The Promise

Jack hated them. And he hated their faces most of all.

The pale green skin, the black, oblong eyes that stretched vertically down the humanoid head from the forehead to where the cheeks would be. And the weird, horn-like ridge that seemed to split the crown of their heads in two. And he had one of their ugly, sickening faces in the middle of his crosshairs.  

Jack exhaled, preparing to squeeze the trigger. It looked like this one was alone, sitting outside an old warehouse with shipping containers scattered across an overgrown lawn. He’d done this a hundred times now. But right now for some reason his wife’s voice echoed around in his brain, messing up his concentration.  

Promise me Jack…

He often heard her voice, remembered the last words she said to him before she became a monster. A monster this ugly son-of-a-bitch had created. The reminder of why he hunted them filled him with anger again, drowning out her voice. The reason those were her last words was because of these invaders. His only purpose now was to kill as many as he could. He exhaled again. His hand tensed up, ready to pull the trigger on his AR-15. Ready to pop that disgusting, green head like a balloon.  

Promise me you won’t just kill…

Jack squeezed his eyes shut, trying to quiet her voice in his head. Why were her words coming back to him now? Especially as he was avenging her. This was the only way he knew how to make things right, the only way he fit in the world anymore. Wouldn’t she have understood that? Wouldn’t she have wanted that? But Valerie’s words resounded loudly in his mind again. 

Promise me you’ll help people…

Jack opened his eyes to find the black, elongated eyes staring back at him through his scope. The alien ducked right as he fired. The bullet made a high-pitched whine as it ricocheted off the container it had been sitting up against. The thing leaped behind one of the metal boxes for cover as he fired off several more rounds.  

Jack swore under his breath. This one didn’t seem as aggressive as some of the others he had killed. And it seemed to understand the danger it was in. Jack waited, but the thing didn’t peek around either side of the container. Hoping the thing was actually alone, Jack started to push towards the container, keeping one eye looking through the scope. Those things had some crazy weapons, but a marine with his gun was more dangerous than any alien tech.  

When he got within a few feet of the container something gripped his right ankle, keeping him from taking another step. Then he heard hissing.  

“You gotta be kidding me,” Jack muttered. While keeping the rifle pointed at the container, he looked down at his ankle. He had been so focused on the alien that he had missed the living corpse lying in the tall grass. A scarred and rotted face peered up at him through the weeds, hissing and bearing black teeth. There were patches of long, dark hair, making Jack think this had probably been a woman. Thankfully this corpse didn’t have legs. But it had still managed to grab one of his ankles as it noticed him walking by.  

Jack stole a glance at the shipping container. No sign of the extraterrestrial. He might’ve run off. Jack shook his leg, hoping the corpse wouldn’t have strength to hang on. But the zombie’s death grip wouldn’t give. The corpse started to drag itself toward him, opening its jaws wide. Jack kicked it in the face with his boot. That stunned it momentarily, but it quickly recovered and continued dragging it’s legless body closer. Then Jack brought the butt of his rifle down on top of it’s head, caving in the skull. The corpse stopped hissing and fell still--but her grip on his ankle remained. Then he heard more hissing and moans.  

“Fantastic…” Several corpses were now heading straight for him at varying speeds. He wouldn’t usually linger this long after making so much noise. But she was heavy enough that if he tried to drag her he wouldn’t get very far. He threw off his backpack and ripped it open. He pulled out a hatchet to try and chop off the hand around his ankle. But a loud growling told him he was too late. A corpse with it’s stomach missing was mere feet from him. He dropped the hatchet and aimed his rifle that was still hanging over his shoulder with a strap. Two shots to the chest slowed it, and a third one between the eyes dropped it.  

He picked up the hatchet again and raised his arm to chop at the hand when another skeletal hand grabbed his arm. He looked up to see a long face with half of it’s skin missing, bending down to take a bite out of his forearm. He knocked the zombie’s teeth in with his elbow before it could bite. Then split it’s skull in two with his hatchet blade. His head spun around, evaluating the remaining threat. Five corpses were coming at him from all sides. All within 5 feet of him and closing fast.  

“So this is how it ends huh?” he mused. He wondered whether the reason his wife’s words had echoed so loudly in his head was because she had wanted this to happen; wanted him to join her wherever she was. But he couldn’t go down without a fight, it would go against every instinct he had. He pulled his Glock out, pointing it with one hand and wielding his hatchet in the other. He blew apart one’s skull, decapitated another before two rushed him at once, pinning him to the ground. Both his hands were now busy keeping their snapping, decaying jaws from tearing greedily into his flesh. Then he turned his head to see the last corpse leaning in to take a chunk out of his neck.  

Then the zombie he thought would end him, exploded.  

The shockwave from the blast knocked him and the other corpses to the ground.  The head and shoulders of the corpse had been vaporized into a red and brown mist. He blinked, his ears ringing. But no time to figure out what happened. He pinned one of the two undead to the ground and buried the hatchet into its face. Then turned toward the other one, which had already gotten to its feet, and raised the small axe to cut it down. But the head and shoulders of this one exploded as well. Spraying his face with dark red liquid. Jack furiously wiped the blood from his eyes. When his vision finally cleared he saw the alien from before. The one he had tried to kill. It was standing in front of him pointing a device attached to it's wrist at him. Jack recognized it as one of their weapons. He didn't know how it worked but apparently they could use them to blow up targets from a distance. Jack felt pretty stupid facing down this extraterrestrial tech with a hand axe. 

