Walking an Endless Path Pt. 02

"huh... huh... no... can't even move..." Joe wanted to laugh, but the effort was too much. He started to hear something. "Someone's... coming...."

"Joe, listen to me carefully. Remain calm. Keep your eyes and ears open, and keep describing what you see and hear to us. Gather as much information about them as you can. If they take you through the portal, do your best to track your movements. Study their patterns and wait for your opportunity to escape. I imagine you will need to heal first. I understand you're good at that. I'm going to stop talking, so hopefully, they leave you the phone. But know that we're here and we're listening. Good luck, son!"

Joe's eyes teared up as he suddenly felt alone.

"I'm scared," he whispered.

Bannon whispered back, "It's okay. Be brave."

"Okay."

Soon, the noises he heard turned into footfalls, and once, he heard a thump of someone falling. There was another sound, like warbling. It got loud after the person fell. Then he could see them. Well, the outlines of them. The woods were almost pitch black, and the only light came from the stars. Joe decided he would start reporting now. He still didn't have enough energy to do more than whisper. He hoped they could hear him.

"I see around... a dozen of... the aliens. I can't see any color... but they seem to have... floppy skin. They are all holding... those rods..., and they seem to be... pointing them... where they walk... but I can't... see the light. Three of the... aliens are inserting... their rods into the cylinders. Sounds... coming from inside... the cylinders. I think... they're charging them. One of the... aliens... is getting close—Ohhhhh!"

Joe moaned in pain when the alien jabbed his chest hard with the rod he was carrying. He almost blacked out from the pain. Two of the other aliens screamed warbles at the violent one and began to strike him with their open hands until he dropped his rod and fell to the ground. They snatched it away and kicked him a few times for good measure.

"Bastard... hit... me. Got a... beating... for it... though..." Joe whispered harshly through his teeth. "If I make it... I'm gonna... give him a... beating too."

There was a deep whirring noise, and the three cylinders began to hover again. Stinky scanned Joe with the green light, and Joe convulsed. Stinky made a shrill note, and suddenly, Joe was being lifted in the air between Hack and Slash. The weight shift sent agony through Joe's body, and he blacked out.

-=-

In a control room in Anchorage, Roger Bannon, Rachel White, and General Dan MacAvoy watched the position marker for Joe's phone accelerate toward then merge with the tag for the portal. With a final squeal of distortion, the phone went silent. Within minutes, the marker for the portal disappeared as well. They looked at each other, shaken to their core.

They had calls to make.