in all the hours she had sat and waited, it had never crossed her mind to reload the guns!

She looked at the knife in her right hand and dismissed it. Getting up close and personal should be her absolute last option. She needed reach!

A crazy idea bloomed in her head. She hastily dropped the knife and the empty gun on the kitchenette counter and picked up the fire extinguisher. It was short and squat, and probably wouldn’t last long, but perhaps the aliens would be affected by the cold?

She rushed back over and started spraying the leg caught in the door. A great cloud of gas escaped from the forward nozzle, blanketing the area near the door jam.

The legs trembled and went limp. “It’s working!” shouted Nora, now able to regain lost ground. She readjusted her grip on the doorknob and started ramming her shoulder against the twisted metal.

Surprised at the efficacy of the extinguisher, Sophie ran right up to the left side of the door and pointed the nozzle through the crack. Unable to see what was going on, she simply held down the trigger until gas stopped whooshing out of the nozzle. Ice crystals had formed on the alien’s leg. She grabbed the metal canister by its neck and started pounding on the leg as if she was using a hammer.

The leg started to slip, held straight and stiff. The leg’s bladed edge dug great divots in the metal door, but was unable to stop Sophie from ramming it back out the gap. The door slammed shut with a loud clamor, accompanied by an angry hiss.

Nora flipped the lock shut, her face white. “Maybe I should leave the impulsive actions to Alys. Quick, let’s get out the back door, I think we made them angry.”

She rushed to the other side of the room, pulling away the debris they had used earlier to blockade the back door. “Baby crawlers got hurt, papa crawler can’t be far behind. Hurry!”

They started pulling out the obstacles they had jammed in place earlier. Mattresses, blankets, wastebaskets, anything that had not been tied down in the bungalow. Last was the kitchen table, which had been laid on one side to prop against the door. As Nora pried the end away, the front door reverberated with a loud bang.

“The hallway is too narrow to fit the table!” exclaimed Nora. “Time to run!”

Sophie grabbed a magazine from her pack and reloaded the pistol, determined not to be caught out again. She slid the knife inside the backpack, hoping it would be useful later, and re-slung it around her shoulders.

The impacts on the front door were becoming louder now, a squeal of fatigued metal ringing in her ears. Nora had the back door open and was gesturing frantically.

Pistol pointed at the ground, Sophie slipped through the door and followed Nora down the stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible. It wouldn’t take long for the aliens to search the bungalow. The fear of being caught lent her wings, her feet skimming over the steps until they reached sand.

With their thoughts on getting away, they ran along the beach, to the east, inland. They passed a few bungalows, 4A and 3A, the red color of blood on the sand not even registering in their exhausted minds.

Nora put a hand on Sophie’s shoulder, stopping her at the last bungalow. “Let’s try getting inside!” she gasped, breathing hard. “I don’t want to be in the open when that big bastard shows up!”

Sophie nodded, and started to climb the staircase of ‘1A.’ In all the excitement she hadn’t had any time to remark on how strange the beach looked. Sure, it was stained quite red in places, but there were no bodies!

“Nora?” asked Sophie, alarmed. “Where did all the bodies go?”

Nora grimaced. “Don’t know. Another damned mystery to figure out.” She put a finger to her lips. “Let’s stay quiet until we know what happened here,” she whispered.

The back door had been busted open. A large gash in the door frame bore witness to the ferocity of the attack. Creeping forward, Nora unslung her rifle and held it at waist level, scanning the bungalow.

It had the same floor plan as their bungalow, but the decorations showed different scenes of the resort. Various items were knocked onto the floor as if something had happened here in haste.

Sophie walked over to the bedroom and took a look inside. “Shit,” said Sophie emphatically. “They didn’t make it out.” She pointed inside. “There’s a few in there, already been taken. One younger adult and a middle aged woman.” She closed the door, not interested in seeing the crawlers up close.

A faint scuffling sound rattled a kitchenette cabinet under the sink. On high alert, Sophie pointed her gun at the cabinet and waved at Nora with her right hand.

