***

   Abby and I struggled to move our mother onto the piece of plywood I had uncovered from behind our decrepit shed. Originally we had wanted to transport her in our old red wagon, but there was no way for us to maneuver it safely and quietly through the woods. The plywood was four feet long and three feet across and it was difficult to get our mother onto it. I hoped that Abby would be able to hold up her end; she was strong for her size, but not used to physical work.

   It was going to be a long walk back to the antique store if we didn’t have help.

   Tears slid slowly down Abby’s face as she stroked our mother’s hair for a brief moment. I was captivated by the striking similarities between them. Even if our mother was gone forever (a fact I didn’t even want to consider right now), she would live on in Abby far more than she would in Aiden or I.

   For as long as I could keep Abby alive, anyway, I realized with a pang of longing. Abby was my responsibility now, and I had to keep her safe, no matter what happened.

   I moved to the window, slowly pulling back the curtain. It was eerily quiet out there. The street lights, on a timer, had come to life a couple hours ago. Almost all of the houses on the street were dark. A few owners had accidently forgotten to turn off lights on their way out the door this morning, or perhaps they had left them on in preparation for their return home tonight. A home that none of them appeared to have come back to. No new ones turned on, none of them turned off. If there were other people out there still moving about, they were keeping their presence’s as secret as we were.

   It was so lonely, so dark and frightening out there. I shuddered, trying hard not to let my fear show to Abby. “It’s been an hour,” Abby said softly.

   “He’ll come back.” I replied more for my benefit than for hers. “Stay here Abby.”

   She bolted from the bed, staggering toward me. “Where are you going?”

   “I need to pack some things. Just stay away from the windows.”

   “Bethany…”

   I left the room before she could protest further. I felt bad leaving her there, but I needed some time alone to think, and attempt to sort this whole mess out. Not like thatwas going to be possible. I made my way swiftly to the bedroom that Abby and I shared. Whereas I was a complete neat freak, Abby was the exact opposite. It was difficult to make out the mess of clothes on the floor by her bed, or avoid tripping over them. I had not seen or heard any movement for hours, but I felt as if the slightest noise would be heard all the way to the moon if I made it.

   I dug out my school backpack and dumped the contents on the bed. For the first time I did not bother to place them neatly. There was no need; I did not think I would be returning either here, or to school. I quickly gathered my clothes, shoving them into the backpack along with shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, and toothbrushes. I wished that I could pack more, but I had to keep things as light as possible, especially without being able to drive anywhere. I grabbed Abby’s backpack and began to shove clothes inside for her. I knew she would want to pack her own things, and would take an excruciatingly long time to do so. I was nipping that little problem in the bud right now.

   I carried both backpacks, with their meager contents, out to the hall where I placed them by the door for later. I moved swiftly downstairs, feeling my way through the dark. Creeping into the kitchen I pulled a trash bag from beneath the sink. I packed only a few perishables. We would have to eat them right away, but I wanted to bring as much food as possible and there was not much in the way of canned goods. I topped the bag off with paper plates, spoons, and forks before tossing in a can opener. From the pantry I pulled a case of water out before grabbing some Gatorade and a few sodas. In the end I put the sodas back, Abby would want them, but they would only weigh the plywood down more.

   I placed the bag by the backdoor. Pressing my hand longingly against the glass, I stared out at the silent night. Thankfully the moon was not bright tonight, but the stars shone in the sky, lighting the darkness. For a brief moment I allowed myself to dream of the time before the aliens had come, a time when I had looked to the sky and wondered if there wasanything else out there.

   I wished that question had never been answered.

   At first they had seemed peaceful, eager to help us, happy to impart their wisdom. But after the beginning peace, and shared advances, things began to change. It started slowly, with a few rights stripped away here and there. It had been so slow in fact that we hadn’t truly noticed their losses until it had been too late. Weapons were barred, to promote peace amongst us all. The aliens claimed that they did not possess weapons, or at least not ones they were willing to show us at that time. It was obvious now that their weapons were far more twisted and deadly than anything we ever could have imagined, or possessed.

   Then our cell phones were done away with. It was odd not to have the device strapped to me all the time, but the towers were taken down because the aliens claimed that they did, in fact, cause cancer and other health problems. Our government had believed them; apparently they’d had evidence of the fact. Airplanes were banned next; their danger to the alien spacecrafts, and to human life, was the explanation behind that one. We travelled in alien space craft’s when it was necessary, but it wasn’t often they allowed humans on board. It was mostly government officials, powerful businessmen, certain wealthy, and some famous people that were allowed on the smaller alien ships. The transition was eagerly accepted by some, but a growing dissent had started to move throughout.

  However, it was too late to stop the rapid acceleration that was taking place. The internet was next, they did not offer a reason for this, there was no need to anymore as they methodically took everything over and shut it down. Vehicles and driving had been banned last week, and it was at this point in time that most people began to realize that we were separated from the rest of the world, cut off from the towns next to us even.

   It was too late by then. We had nothing left, they had taken it all, and we had allowed them to do it. And now they had come for our lives. They were sweeping through our streets, literally sucking the life from people. I shuddered, my hand pressed tighter to the glass. I wanted Cade back; I had to know that he was ok. I wished that Aiden was here, that I knew if my brother was safe.

   I needed Bret also, what I had done with Cade was awful, but I didlove Bret. He was impossible not to love. He was so open and honest and caring that there were times when I thought he was too good to be true, but he was. Times when I felt like less of a person because I knew I was not as good as he was, and that I never could be. I was withdrawn; I was adrift in the world with little idea of where I wanted to go, even before all of this had occurred, and I could be very cynical. I knew the world was a cold, cruel place that was just waiting to strike the ones we loved down. But Bret did not see it that way. He saw it as something good and wondrous, something bright and beautiful. He saw it as something to be treasured and enjoyed every day.

  Bret was a true joy to me, an amazing man that I couldn’t begin to fathom, and wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to. Someone like Bret shouldn’t be figured out; he should only be enjoyed and cherished. And I didcherish him, even if his kisses didn’t cause the same heart stopping physical need, and yearning, that Cade’s did. Even if I had never felt completely understood and accepted by Bret. At least not in the same strange way that Cade seemed to understand and accept me. Bret thought I could be better; he tried in subtle and not so subtle ways to change my reserved nature. It was strange to realize that Cade seemed to accept me for me, seemed to believe that I was already stronger and more capable than I believed myself to be. He had more faith in me than anyone I had ever known before and it humbled and awed me.