Invasion

39

After a few minutes of solitude, Maya stood up to go back inside the rest stop. The confrontations with Gerald and Reno, though different in tone, had only been more bullshit on top of everything else that had happened within the past several hours. She hoped to go inside and get some rest now, and sleep on her next big decision.

When she re-entered the building, Donna was standing in the middle of the room with Reno and Gerald on either side of her. Everyone else stood nearby or sat on the ground against the wall. Laura and Aiden were lying down on blankets on the far side of the room.

All eyes fell on Maya as she walked back inside.

“I was hoping you and I could have a few words,” Donna said.

“Yeah, sure. Did you wanna go back outside?”

Donna shook her head. “Not a big fan of going out there at night with those bastards swarming the air, even if the picnic table is hidden by the trees.”

“Fair enough.”

Donna walked through a nearby door and Maya followed. They entered a storage room with a desk in one corner. Flies buzzed around empty Chinese food cartons stacked in front of a darkened bank of surveillance monitors. Boxes had been ripped open and left in a jumble, tourist brochures for all the wonderful sites to be seen in the Bluegrass State scattered across the floor.

Donna sat down in an office chair behind the desk and gestured to the chair on the other side. Maya sat down, and then Donna put her elbows on the table and leaned forward.

“Those guys told me that you’re the one making the decisions.”

“Really?” Maya shrugged. “I guess I’ve kinda taken command of our little crew. A mama bear.”

Grinning, Donna let out a small laugh. “I like that. Funny how, when the world goes to shit, men begin to empower women.”

“I haven’t thought about all that. I’m just trying to keep my kids safe.”

Donna raised an eyebrow. “And have you thought about how you’re going to do that?”

“Of course. I’m still trying to sort it out, though. We’ve been through a lot and I’m not sure what to do next.”

“Speaking of that, what exactly happened to you all?”

Maya gave Donna the shortened version of what had happened, from being inside Nashville when the dome had dropped on the city while her kids were on the outside, on to escaping and making the journey to Fort Campbell to finally reunite with her children. Then she told Donna about how Fort Campbell had been destroyed by aliens, and how she and the others had barely escaped.

When Maya finished her explanation, Donna spoke.

“I’ve heard some crazy stories from folks since all this started. Got my own story, but we’ll save that for when we have more time. Let’s just say I used to be a fan of alien-invasion movies and I’d go to all the sci-fi cons. Used to.”

Maya chuckled, grateful that Donna had a knack for taking the edge off of a difficult conversation.

“But I haven’t quite heard anything like that. Honestly, it seems like a miracle that you’re even sitting in front of me right now.”

“It sure feels like that.”

Donna leaned forward. She reached out and covered the top of Maya’s hand with hers.

“You’re a strong woman. That’s not hard to figure out, even after only a couple of conversations with you. And clearly you want the best for your family.”

“It’s all that I want.”

Donna gripped Maya’s hand tighter. “I know.” She let go and leaned back in her chair. “So, have you heard about Cincinnati?”

Maya sat back and cocked her head to the side. “No. What about Cincinnati?”

“They’ve got one of the last human strongholds in the Midwest. For some reason, an obelisk never rose there like it did over so many other cities. God rest their souls.” Donna made the sign of the cross. “Because of that, a resistance has formed there.”

“How do you know all this?”

“We met a traveler on the highway who told us about it. I’m not sure what reason he’d have to lie, and given that we’re now living in a rest stop, my people voted to go north and find out for ourselves. Decided right before y’all showed up.”

Maya stood up. “Which guy told you about Cincinnati? I’d like to talk to him.”

Donna lowered her head and shook it. “Unfortunately, he didn’t make it. He was killed right before we made it here. Someone was speeding down the highway and not paying attention, and they hit him.”

“Oh,” Maya said, sitting back down in the chair. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s just the way the world is now. I hate to sound harsh, but he wasn’t the first person we lost, and I doubt he’ll be the last.”

It was a harsh sentiment, but one that Maya understood. Because of her job, she’d been somewhat desensitized to death, which was a scary thought all on its own.

Donna leaned back and clasped her hands together on the desk. “Your crew should come with us. But they shut the gates at dusk so we can’t dally.”

“I’ll have to talk it over with the others.”

“Where else would you go? Seems like quite an easy decision to make.”

“No offense, but I hardly know you. Neither of us know if Cincinnati even exists anymore.”

Donna grinned. “You’re smarter than I thought. But that unfortunately might be the one thing that gets you killed.”

Maya glared at Donna as the woman stood.

“We’re leaving first thing in the morning. They’re using the big football stadium as the refugee camp, and from what I understand, it could close any day now.” Donna shook her head. “And believe me, you don’t want to be on the outside when they close that gate for good.”

Without giving Maya a chance to respond, Donna walked out, giving Maya yet another thing to consider in her decision on what they would do next.