Nora cracked the cabinet open, revealing a slender young woman folded into a fetal pose, rocking gently with her eyes shut. She was barefoot, wearing a bathing suit with pink polka dots on a white background, the colors contrasting with her short, blonde hair.

Sophie relaxed her weapon, sighing in relief. “You can come out now, we’re not aliens,” said Nora kindly. “What’s your name?”

Haunted blue eyes peered out from the dark recess. “They got them. They got them all.” Her words were cutting, her visage locked in blank stare.

“Who? Who did they get?” asked Sophie, worried that she knew exactly who the terrorized girl was talking about.

The woman continued in a small, stuttering voice. “My mother, my sister,” she said faintly. “In the next room.”

The bedroom’s door handle jiggled. Nora scooted behind the kitchenette island and stabilized her rifle on the edge. Sophie slid in next to her, the two of them watching from behind the dubious safety of the countertop.

“What’s going—” began the women stuck in the cabinet. Nora shook her head and shushed her.

The door swung open with a faint creak. A bare white foot stepped out onto the wood floor, and a moment later the rest of the body followed: the middle aged woman. Smile lines creased the lower half of face. A black crawler engulfed the rest. Auburn hair dangled in unkempt strands from beneath the skullcap. The floor creaked as she turned towards the front door, the tail of the crawler curled around her neck. Her lips appeared to be forming the same word over and over, but no sound escaped.

Right behind her came another woman, but younger, wearing a polka dotted bikini. She walked in lockstep with the woman in front of her. The tail of her alien lay gently over the front of her chest, sticky, green fluid dribbling onto her belly. Her toned chest flexed with each step, the tail bouncing up and down in front of her like a strange elephant trunk. Gunk spattered onto the floor, a messy trail that followed her deliberate steps. With each step she spoke quietly, the mantra repeating over and over. “Follow—yes. Obey. Follow—yes. Obey.”

As she stepped towards the door, she halted, slime slowly coating her bikini bottom. Her head turned to stare straight at the women hiding behind the counter, eyes hidden behind the implacable alien shell. Her mouth lifted in a slight smile. “Follow—yes. Obey. Follow—yes. Obey.” Her words had more force, as if she were addressing them. It was only a few seconds, and then she turned back and followed her mother.

Wet sounds of goo leaking onto the stairs and murmuring followed them as they opened the front door and marched out of the bungalow. Oblivious to anything going on around them, they seemed riveted to some higher, alien purpose.

“What happened?” ask the girl in the cabinet with a wavering voice. “Why are you all so quiet?”

A severe expression on her face, Nora equivocated. “We saw some alien activity. Didn’t want to attract attention.”

The girl unfolded herself from the cabinet and surveyed the scene with haunted eyes. A trail of green slime led from the bathroom to the door. Her face twisted in anger. “Where did my mother and sister go?”

The girl took Nora by the shoulders and shook her when she shrugged. “Where did they go?”

Nora pointed towards the door. “Outside. Don’t know where beyond that.” She calmly took the girl’s hands off her shoulders and pushed her away. “Don’t get excited, we’ll try to figure out where the aliens are taking them as soon as we gather anything useful.”

Her attempts to placate the girl fell on deaf ears. “You let them go!” she cried. She hit Nora in the chest then fled out the door.

“Dammit!” yelled Nora after her, clutching her ribs. “That freaking hurt!”

She took a few steps before Sophie caught her shoulder. “She can’t get far. We need to look for supplies before we chase after her.”

Nora clenched a fist and cursed. “Fine!” she growled. “Let’s look and see if there’s anything useful.” She started tearing apart the kitchenette with more force than was necessary.

Sophie left her to expend her rage, and instead elected to skirt the trail of slime and enter the bedroom. There was little sign of a fight here; they had probably been surprised in what they had thought was relative safety. Their bags were neatly unpacked, clothing hung with care in the closet, sunscreen on the nightstand. Waiting for another idyllic day at the beach that would never come. Their suitcases were set in a corner, the zippers undone.

It didn’t feel quite right to go through other people’s belongings, but they probably didn’t need them anymore. Come to think of it, what did people captured by the aliens want? Were they slaves to be driven by the creatures grafted to their heads? Or were the hosts somehow being reworked under the covers, as it were?

