Polaris (5 page)

Parker shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe it came from that meteor.”

“That’s crazy. This can’t be happening, right?” Aaron asked.

“Well, what about your mom getting sick after being outside with Nakal.”

“Let’s hurry,” Aaron yelled as they ran toward Parker’s house.

Parker’s family owned a two hundred acre wheat farm, located a half mile down the street from Aaron’s house. Several birds sat along the roof’s edge of Parker’s house, lined up like soldiers. They seemed to watch the boys as they approached. Their only movement was an occasional blink of their eyelids to flush away snow flurries.

Aaron noticed the birds first. He nudged Parker who’d been running with his head down to block the icy wind.

“Whoa!” Aaron said.

The two slid to a stop and entered into a stare down with the birds for a few minutes.

Parker waved his arms around. “Shoo, birds,” he shouted.

The birds remained motionless and continued to watch the boys.

“They look like the same birds that attacked Nakal and those monsters,” Aaron whispered. “And check out the one up front. It has a chain around its neck.”

Parker focused in on the one bird. “What’s that about?”

Aaron shrugged. “I dunno, but I think that’s the same bird that was looking in my bedroom window last night.”

“This is too much.”

Aaron nodded. “Now that I see them in the light, I think they’re Peregrine falcons. Don’t you remember we studied them in school?”

“Um, no. I don’t remember anything about necklace-wearing birds,” Parker whispered. “Let’s go in through the back door.”

They eased around to the side of the house, and the falcons turned their heads to follow them. As soon as the boys neared the rear of the house, they darted the rest of the way and through the back door.

The house was eerily quiet as they entered.

“Mom? Dad?” Parker called out as he darted around the house. “No one’s here.”

Aaron sighed. “Maybe she took my mom to the doctor.” He picked up their house phone and slammed it down on the countertop after hearing silence.

Parker grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. “Let’s see if anyone else has seen that thing.”

The TV screen came on with a strange hieroglyphic symbol flashing across the screen, and a low screeching sound filled the living room. An image began to form on the screen as the boys moved closer.

An image of Nakal appeared on the screen, causing the boys to jump. The image was so real that Nakal’s eyes seemed to shift and follow the boys’ movements.

“What’s going on?” Aaron’s voice cracked. His eyes shifted back and forth between the TV and the door. Part of him wanted to flee, while the other part was curious as to how Nakal got on TV. Aaron eased closer to the screen. Nakal’s gaze rose up to meet his.

“Aaron,” Nakal began, “why did you run? There are no time-outs in this game. You gotta follow the rules.”

Aaron’s breath seemed to catch deep inside his chest, and his heart pulsated in his ears. He pressed his lips together, then swished his tongue around his dry mouth as he attempted to force words to come out.

Aaron screamed at the TV before running out of the house with Parker right on his heels.

“Wait,” yelled Parker. “Let’s take the truck and go into town to get some help.”

“You don’t know how to drive.”

Parker ran over to the garage and disappeared inside the door, leaving Aaron alone with the falcons intently staring. Moments later the garage door lifted, and Parker, behind the steering wheel of his father’s dilapidated nineteen fifty-five Chevy truck, pulled up beside Aaron.

Aaron looked around at the falcons once again before reluctantly climbing inside the truck. After securely fastening his seat belt, he closed his eyes.

“I repeat. You don’t know how to drive.”

Parker fastened his seat belt and revved up the engine. “Sure I do. It’s just like driving a tractor. Let’s go.” He pulled the truck out of park, lifted his foot off the brake, and then pressed the gas. The engine revved up again, but the truck only rocked forward and back.

Aaron leaned over and looked at the dash. “Uh, Mr. It’s-just-like-driving-a-tractor, I think you have it in neutral.”

“Oh, yeah.” Parker replied with a nervous chuckle. Placing his foot on the brake again, he shifted to drive, eased his foot off the brake, and sighed with relief when the truck slowly moved forward.

“I wonder if they’ll follow us.” Aaron eyed the falcons. “There is definitely some
what the heck
stuff going on in Bixie.”

Aaron sat without talking as Parker maneuvered the truck down the street and onto the main road into town. The tail of the truck swerved from the left as he rapidly turned the wheel in the opposite direction. It then swerved to the right. He turned the wheel as quickly as he could the other way. The lines in the road were covered in snow. Going a slow easy pace, Parker tried his best to keep the truck in the center of the road. Aaron strained his eyes to see through the foggy windows caused by a faulty window defogger and bad window wipers that screeched with every pass.

He gripped the armrest tighter and realized that if he pressed any harder on the imaginary brakes beneath his feet, he would push through the floorboards.

“I thought you said you could drive this thing,” Aaron said as he reached over and tried to help steer. “Hold it steady. I’m getting motion sick.”

Parker sneered. “I think I’m doing a pretty good job, without one driving lesson.”

“What did your parents come into town for?” Aaron asked.

Parker shrugged. “I dunno. They wouldn’t tell me, but Mom seemed pretty upset. I heard them whispering about my aunt but couldn’t make out what was being said.”

“Hey!” yelled Aaron. “Watch out!”

Parker slammed on the brakes and braced himself as the truck went into a tailspin. The truck came to a halt mere inches from a huge fallen tree that was barely visible beneath the fallen snow. It blocked the entire road.

