Even though things were relatively quiet in the rest of the United States (none of them had seen Arell at all since her broadcast, with the exception of the one town she had abducted), the tension of the situation was still evident. Very few schools had been reopened, several businesses went days with employees not showing up for work, and traffic jams now seemed to be popping up everywhere, as people seemed to suddenly have a notion to move across the country. College students went home, seniors were picked up by their families, business men and women decided to abandon their careers for the time being. The knowledge of a global take-over from a race from beyond the stars was enough to send people into pandemonium. Scientists were both thrilled and terrified. Until now, intelligent life had just been talk, but now that it had been found AND it was more intelligent than them, they were sort of wishing to go back to the dark ages when they were ignorant. Religious groups were frantically meeting. Some were falling apart, due to the idea of life from the beyond completely destroyed their image that their holy texts gave them. Some were proclaiming that Arell was the angel of death, and that the Rapture (or its equivalent if you were not a Christian) had come. A new group was actually proclaiming the giant, purple haired woman as a new Goddess, viewing her as an angry entity that needed sacrifice to be appeased.

            In short, it was hard to get around with all of the activity, as Todd McFinnley and Sarah LaFluer had discovered as they were stuck in terrible traffic as they tried to head north Sarah’s parents home in northern New York State. They had gotten as far as the Catskills mountains when they realized that the traffic was getting worse, to the point of almost completely no progression per hour. When they saw how bad it was, they turned back to return to NYC, where at least they had homes. They were driving Todd’s van, and Randy Fredrickson, Kevin Ward, Alfred Bowden, and Colonel Stark sat in the rear. The Colonel was grumbling furiously.

            “What are we going to do now?” Randy asked, after a long silence. “We’re essentially going back to where we started. We’re no closer to our families, friends, or otherwise.”

            “I don’t know,” Sarah sighed. “We’ll just either have to just stick together in New York City or come up with another plane. But everyone’s in a panic, and trying to go everywhere at once.”

            “It’d probably be easier to just stay in the city,” Todd said. “At least the traffic going back to the city isn’t too bad.”

            “I say we go back to my place,” Kevin Ward said. “Plenty of ready material there and I have my equipment there in case our giant leader comes to visit.”

            “Will you give it a rest with that bullshit?” The Colonel shot at him. “If she saw you recording her, she’d probably step on you, and it’d be your own damn fault.”

            “Say what you want, Colonel Senior,” Kevin replied. “But I’ve been saying that aliens existed for years, and now, not only have I been right the entire time, but the aliens we have gotten are hot space babes! I mean, yeah, she conquered our planet, kidnapped our president, and shut off the planet’s computers and stuff…but hey…on a scale of one to ten on the hotness scale…she’s like twelve.”

            “Well, I’ll tell you what,” Colonel Stark said. “If we ever do meet her, I’ll introduce you and tell her you’re a big fan. Then, she’ll be so happy to see you she’ll take you home and leave the rest of us the fuck alone!”

            “I’d be up for it,” Kevin agreed, grinning. “I’ll take one for Team Earth. I’ll be a hero, and I get to stay with a hot space babe. Sounds like a pretty good dea…”

            “Shut it!” Stark snapped.

            “Come on you two,” Sarah said, turning towards them. “You’ve been arguing almost the entire trip.”

            “Can’t help it if the boy’s an idiot,” Stark said.

            “Can’t help it if the old dude’s mom is a whore,” Kevin said.

            “Why you…!” Stark reached for him, while Kevin leaned away, laughing.

            Suddenly the two of them were flung forward as the car’s brakes were suddenly applied, giving a harsh squeal as it happened. Colonel Stark’s head struck Sarah’s seat, while Kevin bumped into his door.

            “Oh god!” Kevin cried in a high falsetto, grinning. “Now look what you’ve done, Starky! Now Todd is going to turn this car around! Oh the horror!”

            “What are you trying to do, kill us!?” Colonel Stark shouted at Todd.

            “Sorry!” Todd snapped. “You two are fighting and its distracting during this traffic! So how about you both stop before I do end up accidentally killing us all!”

