Aliens, p.10
Aliens, page 10
Leticia had to chuckle. “I guess. Show me the way.”
* * *
The memories Leticia had of the ranch were those of a child. Everything had seemed huge, an endless field of exploration from one of the older barns close to the main house to the creek at the edge of the property. She still had a scar extending from her left ankle to the knee from bouncing on two wires suspended between trees over a creek.
Lucinda had claimed they had always been there, probably some sort of property marker. They were rusted old things, completely unsafe but irresistible to a curious Leticia when she gave both a hard tug. A light rain was falling, but they seemed safe enough to cross. As she shuffled sideways, her foot slipped and metal cords ripped through denim and skin.
It felt worth the pain once they made it to the other side. She hobbled back to the main house, wincing yet feeling like a victor of sorts. Ramón had stayed in the barn that day reading a book and playing Ages of Conquest and War Vol. II on his hand-held game device.
One of her fondest memories was of Robert and Roseanna creating a large fire pit to roast marshmallows for Halloween. The scent of smoking meat from a grill had filled the air.
Today it was a normal farm, where play would be replaced with manual labor beginning at dawn on the weekends and once a week after school. She didn’t mind. Only one more year before leaving Texas for what could be a very long time, especially if she traveled into space.
In the barn where they had played hide and seek among the hay bales, now there was a wall of reinforced locked metal cabinets roughly five feet high. Lucinda’s eyes glittered as the doors opened to her handprint. The locker was filled with hunting knives, a crossbow, and several .22 rifles, 20-gauge shotguns, and a pair of pistols.
“It’s nothing like the fancy stuff you’ll get in the Marines,” Lucinda said, sounding slightly envious. “We only keep what’s needed to run the ranch. It’s still good practice, though. Why don’t I add you to the users? Put your hand here.” Lucinda typed on the screen inside the cabinet then stepped aside for Leticia to scan her handprint. Once it had been recognized, she reached out to touch these weapons she had only seen, yet never held.
This was where her mother found her soul, Leticia mused, a sense of power and deep interest. These were also her companions in the final months of pregnancy, when she couldn’t do rigorous training. Her expertise had blossomed, despite being shut away.
“Next weekend we should go camping,” Lucinda suggested. “If you can survive with nothing but a knife and your wits.”
Leticia shook off thoughts of her mother.
“Camping sounds fun,” she said. “We’ve never done that. Ramón always had some bum excuse about needing to study or do this or that project, and Roseanna had to ferry him here and there to his different activities and study groups. But I thought this was a job,” she added. “You’re making it sound more like summer camp!”
“Damn, girl, we have a lot of catching up to do. There’s something really empowering about going back to basics—and don’t you worry about work. There’s a lot to do all day.”
There was a sound behind them, and Leticia looked to the open barn door. Avery stood there with a tray of coffees.
“Since it’s the first day, let’s take extra coffee breaks to get reacquainted,” he said.
“Sounds good, as long as we can get to work tomorrow.”
“Be careful what you ask for. We have to reinforce a temporary fence to keep the coyotes away, clear a patch of land for a new septic tank out by the horses, and paint the outside of an old barn at the far end of the main property. The horses have fancy new digs, and the smaller one will be converted to a type of studio. Pop is looking to hire someone to stay watch full time, to avoid thieves now that we’re expecting foals and a few other new additions. He’s finally broken down to put in a proper security system throughout the outer perimeter property. Those horses are as much his babies as we are. The coyotes are always trying their luck around the chickens, so the farthest ends of the fencing will be all electric. Will be good before lambing season, too.”
“Let me guess,” Leticia said, “he wants you guys to pitch in, just to teach you a little something he learned growing up.”
“You got it.” Lucinda rolled her eyes. “He says we won’t appreciate what we don’t work for. This is the ‘legacy’ he wants to leave to us. He can afford to hire a team to do everything, but he wants us to be ‘involved.’”
