Chapter 11: Hope

The door to the classroom opens, Julie backs into a corner.

Her heart returns to a normal pace as she realizes, the figure staring at her is Gunner.

"So, you came back." She relaxed. A large, full trash bag is thrown to her feet, she flinched only slightly.

"We're getting out of here." Gunner crossed his arms, his tongue slipped out for a moment. Almost like he was catching a fly. Attached to his hip was his laser pistol.

"Is my son here?" She threw on her shirt, pants, red backpack, and cocked her shotgun which had been laid before her in the black bag.

Gunner nodded and removed his laser pistol, the pistol produced an electronic hum, its little wires, and laser beam whirred to life.

Opening the door, Gunner pointed his weapon to the right, then left.

As Julie and Gunner patrolled the large hallway, they began to break open classroom doors. Releasing hundreds of humans of all ages.

He heard one of his own kind yell in Barg, carrying a machine gun. It stood a few feet from Gunner, about to release rapid-fire laser blasts.

Humans did get shot. Others were piling haphazardly towards the two marked exits which were at both ends of the hall. They stayed far away from the gunfire of Julie and her partner.

Gunner shot a blast through a Bargs' eye, the guard fell with a loud thud and a high-pitched squeal which made Gunner shiver ever so slightly.

Thick, black blood seeped onto the white marble floor of the hallway as more Barg were shot.

An alarm blared throughout the building, an ear-piercing sound. The alarm was typically used as a fire alarm, but in this instance, it had been re-worked as a security alarm. Red alarms adorned the walls, flashing blue, strobing light.

Barg ran up to Julie and Gunner who walked side by side, respective weapons out and ready to fire.

Humans were now running from the school building, crying of both happiness and utter despair.

Julie couldn't join them. She wasn't leaving without her David.

"I know where David is, get him out. Room 130-upstairs." Yelled Gunner, firing laser blasts at guards. They fell with yells, blood splattered the walls and floor as they walked.

Julie fired her shotgun at a Barg right in front of her, his chest cavity was blown to pieces, juices from the aliens' insides hit Julie's face.

At the end of the hall, Gunner kicked down a wooden door that led to the second floor of the school. The floor where David was captive.

The alarm blared still as Julie made her way up the staircase, she fired her gun into another Barg, part of his lizard head exploded with a disgusting squish of brain and bone.

With the alarm as loud as it was, Gunner failed to hear boots on the floor. He did however feel two huge arms wrap around him.

Gunner yelped, Julie cocked her weapon and turned to face her partner at the top of the stairs, looking down at Gunner struggling in the grasp of his father. The two moved at such an incredible speed, striking Gunner with a bullet was all too possible.

Taurus tossed Gunner down the stairs, ignoring Julie.

Gunner's arms and legs flailed. His pistol flew down to the bottom of the stairs.

Julie fired a shot into Taurus' shoulder, blood did pop from him-but he didn't fall.

"Go without me!" Gunner yelled before being kicked, attempting to stand up.

With a sigh, Julie ran up the stairs.

A Barg could kill my son at this moment. The longer I stall, the less likely I'll get the reunion I hope for. Thank you, Gunner. I owe you one. Maybe I owe you my life.

"You tricked your old man." Chuckled the seven ft Barg, wearing no shirt and just pants.

Every muscle in his arms could be seen. His gut hung out, bobbing a bit as he walked around his son who lied on the floor.

"I thought I had talked sense into you about the humans, son. You're nothing but a weakling. Thinking you can make a difference."

Groaning, Gunner reached for his pistol and rolled over. While on his back, he sat up and fired two laser blasts into his father who stood over him. Blood seeped from the wounds. Taurus groaned and fell to his knees.

As Taurus lay on the floor, he spat blood out, chuckling. "This building is gonna self-destruct. With you and that little bitch and her retard son in it! I'm through with your precious planet earth."

Standing up, Gunner pressed the barrel of the pistol to his father's mouth and fired into his mouth. Blood and muscle caked the floor and splattered the young Barg's boots. Taurus' cheek had been eviscerated by the singular shot. As Taurus lay dead, blood seeped from his mouth. His cheek was torn, revealing his limp, forked tongue.