            “Don’t listen to what we’re doing,” Stark grumbled. “Just pay attention to the road, and we’ll all be fine. Now…as for you…” He reached for Kevin again.

            “Hey guys…” Randy spoke up. “What’s that guy doing?”

            “What?” Stark said, looking towards him.

            Fredrickson pointed. What he was gesturing to was a man and a red car on the shoulder. Todd had seen some people looking rather freaked by the whole situation, but so far he hadn’t really seen anyone on the verge of panic. But if this guy wasn’t displaying panic, then the word had no meaning. He was standing next to his car (the hood was up, a telltale sign), waving his arms madly at the cars that were passing him. None of them stopped, even though he was desperately signaling at them. Even though they were still a good thirty feet from him, Todd thought he could hear the guy screaming out to the passerbys. And as they got closer, he found that he was right.

            “Looks like someone’s having a bad day,” Todd said aloud, looking to Sarah.

            “Eh!” Colonel Stark grunted. “He’s just a man who can’t handle himself in a tight situation. Look at him. Looks like he’s about to shit himself if he hasn’t already. No one’s gonna pick a man like that up. Too much of a hassle. Just keep going and don’t make eye contact.”

            “Maybe we should help him…” Sarah said, looking concerned.

            “No,” Stark shook his head. “Just leave him be. We don’t need any drama on this trip.”

            “If that’s your reason,” Todd said. “Then you and Kevin already fucked that plan up.”

            “Oh, you poor child,” Stark growled.

            “Pull over, Todd,” Sarah said, tugging his sleeve. “Let’s see if we can help him.”

            “What are you going on about!?” Stark snapped. “Why do we need to help him? We can’t even help ourselves right now, we don’t need another moron to get in the way! Especially one that’s gone off the deep end.”

            “It’s my car and I’ll pick up who I want,” Todd shot back.

            “We’d want someone to help us, Colonel Stark,” Sarah explained, patiently. “During times like this, we have to look out for other people.”

            “You’re a saint,” Stark grumbled. “Its people like you that get the short of the stick when a more greedy person takes advantage of you.”

            “It’s something I learned while working with Red Cross,” Sarah said, simply. “We’ll be fine. Stop the car, Todd.”

            Todd nodded and guided his van over towards the shoulder. The man in the sunglasses saw this, and, once they had stopped behind his red car, scrambled up to their car. Without waiting for an invitation, he pulled the door open and began to leap inside. Stark, immediately not liking this, held the man back and tried to shut the door on him.

            “Now wait just a damn minute, you maniac!!” Stark shouted. “What is  your major malfunction!?”

            “Don’t have time!” The man cried, panting. “Gotta go! Please! Can’t stay here! Gotta move gotta move gotta move!”

            “This is the kind of man you want to give a ride to!?” Stark cried at Todd and Sarah. “Drive! We’re leaving this psycho behind!”

            “No!” The man shook his head rapidly. With a very visible effort, he calmed himself, ceasing his frantic fighting with the door against Colonel Stark and looked into the van. “I’m sorry…I’m sorry…please…I just need to keep moving…please….”

            “Where are you headed?” Todd asked, now wondering himself if this was a good idea.

            “Anywhere.” The man said, panting. “…uh…New York City, I guess would be a start. Somewhere populated would be good….”

            “You on the run from the law, son?” Stark asked, suspiciously.

            “No…” The man said, a pleading tone coming into his voice. He must have understood the implications of his behavior, because he made a visible effort to calm himself. “I…I am on the run though…bad people….it’s anarchy all over the country…bad people…”

            “What kind of bad people?” Stark asked, still suspicious.

            “Does it matter!?” The man cried, desperate. “Look, I’m not armed! I have nothing!” He turned his pockets out of his jeans to show them. “I just need a ride! Please, I’ll do anything, I just can’t stay here alright!? I just CAN’T!”

            Stark shoved the man away from the car and shut the door. Immediately, the would-be hitch hiker ran back and began pounding on the door, begging and pleading without end.

            “Drive.” The Colonel said, tapping Todd’s seat. “Let’s go.”

            “And just leave him there?” Sarah asked, looking back at him.