Leticia nudged Lucinda’s arm. “Well I’m not complaining, especially about getting paid.”
“I’m glad someone is!” Avery chimed in. Standing there with coffee in hand, the three had a good giggle. Then Leticia took a sip, deep in thought.
“You mentioned coyotes. Do I need to worry about them? Will they attack?”
“No.” Lucinda shook her head. “They’re the least of our worries—but if you run across one, or a few, you have to give that animal respect. Same goes for wolves. It doesn’t understand anything but territory, hunger, and survival. You make yourself as big as possible and maintain eye contact. No sudden moves as you get out of their way, very slowly.”
“Good to know. If only people were that easy to understand.”
* * *
Childhood memories of play fast forwarded to hard work. Each morning Leticia woke up to her phone alarm, and Roseanna drove her to the farm just as daylight was breaking. By the end of the day, she smelled of sweat, hay, splattered white paint, and horse feed.
At home the trees left blankets of leaves she had to blow into piles with the leaf blower strapped across her chest. This was something she also did on the Boone property. It made her feel like she carried a flamethrower as the burnt orange and brown leaves flew into the air. Avery and Lucinda bagged them afterward.
It was peaceful on the farm. There was hardly any traffic on the road that ran along the perimeter. Occasionally she saw a truck go past, but it moved too slowly to be of any concern.
She loved visiting the horses, stroking their brown coats with taut muscles flexing and relaxing to her touch. When hauling and painting, her anxiety subsided and the future held less weight. Her mind gave way to the moment without worrying about what Ramón or other people in school were doing.
When they practiced shooting, Avery stood behind her and guided her aim at pumpkins, soda cans, and—even scarier—scarecrows. In the back of her mind, she knew that one day it might not be old clothing stuffed with hay standing before her. It might be a moving target of flesh-and-blood, intent on killing her.
At the same time, his breath on her ear and hands teaching her how to hit a bullseye affected her in ways she’d never experienced before. It caused inner confusion, because she couldn’t tell if it was from the explosion caused by pulling a trigger, or the young man showing his affection for her day after day.
Good morning and Good night messages from Avery filled her phone. He gave her books on horses and shooting.
Leticia read at home, and practiced shooting at the Boone farm, even when she wasn’t scheduled for any work. Robert and Roseanna didn’t mind. Ramón scarcely noticed, doing his own thing and making his money with his side hustle. He kept his bedroom door closed and a small whiteboard tucked away in his closet.
* * *
The small barn the farthest from the main house was looking good, given that neither Lucinda nor Leticia was a professional painter. Robert didn’t want his place to be ostentatious, since so many had lost so much over the years. Keeping the farm simple was part of that plan.
Lucinda stepped out of the barn while Leticia rolled the last of the paint in her tray. Her body was tired from the work, satisfying as it was.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Dad said Thai was fine, so I just put the order in.”
Leticia stopped her rolling. “Will he be joining us?”
“Not sure. He said he was on his way home with Roseanna. I know it’s early but damn it’s getting dark fast.” Leticia looked to the indigo sky deepening in hue by the minute, with a breeze kicking up without the sunshine.
“I know,” she said. “It’ll be the holidays before we know it.”
Lucinda kneeled to replace the tops of the paint cans. “Let’s get these inside. I’ll soak the sponge brushes. Don’t want to be out here when it’s too dark, with the critters running around.”
A single light in the barn provided illumination as they rushed through cleaning up.
“Right, looks like we’re ready,” Lucinda said. “Time for Thai and to see what’s streaming on TV tonight.” Leticia loved spending time with Lucinda. There was less pressure than with Avery, who made it no secret how he felt about her. She’d probably made a mistake by making out with him when no one was watching, but what could the harm be in a little fun?
“I’m not going to bother locking it,” Lucinda said as she closed the barn door behind her. “Nothing in there anyone wants.” They walked briskly with the half-moon overhead and stars coming in and out of view with the gathering clouds. “Hear that?”
