Lilly's King Book 5

Alison Hunter kicked open the front door to her brother’s apartment, balancing two large grocery bags in her arms. Stepping in, she waited for the door to close behind her, then made her way to the kitchen.

“Logan?” she called, placing the bags on the small island in the middle of the open space.

She unpacked the groceries, placing a six-pack of beer in the fridge, her mind focused on the dinner she was planning to make for them later that night.

Alison had flown down to San Diego two days ago to see her oldest siblings. She hadn’t seen Logan in over two years, and she missed him terribly.

Logan, US Navy officer and a badass SEAL, had grumbled about her coming to visit him from Virginia, but she’d convinced him to let her. Sometimes, Alison thought he agreed with her out of love, mostly.

After a bitter breakup with her boyfriend of four years, Alison needed to get away. Brian was an asshole of the highest order, and everything at home reminded her of how easily he’d lied and cheated on her.

Not that she would tell Logan. She hated keeping secrets from him, but she also knew that Logan and his SEAL friends would be on the next plane out of San Diego, hunting Brian down if he knew what happened.

All she wanted was to forget about him and enjoy the sunshine, the beaches, and spending time with her brother.

With her mind still on the conversation she’d had with their mother, Alison packed the last of the shopping away and continued talking.

“She says that Dad had more tests done yesterday, and they’re waiting for the…”

Her words trailed off when she rounded the corner into the living room and found her brother's tall, muscular frame standing in front of the TV, his shoulders tense and a deep, worried frown on his face.

He had his phone to his ear, mumbling “Yes, sir,” every few seconds as his wide eyes stayed fixed on the screen in front of him.

“Logan?” she asked quietly, not wanting to interrupt his call.

Logan had arranged three days off from work when she first arrived, and today was their last day together before he went back to base.

Her heart racing, Alison looked at the TV. The sound muted, but it was clear what had her brother in such a state.

A young blonde anchorwoman sat behind a desk, her eyes wide and a pale, terrified look on her face. Alison couldn’t hear the audio, but the bold writing at the bottom of the screen told her everything.

“GLOBAL ATTACK IMMINENT” it said in bright red letters, taking up half the screen.

Alison felt her heart skip a beat. She looked at Logan, who tore his eyes away from the screen and met her gaze.

There was a deep, primal fear in his gaze like Alison had never seen. Logan had always been the strong, tough brother who was not afraid of anything.

With his bone-deep drive to protect others, it was no surprise to her or their family that he’d joined the Navy at eighteen.

But now, the panic in his gaze made Alison’s blood turn cold.

Finally, he mumbled something about being back at base right away, and hung up the phone.

“Logan?” Alison repeated in a soft, fearful whisper.

They both stood, staring at each other, for a minute. Logan broke eye contact first, stepping closer to her and pulling her into a tight hug.

His big body was so tense, a faint tremble vibrated through him.

Alison wrapped her arms around his waist, her hands shaking.

“What’s going on?” she asked, squeezing her eyes shut to stop the tears of fear from spilling.

Logan stayed quiet for a while longer, just holding her, then finally pulled back and released her.

“Whatever happens, stay close to me, okay? Go pack some clothes and be ready to leave in two minutes.”

Alison frowned. “What? Why? Please, Logan, tell me what’s going on.”

Logan ran a shaky hand through his thick dark brown hair and sighed.

“We’re under attack, Ali.” His simple statement made all kinds of emotions bloom inside her: fear, confusion, anger.

“Attack? By whom?”

Logan shook his head, and began to pace the short length of his living room. He began mumbling to himself, the way he always did when he was stressed about something he couldn’t figure out.

“This isn’t supposed to be possible. How can this be happening? How did no one know?”

“Logan?” Alison said again, dread turning her muscles tight. “Please talk to me.”

They were only two years apart in age, and Alison couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him shed a tear for any reason.

“It’s over,” he said in a soft, pained voice. “I don’t know how we come back from this.”

Worried, Alison went to him and grabbed his arm. She turned him to face her and waited for him to meet her eyes.

“Come back from what? Please, Logan, tell me what is going on.”

He blinked away the moisture in his dark brown eyes then nodded, as though making an internal decision. He gripped her arms tightly and began to speak.

“Six weeks ago, we got word that an asteroid cluster was heading our way. Nothing too big.

“NASA, NORAD, and the European Space Agency were sure they would burn up in the atmosphere and give us all a pretty light show.”

“The first of the asteroids reached Earth five hours ago. They didn’t burn up in the atmosphere like everyone thought.”

Alison felt weak in the knees. “Are you saying that asteroids are falling all over Earth?”

Logan shook his head, a pained look in his eyes.

“No, Ali. The asteroids that entered Earth’s atmosphere hit the Far East. China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and even Australia. But they’re not asteroids.”

She frowned and asked, “So what are they?”

Logan shook his head, the furrow in his brow growing deeper.

“Logan, what are they?” she asked again.

“Aliens, Ali. Fucking aliens. They’re killing everyone—everything—in sight. The armies of the countries that were hit tried to fight but there’s too many. They weren’t prepared for something like this.”

Alison had no words. She stared at her brother, trying to understand what he was saying. If not for the pale, terrified look in his eyes, she might have thought this was a joke.

“Too many of what?” she asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

Logan shook his head. “I don’t know. They look like spiders with lizard heads. That’s all I know. Each asteroid erupted into hundreds of these things. They’re…they’re eating everyone.”