            “We’re not taking the risk.”

            “What risk?” Sarah pressed. “He just showed you that he doesn’t have any sort of weapon.”

            “I don’t trust him,” The Colonel explained. “He’s a stranger on the side of the road with strange, not to mention unnamed, ‘bad guys’ after him. We don’t know who’s after him or what they want. It could be the law. It could be the mafia. We aren’t taking the risk. Drive.”

            “We don’t have to keep him,” Sarah said. “He doesn’t have to stay with us. Even if what you’re saying is true, we can at least give him a ride. No harm in that right?”

            “It will be if his ‘bad guys’ catch up.” Stark shook his head.

            “But we can’t just leave him here,” Randy spoke up. “We could save his life by doing this.”

            “Or we could all die,” The Colonel said to him.

            “We could all die tomorrow or in the next five minutes if our new Overlord decides to bomb the planet,” Fredrickson replied. “Or even show up unannounced and steps on us if we accidentally get in her way. If being killed is your concern, then it’s one we’re already in danger of, regardless.”

            “That’s assuming that massive cunt has that ability,” Colonel Stark growled.

            “Never doubt aliens,” Kevin said. “They could have all kinds of shit. Med bays that can rebuild your face if it gets blown off by a grenade, or a death beam like thing, or light sabers, or a portal gun, or a cloaking device, or…”

            “The point is,” Randy interrupted. “She’s already proven that she has some pretty serious tech. We have to assume the worst here. Wouldn’t you do the same if you were still in the military, Colonel?”

            “Don’t patronize me,” Stark snapped. “I’m doing just that with this moron that you all want to help. Yeah, that giant bitch is holding the dice, but she’s not standing outside our door…will you stop that!!” He shouted at the man, who was still pounding at the window.

            “Please!” The hitch hiker begged.

            “No, you’re right,” Sarah said. “She’s floating outside our planet. I don’t see the difference it makes.”

            “Listen…” Stark tried.

            “No, Colonel,” She shook her head. “We’re done talking about this. Let him in. We can at least give him a ride for now.”

            “No.” Edgar Stark shook his head now.

            “Fine.” Todd said. He reached forward and turned the key in the ignition. The van’s engine died.

            “What…?”

            “If you’re not gonna listen,” McFinnley interrupted him. “Then none of us are going anywhere.”

            “Oh you’re shitting me…”

            “Nope.”

            “He could get us all killed, goddamnit!” Stark barked. “Do you want to end up lying in a ditch with holes in your heads while some team of assholes make off with our car?” No one replied to him. “He could get you raped, Sarah! There are plenty of ‘bad people’ who would do that to a pretty little lady like yourself.” Still no response. “I’m not saying that to be the asshole here, I’m just trying to be realistic! We’re talking about our lives here, dammit!”

            “Are you gonna open the door?” Alfred spoke up. “I really don’t want to sit here all day.”

            Colonel Edgar Stark sat there for a moment, looking at him. He looked at all of them, from Fred, to Kevin, to Sarah, to Todd, and finally the man outside. With a final growl, defeated, the old man unlocked the door and got out.

            “Get in, you sack of shit…” He muttered. It was hardly even said before the man was already in the car.

            “Thank you, thank you,” The hitch hiker said, quickly buckling himself in. “Oh, thank you. You’re great people, such great people, kind people. Thank you.”

            “Fuck you,” Stark growled, getting back in. Todd started the engine again.

            “So New York City is okay with you?” Sarah asked the man.

            “Anywhere but here is great,” The hiker replied, nodding quickly. “Thanks, just…you have no idea how much this means to me.”

            “What’s your name, sir?” Sarah asked.

            “Bradley.” The man said. “Bradley Peterson. Nice to meet all of you. And thanks again.”

…

            Despite some poking and prodding by Colonel Stark, Peterson didn’t talk much about the circumstances that he was in. He ultimately dismissed most of the questions by stating what he had said earlier: that some bad people were looking for him. No matter how hard or how loud Stark asked, Bradley just repeated this. He didn’t get mad, or agitated, or anything. He just kept saying the same thing. Eventually, Todd threatened to stop the car again if Stark didn’t shut it, and then there was quiet again.