Leticia didn’t want to stop for the sounds of the nocturnal animals that lurked in the trees nearby.
“Foxes mating. There might be a few coyotes on the prowl, too.”
Leticia shivered, only partly because she was wearing a thin long-sleeve T-shirt. The fall leading into winter in Texas was pleasant during the day, sometimes hot. The night brought cooler temperatures.
“I’m too chilly to stop and listen.”
Lucinda was no longer by her side. She stood in the muddy road, patting her body.
“Shit. I forgot my phone. I need to run back. You go on ahead. The food will be here soon, and I’m hungry.”
“You sure?”
Lucinda was already skipping backward. “I’ve never been attacked by a coyote! Not once.”
Leticia shook her head and continued to walk. The sounds of the night were natural, had been there long before any of them. Still the unknown of the darkness, like deep space triggered fear. She looked back again, expecting to see Lucinda running toward her. Nothing. The light in the barn was still on. The longer she walked in the dark the more nervous she felt.
A coyote howled in the distance. Her mind began to wander. She glanced back again. The larger barn near the house was just a few feet ahead. She took out her phone and dialed Lucinda’s number. After two rings it shut off. She stopped in her tracks to think about what that meant, and what to do. Then she broke out into a jog before sliding open the door and running straight for the gun cabinet.
A small pistol. Surely nothing more would be needed to calm her nerves or shoo away an animal, but that didn’t make sense with the phone. She locked the cabinet and jogged back to the small nearly white barn. No Lucinda in sight, and her friend wasn’t the pranking type.
Her heart began to beat faster than her feet. As she approached, the light from the barn showed dried tire tracks in the mud. She had noticed them the previous day.
Her head jerked to the side as she heard a crash from inside, and she knew something was wrong. She had to be smart about this, and approached the door with caution. There was a muffled voice that was not Lucinda. With a heaving chest she threw the door open with one hand, then rushed inside with both hands back on her pistol.
A skinny guy with dirty jeans and boots was fastening tape around Lucinda’s mouth. Her feet and hands were bound. Two paint cans were tipped over and oozing white paint across the floor.
Leticia swallowed hard. She had never been in a situation like this, real fear standing in front of her, shaking her to her soul. But to show that fear would only be used against her.
“Take your fucking hands off her.”
The guy stepped away from Lucinda. His hands were dusty, with nails caked with dirt. He smelled of hay and manure… and horse feed.
“What are you going to do, little girl? Maybe I need to show you what you need, to be a woman. An extra lesson… for both of you.”
Leticia’s arms began to tremble. Part of her wished Avery was here, but at the same time, just because a man was by your side didn’t promise safety. She had figured the intruder would back off, with a gun pointed at his face. Instead, he took a step forward with his left hand on his belt buckle. His greasy hair was tied into a short ponytail. His smile looked like he chewed tobacco.
What would Jenette do?
You’re a Vasquez woman.
A soldadera.
“You want to try me, motherfucker?” Leticia cocked the pistol. “I said step away from her, and take your hands off your buckle. Nobody wants to see your pinkie finger. Not that there’s anything to see.”
“That’s a dirty mouth, little girl. I’m gonna wash it out with my—” As he reached to the back of his jeans, Leticia fired three shots toward the ground. Two bullets hit his left foot and the other the floor. He cried out and collapsed into the paint, dropping the Bowie knife he’d pulled from his waist.
Her breathing and heart seemed to be in sync with the gunfire. The fear evaporated with the lightness of gun smoke. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to pull the trigger.
“Next time I’ll aim higher.”
He lifted his face, half covered in dripping paint, toward her as he groaned in pain. Both his hands clutched his bleeding foot. Half of the spilled white paint was now tinted to pink. Leticia kept her gun aimed at him while slowly making her way to the knife. With one foot she slid it closer to her and picked it up.
She kept her aim to his face.
