Invaders from the Center -- Chapter 1

A bright light turned on, making me roll around and groan, waving my right hand in the way that motions to "go away". Soon my mother shook my shoulder.
"Kathy, wake up, they're coming," my mother begged. I groaned and blinked sleepily at her.
"Who?" I asked stupidly.
"The invaders," my mother whispered.
At those two words my nervous system unleashed about two gallons of adrenaline into my system, and I jumped out of bed and started picking out my gym clothes to change in. My mother tugged on my elbow.
"No time, your father and Jason have already left. Kathy, they'll be here any moment. Turn that light off," my mother said anxiously. I gave her a stare. After all, I wasn't the one who had turned the light on in the first place. But heartbeats later I saw her reasoning and quickly ran to turn off the light.
My mother grabbed my wrist and pulled me down the stairs. I was too scared to object.
The "Invaders" were aliens that had killed thousands of humans in one blow, taken over half of Europe in two days . . . and had came from the center of Earth. They weren't human. They were a bloodthirsty race that had no mercy. My aunt, uncle, and 13-year-old cousin had been captured three years before.
My cousin had returned on my birthday five years later, insane. No one could make out what she meant by "turn in glob, suck your face and goo . . . orp an unca dea . . ."
It was like an 18-year-old that had gotten into one of the toughest colleges had suddenly developed the mind of a toddler.
I was 14 now, and scared to death about the invaders.
I didn't want to have the same fate of Lauren - she was in an underground mental hospital right now and not getting any better.
We ran through the neighborhood, our feet crunching the wet grass softly, the whole time I was praying the Apostle's Creed, Hail Mary, and Our Father, and my own: one that prayed my 6-year-old brother, Jason, and my father were all right.
It was not a safe time for the human race.
"Kathy!" My mother hissed, climbing in a tree with a small star on its trunk. She pressed the star's center and two of the star's edges, the top and bottom. Abruptly a small door about the size of a small bean bag opened, and my mother climbed in quickly, then turned and motioned me over. I walked quickly over, but I was halfway toward the tree before I heard two unnaturally loud voices rip the still night air apart, making my blood chill and my body freeze.
"Mom, go," I ordered, shooing her away deeper into the hollow tree. My mother looked at me with tears suddenly streaming down her face.
After what seemed like forever, she nodded reluctantly and quietly swung the door shut.
I was determined not to be the cause of the extinction human race - or, really, what was left of it.
I bolted like a frightened rabbit across the alley and away from the hideout. In the opening, I looked for the source of the two voices, and I soon found them.
Invaders, crap.
They were dressed in big white rubber suits and spraying a red liquid onto the streets, and didn't notice me. I crept to the other side of the street.
I had to escape, but they were getting closer and closer to the hollow tree.
So I did a very, very stupid thing. I screamed. They noticed me immediately, and one shouted, "A human!"
I ran as I've never ran before. I soon lost them - they were blundering and awkward in those rubber suits - and ducked into another alley, breathing heavily. I checked in front, behind, and across from my position. Seeing the coast was clear, I fell to the ground and rested my head against the brick wall, hoping to get some sleep.
I woke up to see a head right in front of my face, and soon my mouth was blocked so I couldn't scream. Struggling against the strong grasp and looking closely, I saw he was still human.
But how to tell him that I was still human with him blocking my vocal passage?
To my surprise, he carried me out into the main road. He called loudly, "I have one! Come out you cowards!"
My eyes widened. He was still human! How could he betray his own race like this? How?
The two invaders came out from a distance. One called in a throaty voice, "Thank you, Jeremy. We shall take her to Benjamin. Here is your money."
With that Jeremy threw me to the ground and caught the bag of gold the Invader had thrown at him, and then he took off without even looking back.
Even worse, he gave me to the invaders for money. The bastard.
I was too busy rubbing my jaw to notice the men. They picked me up, and I dully let them throw me in a Mercedes and drive off.
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White light blinded my eyes when I woke up. I heard two voices, one male and female.
"Is she clean yet? I cannot touch her if she is not clean," A soft voice said quietly but still had that "I'm in charge" air about it.
"Of course, Benjamin. She is not clean yet, but we will finish that as soon as possible."
"Good, good. I do hope they caught a human with actual knowledge of the Resistance, not one with the gift of stupidity."
The girl giggled unnaturally loudly. "I'm sure she isn't, Benjamin. She looked like she had been on a long journey . . ."
So, so true.
"Maurice, the cleaning, now." Benjamin said softly. Maurice giggled again and walked into the room I was being held captive in. She grabbed my wrist - wearing rubber gloves, I noticed - and pulled me toward a door. I abruptly felt unnatural, and found that I had been stripped of my clothes.
Maurice pushed me, hard, after opening the door, through the open flab of wood.
I screamed as I fell about thirty feet, and plunged into the same red liquid I had seen the two men in the street spray everything.
The liquid was burning hot. I couldn't do anything, and it pulled me under numerous times.
Finally, my body was tired of fighting the red quicksand and I unwillingly became unconscious.
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"Has she been cleansed?" a man asked, making me wake up. The same giggle answered, and I bet the people were Maurice and Benjamin.
"Yes, Benjamin. She soaked for exactly an hour. You should have no problem. Good luck."
"I don't think I'll need it, Maurice, but thank you anyway," Benjamin's voice sounded amused. Maurice giggled.
The door clicked, and a teenager about my age stepped through. He made me suck my breath in sharply and lean backwards, and saw my hands and feet were tied to a chair - and I was dressed, thank God.
Benjamin had curly black hair with brown eyes . . . and he was deathly pale.
He smiled at me in a friendly manner, ambled over to me, and casually put his bare hand on my forehead.
It was sweltering hot and made me start sweating just by feeling it. I jerked my head away and tried to bite at his hand.
Benjamin smiled in an amused way and pulled back his hand, "We've got a feisty one here, don't we?" He asked himself, massaging his palm. "Stay still, little one," he murmured softly, placing both palms on my head and concentrating hard.
Immediately, I saw brief and dim visions of everything I had been through a few hours before . . . my mother waking me up, the tree . . . me getting betrayed by my own race . . .
Suddenly Benjamin lurched backward, gasping. "How did you do that?" he asked me, his voice being much too loud for his usual soft manner. I narrowed my eyes.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," I said finally.
"You silly human! How do you defy my power? How? When I do get information . . . it is unclear and quiet. It is obvious that you posses information about the wild humans . . . but how to get through you?" Benjamin muttered. "However, it maybe a different part, not the forehead. Let's try . . ."
His voice trailed off and he moved his hands down to my neck. I tried to squiggle away, but he had my neck trapped, so I couldn't do anything.
"You're stubborn, aren't you, little human?" Benjamin asked to himself again.
"I wish you would stop talking about me as if I wasn't right here," I said, uncomfortable at the heat. Benjamin looked surprised that I had spoken.
"What is your name, human?" he asked gently, moving his hands back to my head.
"It's human," I retorted, "Because you keep calling me that."
Benjamin concentrated hard again, putting his hands back on my neck. My memories were clear and loud and very painful right then, and I screamed. The visions stopped again. Benjamin had jumped back again, annoyed but triumphant.
"Kathy," he breathed. "Your name is Kathy."
I scowled. Damn my neck! Now I really would be responsible for the extinction of the human race. "Why do you care so much?"
Benjamin didn't answer; instead he once again placed his hands on my neck and concentrated once more. He muttered five simple but blood-curdling words.
"Now for more important things."