Chapter 6

Chapter

Six

Allie

M y lungs burned as I sprinted down the debris-strewn street, struggling to keep pace with Maxxon's long strides. Sweat trickled down my back, and a sharp pain stabbed my side with each gasping breath. If I survived this, I was definitely hitting the gym more often.

As we rounded a corner, I spotted a dented gray car idling in front of a convenience store, its driver's side door slightly open. No one sat in the car, and the convenience store looked severely damaged. I didn't want to think about the fate of the driver or why his car was running with no one in sight.

I made a beeline for the car, tugging Maxxon with me.

He followed my gaze before narrowing his eyes. "You want to use that vehicle?"

As we got closer, I could see the faded paint and rusted metal, but I didn't care. "Unless you want to carry me the rest of the way, this car will have to do."

Maxxon didn't argue and he didn't even try to drive, getting in the passenger's seat as I hoisted my tote with Dinah into the back and then hopped into the driver's seat. With a final glance around, and my fingers crossed that the owner wouldn't come screaming after us, I threw it into gear and peeled away from the curb.

"Hold on," I warned, swerving to avoid an overturned SUV blocking half the road. "This might get bumpy."

Maxxon braced his hand on the dash as I took us down the side streets and back roads, trying to avoid the worst of the chaos and hopefully the aliens. The car bounced and rattled as I pushed it to its limits, and Maxxon's knuckles went white.

"Are you trained to operate this machine?" he shouted over the disconcerting rattling of the engine and the wind rushing through the open windows.

"Trained?" I shot him a quick look. "Well, I've been driving since I was 16. Although I'll admit, this is the first time I've had to outrun aliens."

I glanced over again, taking in his tense posture and the way his head moved back and forth constantly, scanning for threats. "You know, you don't talk like you're from here."

"I'm not from here. I already told you I was visiting."

Before I could explain that I meant he didn't talk like he was from the U.S., a deafening explosion rocked the car. I yanked the steering wheel to one side to avoid a chunk of flaming debris hurtling towards us.

We bounced off the road and into a field, the tall grass whipping against the undercarriage. I gritted my teeth and fought to keep us moving forward as the uneven ground threatened to shake the car apart.

My mind raced as fast as my heart, a constant stream of oh-shit-oh-shit-oh-shit running through my head. But I kept my foot pressed to the gas and the car hurtling forward. Finally, I swerved the car back onto the road, my hands trembling on the wheel.

"We're almost there," I said as we flew past a sun-faded billboard for the caverns. "Just a little farther."

The battered car spluttered in protest as I pushed it even harder as I turned down the road leading to the caverns. I'd visited here on a school field trip as a kid, but the area hadn't aged well. The signs were dingy, the roads were pockmarked and patched, and it looked deserted. Then again, who wanted to go visit caverns in the middle of an alien attack?

We fishtailed into the gravel parking lot, and I slammed on the brakes once we were as close to the entrance as possible. The car hadn't even come to a full stop before Maxxon was out the door, scanning the area with instincts that told me he must have military training.

"Let's move!"

I scrambled out of the driver's seat, my legs wobbly, and I grabbed my tote bag from the back with Dinah huddled in the bottom. We sprinted toward the welcome center, a one-story utilitarian building that had clearly been designed in the 1970s and now stood ominously empty.

Maxxon pushed open the glass doors, which gave way easily. I assumed that the staff and any guests had made a run for home when the invasion started. Closing and securing the cavern's welcome center had clearly not been high on anyone's list of priorities—not that I blamed them.

I followed him into the cool air-conditioned lobby, glancing at the brochures scattered around the circular welcome desk. To one side was the gift shop area, with racks of t-shirts boasting things like "I LEFT MY HEART IN CRYSTAL CAVERNS." The sight of something so utterly normal amidst the insanity of the day made me shake my head.

As Maxxon vaulted over the turnstiles blocking the path to the cavern entrance, I grabbed as many bags of chips and candy from the snack bar's counter as I could and shoved them into my bag next to a hissing Dinah. Maxxon held out a hand to help me over the turnstiles, and I was struck by the steadiness of his grip. I might be freaking out, but he seemed calm.

We hurried down the hall and down a flight of stairs leading to the cavern entrance, and I released a breath as the cool, moist air washed over my hot, sticky skin. As we walked farther, the air became cooler and the quiet complete. The abrupt transition from chaos to calm was almost jarring, and I paused for a beat to take a breath.

Maxxon stopped to wait for me "Are you all right?"

I nodded, taking deep breaths of the loamy, damp air. I couldn't say I was all right, but I was alive, which was something. I tried not to think about how many people in my town weren't all right. I tried not to think about Bryce, reassuring myself that he was tougher than he looked.

Maxxon grunted then turned back around, and we started down the slick stone path leading deeper into the earth. Our footsteps echoed in the eerie quiet, steady taps announcing our arrival.

Despite the bizarre circumstances, I couldn't ignore the memories of coming to the caverns with my classmates, marveling at the otherworldly rock formations and listening to the tour guide's corny jokes. As a child, the soaring caverns dripping with stalactites from the ceiling had made my jaw drop. I'd eagerly touched the towering stalagmites rising from the floor, savoring the sensation of the cool, slippery rock.

Now I barely registered the impressive surroundings. I was just grateful that it was a hidden pocket of sanctuary and that no one else had thought to run here.

"We should be safe here," Maxxon said after we'd walked in silence for a while. "The Kronock will not be able to detect me through all this rock."

I was grateful to be able to stop and catch my breath, but I narrowed my gaze at him. "The Who-Nock?"

Maxxon opened his mouth, and his eyes widened, but before he could explain, a thunderous explosion rocked the cavern. The shock wave knocked us both off our feet, and I yelped as I fell to the floor and dropped my bag. Dinah dashed from the tote and bolted deeper down the path.

"Shit!" My palms stung from where I'd landed on the rock floor, but I paused as I pushed myself up and stood.

The rumbling was deep and distant, but my blood ran cold as I realized what was happening. I scrambled to my feet, grabbing Maxxon's arm and yanking at him to stand. "It's a cave-in!"

He jumped up, but it was too late. With a deafening roar, the cavern entrance behind us collapsed in an avalanche of rock and dust. The glowing lights that had been lighting our path flickered and then died, plunging us into darkness.

I coughed, my lungs burning as I tried to breathe through the choking cloud of dust, and I gave my head a shake, my ears ringing.

Then Maxxon's arm wrapped around me, warm and reassuring in the blackness. I did a quick mental inventory. I was shellshocked, but not injured.

"I'm okay," I said before he could ask. "You?"

"Unharmed." I could practically hear him scanning our surroundings, even though I couldn't see a thing. "But it appears we have a problem."

A giggle that bordered on the hysterical escaped my lips. "Ya think? We're trapped in a cave while the world is being destroyed above us. I'd say that definitely qualifies as a problem." Then my throat tightened. "And Dinah's missing."

As my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, I could just make out Maxxon's massive silhouette. He faced me, and I could feel the weight of his gaze even though I couldn't see it.

"I promise I will get us out of this." His words were quiet but fierce. "Whatever it takes." Then he added. "And I will find your cat."

It was an outrageous claim considering the odds stacked against us, but I believed him.

The blue lights flickered back to life, no doubt powered by some backup generator, and I drew in a quick breath. Maxxon was staring intently at me with the most gorgeous set of amber eyes I'd ever seen. Amber. Not brown. Not hazel. And not quite right.