Sophie let her hands sort through the items in the bedroom automatically, turning the puzzle over in her mind. The aliens seemed to have some sort of intelligence—their ability to lay traps instead of using brute force had proved it. Their tactics had changed after Nora had shot the first wave of them with her rifle. They also possessed the ability to call each other for help if the small crawlers were under attack.

What was their end goal? Total enslavement of the planet? But why would they enslave the women and kill all the men if they were planning on using their captives as a slave force?

Intelligent bioweapons that could subvert their victims and destroy anything in their path, with a predilection for grabbing women. Still not enough information to do anything but speculate. It might work fine to destroy a planet, but she couldn’t think of any reason why anybody would want to destroy Strand.

There was no strategic value to the planet, and a shady galactic conglomerate would hardly be trying to elbow in on the tourism business—they’d just buy shares of the existing resorts on the planet. There certainly wouldn’t be much interest in tourism after the news of the attack leaked to the rest of the Imperium.

Shoes, socks, underwear. Nothing useful. Helpfully, the travelers had put their names inside their bags: Janice, Katherine, and Joan Begstrom. That didn’t tell her which one was the girl who had fled from them. At this point, it might not even matter.

There was little chance that any of them would escape getting their own shiny helmets. The spaceport wasn’t nearby, and that was likely to be one of the first places attacked anyway. They were stuck on the resort, and needed to hold out as long as possible without getting—converted. Help would arrive eventually—right?

Sophie gave up searching with disgust. Unless she wanted to read some of the latest galactic bestsellers, there wasn’t much of interest. She picked one up and returned to the kitchen. “Do you think ‘Weaponized’ by a ‘T. Mallory’ will help us get off this rock?” she asked sourly.

Nora coughed a strangled laugh. She set her own bounty on the counter. “No, but I found some breakfast cereal. Pebbled Fruity Puffs, your tongue will dance for joy! They’re magically atrocious!”

Despite the off-putting description, Sophie found her mouth watering. “I’m hungry enough to eat those things, damn. Fine, hand some over.”

She reached out a hand and Nora filled it with strange looking shapes made almost entirely of sugar. Sophie continued talking as she chewed on the cereal. “Our girlfriend is named Janice, Joan, or Katherine. I don’t know which. Otherwise, there isn’t very much useful in their belongings. They packed for a few weeks on the beach, just like us. Probably counted on hitting up the convenience store if they ran out of anything.”

Nora considered, one hip propped against the counter. “I want to follow that girl, but she’s probably already been taken by the aliens, running out of here like that. And waiting for Alys at the bungalow made sense originally, but there are too many aliens here now. Let’s head for the convenience store and see if we can ‘borrow’ some supplies.”

Sophie swallowed, the sugary cereal making her stomach turn. She tried not to admire Nora’s athletic body. “I agree. Let’s get out of here.”

Decision made, Nora packed the bag from the breakfast cereal box into her backpack and shouldered her rifle. Sophie crept to the front of the bungalow, careful to avoid the trail of slime on the floor. Even with tennis shoes on, stepping in the sticky substance elicited shivers.

Sophie took her time checking through the windows, but there was nothing near the entrance to the bungalow. There were no shrubs in front of this one to hide under, and the road seemed clear except for an intermittent trail of gunk, gleaming in the afternoon sun.

She gestured to Nora, and the two proceeded outside. The sun was low in the sky, but the heat was still oppressive. Birds were calling to each other, unbothered by the alien invasion. After all, what would the aliens want with a few birds?

Nora hissed at Sophie. “Let’s get to the undergrowth. We don’t want to be spotted.”

This sounded prudent, so Sophie led them quickly across the street into deeper vegetation. They could still see the trail made by the subverted women on the road leading into the distance, but there was no trace of the erstwhile family.

Despite the fact that they were only a few hundred meters away from their own bungalow, at this distance they could see no sign of aliens. The door was a black hole, smashed open, but nothing appeared to be stirring.

They walked together, brisk but unhurried. Neither of them talked, a lot on their minds. They had gone only a hundred meters or so when a soft noise behind them caused them to drop down behind the undergrowth.

