Oh No, Aliens

Things were finally starting to lighten up between Jack and Hadley. The drive wasn't so silent, and she was even making some small talk with him every now and then. But then she would seem to realize she was being nice, and quickly snap back into her moody attitude. Jack wasn't very good at being charming, but he did know one thing well. Dad jokes. He sat behind the wheel, silent for a while as he prepared his next few comments in his head.

"What's the face?" Hadley asked.

"What face?"

"You're making a face," she said. "It's like you're up to something. Or constipated."

"I'm not constipated," he promised.

"I was kidding."

"Poop jokes aren't funny. They stink."

It seemed to take a moment for it to sink in, but Hadley groaned as Jack flashed her a bright grin.

"That was the worst," she said.

Jack chuckled, weaving around a couple cars to get ahead of them. Hadley had Hershey in her lap, running her fingers through his fur and looking out the window at the cars they passed. There were a couple boys in there who honked and hollered out their window at her.

"Ugh, pigs," she grumbled.

"You mean road hogs?" Jack questioned.

This time she punched him in the arm.

"Jackson, stop it!" she complained. "You're awful!"

"You walked into that one!" he laughed.

She shook her head, glancing over at him again.

"That's weird," she said.

"I figured the poop joke would have weirded you out more than the road hog," he said.

"I meant hearing you laugh."

Jack went silent, the smile falling off his face. He stared out at the road again, but he nodded slowly. She was probably right. He never smiled or laughed as a kid, unless he was laughing at someone he was making miserable. He hardly smiled as an adult, too. He always put himself under so much stress and pressure.

"You didn't mind leaving New York so suddenly," she noted. "Why?"

"I didn't have much," he said. "Other than my job, which has pretty much gone to shit. I have my cat, who I brought with me."

"Then why'd you move there?" she asked.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Opportunity, I guess. I worked as a waiter at a steakhouse where a lot of wall street types liked to go. I made some pretty amazing tips and made all sorts of connections. It's where I met Michael. I never went to college, and I figured I could get a job as a waiter anywhere."

"I guess so."

"We'll just have to wait and see."

She groaned again and he laughed. They drove a while longer, and soon Hadley had fallen asleep in the passenger seat. Suddenly, Hershey lifted his head and started yowling again, the way he did at the gas station. Hadley was startled awake and hugged the cat close in an attempt to calm him down. Jack slammed on the brakes and pulled over. It wasn't even dark yet. The sun was just now setting.

Hadley scrambled to roll up her window, but out the rearview Jack could see that one of the alien prowlers had appeared in the bed of the truck. Hadley screamed and Jack hit the gas, and the thing slid out of the truck bed and onto the road. It rolled back once and recovered quickly, running after them on all fours.

"Hit the brake!" Hadley yelled.

Jack slammed on the brakes again and they nearly flew through the windshield, but the alien hit the back of the truck hard and skidded over. It limply fell in front of them and lay still in the middle of the road. Jack and Hadley both took a moment to catch their breath, staring at the thing with wide eyes. Jack reached for the door, but Hadley grabbed his arm.

"What the hell are you doing?" she questioned.

"I just want to make sure it's dead," he said. "I'll be fine."

He got out of the truck and shut the door behind him, slowly approaching the creature laying in the road. It looked like blood was oozing from some cuts in its skin, but the blood was a bright green. Similar to the small chip Jack had taken from the car. Suddenly, the creature sprang back to its feet with a deafening screech. Jack stumbled back a few steps and nearly fell over.

"Jack!" Hadley yelled.

"Stay in the truck!" he yelled back.

Not that she listened. The creature lunged at Jack and his immediate reflex was to swing at it, punching it right in its obscured face. It made a cracking sound and screeched again, lunging at him a second time and this time succeeding in pinning him down. It was much stronger than it looked. It suddenly bent down and locked its jaw around Jack's forearm. Searing pain shot all the way up his arm as it started to pull, and for a moment it felt like it was going to chomp his arm right off. Then it convulsed violently and dropped on top of him.

Hadley stood behind the alien with her taser in her hand and her eyes wide. She pulled it off Jack and helped him get up and back to the truck. She got behind the wheel this time, speeding off before the thing woke up again.

"You're bleeding a lot," she noted.

"Just a scratch," he said in a strained voice. "I'm more concerned about the spins, to be honest."

"Spins?"

Jack was incredibly dizzy, and while his adrenaline rush was coming down he didn't feel his heart rate get any lower. He started getting clammy and feverish. He looked down at his arm, and while it was still attached, he could see between the blood that there was some sort of green tint to his skin where the bite marks were. Like he had been poisoned. He started to go dizzy again as his vision faded.

"Jack," Hadley said, panicked. "Jack, stay awake. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Tell me about... I don't know. A childhood pet."

"Didn't have a pet," he mumbled. "Wasn't allowed. There was a mouse in one of the walls. I used to feed it crumbs. 'Til they called the exterminator. And he got snapped up in a traaaaap."

He didn't remember much after that. He blacked out and woke up in a bed. The room looked like the stereotypical grandparents' house from the movies. Doilies and antiques everywhere, with some creepy dolls on the shelves. His arm was bandaged up, but he still felt the fever and his skin around the bandages still looked green.

Hadley came into the room a few moments later, seeming relieved that he was awake. She sat down on the edge of the bed and felt his forehead.

"Still running a fever," she sighed. "How do you feel?"

"Are you saying I'm kinda hot?" he suggested.

"You're feeling well enough to be an ass," she said. "You've been out for hours. Hershey has been meowing non stop. I thought you were dead."

"Hey, it's not too late," he said.

The comment was followed by some nasty coughs, and Hadley offered him a glass of water. He looked around the room where he was.

"Who's haunted house are we in?" he asked.

"It's another small, abandoned town," she said. "Must've been because of the alien. It might be more common than we thought. You're lucky it didn't rip your arm off. The wrist might be broken."

"Did it poison me?"

"Looks like it."

He looked down at the green tint again. It looked familiar.

"Do you still have the green chip?" he asked. "From the car?"

"I think so. Why?"

"Same color."

She looked at the injury, then left the room. She returned shortly after with the chip and held it against his arm to compare the colors. What they didn't expect was the green tint beginning to fade, moving down towards the chip as if the chip was absorbing it. Soon, his skin was clear. He was still injured and felt sick, but he could feel the fever fading.

"It took the poison," she said in amazement.

"It might not have been poison," Jack wondered. "Maybe those things are genetically engineered, just like the cars. And it's all mechanics, and-"

"Hey, enough," Hadley scolded. "You punched an alien in the face today. Enough speculation about what he was made of."

"I feel kind of bad about-"

"Absolutely not," Hadley said. "You do not get to feel bad for the alien. Cut that shit out of your zen routine. Now is not the time for worrying. Now you have to relax, eat some cereal, and watch some cartoons until you feel better. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am."