Edge of War

By Katherine Guild

The world is facing a group of beings no one understands. Four strangers each with unique talents and knowledge are brought together by circumstance to unite against the invasion. As the world becomes more unstable one question remains who is the bigger threat the aliens or us.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9781365992520

Book preview

Edge of War

Edge of War

First Edition

Copyright © 2017 Katherine E. Guild

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information systems, without the consent of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This story is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, governments, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.

Cover art and design by Karen Cox.

Edited by D. Kirk Miller

To my husband, it’s just you and me.

Table of Contents

Level 1

Chapter 1: Carolinepage 5

Chapter 2: Elliottpage 16

Chapter 3: Brandonpage 24

Chapter 4: Davidpage 33

Level 2

Chapter 5: Carolinepage 42

Chapter 6: Elliottpage 53

Chapter 7: Brandonpage 69

Chapter 8: Davidpage 74

Level 3

Chapter 9: Caroline & Elliottpage 88

Chapter 10: Brandonpage 98

Chapter 11: Davidpage 106

Level 4

Chapter 12: Caroline & Elliottpage 111

Chapter 13: Brandonpage 122

Chapter 14: Davidpage 134

Level 5

Chapter 15:

Caroline, Elliott, & Brandonpage 142

Chapter 16: Davidpage 151

Level 6

Chapter 17:

Caroline, Elliott, & Brandonpage 159

Chapter 18: Davidpage 171

Level 7

Chapter 19:

Caroline, Elliott, & Brandonpage 178

Level 8

Chapter 20: Everyonepage 187

Level 9

Chapter 21: Everyonepage 199

Level 10

Chapter 22: Everyonepage 212

Level 1

Chapter 1

Caroline: Wichita, KS, May 23rd 4pm

As she stood in front of the mirror, putting the final touches on her hair, she saw a glimmer of light in the mirror above her shoulder. She turned to see what it was but there was nothing there anymore. And then she heard a scream coming from outside the bathroom. She rolled her eyes and thought to herself, I am walking to my doom. She knew it was her 2-year-old son screaming, and most likely his older sister who was causing the screaming. Her daughter would say something about how he had bonked his head like she always did, even though they both knew that was never the case. As she walked to find them she heard the second scream, this one came from her daughter.

What happened? she asked.

He bite me! Daisy, who was 4, screamed through her tears.

And what happened to your brother? Caroline asked impatiently as she picked up her son, Buddy.

He bonk his head all by his self! she responded.

Is that what happened, Buddy? She asked, knowing the truth would not be coming out. He nodded his head emphatically. OK, let’s try to be more careful and no more biting. Caroline set him down and kissed the top of his head. Daddy will be here in a few minutes and we are going out for dinner. Are you two ready to go? she asked them.

Yes! replied Daisy.

Noooooooooo…… whined Buddy.

Do you need shoes, Buddy? she asked even though she knew the answer was yes. He responded by nodding his head with as much emphasis as he could produce.

Caroline was a stay at home Mom with a heightened awareness of what the people around her were thinking. She did not hear their thoughts per say but had an impression of the feelings of those within a few feet of herself. It only really worked when she was focused and listening and she tried not to use it unless she really needed to know what someone was thinking. It is how she knew just how much her husband loved her and just how much her in-laws hated her for it. It is also how she knew that he was about to walk in the front door.

Hi, honey! she chimed as she looked for Buddy’s shoes.

Hi, Babe, where are you? Are the kids ready?

Down here, she said from the floor of the closet, We are one pair of shoes away….and here they are! She reached up for his hand and he pulled her up to her feet. They embraced and he kissed her on her forehead. She leaned into him grateful for the embrace, she needed the comfort his presence always brought her, today had been a long one. They pulled away as the children came up the stairs shouting Daddy!

Hi! Did someone miss me? joked Mark, Caroline’s husband.

Here are your shoes Buddy, come sit down so I can put them on. said Caroline. Then she heard a voice, very faint at first, so faint that she dismissed it. She heard it again though, this time much louder. It wasn’t Mark’s voice, or anyone she recognized, so she asked Mark Do you hear someone talking? Is the TV on?