A big, dark creature had squeezed itself out of the bungalow they had just deserted. Its big, black dome stood there menacingly, like a heavy tank. It paused on the front doorstep, then began to turn slowly. Its legs tapped on the concrete entryway.

Daring to do nothing but breathe, the two friends watched as it stopped moving again. An impenetrable black stare seemed to survey the area for seconds, then minutes. Just when they thought it would stay frozen there forever, it turned and pulled itself back into the bungalow.

Shaken, they got back on their feet and walked as fast as they could next to the road. It didn’t take long for them to reach a fork.

Sophie pointed right, the road leading towards the resort having faint signs of dried, green slime on the surface.

After they had walked down the road for a distance, Nora got up the courage to speak in a low voice. “Should I have shot that one?”

“No,” replied Sophie. “There’s nobody to protect but ourselves. We should probably avoid making any unnecessary noise unless we’re under direct attack. We don’t want to draw attention.”

Nora nodded, and continued. “Those monsters have got to be cold blooded. No way that fire extinguisher would have worked that well otherwise.”

“Yes,” said Sophie distantly. “And more importantly, I don’t think they’re here to conquer this planet, per se. I think they’re here for us.” Her voice was frosty.

Nora was curious. “What’s that mean? What are they going to get out of mindless slaves? And why kill the men?”

“It’s only conjecture. I’m not sure yet—I need more information. I don’t know everything!” Her mouth curved in a rueful grin. “Omniscience is not one of my manifold skills.”

Nora laughed and gently bumped her shoulder. “Look, there’s the store!”

A boxy structure rose in front of them beyond the parking lot. It was dressed in a colorful paint scheme that couldn’t hide the utilitarian design. Clearly economics were prized over architectural frills when building cookie cutter one-stop shops on resort planets.

The intermittent trail of dried gunk continued down the road, leading towards the large towers of the main resort, which were now visible in the distance. “I think we should stop,” said Nora. “My throat feels like I’ve swallowed a bucket of sand. Blech!”

“They can wait,” replied Sophie. “Catching them isn’t a priority. They have too much of a head start and I’m thirsty as well.”

They walked down the sidewalk towards the store, various cars still sitting in the parking lot. “Maybe we should have rented a convertible? How about that red beauty?”

The top was down, and the wheels had been lowered. The streamlined design and racing stripes made Nora want to drive. Drive it fast, drive it hard, drive it away from this nightmare.

Sophie walked up to the vehicle and looked through the interior. “I even like the color, but no dice. Somebody’s been a conscientious driver and took their keys with them.”

“Oh well, it was just a wild thought. Not sure where we’d go with it anyway.”

Nora walked up to the front sliding doors of the store, which were ajar. “Aliens may have been here, too. I’ll cover you from the door with my rifle. Don’t get out of my line of sight.”

Sophie nodded. She wished she had refused to go on vacation. But then Alys probably would have gone without her anyway. She could be very stubborn when she set her mind on something!

The store was dark. Only a few dim emergency lights spread throughout the store highlighted the closely grouped racks of goods. Sophie was leery of the dark shadows—the small crawlers had already demonstrated an ambush ability. No need to make it easy for them to grab her.

“I’m going to start out by looking behind the counter on the right side of the store, then work my way to the left!” she announced.

Nora grunted assent, pointing her rifle close to where Sophie was searching, but not at her. Sophie looked behind the counter, taking her time as she checked every nook and cranny. “There’s some evidence of alien slime here,”she said. “The floor is stained, and there are some smear marks. Something was here, and has since been moved.”

She took note of some knick knacks that had been knocked from the counter. Coasters, little key chains, small sculptures of sea animals encased in glass. Not enough data for a mental reconstruction of the scene. Perhaps someone had been attacked by aliens behind the counter, but then that someone was no longer here.

Nora pulled the doors shut behind her and backed up behind the counter Sophie had checked. “I’ll cover you from here—don’t like having my back to the door.”

Sophie nodded, and started checking the aisles. She walked past various packaged dried fruits and branded candies. “The fridges are running,” she said. “On emergency power. Food might still be good.”

