Collector Ship Read online

  He broke through the tree line and saw his cabin in full relief. The front door was broken into splinters. His living room window had been smashed inwards. He knew one of the aliens had caused the destruction when he heard Buddy yelp. He ran through the doorway with his gun drawn. The last thing he wanted to see was one of those aliens feasting on his pet.

  The big bat-like creature he’d seen flying above him filled his entire living room and it had Buddy cornered behind the TV stand.

  A fresh memory sprouted about that particular alien now. He saw even more of its weaknesses and strengths. He knew how smart it was and how it moved. He knew its flaws. It wore armor and carried weaponry that it would use if it had to. And he suddenly realized that even though his overall memory was weak, just being near any one of the aliens brought forth all of the information he needed to fight back. It was like the memories were stored but inaccessible until the exact moment they were needed.

  Buddy whimpered and cowered which sent ice through David’s veins. The squeals of delight coming from the bat thing increased his fury. He aimed for the center of its back and fired. It was cowardly to shoot a man in the back but he thought there were probably different rules for an evil alien bat monster. If anything, catching it by surprise was the intelligent thing to do. It tried to turn on him but its wings scraped against the walls, hindering it. He shot it again, a little higher this time, which really seemed to get its attention, and then he saw Buddy rush from his hiding place and dive on the flailing alien.

  He strode forward now to make sure he got off a clean shot that wouldn’t hit Buddy. He fired directly into the back of its grotesque head but to his amazement that only seemed to further agitate it. He remembered his rifle he’d left outside when he'd been reading, right before the ship from outer space and its alien inhabitants had screwed up his day, and decided he needed it if he had any chance at slowing the bat thing down.

  He ran from the room. Buddy saw him flee and yelped, thinking he was leaving him behind. David snatched up the rifle, chambered a round and aimed through the living room window at the bat creature. Buddy jumped off of its back when he saw his master and David fired the round at its neck. Thick black sludge burped out in a stinking glob and the bat fell backwards, its wings folding in as it stumbled. David chambered another round and whistled for Buddy, who leapt out through the window and stood ten feet behind him. He fired the round at its torso and watched it buckle in two and slowly fall to the floor.

  He hurdled the window sill in search of his truck keys. He never used the truck for fear of being caught with a stolen vehicle but he’d make an exception this time.

  The bat writhed on the ground but it started to bite the air when it saw him nearby. It squealed angrily at him, which scared him more than the gnashing of its teeth because its squeals would attract other aliens. He knew its main weakness so he ran past it, grabbed some frozen venison from his freezer and threw it on the floor next to it. At first it didn’t react, but within a few seconds it was gnawing on the meat-icicle as its life slipped away. But the frozen meat kept it quiet and for that David was grateful.

  He found the truck keys where he’d left them in the kitchen drawer and by the time he got back outside, Buddy was already waiting beside the truck. David opened the door and the dog jumped in the passenger seat. The ground trembled again so he wasted no time starting it up and gunning it the hell out of there.

  As he drove, newly implanted memories flooded his brain, nearly causing him to go off the road. The knowledge was so foreign and yet it felt like it had always been there. The moment he started to become acquainted with it, though, it melted away, leaving behind ethereal ghost memories too vague to clutch at. Even though the program had permanently screwed up his brain, just being in close proximity to an alien was enough to jog the appropriate memory loose. That would have to be enough, he decided.

  He wondered if the ship had evaluated him and relayed his strengths and weaknesses to the alien combatants but he had no way to be sure. If it hadn’t then he had a distinct advantage over them in that he knew about them and they knew nothing about him. Of course, once they killed enough humans, they’d figure out mankind’s weaknesses pretty quickly. He had to stop them before they had a chance and to stop them he needed some serious help.

  He had a single phone number memorized; one that he was sure he’d never be dumb enough to dial. After he’d escaped from the program, he found a business card in his back pocket. He didn’t know how it got there, but that was par for the course in the program; to be made oblivious to everything but training. But he knew who it belonged to; his one true enemy, the only enemy he had who he could put a name to. He memorized the card and then destroyed it in case it could somehow be traced remotely.

  But his situation called for drastic measures, which meant he had to try and dial the number, even if it might lead to his abrupt end.

  Diner from Hell

  He sped into the parking lot of the only diner within ten square miles and left the truck running as he jumped out with Buddy hot on his heels.

  The place was empty save for an old woman with thin hair and a hump on the right side of her back. She glared at him like he had no right to upset her peace and quiet. The air was full of smoke and there was a hint of vomit lingering in the air. It was no surprise the place wasn’t overflowing with customers.

  She coughed a ragged, yet phlegmy cough and then yelled, “No dogs allowed. Get him out of here.” She smashed her cigarette in half and stood from her stool like she was about to come at him.

  He was so startled by how much of a bitch she was that he stopped in his tracks and stared at her. “Where’s your phone?”

  “I said get that thing out of here, asshole.”

  “If you don’t tell me where it is, I’ll hurt you.” He was surprised by the fact that he meant what he’d just said.