            Traffic had suddenly picked up and the group was still stuck in the Catskill Mountains. Cars were now bumper to bumper and crawling along slowly. It wasn’t as bad as it was on the way out of the City, which was good. Still, Peterson was getting restless at the lack of progress.

            “Come on, come on…” He said, looking out the window. “What is all of this!? What’s the hold up!?”

            “Traffic’s bad everywhere, Mr. Peterson,” Sarah said. “You should have been here when we were leaving the city.”

            “Yeah,” Kevin nodded. “It was slow enough that you could get out of the car, go into the bushes, and take a shit and then get back in with no problem. I know, because I…”

            “I get it,” Peterson interrupted, absently. He was staring out the window. Up ahead was a turn and he was trying to crane his neck to see around it. He sighed, and sat back down. A big sign, announcing that a tunnel was ahead, was on the right side of the shoulder, blocking the view of the turn. “It’s no good. I can’t see up ahead.”

            Todd moved the car forward about three inches the moment they got out. Two more as they rounded the sign.

            “You think it’s a wreck?” Todd asked Sarah.

            “Probably,” She replied. “After what’s been going on, it wouldn’t be very surprising.”

            “What if somebody drove over the railing and down the cliff?” Kevin asked. “That happened a few years ago. Some guy in a jeep flipped over the railing. His car was completely wrecked from it.”

            A helicopter flew over the area at that moment. Sarah looked out of the window to look at it.

            “That chopper was pretty close,” Randy said, also looking up as the copter passed. “Maybe someone DID flip over the rail.”

            “Maybe…but….” Sarah said slowly. “That was a military chopper.”

            “Eh, they’re probably just keeping an eye on things.” Colonel Stark said. “After all, with everyone and their grandfather moving around at the same time, some moron is bound to start up some….trouble…….”

            As they finally made the turn, they saw what the hold-up was. There were military cars lined up at the tunnel inside the mountainside, and the glare of the sun off of orange roadblocks even at the back of the line here. Military personnel was walking up and down the aisles of cars looking in the vehicles as they passed by. Each soldier was armed, naturally.

            “Looks like…a check point or something.” Todd said.

            “Shit. Hide the booze.” Kevin said grinning.

            “This isn’t funny, Kevin.” Todd shot at him.

            “What?” Ward replied. “It’s not like we’ve got anything to hide.”

            “Kid’s right, for once,” Colonel Stark said. “Whatever they’re looking for, we don’t have it. No need to be worried.”

            “What are they looking for?” Sarah asked. “They’re not even really stopping people. They’re just slowing them down so they can look in the car. Are they looking for someone?”

            “Probably a criminal.” Stark said, shrugging. “A lot’s happened in the last two days. Can’t be too careful, ya know.”

            “Has this been going on for awhile?” Peterson asked.

            “That’s the thing…” Sarah said. “I haven’t seen anything like this from the military.”

            “Oh, please,” The Colonel said. “You kids get one look at a bunch of men in uniform and you all shit yourselves. We’ll be fine, you just watch.”

            Todd continued to inch the car further. Bradley looked at the soldiers at they did their patrol across the aisles. He wasn’t really paying attention to them, though. There were much more dire things on his mind. Arell was looking for him. It was only a matter of time before she’d find him. He had no real plan of what he was going to do, how he was going to keep from being captured again. So far, all he could think of doing was running until he ran of out places to run to. But he knew that this would ultimately do nothing. Run as he may, there was no where on the planet that Arell couldn’t easily get to. There was only one way to escape that woman, and that would be a bullet to the head, or something of that fashion. Anything else just lead to capture.

            He hadn’t been caught yet. Either that was because Arell had yet to find him or she had and she was just toying with him was yet to be seen. It probably didn’t even matter in the end. But he wasn’t alone anymore. No, he was with a group now. He had told them that he was on the run, and that much was true. But he had not told them that he was on the run from Planet Earth’s new management. Would they have taken him if he had told them? Would ANYONE take him at that moment? He didn’t know, but it was probably better not to risk it. It would have been better to act calm and cool when hitch hiking, instead of the panicking buffoon he had portrayed himself to be. If he had been in their position, he wasn’t sure that he would have picked himself up, either.