No, I don’t hear anything, was his response as he picked up Daisy at the top of the stairs. Caroline had the strangest feeling, as if someone was watching her and when she looked over her shoulder she saw another flicker of light.

Mark, I could swear there is someone behind me talking, I saw a flicker of light and I saw it earlier too when I was looking in the mirror. Are you sure you don’t hear anything? wondered Caroline.

Just you he said as he put Daisy down. Why don’t you go play with your toys downstairs until Mommy and Daddy are ready to go? he asked Daisy.

OK, Daisy said disappointed but she complied. He usually trusted his wife’s instincts, over the years he had found them to be unusually accurate. However today he was hungry and had little patience for her normal chatter.

I think she can hear me but I don’t know if she will be able to understand us, said the voice. It was coming from one of the aliens who had recently arrived in our galaxy. He was communicating with his ship which was cloaked and orbiting Earth.

I can hear you and understand you. Where are you? Who are you? Caroline asked starting to feel panicked.

I didn’t say anything, said Mark. She was really going to put him through this now? How much longer would it take?

I know, I know, she said waving him off with her hand. Now Mark was getting angry. She finished putting Buddy’s shoes on, stood up and handed him to Mark. But someone did say something, I could hear them, she whispered. Mark took Buddy downstairs to play with Daisy.

You don’t have to be afraid. We won’t hurt you or your family, the voice stated. We only came to your planet to help, but we have been unable to communicate with any of your kind until now. Until you.

How long have you been here? she asked with a million more questions on her tongue.

Not long, a few weeks by your time, said the voice.

What the hell is going on? yelled Mark as he climbed up the stairs. He never yelled but he hated being ignored and he was already on edge.

Calm down, Mark, just give me a few more minutes and I will explain. Caroline was trying to stay calm herself, she was prone to panic attacks. Her emotions were high and her adrenaline was running.

I will reveal myself, the voice started but Caroline interrupted.

No, wait, let me take the kids next door. Mark, help me with the kids and then I will be able to show you what is happening. Caroline knew only two things were possible, one, she was going crazy and Mark would have to take her to a hospital or two, there was really an alien communicating with her. The children shouldn’t be here for either situation.

They will be fine downstairs, just tell me what is happening! Mark said defiantly. He did not want to delay any further.

Mark, I know you don’t understand and neither do I but something is going on here and I need the children to be safe. I cannot explain anything until we take them next door. Please trust me, she pleaded.

Okay, alright, whatever, let’s go, Daisy, Buddy, come back upstairs, we are going to take you to Mrs. Nelson’s house to play for a little bit before dinner. Mark felt defeated but agreed. As they reached the top of the stairs he scooped Buddy up and walked through the door. Caroline took Daisy by the hand, led her outside, and locked the door behind herself. They were good friends with their neighbors and used their well-used code word for ‘Cover me.’ They walked back home and sat down in their living room.

It was only five and light was still streaming in their front windows. Caroline explained to Mark what the voice said and told him he wanted to reveal himself but that she didn’t know who or what he was or if he really existed outside of her own mind.

This is crazy! You think there is a person, an alien, here in our house, talking to you in your head? said Mark, his tone laced with cynicism.

No, well, sort of. I think there is an alien in this room. And for some reason I can hear his thoughts. I have always been sensitive to the way people around me are feeling and if I concentrate I can almost hear their thoughts. I don’t know if the aliens are telepathic or if my abilities are increasing. All I know is that I need you to stay calm and if he does exist he will show himself. If he doesn’t I’m hallucinating and you can take me to the hospital, Caroline was on the edge of panic. Would her husband trust her? Was she crazy? What does it mean if there are really aliens here on Earth? What do they want?

Okay, replied Mark reluctantly If there is an alien in this room please show yourself. His skepticism oozed out of his statement. Caroline heard one word in his mind ‘Hospital.’ She knew it was hard to swallow and that she probably was crazy but it still hurt for him to not trust her.

They saw a faint light twinkling in front of them and then as though a curtain was falling, the light fell to the floor. And where it had been stood a tall grey alien. He had a large head and an unusually long neck. His slim figure almost made him look ill. His skin was wrinkled like an elephant and he had no hair on his head. He wore a suit that was a bluish grey and covered most of his body. He had a serious look on his face which made him look intimidating.

