Page 3

Gripping the hilt, I slashed down with all my strength into the thick hide at the base of the monster’s neck.

It spun, baring its fangs, and leaped off Scott’s prone form. I held on tight, riding it like the wild brumby horse my friends had dared me to ride as a teenager. I’d damn-near broken my neck back then, but didn’t plan to this time.

Come on. Gritting my teeth, I pushed the blade in harder.

“Jameson, get clear.”

Zeke’s shout had me leaping off the monster. I hit the ground and rolled.

My squad mate stepped into view, holding a boxy weapon with two probes on the front of it. Blue electricity crackled on the end.

He fired.

Electricity shot through the air and hit the creature, skating over its body. It jerked and shook. The rest of the squad fired their carbines.

I slid my knife back into its sheath. Another monster bites the dust.

Then, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Something had just darted into the abandoned house.

“There’s another one,” I called out. I jogged toward the door, sliding my carbine off my shoulder.

“Jameson, do not go into the house alone,” Sasha’s voice echoed in my ear. “Wait for backup.”

I knew if she’d been here, and not hundreds of kilometers away at Squad Command, she’d be up in my face. One thing Sasha wasn’t, was shy.

“I’ve got this, Sash.”

My comms officer made an annoyed sound. “You knuckleheads never listen to me.”

“Sure we do. Most of the time.” I shoved open the door and it creaked.

Inside the house, everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. The place was abandoned, but there was furniture still in place, books on the shelves, shoes by the door. Someone, a family by the look of the toys tossed on the old rug, had called this home. I walked in carefully, my boot crunching on broken glass.

Where are you?

I hadn’t gotten a good look at the monster, so I wasn’t exactly sure what I was dealing with. I scanned around, then moved into the kitchen, then into another living area.

There was an old flat-screen TV on a low stand, a dusty couch, and a pair of armchairs with some of the stuffing pulled out. I guessed that some critter had gotten into it over the decades to make a home.

This family had probably run during the invasion. I wondered if they’d made it. My jaw tightened. Many hadn’t. The Gizzida had killed billions of people.

But they hadn’t wiped us out.

No, for all our flaws, humans had grit, and a strong instinct to survive.

Outside, I heard my squad shouting. No doubt they had the monster contained.

A floorboard creaked.

I whirled, lifting my weapon.

A huge, clawed hand knocked the gun out of my damn hands. It flew and hit the wall.

Fuck.

This monster was more humanoid than most. It had grayish-brown, scaly skin, and walked upright, on two muscular legs. I was six foot three, but it towered over me by a foot. Its muscles bulged, and it had overlong arms, and glowing red eyes.

It snarled and attacked.