            New York City. He had only been there once a long time ago, and that was only in passing. He had been on his way to Maine for a family trip and had passed through New York City on the way. It had only been a cheap hunch that he might have a better chance in a more populated place than a quiet plac.e. More places to hide, more people for her to confuse him with, and more underground areas. But now he wasn’t even sure that that mattered either. Arell had broken through the sewer back at the town when she had jumped. Surely she could do the same, and even if she could do so without some help, she most certainly had the tech to do so with.

            There were still somethings that were a bit off about Arell. She kept saying that she was a researcher, and she seemed to be serious about that. Her fellow Avakonians didn’t know much about Earth or the “Earthies” according to her. She told them what she felt was necessary to tell them, she had said, because it was her job and she was in complete control. But something seemed strange about that explanation, but he wasn’t sure that he…

            Taptaptaptaptap.

            “You.” A voice blew through Bradley’s mind. “In the back. Step out of the vehicle please.”

            Turning to the sound, Peterson turned his head. They had made it halfway to the tunnel when one of the military personnel had approached their car. As he peered in, he looked at a photograph in his hand. His eyes went to the picture…to Bradley.

            “Huh?” Peterson asked.

            “Out of the car.” The soldier ordered, pocketing the picture. He began to walk around to his side.

            “I knew it!” Colonel Stark cried, jabbing Bradley in the side with a finger. “I knew you were trouble, you lying sack of shit!”

            “What…?” Bradley asked, eyes darting rapidly. What the hell was going on?

            “The military is looking for you!?” Todd asked, incredulously. “What the fuck!?”

            “What did you do?” Sarah asked, a little hurt and angry at the same time.

            “I didn’t…” Bradley began.

            Taptaptaptap.

            “Out of the vehicle.” The soldier asked, now on his side. “Now.”

            “Wait…so you ARE a criminal?” Kevin asked, eyebrows raised.

            “No!” Bradley cried, trying desperately to catch up. “What are you talking about!?”

            “LIAR!” Stark yelled. “Get the fuck out of this car, you backstabber.”

            “But I don’t even know…!” Peterson shouted.

            “Sir!” The soldier snapped. “Get out here! This is an order!”

            Another soldier was running up to the car. “Is it him?” He asked.

            “Yeah, it’s him.” The soldier replied. “Get on the radio. Now…sir…get out.”

            “What for?” Bradley asked.

            “Oh, don’t play dumb, you stooge!” Colonel Stark snapped. “Just get out and let us alone, you filth!”

            “Will you shut up!?” Bradley cried. “I’m trying to figure out what’s going on!”

            “You leaving is what’s going on!” Stark shouted.

            “What the fuck did you do!?” Todd cried at Bradley.

            “I didn’t do anything!!” Peterson shouted.

            “Then why are they looking for you?” Sarah asked.

            “Look, I don’t…”

            SMASH.

            The butt of the soldier’s rifle burst through Bradley’s words as they were coming out of his mouth. Peterson jumped and shielded his face from the shards of glass as the man’s hand reached in and unlocked the door, which was pulled open and then the hands fell on to Bradley’s shoulder. Two soldiers, with more on the way, yanked Peterson out of the car.

            “That’s right!” Stark cried. “Take him away!”

            “No!” Bradley cried. “What’s going on!? What did I do!?”

            “You’re coming with us.” The soldier informed him. He turned to another trooper. “We’ve got him. Radio in and prepare a delivery.”

            “Delivery!?” Bradley asked, stunned.

            Everything else in the area had stopped. All cars ceased moving forward as this new spectacle unleashed itself in front of all eyes. The only ones really moving was the military personnel. A fair amount of which were converging on Todd’s van. They grabbed Bradley and began to take him towards the tunnel. As they passed Sarah’s window, Bradley grabbed the frame.

            “Help me!” He screamed desperately. “Help! Please!”

            “You lied to us!” Sarah cried, angered.

            “No!” Bradley shouted. “You don’t understand!”