  Her mouth opened and closed and then she turned her head and screamed, “Jack, I need you out here. Bring the gun.”

  David calmly pulled his handgun from his waistband and slammed it down on the countertop. “That would be a mistake.”

  She yelled back, “Never mind. It’s nothing.”

  A fat man came bursting through the door with heavy shoulders and a beard that had no place anywhere near food preparation. Luckily he didn’t bring a gun or David would’ve been forced to shoot him.

  David picked up his gun and said, “All I need is a phone.”

  The fat man nodded, understanding right away that to survive this moment he had to do the right thing. “We have a landline in the hallway outside the bathroom. I’d really appreciate it if you’d get your dog out of here, though. My Sally is allergic.”

  “Too bad. Get me a coffee and get the dog a cheeseburger. Does the phone take quarters?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I need some.”

  The woman asked, “Are you robbing us?”

  “Yes. I’m robbing you of a few quarters. Now get them, and get my dog a damn burger.”

  The man opened the register, broke a roll of quarters and gave David half the roll. “I’ll get that coffee and cheeseburger for you right away. Sally, don’t antagonize the nice man.”

  Sally shook her head and lit another cigarette even though the one smashed flat in the ashtray was still smoldering.

  When Jack left, she said sternly, “Make your phone call and then get the hell out of here before I call the police.”

  “I’d appreciate it if you did call the cops, as a matter of fact. You’re going to want protection from what’s coming this way.”

  She snorted and then coughed. “And what would that be?”

  “Hungry aliens.”

  Maybe it was the way he said it, but she didn’t laugh or mock him. She simply walked to the big front windows and stared out at the parking lot. “You don’t say?” He'd probably just made her day. Normally he'd feel sorry for her for being so naive but in this case she was right to believe in extraterrestrials. If
everything went sideways she'd be coming face to face with some pretty soon.

  He dialed the dreaded number of his old handler from the program. His name was Murphy. He didn’t remember if the guy had a first name or what his rank was, probably because those memories hadn’t survived. But as soon as he called Murphy, he was pretty sure all hell would break loose. Murphy would probably send a team to eliminate him. Fortunately, he was counting on just that.

  A gravely voice answered. “Who is calling this number?”

  “It’s David Cole, sir.”

  There was silence followed by, “It’s been a long time, David. Why are you contacting me now? What could be so important?”

  “You know I wouldn’t be foolish enough to call you unless I had no other options. And I know you’re tracing this call as we speak. Don’t bother. I’m in northern Wisconsin at a diner called Gus’ Grub and Suds.”

  Another long silence from Murphy. “I’m not sure I understand. You know what comes next. You know we have to bring you back into the fold. Are you trying to come back? Is that what this is?”

  “Not at all. I stumbled upon something and I didn’t know who else to call. We’re being invaded as we speak.”

  “By who?”

  “It will be easier if you just send your kill team up here like I know you were going to do anyway. It’ll be much easier to explain if they see it for themselves.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? Is this some sort of juvenile trap? I know you’re good but you’re not good enough to take on the entire team.”

  “I don’t want to fight. I need help. Send them up here and I’ll let them explain the situation to you. You won’t believe me but you’d believe them.”

  “Stay put. I can have a squad up there in five hours.”

  “Shit. It might be too late by then.”

  “It’s the best I can do.”

  “Okay. Tell them to come armed and prepared.”

  Murphy laughed. “Would you expect anything else?”

  “I guess not. Listen, sir, I know you’ll probably try and take me out the first chance you get, but I have information that I have to pass along first. I know the enemy. I need to relay that knowledge to others.”

  “I don’t want to have you killed, you fool. You’re a resource like no other and I want to make sure you’re our resource again.”

  “Well, I’m not coming back, just so you know. I escaped for a reason and it wasn’t just to take a break from training. I escaped because I didn’t like the tortures you put me through. What makes you think I forgot about that? I still have a few memories left and they’re not good ones.”

  “Huh? Well I’m sending Stacey up as part of the team. Do you remember her?”

  “No. Who is she?”

  “She’s someone I wish you remembered. If you had just waited until the program was over you could’ve created many good memories of her, but you were too impetuous. You were too selfish. I can’t help but feel like I failed you somehow.”

  “You failed us all, sir. Now send your damn death squad and tell them to be ready to kill.” He hung up, regretting that he didn’t ask more questions about Stacey but glad he had the resolve to not fall for Murphy’s tricks. For all he knew, Stacey was going to be the one to put a bullet in his brainpan.

  When he came out into the dining hall, Buddy was busy eating the most disgusting burger he’d ever seen.

  He mumbled, “Who puts pickles and mustard on a burger meant for a dog?”

  The old woman snarled, “It’s a free sandwich so stop your bitching. Take your coffee and your dog and get out of our lives.”

  “You’re safer if I stay.”

  “We’d like you to leave. I didn’t see any God damn aliens out there. You pulled a gun out when I asked you to take your dog outside. I’d feel much safer if you just drove away.”

  “I apologize for that. I haven’t spent a lot of time around regular folks lately. A military unit is coming here, to this diner in five hours and they expect me to be here when they arrive. I’d prefer to wait in here than out in my truck.”