But to his shock, the thing lowered it to its side. The black, elongated eyes stared at him. He started back, unsure what to do next. Jack slowly picked up his rifle and slowly walked towards the alien. The green humanoid almost seemed to tremble but held its ground. When Jack got close enough to shake it's hand, he slammed the stock of his rifle into it’s gut. The alien gave out a high-pitched cry that seemed to vibrate. Jack then shoved it to the ground and pointed his AR right at its face; its ugly, misshapen face. 

“Why did you do that? Why did you save me from the corpses?” he demanded. The answer wasn't going to change what he would do to it. But Jack had to know. Why would the very thing that had destroyed their world, decimated civilization and taken everything from him--now rescue him from being devoured. The Alien simply stared up at him, trembling. 

“Why did you save me?!” Jack screamed. “Why!? After everything your kind has done to us. After you turned everyone into those things.” He gestured toward one of the fallen undead. The Alien continued to stare. Its mouth moved but no sounds came out. “It probably can't understand what the hell I'm saying anyways,” Jack thought. He chambered a round. It didn't matter that it had saved him, nothing could make up for what they did to the planet, what they did to Val. 

“Wwwaaiiittt!” the humanoid croaked. Jack stared. It had just talked, spoken English even. He had never heard one speak before. 

“I saaaaaved you...becaaaause I waaaanted...to help,” it said. It's voice vibrated as it spoke. And “a” sounds seemed difficult for it to pronounce. But it was speaking to him. But vengeful rage smothered Jack's amazement. 

“And why the hell would you want to help? You're the ones who caused all this, when you sprayed our planet with that mist. You turned everyone into flesh-crazed monsters that would eat their own kids. Everyone...” Jack's throat tightened up as he saw Val's pale, contorted face in his mind. 

“I did not know,” the alien rasped. It seemed to understand him. “Our leaders...told us the, the...gaaaaas would maaaaake you obey us, not fight us.” It was hard to understand what it was saying, but Jack thought he could hear pain in it's voice. 

“When you...hurt our, our...ships! I saw what the gaaaas...really did. I never... waaaanted this,” it said with great effort. Jack stood there, trying to process this. So it felt bad for what its people, what IT had done. Apparently this thing hadn't known that the aerosol they released into the atmosphere when they attacked their planet would turn everyone into mindless cannibals. This alien seemed to feel regret for something it had been commanded to do. Jack actually found himself relating to that. Memories of his time in Iraq started to surface, memories of things he had never wanted to do but was ordered to...

“No! Screw that!” Jack thought. He didn't care that this thing felt bad about murdering millions of people. It didn't matter, all that mattered now was killing every last one of them, until one of them got him. Jack aimed right between the thing's eyes. 

Promise me Jack...

No, he wasn't gonna let her words get in his head again, this thing had it coming. 

Promise me you won't just kill...

“Please...I waaaant to help...”

Promise me you'll find peace...

This was how he found peace. By slaughtering the animals that took her from him. But then did he feel she wouldn't want this...

Promise me you’ll help people...

“Please...I caaaan help you...I caaaan help all of you,” 

“Just pull the trigger!” 

I love you Jack, Please...

“RAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!” Jack roared. He stumbled back, clutching his face. His head was pounding. He felt disoriented. He wanted to kill it so bad. The only thing he knew to do to bring any relief from the memories. Especially the one of him standing over Valerie, holding a gun to her head. He could see the bite mark on her collarbone again. Her body was starting to convulse, and yet she somehow was able to speak enough to make him promise. He felt now there was a part of him that felt like her. Keeping her alive inside of him. And it wouldn't let him kill this one.  

“GO!” Jack yelled. Backing away from the alien. He buried his face in his hands. He couldn't stop the tears. He couldn't face the thing while crying. He just wanted it to leave. 

The alien stood up, looking at Jack sobbing. 

“I'm sorry,” it said in its strange, vibrating voice. Then it turned and started to walk away. Jack exhaled. He kept his eyes closed, head down. He didn't know he listened to her words. She was dead. She didn't understand how things worked now. She never had. But he couldn't mistake the sliver of warmth he felt again, deep inside. 

“I caaaan...help them.” 

Jack looked up. The alien was back. It stood in front of him, with one of its three-fingered hands pointed at one of the undead corpses on the ground. 

“What do you mean?” Jack asked. 

“The gaaaas...I caaaan maaaake it...chaaaange them,” it tried to explain. “Chaaaange them back....to how they were....before. But I need...help.” It looked at Jack expectantly. Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. Could this thing really come up with an antidote? And why would it need him? 

“Why do you need my help?” Jack said slowly. 

“I need one of you...to show me how...how to get to aaaaa place,” Jack lowered his head. Was this why Val's words kept coming back to him? A real chance to salvage what's left of this world? It was too late to bring her back of course. But there were so many others he could probably help if he had an antidote to the alien mist. But he still wasn't sure he could trust this thing, trust any of its kind. 

Jack stood up and walked up to the creature that had devastated the world. The alien then surprised him again and extended its hand. Jack looked down at it, the pale, green skin. How did it know how to shake hands?

“Is this what you want me to do Valerie? Is this why I can hear your words so clearly now?” 

Promise me you'll help people...

He grabbed the three-fingered hand and shook.  

“Okay, I'll help you find a way to fix this, if I can. I promise.”