“What?” she breathed, unable to comprehend what he was saying.

“The next cluster is due to hit Europe and Africa in three hours. Then…”

Alison felt sick as she asked the next question. “How long until…it’s us?”

Logan met her eyes. “Nine hours. The last cluster will hit North and South America in nine hours.”

“Can we stop them? Shoot them down before they, er…land?”

He shook his head. “No. China and Australia already tried that. They moved, Alison. They fucking moved out of the way of the missiles.”

Alison’s hand rose to her mouth, a soft gasp escaping her lips. “What do we do?” she asked, her eyes spilling tears.

Finally, Logan snapped out of the fear that had held him immobile and gestured to the spare bedroom she’d been staying in. “Go pack a bag. Be quick. Not too much, just a few sets of clean clothes.”

“Where am I going?”

Logan pulled his phone out and typed out a text. He didn’t look at her as he spoke.

Alison ran into the bedroom and pulled out her backpack. She grabbed a few shirts and jeans, plus a jacket. She shoved it all into her bag and ran into the bathroom for her toothbrush and toothpaste.

It took her two minutes. When she returned to the living room, Logan was arguing with someone on his phone.

His voice was angry and authoritative as he paced, waiting for a reply.

Finally, he nodded and visibly sagged in relief. “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. We’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

He hung up the phone and slipped it into his pocket. Looking up, he spotted Alison, her backpack slung over one shoulder.

“Ready?” he asked as he moved to a small cabinet to the side of the front door.

“Yeah,” she murmured, still feeling numb, as though this was all a crazy nightmare.

Logan pulled a motorcycle helmet from the cabinet and handed it to her. He took his own helmet from its hook and handed Alison his thick black leather biker jacket.

Alison didn’t argue. She slipped her arms into the heavy jacket and zipped it up. Logan took a small black metal box from the cabinet and used a key on his bike’s keychain to open it.

Inside lay a black gun, a box of bullets beside it. He took it out, checked the weapon, and held it and the box of bullets out to her.

“Put it in your bag. You remember how to use it?”

Alison nodded numbly, took the weapon, and put it into her backpack.

The jacket was warm, the heavy leather was making her sweat. She felt a little ridiculous wearing such a big jacket with shorts and sneakers, but the feeling passed.

Logan opened the front door and motioned for Alison to follow him.

As they made their way down to the parking beneath the building, Alison asked, “Will you be in trouble for taking me with you?”

Logan gave her a quick glance. “Don’t worry about it. Come on.”

Logan led her to his sleek black sports bike. They both climbed on, Alison wrapping her arms around his waist. She held on tightly as her brother raced into the streets of San Diego.

What she saw made her feel sick. Panicked people ran in all directions. Cars were gridlocked. Police and military personnel shouted at civilians as large, heavy vehicles tried to get through.

Alison closed her eyes and held on to her brother as he whizzed between the cars. It didn’t take them long to get to the port.

The guard at the gate took only a moment to check them in, and soon Alison was led onto a massive battleship. Men and women in uniforms rushed around her, each with the same panicked look.

Logan took her to a small room in the bowels of the ship and told her, “My bunk is on the top. Get up there and stay there. My CO wants you out of the way, so just stay up there until I come get you.”

Alison nodded, her breathing quick and ragged. Logan must have seen her fear, because he pulled her into a tight hug and held her for a moment.

Alison took in a long breath and asked the only question in her frazzled mind.

“What about Mom and Dad and Jonah?”

Logan stiffened, his breath catching. When he pulled back, the glimmer of tears was back in his eyes.

Alison’s own eyes filled, her heart aching. There was no saving the rest of her family. They were clear across the country. There was no time to save them.

She nodded, let go of her brother, and watched silently as he ran back out the way they’d come in.

A young woman in dark-blue uniform pushed past her, bumping her to the side, and Alison understood what Logan meant by her being in the way.

She pulled off her backpack and tossed it up to the top bunk. She climbed the small steps to the side and lay down in a tight ball on her brother’s bed.

Sobs escaped her as she listened to the shouts of everyone around her.

She wasn’t sure how long it took, but eventually, Alison felt the ship moving and swaying, and she knew they were moving out to sea.

She must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, Logan was gently shaking her awake.

Her brother had changed and was now dressed in the same dark blue uniform everyone else was in. As she climbed out of the bunk, Alison noticed that she wasn’t the only civilian on the ship.

There were wide-eyed women and shaken men sitting with children on their laps on the floor all along the passage that led back up to the top of the ship.

Logan led her up metal stairs and through a heavy door. She took in a long, deep breath, filling her lungs with the ocean air. Hundreds of people crowded together on the deck, watching the darkening skies.

Turning, Alison looked out at the ocean. In the distance, she could see the dark outline of land.

Dozens of vessels were in the water, many of them Navy ships, but mostly yachts and fishing trawlers. People stood on the decks, looking back at the land they had just left.

A loud boom echoed above her, making Alison jump. She shifted her gaze to the sky and watched in stunned horror as a large black ball raced toward the land in the distance.

A few seconds later, another boom sounded, then another and another.

Alison stood on the deck for hours, holding her brother’s hand in her own trembling one, as they watched hundreds of large black balls fall from the sky and hit the ground in the distance.