She rounded the corner of the next aisle and spotted someone slumped on the ground. She rushed up to the familiar figure. It was Alys, on her back. Some of the alien goo had dried to her skin, like glue, but she saw to her relief that Alys hadn’t picked up a shiny alien head piece.

“It’s Alys! Holy shit, are you alright?” Sophie yelled. She ran up to the prone figure.

“Alys? Is she okay? Did they get her?” Nora looked on anxiously.

“She got sprayed by an alien, but she hasn’t been infested! Can you check the rest of the store? The aliens could be hiding somewhere.”

Nora worked her way down each aisle and checked every corner. “There’s a door at the rear,” she said. She pulled it shut with a click. “Employees only. We’ll want to look back here later, but it seems secure for now. No aliens.”

At that exclamation, Nora hurried over to where Alys lay. She was breathing smoothly, her bikini looking rather sad with green stains all over. Her gut was noticeably inflated, as if she had eaten a big meal or had terrible gas.

“She’s been knocked out like you were,” said Sophie. “I don’t know for how long. Could have been for hours.”

Nora took Alys by the shoulder and shook her gently. Alys moaned softly, and opened her eyes. “Am I in paradisch?” she slurred. “If sho, why did I deshide to gargle gravel?”

Sophie and Nora stared at Alys, all smiles. Alys smiled back when she saw them. “I appresh—appreshiate the attention, but what I really need right now is to use the restroom before I leak all over the floor.” They helped her to get to her feet. She was feeling steadier with every second. “Is there a bathroom around here?”

“Give me a second to check it out,” said Nora. “I’ll look in the door at the back and make sure there aren’t any aliens about.” She hefted the rifle in her hands and advanced towards the back.

“How are you feeling?” asked Sophie. “How did you get here?”

“It’s a long story,” said Alys with a slanted smile on her face. She filled Sophie in with the highlights, a bit wistful at the memory of Captain Dan sailing alone on the ocean.

“I’m feeling kinda bloated,” she finished. “Probably that ham sandwich Dan gave me.” She farted suddenly and giggled. “Nothing like gastric distress to end this ideal day on Strand!”

Sophie laughed, but was still concerned. “That makes sense, but what happened here? You were attacked, but by what? How did you escape getting captured by the aliens?”

“Now that I’m not sure about. I came into the store and found a woman lying behind the counter. They’d already gotten her.” Her expression dropped into a frown. “Everything after that is hazy. The alien attached to the woman sprayed me. I lost control, fell to the floor. I must have lost consciousness at that point.”

Alys shook off her bad memories. “That’s pretty much it.” She felt a cramp in her belly. “Nora better come back now or I won’t be held responsible for the mess.”

She started to move towards the door that Nora was investigating. “I’ll do it in the parking lot if I have to!”

The door swung open and Nora came back through. “There’s a bathroom all right, seems clear. Also a large stock room, service levitator, and a door to a staircase leading downwards. Seems safe enough.”

“Thank goodness!” Alys declared and ran for the door at full speed. Nora barely got out of the way in time.

Sophie gave Nora a hard look. “Do you think the aliens got her?” she asked.

Nora hesitated. “She seems to be her usual self. Maybe she just got in their way and got sprayed.” She shifted, discomforted. “Let’s keep an eye on her—just to make sure she’s doing okay.”

Sophie nodded. They settled into an uncomfortable silence, not looking at anything in particular. They both jumped a little when the back door creaked open again.

Alys stepped back through, wiping sweat from her brow. “I think Captain Dan’s food had E. coli, or something worse. I’m still feeling bloated, and I barfed up that sandwich. Hopefully this isn’t some kind of nasty alien stomach flu.”

“Did any of you think to grab some of my clothes on your way out?”

“As a matter of fact—yes!” said Sophie. “I wasn’t going to let my favorite friend go naked through the jungle of alien iniquity.”

Sophie dropped her bag and rummaged through the neatly organized contents, handing some clothing to Alys. Alys readily took the garments, and started pulling on a loose, blank white t-shirt, indecent shorts, and flip flops.

