Apocalypse Before Finals by Julie Steimle (electric book reader txt) 📕

escaped during gym hour when there was a little chaos. That FBI student teacher had taken out a bunch of guards freed a whole group of them before he was caught."

Brian swayed. His brothers had gotten away.

A peculiar calm settled over him after that. His ears seemed to mute as the world around him suddenly felt so alive. The air was moist after an earlier rain. Crushed worms decorated the sidewalk among puddles. If now was his time to go, at least he did his best, Brian thought. He looked to Joy who nodded, then closed her eyes, praying. Jonathan murmured under his breath, probably praying also, though he didn't do it much before. Kevin continued to mutter that he had not known... whatever it was. Jessica continued to glare at the People's Military officers, though maybe at it was at the smoldering heap where they had burned her 'masterpiece' of Jeff. Each of them were staring at death in their own way.  

Then the soldiers brought down a number of teachers. They recognized most of them: Mr. Humphries of course, Mrs. Ryant, Coach Baker, that ridiculous Miss Bianchi, and a few others Brian did not know but Jennifer seemed to recognize. Among them was the art teacher and the shop teacher for some reason.

The soldiers with rifles took their positions opposite the gym, facing the lined-up students. Dural Kelz stood in the middle of them, peering at them as if they were the vilest things he had ever seen. He opened his mouth, lifting a device to it (probably a microphone though it didn't look like one) and he started into a speech which Brian assumed was meant to make them feel the weight of their so-called crimes. The man's offensive voice echoed over the school intercom. He always started such speeches with: "Attention students of the Arrassian protectorate..." of which no student at Pennington High wanted to hear. "...Today traitors to humanity will be summarily punished."

Mark's eyes popped wide. He gaped in protest as if he hadn't know this was the end but realizing quickly that no words would be able make these men see reason. Though Brian didn't want to criticize his friend at this moment, he was feeling weary at how dense Mark was sometimes, especially since the soldiers were pointing their laser rifles at them all across the red top.

"...Their crimes are aiding and befriending Tarrns and rebels. For this crime we - "

But he never finished his speech. A heavy pressure of air boomed down on them. At first they all thought a tornado had touched down. Around them, the air spun in a torrent of wind, tearing at the branches of the trees and throwing whatever was light and loose up into the darkening the sky overhead. Every single one of them looked up, hunching down.

"Get down!" Darren yelled to the others in the execution lineup. "Lie on the ground!"

"What is it?" Jessica shouted up, doing as Darren said.

"Tornado!" Mark screamed.

Obediently, the rest of them dropped to the damp asphalt, huddling together. The teachers followed suit.

Yet the watching the People's Military officers stare up, then fired at the looming shadow above them. Out of the dark wind, zooming down upon the senior lawn and landing like some kind of large... it looked like a bus, only made of some kind of reflective material, with fins and grills, and a door which opened - spacecraft. Out of its open door poured soldiers garbed in uniforms of silvery white and strapped to the hilt with weaponry. Immediately these soldiers fired back on the People's Military officers.

The P.M.s dove behind the picnic tables and trees for shelter, returning fire.

"I suggest we run," Darren said, turning to the ones nearest him.

Jonathan nodded vigorously. Mark had already scurried to the gym doors, hiding behind the brick lip. The teachers had dived for shelter between buildings where a two foot alley separated the gym from the cafeteria. Brian grabbed Jennifer's hand and pulled her with them. The others crawled after them, keeping below the burning flashes as best as they could. Darren slipped into the bushes on the side of one wall, crouching on the ground in the four foot space where there was a hidden air conditioner and a set of water meters, concealing himself. The others squeezed in. It had the protection of another brick lip and a low planter wall.

"How did you know - ?"

"I used to hide here all the time from the football players - and you guys - when the jocks went on the prowl to pick on a nerd," Darren hissed.

"We never went on the prowl," Jonathan said, offended.

But Darren shot Mark a look who did occasionally seek Darren out to tease him. Conveniently, Mark did not realize Darren meant him. Mark pressed against the leaves to look out.

Jennifer just covered her face and soon her ears, her eyes closed. Her hands were the only ones not bound. Joy, the freshman girl Lisa, and Jessica pressed against the wall to stay as far from the laser fire, staring up at the sky, praying that no one would find them. Brian grabbed his sister, and held her close. He peered over her head and stared back at Jonathan who just gaped at the entire scene. Kevin still stared into space, murmuring "I didn't know. I didn't know."

"Someone shut him up," murmured the guy Brian didn't know.

Jessica huffed in disgust. "You shut up. It's your own fault you ended up with us."

"Shh!" Darren glared up at them.

The battle was not like in the movies. Not even the gory war films. Their vision was obscured by colored fog that stank worse than skunk. It was so bitter that it made their eyes water. Of what they could see, it was mostly the backs of People's Military officers and Dural Kelz and flashes of red light, receiving return fire of blue, purple, and red light. Those hit by blue light fell backward to the ground, immobile, but those hit by purple were severely burned, their uniforms catching fire. Those hit by narrow red shots often fell dead. The P.M.s only shot red light - intent on killing whatever came out of that ship.

The wind soon ceased. And so did the shooting. But there was still noise - some kind of fan, sucking out the stinking fog like a vacuum. And the new invaders walked among the sprawled People's Military officers, binding up the conscious ones who had finally surrendered.

