Page 18 of Zinnia and the Zombie (Alien Abduction #26)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

J axx pulled Zinnia away from the windows, his mind already cycling through escape routes and defensive positions.

The shape of that ship was unmistakable—the elongated hull with its distinctive ridge pattern, the forward-swept wings, the matte gray exterior designed to absorb rather than reflect detection signals.

Grorn.

“We need to move,” he said, already gathering their few essential belongings. “Now.”

“Wait a minute. What is it? Who’s on that ship?”

He paused, forcing himself to slow down and explain. “Grorn. They’re warrior priests who are obsessed with fulfilling some ancient prophecy.” He reached for her pack, handing it to her. “I believe they were behind the attack on my vessel.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.” He closed his eyes as the memory suddenly resurfaced. “But there was one there. At the end. I saw him before… before I went into stasis.”

She took the pack but didn’t move to fill it. “Why would they come here? Do you think they’re looking for you? After all this time?”

“I don’t know. It’s possible that the Ithyians intended to sell me to them.

” The cold knot of dread in his stomach tightened.

The Grorn were single-minded in their pursuits.

If they’d tracked him across systems and years, they had a reason.

“But we can’t stay here. We need to find somewhere to hide until they leave. ”

Instead of moving to pack, she set the bag down.

“No.”

The single word brought him to a halt.

“Zinnia—”

“No, Jaxx. This is our home.” Her voice gained strength with each word. “You said it yourself, we’ve been here for weeks, and we haven’t even scratched the surface of what this city has to offer. We have shelter, food, and water. Everything we need.”

“The Grorn?—”

“Are dangerous. I understand that.” She moved closer, her eyes holding his. “But so are you. So am I, in my own way.”

He set down the communications device he’d been about to pack. “You don’t understand what they’re capable of.”

“Then tell me.”

He exhaled heavily. “They’re relentless. They don’t stop until they achieve their objective. They’re physically powerful—and they enhance their strength through religious rites.” He ran a hand through his hair. “And they’re methodical. They plan. They adapt.”

“So do we.” She placed a hand on his chest, above his heart. “This is our city, Jaxx. We know it better than they do. That gives us an advantage.”

His small mate had a core of strength that never ceased to amaze him. She wasn’t cowering, wasn’t panicking—she was thinking.

Her fingers curled against his chest as she looked up at him earnestly. “If they’re as single-minded as you say and they are here looking for you, they won’t give up. They’ll keep looking. Running just means we’ll always be looking over our shoulders. Is that the life you want for us?”

He reluctantly conceded her point. The Grorn were persistent. If they’d come this far in search of him, they wouldn’t simply give up and leave.

“We’d be safer?—”

“Where? At least here we know the territory. This is our home now. I think we should defend it.”

He cupped her face in his hands, searching her eyes. The fear was there, but it was overshadowed by determination, by a fierce kind of courage he’d seen in the best Zathix warriors.

“They outnumber us,” he warned.

“Then we don’t fight fair.” A small smile curved her lips. “You’re a warrior. I’m a survivor. Between us, we’ll figure it out.”

“A direct confrontation would be suicide,” he said, thinking aloud. “They’re stronger and better armed.”

“But we know the city,” she repeated. “That’s our advantage.”

“All right. Let’s see what we have to work with.” He led her to the console in the study and pulled up a three-dimensional holographic map of the city.

“Here,” he said, marking their current location with a pulsing amber dot. Another marker appeared where they’d spotted the Grorn ship landing. “And here is where our flyer crashed.”

The markers formed a rough triangle, with their apartment building closest to the crash site.

“The wreck will be the first place they look, won’t it?” she asked, studying the map.

“Yes. As I said, they’re methodical. They’ll be able to detect the wreckage. They’ll start there, then expand outward in a logical search pattern. They’ll assume we sought shelter in the nearest structurally sound building.”

“Not exactly, but I agree they’ll end up here pretty quickly.”

“I believe our best bet is to stop them before they reach the ship. These buildings—” he indicated several structures along the most direct route between the crash site and the Grorn ship “—are already unstable. With the right application of force, we could trigger collapses.”

She leaned closer, studying the buildings. “Would that kill them?”

“Possibly. Their hides are exceptionally tough, and they wear body armor. But it might trap them and it would definitely slow them down.”