Mark was in shock, he stared at the alien with his jaw on the floor! All Caroline felt in that moment was relief. She was not crazy. There really was an alien. Now they had to find out if he was telling the truth. But deep down Caroline knew he could be trusted. She could only see good in him. She didn’t understand why she felt this way.

Mark, just stay calm, he is not going to hurt us. He just wants to talk. They have tried to communicate with other humans but they can’t, no one else understands them. They need me. Caroline hoped he would trust her now.

Ok, was all he could muster. The alien started talking and Caroline relayed what he said to mark.

I will try to start from the beginning. A century ago we encountered a species from another planet who was attacking nearby planets. We attempted to protect our neighbors but the Nanu were relentless. We retreated 50 years later to regroup and we started trying to fend them off again 10 years ago. They have conquered 12 different planets since we became aware of them. We intercepted a communication from their fleet to their home world. It indicated that your planet was next. We are trying to get ahead of them. We created a wormhole to get us here before they could reach you. They discovered our plan and attacked us as we were coming through the wormhole. We were able to collapse the wormhole before they could enter it but our ships were damaged by their weapons and we cannot call for reinforcements until we repair them. We want to coordinate a defense with your governments but we cannot communicate with them. We also fear that the Nanu have sent a communication through the wormhole during the attack feeding false information to your governments. We don’t know if they will trust the communication or dismiss it. However, when we tried to reveal ourselves to the U.S. government, as well as a few other governments on your planet, they detained our agents and we can no longer hear them, the alien explained.

I have so many questions, Caroline began.

I know this must be overwhelming and I am willing to answer any questions you might have but we must work quickly. Would you be willing to help us? asked the alien.

I would be willing to try… said Caroline, weary of her ability to convince anyone of the truth.

Wait, interrupted Mark what are you asking my wife to do? She is not going on your spaceship!

They are here to help; they are not going to hurt us, assured Caroline.

Why do you trust him? You have no way of knowing if he is lying! Mark was in a rage now. He was thinking that he didn’t want to lose her.

I know you don’t want to lose me and I can’t explain why I trust him, I just know he is telling the truth. Why would they warn us about an enemy if they had any bad intentions? You know that I can read people’s emotions and intentions, his are honorable, Caroline paused and turned to the alien, I want to do anything I can to help.

Caroline’s cell phone rang, she answered, and it was Amanda telling her to turn on the TV. Caroline hung up the phone and turned on the TV on, there was news coverage on every station, videos of aliens without theirs cloaking devices were being reported. There had been a mass failure of the devices. The world was panicking. Some people had attacked the aliens but they were impervious to all human weapons. Any injuries they did obtain were easily healed with their advanced medical technology. The aliens started to retreat to their ships but it took time. There were thousands of them on the planet. The fear that we were being invaded caused panic, and the panic was starting to cause riots in some major cities. After only watching for a few minutes the picture went fuzzy. Not only were all the stations down but the internet and cell service as well.

The alien was communicating with his ship, and Caroline and Mark retrieved their children from the neighbors, fed them a simple dinner of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and put them to bed.

I thought I would be able to contact a senator or congressman from here but I’ll have to go in person with the internet and cell service down, said Caroline. I don’t think I will get anywhere over the phone.

You’re going to Topeka? That should work, you’ll only be gone a couple of days. You should take my car and I’ll stay here with the kids, said Mark.

You trust me to go? inquired Caroline.

This is …. crazy to say the least but the government needs to be able to communicate with the aliens if they are going to restore order, replied Mark.

Thank you, honey, but I’m afraid I’ll have to go to D.C. because congress is in session. I might be gone for a few weeks. Caroline stated apologetically.

We will be fine. It’s a long time but we won’t be safe unless you go. Please, just promise me one thing…come back, these kids love you, they need you, I need you. Mark had a tear in his eye. He couldn’t imagine raising their kids without her. Caroline leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him.

I promise, was all she said.

They stayed that way on the couch together the whole night. When they woke up in the morning Caroline discussed her plan with the alien. The alien agreed that Caroline’s plan was the best option. He had been