"Oh no!" Mark clenched his head, whispering. "More aliens!"

Darren drew in a low breath, watching them intently. "Oh..."

"We're doomed," the boy they did not know whimpered.

This new army came strapped almost like Rambo with weaponry. All of them were in helmets. Most of them were carrying rifles of a superior grade, more frightening than the guns the P.M.s had carried. Their uniforms seemed to be color-coded, the grunts in green and yellow, while the superior officers in silver and black. They all marched over and prodded the bodies on the ground, checking for the living.

"Do you think they'll find us?" Brian whispered, peering over his sister's head.

Joy looked up, cringing. "I hope not."

Mark shrank back into the bush. "...Is this nightmare ever going to stop?"

They watched silently as the new invading army crossed the red top and the grass, getting closer and closer. Their group kept their breathing shallow. Even Kevin stopped muttering, his eyes wide as he peed his pants. Jonathan leaned from him, cringing. Jennifer pressed her mouth closed, watching with terror. Yet a smile slowly formed on Darren's face. He started to breathe slower and deeper. He murmured, "It's them."

Who they were, none of the others knew. And worse, Darren crawled out from under the bush.

Jonathan reached out to pull him back, but missed Darren's ankle. "Get back in here, you idiot! They'll see you!"

Horrified, they watched the lanky, dirty, beaten, crazy boy scramble out of their hiding place and stand up, waving his bound hands to the people in suits. He shouted out. "Hey!"

"We're dead. We're so dead," Mark shook his head, muttering. "That idiot is going to get us killed."

"Oh," Jennifer gasped, her expression lightening.

Kevin slapped a hand over her mouth.

One of the new armed soldiers turned, hearing Darren. The soldier stopped prodding of one of the sprawled bodies and spoke in clear English. "I thought I saw natives."

Brian quietly hit his head against the brick wall. Jessica stared like she was going to be sick. Lisa covered her eyes.

But Jennifer pushed Kevin's hand from off her mouth. "Where is Darren?"

With a silent wave out the bushes, Brian hissed under an exasperated moan, "Gone to meet the Martians."

Jennifer blinked, leaning up from the wall into the bushes. "Is it the Surface Patrol?"

All of those still hiding in the bushes stared at Jennifer. Mark stood up, and so did Jonathan.

"You know them?" Mark asked, grabbing her shirt.

"Hey!" Jessica shoved him off, her fingernails digging painfully into Mark's hand so that he let go. "She's not the enemy."

Jennifer blinked at Jessica, surprised. Yet she said, "I've never... but Zormna's one of them."

Jessica looked back at her. So did Lisa and that boy none of them knew.

Brian held his breath. He looked out at Darren. Darren was talking happily with this new soldier who now shouldered his gun and lifted off his helmet. Helmetless, this soldier looked like a People's Military officer, the same physical features from the fair skin to the pale hair. Only his uniform was different. Yet, this soldier nodded and smiled at Darren, patting Darren on the back merrily - until Darren winced from his burns. Automatically, the soldier's face contorted into sincere worry. He called back to his fellow soldiers in his own language. Other soldiers ran quickly to Darren. One undid his cuffs. The other checked out war wounds.

"They're gonna eat him," Mark murmured, shaking his head.

Kevin shrank back.

But Jennifer caught herself laughing. "No, I thought that about Zormna when I first found out she was a Martian."

Jessica gasped. "When did you find out?"

Blushing, Jennifer shrank back from her. "Last year."

Mark, Jonathan, and Brian shared looks. It was exactly as Darren had said.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Kevin hissed.

Jennifer rolled her eyes at him. "It wasn't like you'd believe me anyway. I tried telling Todd, and he thought I was crazy. And look at the way you all treated Darren." Jennifer gestured to Brian and the rest. "Besides, Zormna was in hiding. She told me that the first day she got here."

Jessica nodded. "She did mention that."

"But she said she was from Ireland," hissed the boy they did not know.

Lisa nodded.

Kevin bitterly ground out, "She and Jeff said they were from a small foreign country, not some planet. Why didn't you tell me the truth?"

Brian pushed him back. "What, that her great aunt wasn't crazy? That she really was from Mars? None of us would have believed that." He then looked to Jennifer. "Did you know you were also... you know..."

Closing her eyes, Jennifer nodded. "I found out in a very bad way. I didn't know at all until right after the school Olympics last year. My parents moved here before all of us were born. They always told us we were from Ireland. But that night, my parents just exploded at her... something about that stupid mark on her shoulder and - "

"The mark they were interrogating us about just a bit ago, and were going to shoot us over," Brian said, to be sure.

Jennifer nodded painfully. "Yeah. It's... uh, a sign of... uh, what family she is from."

"They said something like a Tarrn," Jonathan said.

Closing her eyes, Jennifer nodded. "Yeah. And that's basically royalty, though even Zormna didn't know until Jeff found out she was a Tarrn."

Lisa and Jessica paled. Joy's jaw dropped.

"What?" Kevin's eyes narrowed. "Wasn't that part of the lie they told us back then?"

Jennifer shook her head, turning away from him. "That part wasn't a lie."

"Jeff told her?" Jonathan murmured. "How did she not know?"

"Long