            “What’s there to not get?” Colonel Stark roared. “You’re a lying sack of shit and you’re wanted by the military. Pretty fucking straight forward if you ask me!”

            “You’re taking me to HER, aren’t you!?” Bradley screamed at the people pulling at me. “Aren’t you!? You are, aren’t you? Tell me!” They didn’t reply. Didn’t even look at him. That was all the answer he needed. His hands were yanked from Todd’s van and he was pulled away.

            “I was a prisoner!” Peterson yelled at the people in the van. He frantically pointed into the air. “HER prisoner! She’s using the military, I know it! They’re taking me back to her! Don’t let them! Please, I’m begging you, don’t let them take me back to her! She’ll kill me!”

            “Let that man go!” A new voice cried. And Bradley was stunned to see it was Colonel Stark, who was getting out of the van.

            “Sir, return to your…”

            “Don’t tell me where to go, son!” The Colonel shouted in the man’s face. “I am Colonel Edgar Stark! You will stand down and let this man go, immediately!”

            “Sir, that’s not possible,” The Soldier replied, in as respectful a tone as possible. “Command needs this man to be brought…”

            “Is he being brought to that giant bitch as he claims?” The Colonel demanded. “I didn’t hear an answer to that question, but it better be ‘no’! We do not negotiate with terrorists, and this country will not start negotiating with freak aliens, let alone give ourselves up to one!”

            “Sir, I’m asking you to stand down!” The soldier snapped.

            “But wait!” Randy called. He and the others had gotten out and were also approaching. “Are you guys taking him to that giant alien woman?”

            “If you are…” Kevin said. “Can I go with you.?”

            “Shut up, Kevin!” Todd cried.

            “You will return to your vehicle,” The soldier barked. “Or we will open fire! We are to take this man by any means necessary! And that means that lethal force is authorized!”

            “You shoot me, and by god, you will be sorry!” Colonel Stark growled. “My family has high positions in the government, and they will see you stripped of your rank and thrown into military prison!”

            “This situation is higher than anyone of your family can do anything about sir!” The soldier snapped. “Last chance: return to your vehicle now or…”

             A beacon of light, at that very same moment, shone down from the heavens in a bright sheen. The sudden tower of light caused many people to scream and shield their eyes. The soldiers, apparently not expecting this, released Bradley to cover their own eyes. Edgar Stark, familiar with this sort of chance, took it, and ran forward, grabbed the man’s rifle and knocked him over with the butt of it.

            “Run!” Bradley yelled to Stark and the others. “Follow me! NOW! NOW, OH GOD!”

            “Why!?” Todd asked, scared. “What’s happeni…”

            “JUST GO! NOW!”

            And suddenly, Arell was there.

            Her arrival was marked with a hearty drop to the ground that shook everything on the mountain. A few boulders were knocked loose and fell onto the road, smashing cars and people. The giant woman climbed up the embankment, which wasn’t that big to her, as christing big as she was, and looked down at the sea of terrified Earthies as they ran in every which way to avoid their new Overlord.

            “Alright….” She said, smiling brightly. “Where is he? Where is my little Earthy?”

            Bradley moaned at this and ran. He kept his head down, using the cars for cover as he made his way to the tunnel. It was the only place that could even feasibly be considered safe at this point.

            “Bradley, Bradley, Bradley…” Arell called softly, her eager eyes scanning back and forth, her smile growing. She raised a hand and was tracing it along the road, knocking over cars and people. “Where are you? This is a good chance to let go of this foolish line of action you’ve taken.”

            “Ohmygodohmygodohmygod,” Sarah was saying, her eyes wide, her hands clutching Todd as they followed Bradley. Randy was silent, but his eyes were also bugged, and his lips were trembling. Alfred’s eyes were darting and he was white as a sheet.

            Kevin, on the other hand…

            “God, she’s even hotter in person!” He said. He was running and taking pictures with his cellphone. “Hold that smile, beautiful!”

            “For the love of fuck!” Colonel Stark shouted. “I hope she takes you with her, you fucking dope!”