He adjusted the map, zooming in on a network of lines running beneath the streets. “The city’s automated security systems still have some power. If I can access the right nodes, I might be able to reactivate some of the defensive measures.”

“Like the drone that attacked us?”

“Exactly.”

She stared at the map, then nodded thoughtfully.

“What about traps?” she suggested. “Nothing high tech. Something simpler—like snares and nets. They aren’t fancy, but they can be effective. Some of these vines are incredibly strong—I’ve been testing them. We could weave nets, set up trip lines.”

“Primitive technology,” he murmured, but there was no dismissal in his tone—only consideration.

“The Grorn probably wouldn’t expect it. If they’re as technologically advanced as you say, they might be watching for energy signatures, weapons… but not plants hidden amongst other plants.”

A slow smile spread across his face. “You’re right. Their behavior patterns are predictable. They prepare for specific threats. Something outside their experience could be effective.”

He adjusted the map again, marking new locations. “Here, and here. Narrow passages where they’d be forced into single file. Perfect for your low-tech solutions.”

“How much time do I have?”

“They won’t begin the hunt until tomorrow.”

She frowned at him.

“Why not?”

“There are certain rituals they will perform first. They’re likely conducting a sacrificial ceremony for a successful hunt.”

She shivered. “Sacrifice? Like… an animal?”

“If they’re fortunate enough to have captured local wildlife, yes. If not…” He didn’t finish the sentence.

Her face paled as she stared at the distant ship, imagining the hunters performing some bloody ritual.

“So they won’t come until morning?”

“No. Their religion dictates that the sacred hunt begins at dawn.”

She let out a shaky breath. “That gives us more time, at least.”

“I’ll start setting electronic traps, then help you place the physical ones,” he said. “We still need to work quickly.”

The next few hours passed in a blur of focused activity. While he was gone, she began on her nets and he returned to find she’d completed three large nets and was starting on a fourth.

“I’ve activated every security system I could find,” he told her. “Most of them are severely degraded, but a few drones should respond if the Grorn trip the right sensors.”

He knelt beside her, admiring her handiwork. “These are impressive. Stronger than they look.”

“That’s the idea,” she said, showing him how the layers of fiber reinforced each other. “My mother… disappeared one summer and the old lady in the house next door took pity on me. She let me stay with her. She was the one who taught me how to do this.”

“She sounds like a kind person.”

Her lips curved in a reminiscent smile. “I doubt anyone would have said that to her face. She scowled more than she smiled, smoked like a chimney, and had a mouth that would make a sailor blush, but she kept me fed and clothed and occupied until my mother returned. She would have kept me even then.”

“But you didn’t stay?”

“No. I thought my mother needed me more.” She sighed. “I went back to visit her when I could, but she died the year before my mother did.”

He hugged her, hating the sadness in her expression, then asked her if she wanted to help him set the traps.

Together, they gathered the nets and other materials and ventured out into the dusk. He chose the locations carefully—narrow passages between buildings, shadowed doorways, places where the Grorn would be vulnerable—but there was no guarantee that the Grorn would pass that way.

She watched him work, giving him an approving smile when he returned. “For a high tech warrior, you did that very well.”

He shrugged but her admiration pleased him.

“Another thing I was taught as a child, although I’ve had little use for it until now.” He smiled down at her as she yawned. “You should rest. Tomorrow will test us both.”

She nodded but she didn’t leave. He sighed and put his arms around her, pulling her close.

“I can hear you thinking.”

“I’m scared,” she whispered.

“Fear is appropriate. It sharpens the senses, heightens awareness.”

“That’s not very comforting.”

“I’m not trying to comfort you with platitudes,” he said seriously. “I respect you too much for that. The threat is real. But our preparations are also real, as is our resolve.”

She looked up at him, her face troubled.

“Why are they hunting you, Jaxx? What do they want?”

He was silent for a long moment. “I don’t know for certain. My memories of the attack on my ship are still fragmented. But the Grorn are not pirates. They believe they’re following a divine mandate.”

“A religious crusade?”

“Something like that. I believe they may have decided that a Zathix warrior is essential to that quest, although I don’t know why.”

She shuddered, and tightened her arms around his waist. “I won’t let them take you, my zombie.”

“I should be the one protecting you.”

“We protect each other,” she said firmly. “That’s what partners do.”

The golden gleam of his skin brightened as he returned the rug.

“Yes, my Zinnia,” he agreed. “Partners.”