“Are you planning on running from the aliens in sandals?” Nora teased, eyeing the sparse footwear.

Alys gave Sophie the evil eye. “Sophie must have missed my shoes when she was packing.” She viewed her turtle-patterned sandals with regret. “But unless burnt feet are an effective crawler repellent, I’d better keep them!”

“I wouldn’t try burning them,” said Sophie. “I had some luck with a fire extinguisher. They don’t like being cold.”

“Why didn’t I think of that?” asked Alys rhetorically. “What we need is a gigantic snow machine, and an alpine ski resort!” She looked around with a sly grin on her face. “Anybody know how to build a snow blower from beef jerky and bottles of sunscreen lotion?”

They all joined in strained laughter. It had been a long day. The laughter went on longer than the joke deserved, but none of the were willing to give up any hard-won levity. Sophie, on an impulse, stepped forward and hugged Alys tightly. “I’m glad you made it!” She said in a low voice, then quickly stepped back and looked down, her face flushed.

Alys’ eyebrows rose, and she stared at Sophie. Her mouth opened and closed like a beached fish. Nora spoke up before it could get too awkward. “It’s starting to get dark,” she said, pointing outside. “This is probably as secure as we can get right now. I suggest that we wait in the store overnight and try to figure out our next steps tomorrow.”

There wasn’t any great disagreement at this statement, so the three women got to work putting together a small campsite. Fire indoors was obviously a bad idea, but there was plenty of food and drinks in the fridges that they were able to raid, so it wasn’t necessary. They were able to gather together beach towels to put together rough approximations of blankets and pillows (all for 30% off, a bargain!) They also located flashlights and batteries, which gave them some small comfort as the shadows deepened into the night.

Nora sat in a corner, her back towards the counter, wrapped in a towel with her rifle propped up next to her. She watched with amusement as Alys and Sophie practiced throwing chocolate morsels high in the air towards each other, making their best attempts to snag them before they hit the blue tiled floor.

Sophie was better at the game, as Alys tended to overextend herself and go sprawling on the floor every so often. There was lots of laughter and shared grins. “Nora, why don’t you join us?” asked Alys, her mouth stained full with chocolate.

“I’m covering you lazy slobs,” she chided with a smile. “It’s more painful than watching a pot of water boil. Why don’t you two just kiss, make up, and get over it? Yearning gazes aren’t going to get you to where you want to be.”

At that blunt statement, Sophie blushed and tried to dissemble. “I know! But it never feels like the right —”

“— I would, but I’m not sure she even likes me!” interrupted Alys.

“Don’t you bluff me!” said Nora, irritated. “I’ve had enough! I won’t go on like this. Stop being a whiny butt and tell her how you feel!” She glowered at Sophie.

Sophie hesitated, but took the first step. “I’m sorry about earlier, on the beach,” she said, embarrassed. “I often hide my emotions until I can process them. It makes me look like I don’t care—but I do! Deeply.”

Alys sat there and processed the apology for a moment. She worked through her own emotions, her frustration warring with hope. “I was angry,” she admitted. “I thought you were callous. That you didn’t care about the injured parachutist, but beyond that—you didn’t care about me either.”

Sophie stood up, dropping the towel that had been wrapped around her legs. “Time for me to do something impulsive!” she declared.

She walked over to Alys, who looked at her bright eyed. Bending over, she kissed her cheek, lingering for a moment. Before she could move away, Alys grabbed her arm and kissed her back. “I’ve wanted to do that for months!” Alys murmured in Sophie’s ear.

“Very touching,” said Nora, hiding a smile. “I would tell you love bugs to get a room, but this resort is already infested with bugs, and I don’t think they have any spare rooms. Unless you want to put on a peep show, you’ll have to save the monkey business for another time.”

She unfolded herself from the floor and cradled her rifle in her arms. “Get some sleep. I’ll keep watch and wake you in a few hours. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”

Still uncertain of their newfound feelings for each other, Alys and Sophie curled up in their own towels and fell into a fitful sleep. Strange looking aliens menaced them in their dreams.

End Chapter 3