            “I’m going to find you!” Arell called, playfully. “Don’t ever think that I won’t! You’re just a little mouse, and I’m the big cat, ready to pounce the moment I see you! I’m telling you now, the smart thing would be to just surrender yourself now, while I’m in a good mood!” She picked up a car, peeped inside of it, and then tossed it over her shoulder.

            “Get to the tunnel!” Bradley shouted over the screams of the people. “Hurry!”

            “Christ she’s huge!” Todd screamed. “Oh, god we’re so fucked! We’re so fucked! Why didn’t you tell us she was after you, asshole!?”

            “I didn’t think you’d help me if I did!” Bradley cried. “Sorry!”

            “Quite your blubbering and move, dumbasses!” Colonel Stark commanded.

            Zipping around the people and the cars, Bradley made his way to the tunnel. He looked back over his shoulder and saw Arell leaning over the cars behind him. She seemed to be going the opposite direction of where he was running, which was just great! Keep checking that way, sweetheart! Make my job easy! But another part of him knew that even if he made it to the tunnel…she’d eventually check there too. And she could break into it if she wanted to. He had no doubt.

            “Almost there…almost there…” Bradley said as the tunnel got closer. Not much longer until some semblance of shelter, not much longer until there was some sort of a secure position, not much longer till small hope.

            And then, a soldier appeared from behind a car in front of him, and grabbed Bradley Peterson by the arm and hugged him close.

            “Hey!” Bradley cried. “Get you damn hands off…”

            BAMBAMBAM!

            The man fired a pistol up into the air rapidly. Arell’s eyes turned towards it.

            Their eyes met. Arell’s smile widened, showing some of her brilliant teeth.

            “NO!” Bradley screamed.

            “He’s over here!” The soldier screamed. “He’s over…!”

            “Shut your cake hole, son!” Colonel Stark barked, jamming the butt of his new rifle into the man’s stomach, causing him to go to his knees. Stark pushed Bradley roughly. “Run, keep moving!”

            Arell was coming. Sliding down the side of the cliff, she came, her purple eyes watching Bradley as she moved towards him. She raised a hand, but didn’t reach for him. Instead, a familiar line of white energy traveled down her arm and into her hand. She shot a beam of levitational energy towards Peterson…but a group of people climbing over a car got in the way, and the beam hit them instead.

            “AS PASI!” Arell cried, annoyed, waving her arm, sending the people flying. “Out of my way!”

            Bradley got to the tunnel first. Colonel Stark second, followed by Todd and Sarah. Randy came after them, and then Alfred, and lastly Kevin, who was now recording Arell with his phone. The purple haired giant came over, her arm raised.

            “Get against the walls!” Stark shouted raising the rifle, whose shots rang loud in the tunnel as he shot out the lights, casting everyone in darkness. Just as the dark fell, Arell’s hand eagerly peeked into the hole and began feeling around, cars and people flattening and squishing under her fingertips. How effortlessly these things happened sent a chill up Bradley’s spine.

            “What are we going to do!?” Todd wailed as he watch Arell’s hand feel around. “She’ll kill us if she finds us and she’s too fucking big to fight!”

            “Everything has a weak spot…” Colonel Stark said.

            “Not this lady,” Bradley Peterson shook his head. “I’ve been around here longer than anyone here, Colonel! She’s invincible. She took a blast from a tank like it was nothing!”

            “I saw a gun at the entrance,” Stark continued. “Big piece of equipment. Might just have power I need.”

            “Are you listening!?” Bradley protested. “You can’t fight her! She’s too powerful!”

            “The minute her hand goes back out,” The Colonel continued. “Run to that jeep over there by the entrance. Door’s left open. If we’re lucky, that might mean the keys are in the ignition. If not, we’re gonna have to run.”

            “Run!?” Todd cried. “Are you mad!? She’s huge! We can’t outrun her!”

            “She’s reeling back!” Colonel Stark said, noticing Arell’s withdrawing hand. “Get moving go!”

            “But…”

            “GO I SAID!”