  She inhaled deeply on her cigarette and stared out the window. “Put the gun away and you can sit awhile. Are you hungry? I already started a tab for the coffee and burger. You can pay us next time you’re through these parts.”

  He flipped open the nearest menu, pretending not to notice that the plastic pages were sticky. “I’ll have a plain old hamburger but make sure it’s cooked all the way through. I don’t like any pink in the middle. Thanks for your hospitality.”

  She stood and yelled through to the kitchen. “We need another burger. Plain. Burn it.”

  Jack yelled back, “Okay.”

  David settled into a booth near the door. Buddy curled into a ball at his feet and pretended to sleep.

  Now he had to worry about aliens, the death squad, and the cops. He was sure the old couple had called them when he was on the phone with Murphy. That was the only reason they’d allowed him to stay, so that he would be arrested. But that was fine by him. The more guns available the better.

  When an hour passed without any cops arriving, he knew he’d misjudged the old couple.

  The burger was good enough but he still fed Buddy a quarter of it just so he’d stop begging. He drank one cup of coffee after another as he scanned the parking lot, waiting for the first of the aliens to descend upon the diner.

  With all of the fears that were running through his mind, he felt like a fool for spending any time thinking about Stacey, whoever the hell she was. Was she someone he was supposed to know and if so, how well had he known her? It had been a long time since he’d been with anyone – if he’d even ever been with anyone before the program swiped his memories – so it was no surprise that he was nervous about the upcoming encounter with this mystery woman. Then again, Murphy was a snake and it wouldn’t shock him to find out he’d made the whole thing up to unsettle him.

  He saw a small scurrying creature off in the distance. At first he chalked it up to some sort of wildlife but then a memory gripped him and he knew it was one of the aliens. It was as small as a dog and walked on all fours like one too, but otherwise it had no resemblance.

  At that moment, David realized something he hadn’t known until just then: not all of the aliens onboard the ship were intelligent. He knew the ship's mission was to collect the greatest warriors from each planet it visited. He didn't figure that out by himself; he knew it because the ship wanted him to know it.

  Some of the escaped aliens were just stupid, vicious bastards like that creature out there, stalking the diner. It made sense now that he thought about it. Had he not been extensively trained and armed, it would’ve made more sense for the ship to collect a lion or a shark than a human being. Just because mankind was the apex species on Earth didn’t mean a human was the best equipped of all Earth creatures to survive a battle against warrior aliens.

  His training had brought the alien ship to him like a beacon, but without his weaponry it might have decided to pick up a grizzly bear or a hyena instead. The realization was half hunch and half knowledge, vaguely constructed because of his twisted mind. But he was pretty sure he was right. The ship didn't care how smart you were; it only cared how well you could kill.

  The thing outside the diner crouched low to the ground and crept forward.

  David waved and hissed to the old woman. “Here’s proof that I wasn’t lying to you. Come over here but stay low.”

  The woman coughed loudly and stomped over to him, ignoring his warnings. But when she saw the approaching beast she crouched down beside him. “What should we do?”

  “I’m going to let it get close and then ambush it. It has poor hearing so it won’t hear me coming.”

  “How do you know it has bad ears?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  She moved aside as he slid out of the booth and pulled his handgun.

  He said, “Tell Jack to get out here with his gun too.”

&nb
sp; “He doesn’t own one. I lied.”

  “That’s okay. Be ready to run out the back door if this doesn’t work.”

  She didn’t reply. She crept toward the kitchen door never once taking her eye off of the alien critter.

  It was hairless and fat but the fat hid powerful musculature that was always coiled for action. It didn’t have a voracious appetite for food but it did for killing. It was territorial, marking its passage with death and mayhem. David knew that it had undoubtedly left a trail of dead wildlife in its wake as it made its way to the diner. Its head resembled that of a gorilla in size and shape but it had a razor sharp beak and an inner toothed mouth that presented a double threat to its victims. Its legs had two knees each for springing forward and its feet were oversized hooves with sharp protrusions.

  David knew he couldn’t count on its poor hearing to give him an advantage but the gun in his hand gave him the edge because it couldn’t kill him if it didn’t get within striking range.

  He slid to the floor beside Buddy and then he crawled towards the front door on his belly. He slowly edged the door open with his right hand and took aim at the sneaky creature. Once he was sure of a good shot he fired three times in rapid succession. The beast glared at him for a split second and then it fell on its side and twitched as blackish blood oozed out of its wounds.

  David stood and made to approach the beast when another memory hit him like a baseball bat; the creature plays dead to lure in its more formidable prey; it preys on predators.

  He took aim again and shot its lifeless body. It sprang to its cloven hooves. It reeled back, ready to pounce upon him when he shot it again, this time in one of its legs, to disable it. It was too barbaric and stupid to realize that it was safer to back away at that moment.

  David fired two more shots and then Buddy rushed past him and leapt at the thing, biting its thick neck, pulling it to the ground. David took the opportunity to shoot it point blank and this time it went still and died.