White Sands by Nicholas Sansbury Smith Read Free Book Online

strong. The country is under attack. I’m telling you this because I know you’re both strong enough to understand. These soldiers are going to help us find someplace safe. Okay?” Michael patted David’s head and made sure Jeff had heard him.
    Another tear dropped from David’s eye, but Michael quickly brushed it away. “Be strong now. Paula would have wanted that.”
    Jeff grabbed David’s hand. “Dad’s right.”
    Michael could hear the two guards talking across their turrets. He knew they wouldn’t wait forever.
    “Time to go,” Michael said, reaching for Jeff’s other hand. He led the boys cautiously down the hill and toward the trucks.
    “Sir, we better get someone to look at your injuries,” one of the soldiers said as Michael stumbled forward.
    “Get my boys somewhere safe first,” Michael replied. “I can wait.”
----
    The inside of the truck was musty. It had been locked away in a bunker, so that wasn’t surprising. But the smell certainly beat the stench of Michael’s burnt skin.
    Michael sat uncomfortably in the backseat. His arms wrapped around both Jeff and David. He was shielding them from his agony, trying not to show them how much pain he was in. At the same time he was trying to suppress his mental anguish. The pain of knowing he would never see Paula again was far worse than the pain of his physical injuries, but Michael also knew that he didn’t have time to grieve. He had to focus on saving his boys.
    Both kids were quiet, staring out through the filthy window into the desert, watching the sun slowly set on the horizon. Michael took comfort in their peacefulness and closed his eyes as they drove deeper into the desert.
    Behind the wheel was Jeff Oakley. Michael had switched shifts with him a few times. He didn’t know the man well but had heard that he’d seen action in Indonesia before he was hired by NTC. His small, shaved head had a nasty scar running down the backside. His face was a bit more respectable with a thick jawline, dark brown eyes, and a nose that was missing the tip.
    They had been on the empty road for a couple minutes. Oakley hadn’t said more than a few words.
    The suspension under the Humvee flexed as the tires sped over apothole. Michael gritted his teeth. The jolt sent a sharp pain up his spine. The drugs were wearing off. He needed medical attention fast.
    “Any idea where we’re going?” Michael finally asked.
    Oakley nodded. “Nelson and Connor both said the spaceport is the safest place right now. We lost radio contact with the base, but there are a few tunnels there as well. Even if the port has been vaporized we can still hide out underground until it’s safe. That’s the plan at least.”
    “Do you know anything about those black ships?”
    “Alien, sir.” Oakley’s words were fast and sharp.
    The word alien sunk in faster than Michael thought it would. Perhaps it was because he already knew on some level. No country had the technology to build the ships he saw, especially not that many of them.
    David grabbed Michael’s hand, gripping it tightly. “Dad, is Paula really gone?”
    “Yes, bud, she’s gone.”
    “Where did she go?” he asked.
    “To the same place as your mom,” Michael said, pointing out the front window toward the skyline. The crimson tip of the sun was still visible over the horizon. Soon they would be shrouded by darkness.
    Oakley slipped his helmet on just as the automatic head beams shot over the road. He switched them off manually with the flick of a finger.
    Damn.
    Michael cursed under his breath. He had left his armor back in his quarters. Without his helmet, he was going to be blind once they got to the port. Especially if the power had been cut. He tightened his grip on David’s hand and looked over at Jeff. The older boy had been mostly quiet.
    “You okay?” Michael asked.
    Jeff pulled his gaze from the window and looked his father directly in the eyes. “This has been one heck of a birthday,” he said