Chapter 8: The Blade in the Fog

Lila Carter's arms ached as she supported Jake Hensley, his frail body leaning heavily against her. The fog swirled thick around the abandoned barn, muffling the distant scream that had just faded—a woman's, sharp and gone too fast. Ethan Blake flanked Jake's other side, his bloodied hands steady despite the claw marks raking his back and chest. Damien Voss limped ahead, knife dripping gray blood, his smirk gone, replaced by a hard edge. Kieran Holt twirled his shotgun, his playful grin faltering as he scanned the trees, shoulder bleeding. Maya Torres gripped her pipe, bruised and fierce, while Dr. Clara Evans held the dim disc, its glow faint but alive. Zara Quinn trailed behind, sketching Jake's cuts, her whispers blending with the low hum lingering in the air.

Jake's breath rasped, shallow and weak. "They… wanted you," he mumbled, his cold fingers tightening on Lila's arm. His dark eyes flicked to her, haunted, then to the men around her—Ethan, Damien, Kieran—narrowing slightly. "Who're they?" he asked again, voice rough with pain and suspicion.

"Friends," Lila said, guilt twisting her gut. "They fought for us." She avoided his gaze, feeling Ethan's heat beside her, Damien's shadow ahead, Kieran's charm behind—her harem, pulling her apart even as they held her together.

A twig snapped in the fog. They froze, weapons raised, as a figure emerged—not a Xytheran, but a woman, tall and lean, her black hair tied tight, eyes cold as steel. She wore a leather coat like Damien's, a gun holstered at her hip, and a wicked scar ran down her cheek. She smirked, a mirror of Damien's dark charm, and stopped, hands raised mockingly.

"Rhea," Damien said, voice flat, knife still ready. "What are you doing here?" The tension in his stance screamed history—bad history.

"Brother dearest," she drawled, her voice sharp and low. "Heard you've been playing hero. Thought I'd check the mess." Her gaze swept over them, lingering on Lila, then Jake. "Looks like you've got baggage."

Lila bristled, stepping closer to Jake. "Who's she?" she asked, eyeing Rhea's gun. Damien's jaw tightened. "My sister. Trouble." Rhea laughed, cold and cutting. "Says the guy bleeding all over his girlfriend."

"She's not—" Ethan started, but Rhea cut him off, smirking at Lila. "Oh, I see. More than one boyfriend, huh? Busy girl." Kieran chuckled, winking. "She's worth it, gorgeous." Ethan glared, and Damien's smirk flickered back, dark and jealous.

"Enough," Maya snapped, pipe tapping her palm. "We've got aliens to kill. Save the family reunion." Rhea's eyes glinted, amused. "Aliens, huh? Xytherans?" She nodded at the barn. "Saw their ship. Sloppy work—left it wide open."

"You know them?" Clara asked, stepping forward, disc in hand. Rhea shrugged. "Tracked 'em longer than loverboy here." She jerked her thumb at Damien. "They've been snatching people for years—experiments, breeding. Their plague left 'em desperate."

"Breeding?" Jake rasped, clutching Lila's arm. "They… cut me… said I'd bring her…" His voice broke, and Lila's chest tightened. Rhea's smirk faded, replaced by something colder. "You're marked, kid. They'll use you 'til you're dry."

A low hum pulsed through the fog, green lights flaring overhead. The disc glowed brighter, and Zara gasped. "They're back!" she whispered, pencil scratching faster—a jagged ship, claws reaching. The barn shuddered, and shadows moved inside—Xytherans, regrouping.

Rhea drew her gun, grinning darkly. "Time to play." She charged the barn, Damien swearing as he limped after her. Ethan glanced at Lila. "Stay with Jake," he said, voice firm, then ran in, fists ready. Kieran winked at her—"Hold tight, gorgeous"—and followed, shotgun booming.

Lila helped Jake sit against a tree, his breathing shallow. "I'll be back," she said, kissing his forehead, his skin clammy under her lips. He grabbed her hand, weak but desperate. "Don't… leave me…" Guilt stabbed her, but she pulled free, grabbing her bat. "I have to."

