Falling Skies Invasion Alone

Connection

"She's still hot as hell." I plucked the thermometer from Lexi's lips.

Lourdes swapped out the cold cloth for a fresh one and lay it on Lexi's head. We couldn't keep her any cooler than we were. The doors were open, the windows were open, she had cold cloths on her arms and her head, Anne had stripped her and she had just a thin sheet covering her up. But still her temperature was soaring. It had edged between 118 and 118.5

If she was normal, she'd have been dead.

Anne had fled moments before, angry and scared. I assumed she would end up with the Overlord but she didn't expressly say. Ben had woken up just as soon as Lexi passed out. He must have woken when he heard us all shouting in the courtyard. But I don't think he or Maggie could take it, seeing Lexi, not knowing if she was a friend or foe.

Dr Kadar sighed again and reach for another needle. We had taken blood moments before but it had coagulated before we could do anything with it.

"Uh, Doc, why don't I do that?" I reached over and plucked the needle and syringe from his fingers. "Let's face it, you're not the best at blood taking. You're a science doctor, you're not a bedside manner doctor."

Though slightly offended, he shrugged, knowing I was right. I mean it took him three attempts to get the first lot of bloods. And I think it made Lourdes a lot happier for me doing it rather than him.

She was even hot to the touch, you could feel that she had an extreme temperature. But I got blood okay, and I passed it over to Kadar just in time before I heard the yelling of my name.

"Cassie! Cassidy!" Shrieks yelled for me.

I spun and sprinted for the door, swinging out of it to see Maggie running into the courtyard.

"QUICK!" she screamed. I didn't even question, it would have just wasted time. I leapt down the steps, three at a time, and ran towards her, she had already turned and started running back to the outskirts of our sanctuary, towards one of the warehouses.

"What's wrong?" I questioned fearfully as we ran, sliding to a halt at the doors of the warehouse. I didn't have to get an answer from Maggie because I could hear Ben's yells in pain. She threw open the door and I could see him, writhing, propped up against one of the walls. I threw myself down on my knees to look at him, the blood spurting from his nose, cuts forming on his lips.

"What? What happened?" I stared at him.

"He just started yelling!" Maggie stood over us, panic thrown on her face. It was like he was getting hit, he kept reacting, jerking in the stomach. Like he was being hit by something invisible. And then it hit me. I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him forward to see the spikes on the back of his neck lit up. He was connected. I pushed him back and yanked up his jumper to see red angry marks and bruises starting to form. "Flower!" He screamed. "Flower!"

I had already jumped to my feet and started running, yelling back to Maggie to stay with him.

"He's still connected!" I shouted at her, throwing the doors open and starting to run to the other warehouse where the Overlord was being held.

My feet hit the ground hard as I ran, my heart pounding just as forcefully. It was pure fear pushing me forward because there was nothing more that I wanted to do than to stay with Ben, just in case. I slammed myself into the doors to the other warehouse and screamed for them to stop.

I could see Anne standing with a wooden plank, like a baseball bat ready to swing for the alien. At my screams she turned.

"Stop! He's connected to Ben, everything you're doing to him, you're doing to Ben!" I grabbed the plank and threw it on the floor. "He said something about a flower, what does it mean?" I panted, looking frantically at her. it took her a second but realisation spread through her features.