“I’m bleeding bad,” he said. “You have to help me. You’ll go to prison for this. Who do you think they’ll believe?”
“You’ll survive, you piece of shit,” she said. “I promise you that. You will pay for this.”
He looked at her with a fury that filled her with fear and a matching animosity. Is this what the world would look like? Combat? Until now her world had been sheltered. It made her think of what her mother might have experienced.
Lucinda already had her hands lifted for Leticia to slice through the tape. The knife was sharp enough to cut through with ease. Once free Lucinda removed the tape to her mouth and cut her legs free. She reached for her phone. As they waited for emergency services to answer, Robert and Roseanna came running through the barn. Robert held a shotgun. His eyes went wide as he pointed his weapon at the bleeding intruder, still holding his foot.
Roseanna ran to Leticia’s side. She still aimed the pistol. A single tear rolled down her face.
“Leticia, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but it’s a good thing you showed up, because he might not be.”
Roseanna lowered Leticia’s quivering arm. “You got him, mija. There are four of us and one of him.”
Sirens wailed in the distance. Lucinda moved to Leticia’s side.
“Thank you,” she said. “You’re going to be the best of the best.”
Leticia turned to Lucinda and gave her a tight hug. “I’m glad you’re alright.”
“How did you know to come back?”
“I saw a truck passing by the farm for the past few days, but it’s been going slow. Too slow. It held us up the other day on our way here. I thought I’d sound silly if I mentioned it. Then earlier in the day I noticed tracks outside the fencing. None of us have been driving around here. Something felt off when you didn’t come running out. I called your phone. I don’t know… I ran as fast as I could to the barn and back.”
“Watch out, Marines, there is a new colonel in town,” Lucinda said as she slapped Leticia gently on the back.
Leticia had to crack a smile. “We will see. I feel like I’m ready for anything, because I really don’t know anything. There is a whole other world—and worlds—out there.”
An officer entered the barn with his gun out. Something about him was strange. He looked at Robert, who wore a tracksuit and sneakers, then the intruder who lay on the floor bleeding. The guy shrieked with a cracked voice.
“That little whore shot me, and this big asshole would’ve done worse.”
“Whore?” Leticia lunged toward the man “Who’s lying on their back? Not me, cabron.”
Robert lowered the shotgun to his side. “There was some sort of incident, officer,” he said. “I’m just protecting my own. This is my farm, and I have no idea who this man is with my underage daughter and her friend. We arrived home when I heard shouting, then the gunshots.”
The officer, who had no name tag, kneeled next to the intruder, removed a handheld device from his front pocket, and scanned the man’s face.
“Sir, do not try to persuade me with any bias you may have,” he said. “I am an android programmed to uphold the law. According to this, you are a known criminal and match the description of someone sought in other robberies in the county. I will get you the medical assistance you need. However, I will not tolerate any more obscenities from you. You are under arrest, and I will now read you your Miranda Rights.”
“The fuck?” The intruder moved his head from Leticia to Robert. “What is this country coming to?”
More sirens wailed in the distance. Another officer and a paramedic arrived.
“You may all go into your residence,” the first officer said. “Once the criminal is secure, I will take a statement. Thank you.”
Roseanna nodded and placed her arm around Leticia.
“Robert, girls. Let’s go. I’ll put on some tea and hot chocolate.”
* * *
Two days later Leticia and Avery sat on the top of a round hay bale, watching the sun set. In the clear sky of lavender and pink the moon was a glowing crescent. The tree line of barren branches stretched toward the sky like claws attempting to choke the heavens.
Whenever Leticia looked to the sky, she thought of her family. It was a nice distraction from the realization that she had been prepared to take the life of another human, without a second thought. She still saw his paint-covered face and the fury in his eyes. That moment haunted her—the lack of remorse for injuring him after he threatened her. Then the sense of power welling inside, knowing she could. The deep sense of satisfaction knowing she could do whatever it took to survive. It scared her.