Maya stayed with Jake and Zara, pipe raised, while Clara followed Lila into the barn. Inside, chaos reigned. Rhea fired, bullets ripping through a Xytheran's chest, gray blood spraying. Damien tackled another, knife slashing its throat, his wounds slowing him. Ethan traded blows with a third, claws tearing his arm, blood dripping. Kieran blasted one back, but it lunged, pinning him, claws raking his chest. He grunted, kicking it off, and Lila swung her bat, cracking its skull.

Clara reached the ship's hatch, disc flaring as she pressed it to a panel. Lights flickered, but a Xytheran loomed—huge, its skin black-gray, claws like knives. It grabbed her, slamming her against the wall, tool slashing her shoulder. She gasped, dropping the disc, blood welling.

Lila charged, bat cracking its arm, but it turned, pinning her to the floor. Its claws tore her shirt, cold fingers digging into her hips, a guttural hum vibrating its chest. She screamed, thrashing, as it pressed harder, testing her—its intent clear, primal. Ethan roared, ripping it off, snapping its neck. He pulled her up, hands trembling on her face. "Lila…" His voice broke, blood and sweat mixing as he held her close, chest heaving against hers.

Damien staggered over, bloodied but smirking. "Cutting it close," he said, his hand brushing her back, warm and bold. Kieran limped up, grinning despite his torn chest. "Still got it, gorgeous," he panted, winking. Their closeness—Ethan's fierce care, Damien's dark heat, Kieran's charm—swirled around her, dizzying.

Rhea finished her alien, holstering her gun. "Pathetic," she muttered, kicking the corpse. She grabbed the disc from the floor, tossing it to Clara, who clutched her bleeding shoulder. "Works," Clara said, voice tight, pressing it back to the panel. The ship whined, lights dimming, then flared bright—alive again.

A scream cut through—Maya's. They bolted outside. Two Xytherans had Jake, dragging him toward the trees, his weak struggles useless. Maya swung her pipe, cracking one's leg, but it slashed her arm, blood gushing. Zara shrieked, frozen, as the second pinned Jake, claws digging into his chest.

Lila ran, bat swinging, smashing its head. It fell, and Ethan tackled the other, fists pounding until it stopped moving. Damien joined, knife slashing its throat for good measure. Jake slumped, gasping, fresh cuts bleeding. "Lila…" he rasped, reaching for her.

She dropped beside him, cradling his face. "I've got you," she said, tears falling. His blood smeared her hands, his eyes flickering with pain and fear. Ethan stood over them, breathing hard, while Damien watched, silent, his smirk gone. Kieran reloaded his gun, muttering, "Too close."

Rhea smirked at the chaos. "You're all soft," she said, holstering her gun. "They'll keep coming—marked or not." She nodded at Jake, then Liz back at the station. "They've got plans."

Clara staggered out, disc dimming. "It's offline again," she said, wincing. "But they're learning—adapting." Maya clutched her arm, blood dripping, glaring at Rhea. "Helpful, huh?"

The fog thickened, green lights fading, but the hum lingered—low, ominous. Jake coughed, weak, clinging to Lila. "They… said I'm theirs…" he whispered, voice breaking. She hugged him tighter, guilt and rage choking her. Ethan's hand rested on her shoulder, steady but heavy, while Damien's eyes burned into her, dark and unreadable. Kieran crouched nearby, grinning faintly. "We'll get 'em, gorgeous."

A new sound cut the night—a woman's cry, faint, from the woods. Then a man's shout, cut off fast. Rhea tilted her head, smirking. "More fun," she said, starting toward it. Damien grabbed her arm. "Wait. We're not ready."

She yanked free, laughing coldly. "Speak for yourself." She vanished into the fog, leaving them battered and tense. Clara frowned. "She's right—they're escalating. We need a base, resources."

Lila helped Jake stand, his weight dragging her down. Ethan supported his other side, silent but close, his blood mixing with Jake's on her skin. Damien flanked her, limping, his hand brushing her hip—deliberate, possessive. Kieran walked ahead, shotgun ready, tossing a wink over his shoulder.

The barn loomed behind, the ship dark but alive, a ticking bomb. Maya and Zara followed, bruised and shaken, the harem tightening—Jake's fragile return, Ethan's fierce loyalty, Damien's reckless hunger, Kieran's bold spark, Rhea's cold edge weaving in. The Xytherans' shadow stretched longer, their hunger for bodies—marked or not—unrelenting.

The woods swallowed the next scream, and Lila's grip on her bat tightened. This was war, and it was bleeding them dry.