Gunner coughed and made his way up the stairs, his belly hurting and his muscles sore.

The sound of the alarm began to make his head hurt.

At the end of the long hallway up the short flight of stairs, lay freedom.

Sunlight seemed to bask the hallway in a heavenly glow from the door at the end of this hallway, aligned with lockers.

Gunner ran for the glass doors, hanging above this door was a green sign marked EXIT.

Julie and David ran from the brick building, standing in the middle of the parking lot.

Other trapped humans ran straight into the woods, panicking. Zipping past Julie and David.

The school exploded, going up in orange and red flame. Debris and pieces of brick flew. Glass imploded. The boom echoed through the sky, shaking the very ground the two stood on.

Black smoke and piles of rubble were all that remained of the human harvesting grounds.

Julie and David embrace one another, tears fell from their cheeks. Their bodies shake. Time seemed to stand still for the mother and son.

"David I'm so, so sorry I didn't save you." Julie kissed his head.

"Yes. You did mom. You fought for me. So did your friend." David nodded holding her hand. "Where is Gunner?"

Julie kept a grip on her son's hand.

This is rare. Normally David isn't a touchy type. That was something in school he had trouble with. Never enjoyed hugs. Never really told anyone he loved them. Love is one of the only things we have left in this world, I suppose.

She stood still. Looking at what little remained of the school. "I-I don't know, honey. All I know is, he saved your life." She sniffled.

The parking lot was aligned with buggies and a few other vehicles as well.

She led David to the passenger seat of a beaten-up jeep.

Sitting in the driver's side, Julie looked for a pair of keys. Reaching her hand under the seat, she felt cold metal and heard jingling.

She drove off quickly.

The jeep worked like a dream.

Leaving the brick building and black smoke in her wake.

Julie, and David both stare into the grey clouds and beams of golden sunlight plastering the street. Sometimes, small ships would pass by, and Julie would brace herself for more Barg.

My son is finally with me. This feels like a dream. Like I'm going to wake up inside of a white operating room full of Barg. Maybe I'm under some type of anesthesia and the aliens are taking apart my organs now.

David asks me what it was like living on my own for so long. What meeting Gunner was like and how we came to find him. I didn't lie or sugarcoat anything. He knew the evils of this new world. He had experienced it firsthand.

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard a buggy approaching and the sound of a laser blast.

"David, keep your head down!" Yelled Julie as she saw the red buggy approach right beside her.

Cocking the wheel towards the buggy, her much larger vehicle slammed into the buggy, sending it spinning out of control and crashing. A rouge Barg had attempted to kill her. His efforts were denied.

As the sun began to set and the sky turned a beautiful shade of pink, Julie parked her vehicle next to an abandoned home. A home that laid adjunct to a stretch of highway.

As we surveyed the home, I kept my shotgun out. In case anyone wanted to screw with us. It appeared that the family who had lived here left quickly.

The table was set with bowls, forks, knives, and cans of soup and veggies.

We ate. Not in silence though. We tried to make jokes. We tried to lighten up the mood. Like trying to be a ray of sunshine through a thunderstorm.

Julie led David upstairs and brought him to one of the two rooms in the abandoned home.

"Someone lived here once, mom," David commented, looking at the wall which was covered in family photos. "Like me and you. They probably did lots of fun stuff."

Julie frowned. "Yeah. Just like us."

"Then-the scary monsters came down and killed a lot of people." David sat on the bed, kicking his shoes off.

Julie knelt by his side. "We've had enough scary monsters. Try to imagine life is normal. Maybe we can both dream about our old house."

"You promise nothing bad will happen?" He asked looking into his mother's eyes.

"Sweetie, I can't promise nothing bad will happen. But I will promise to not leave your side."

After one final hug, David is asleep.

Julie decided to sleep right next to him by his bed. Wrapped in a nice blanket and a pillow.

Julie and David slept deeply.