            Bradley, Todd, Sarah, Randy, Kevin, and Alfred all did so. People still in their cars were trying to hightail it out of the area, some making it, others ramming into other cars  Kevin and Bradley both were almost ran off as they made the short trip. As they ran, Colonel Stark grabbed the Barrett that had been dropped during the chaos. It really was a big number for a sniper rifle. Peterson was right about one thing, the cunt was big, but wasn’t it the bigger they are, the harder they fall? Colonel Stark climbed on top of one of the remaining uncrushed cars. To beat an enemy like her, you had to think like her. View things from her perspective. She was big. She was strong. But everything has a weakspot. All he had to do was wait for her to do the most natural thing that she could do at a time like this.

            For a short moment, nothing happened. Then, strands of purple hair draped across the road outside, cracking windows and flooring people. A gush of her exhale sent a view people skidding off to the side and rocked a view cars. A wall of flesh took the right side of the tunnel entrance. At the beginning of the tunnel, Arell’s right eye came into view. A very light blue eye. A pretty eye, all things considered. Too bad he had to shoot them.

            Stark aimed and pulled the trigger.

            Arell’s eye snapped shut, her lashes flipping a car, and she uttered a gasp. A loud crunch sound blared and suddenly Arell fell out of sight. She had lost her balance on the cliff and went plummeting. When she hit the ground, the force was so hard, that debris fell from the ceiling of the tunnel. Stark tossed the Barrett aside and ran for the jeep.

            “What’s the skinny?” He yelled.

            “You’re out of you mind!!!” Bradley screamed. “Do you have ANY idea what you just did!?”

            “What’s the situation, dumbass!” Colonel Stark asked.

            “What!?”

            “DOES THE DAMN CAR HAVE THE KEYS OR NOT!?”

            “Yeah, it does, but…”

            Without waiting any further, Stark shoved Bradley inside and ran around the car.

            “What about my van!?” Todd cried.

            “Forget it!” Stark shouted as he got in. “Unless you want to go back out there…”

            “I…” Todd was interrupted as a passing vehicle scrapped past them hard, causing the jeep to rock. “No! I’m good, just get us out of here!”

            “She’s going to be pissed!” Bradley squealed, looking over his shoulder. He was white like a sheet.

            “Good!” Stark grinned, turning the key. “Serves her right. I’ll take her any day of the week. This is our planet, and we will die for it!”

            He hit the gas and drove along the other cars that were making their hasty get away. Twice they were almost rammed off the road, and many more times they had to slow down to avoid hitting anybody.

            They exited the other side of the tunnel and followed traffic towards New York City.

…

            Moments after the jeep exited the tunnel, Arell made the simple climb back up to the cliff. It was, admittedly, slightly more difficult this time. She was using one hand. The other was over her eye, a thin stream of blood was flowing down her cheek. Remarkably…she was smiling.

            She hadn’t expected any of that. Bradley had apparently made some new friends. The old one had shot her in the eye. She had known that Bradley would run, but he didn’t have it in him to fight. That much she knew. The old man, however…was a fighter. And Arell respected that. She had to admit, he alone had been more clever and had done more damage than anyone else on the planet she’d met so far. A little sting in the eye, nothing serious, not even close…but still damage.

            Arell looked around at the people running on the cliff, the cars colliding, the chaos. Some people were even getting run over. She glanced around, levitated to the other end of the tunnel and looked around again. The answer was obvious before she was done. She’d lost him. He had hidden in the crowd and it was very possible that he was gone. Along with his little friends. He had won again.

            She felt that she should feel angrier about this, but she wasn’t. The Earthies had won, fair and square, but that was only because she had underestimated them too much. Playtime would be over the next time, and she would get her little Earthy back. She would just need a little bit more time to tweak her RADARs to locate him. It wasn’t as if she could just…..?

            Or…could she?

             Arell’s smile widened. The feeling of a brainwave was always very pleasurable.

            Always.

            She’d heal her eye first. Then, a simple search for some numbers. It was simple. Why had she not thought of it earlier?

            “Bradley, Bradley, Bradley…” She said, shaking her head. She laughed gently. “You don’t have much time left. I won’t give you that many chances anymore. The next one…you should think very hard about. Very, very hard.”

            She brought out the transporter. And soon, she was gone from the Catskill Mountains.