“Now what?” Parker said, putting the truck in park.

The truck shook.

Aaron looked around. “What was that?”

Again, the truck shook.

“Oh, no. It’s that big eraser alien thing,” Parker screamed as he slammed the gearshift into drive. He drove alongside the tree, off the road, and down into a ditch. “Hold on. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.”

Aaron scanned the trees, looking for a sign of Nakal or the creature. “I don’t see anything.”

“Well, it feels like they’re coming, and I ain’t waiting for them,” Parker said as he continued the off-road romp through the snow.

The truck aggressively trudged through the snow, and finally they were able to make it back onto the main road, but Parker didn’t stop until the city square came into view. He went directly to the police station and slid the truck into two parking spots, narrowly missing one of the parked patrol cars.

As they made their way out of the truck, Aaron took a look around the downtown area of Bixie. It seemed to be business as usual—people walking around visiting various shops and restaurants—but he noticed no one was talking on cell phones.

“I don’t think anyone’s seen what we saw,” Aaron said as they neared the police station.

“And it doesn’t seem to have snowed as much in town as it did on our side of town.” Parker said.

In that moment, it was as if Parker’s words awakened Mother Nature and ticked her off. A blast of wintry mix came rushing toward them from behind the buildings, as a thick white wall of snow enveloped them and caused them to retreat. They stooped behind the truck, using it as a shield against her wrath.

Aaron grabbed Parker by the sleeve and pulled him in the direction of the entry to the police station. With an outreached arm he felt for the door handle.

“Help me get it open,” Aaron yelled to Parker.

They each grabbed hold of the door and pulled it back against the strong winds, managing to pry it open just far enough to slide though. The door quickly shut behind them causing them to fall headfirst into the police station lobby.

“Now that’s what I call a grand entrance.” An older woman greeted them at the counter. Her hair was a shade off from being jet-black, and her gray roots had grown out a couple of inches. She wore it pulled back from her face with a turquoise beaded headband.

“How can I help you boys today?” she asked.

“We need a cop,” Parker screeched. “We’re being chased by an alien and a giant eraser!”

Aaron dropped his head as the lady just stared at them.

“S’cuse me, honey,” she said, then pursed her lips together to suppress a grin.

“We need help!” Parker screamed. “We’re under attack!”

Aaron felt the blood rush to his cheeks as the stares of the office workers fell on them. “Um,” Aaron stuttered. “We, uh, saw something strange near old Washington Bridge.”

The woman gave them a side-eyed glare and waved her hand to get the attention of one of the detectives in the rear, who seemed to snarl at the interruption.

The detective reluctantly walked over to the counter, taking his coffee mug with him.

“Yeah?” he said and took a sip of his coffee, making an obnoxious slurping sound. His eyes narrowed at them.

Aaron opened his mouth to speak then closed it.

Parker huffed as he elbowed Aaron. “We saw an alien,” Parker said.

The detective slurped his coffee once again and raised his left eyebrow.

“Alien.” The word came from the detective’s mouth as if he’d had a mouthful of crackers. He stood there for a moment staring at the boys. He then scratched his head, slurped his coffee, and returned to his desk shaking his head.

The woman cleared her throat before speaking.

“Maybe you boys should run on home. We’re awfully busy here today with the phones, Internet, and satellites being down, and we don’t have time for foolishness,” she said, before walking away from the counter, not giving the boys a chance to respond.

Aaron could tell from Parker’s body language that he was getting ready to protest. He quickly pulled him back toward the entry. “They’re not going to believe us unless we have proof,” Aaron said quietly. “You have to admit it does sound crazy.”

Parker nodded. “I guess you’re right. We need a camera.”

“We can use your cellphone.”

“Oh, yeah.” Parker reached into his jacket pocket then moaned. “I left it on the kitchen counter after I couldn’t get a signal.”

Aaron paced around in a circle. “Ugh! Why’d you do that?” he shoved Parker, “You’re an idiot!

“I’m an idiot?” Parker shoved Aaron back. “
You’re
the one who invited an alien into your house for warm milk and cookies!”

“I didn’t know he was an alien!” Aaron yelled back and got into Parker’s face before backing away. “You’re right. This is my fault. I am an idiot. I got you involved and my mother is missing.”

Parker reached out and touched Aaron on the shoulder. “No you’re not. I know you were just trying to help him.”

Aaron managed a slight smile.

“Good thing he went to your house, because he would’ve been a Popsicle by now while trying to get into mine.”

“Let’s go get your cellphone or we can get my camera from my house, but first let’s stop by Dr. Ameed’s office to see if my mother is there.”

The two braced themselves for the blasts of cold air as they pushed their way back out the door. They headed to the medical building a couple blocks over. The heavy snow appeared to have caused everyone to take cover inside the nearby buildings, as there were now only a few people outside besides those in slow-moving cars and trucks on the main road.

Parker pointed across the street. “There’s that crazy old man from the gas station that I saw yesterday. I wonder if he saw the alien and that’s what he was talking about.”

Aaron turned to watch the old man. He seemed to be explaining something to the shop owner; his gestures were very animated. “We can see what he says after we finish at the doctor’s office,” Aaron said.

After entering the medical office building, they paused to look up the suite number.