Lost Contact (The Bridge Sequence Book One), Nathan Hystad [primary phonics books .TXT] 📗

this hadn’t happened. I wouldn’t have to worry about being killed in a shootout, or dying as I attempted to cross into the Bridge.

Hunter and Hardy would reprimand me for even considering this as an option, but look where their participation in this adventure had gotten them. Hunter in a shallow grave at the South Pole, and Hardy engulfed in flames.

I didn’t want to end up like them, but even if I knew how to contact the Believers, how would I be able to trust they’d stick to their side of the bargain? They’d probably take the Case and Tokens and kill us without a second thought. No loose ends.

“Rex, tell me you’re contemplating what I’m suggesting.”

The door opened from down the hall, and I heard the voices of my friends as they entered the home. “I better check on them.” Bev appeared crestfallen, and I hugged her, careful not to press my stomach anywhere near her. She let out a drastic sob and melted into my shoulder.

“I know you won’t stop until you find this Bridge, but just be careful. Dad is gone. Mom is dead. And I can’t stand the thought of losing you too,” she said softly.

I didn’t reply as I walked away, moving for the sound of Marcus’ voice. He paused while taking his jacket off, and he wore a black t-shirt again, with the outline of a wine bottle on it. “Rex. You’re up. Feeling okay?”

“Some minor improvements. Where have you guys been?” I saw the bags of groceries, and some from a clothing store, and relaxed. They’d been shopping.

“What did you get?” Edith asked, running up to Veronica.

Veronica reached for a bag and dumped the contents on the coffee table in the living room. “A few outfits for you.” Edith squealed in delight, but Carson looked less than pleased at being given new jeans and a sweatshirt.

Tripp brought the last of the groceries in, setting the brown paper bags on the kitchen counters, and I was almost pleased to see Hunter had kept the place practically original. The appliances were from the eighties but remained in pristine condition.

“Would you like to help make dinner?” Tripp asked me, and I laughed, trying to picture the tough guy wearing an apron and taste-testing a bisque.

I put some vegetables into the fridge crisper. “You’ve been gone a while.”

“Okay, Rex. We didn’t wait for you, but we’ve managed to count three of the five locations on Marcus’ map out of the running,” Tripp admitted.

Part of me was furious they’d proceeded without me, but I was also relieved. I would have done the same thing in their shoes. “You didn’t bring the Case, did you?” I asked.

“No. Marcus put that under your bed.”

I glanced at my bedroom door. “Good. What’s the plan?”

“The plan? We have dinner, then we check out the last two locations. Marcus had an idea, so we bought something in town, along with flashlights and various supplies,” Tripp said.

Tonight. We were going to try to track our final destination after dinner. My stomach growled at the thought of eating, but it also flopped nervously at the idea of finishing this mission. “What are we making?”

He shrugged and laughed. “The same thing I always eat before rushing into the enemy’s lair. Spaghetti.”

“It’s also probably the only thing you know how to make,” Marcus shouted from the living room. He was playing with the remote control, and I heard a newscaster speaking in English. A British news program was on, and I walked toward the TV as they mentioned the Objects.

“Turn it up.” Veronica stood near the fireplace, which Fred was feeding logs to, and we all gawked at the image on the screen.

The Objects were coming.

“This image is the clearest we have yet, and many are speculating that they are indeed spacecraft. See the way the lines are rounded, not jagged? Some claim they are too smooth to be natural, and from what we can discern, they’re each the same length.” The woman spoke slowly, her accent heavy. “There are three of them, but the center one is wider. This suggests there may be more than three, and as many as five separate Objects. We received the images an hour ago, and watch parties are forming around the world. US representatives are questioning China, wondering if this was a secret project returning from the depths of our solar system. As of now, there has been no reply from China on the queries.”

I stared at the Objects. The picture wasn’t very clear, the edges blurred, but the shapes were distinctive.

“This is definitely aliens,” Marcus said quietly.

“We don’t know that,” Fred responded.

“Sure we do. I mean, what the hell else is riding in like this? It’s all true. We have to stop them.” Marcus sighed.

“And you think playing with a Rubik’s Cube in a cave is going to do that? What do you expect to find in there?” Fred asked. So far, he hadn’t been overly vocal about what we were doing, but he was growing a voice after spending time with us.

“We aren’t positive, but Hunter was confident there was something on the other side to help us, or someone. Traveling through the Bridge is the only solution.” We still had Hardy’s journal, but Hunter hadn’t gotten far enough in his translation.

“And the Believers want these aliens in the Objects to return? Then what?” Fred crossed his arms.

“Your guess is as good as mine. They think the Unknowns are coming home, and that people will be irrelevant to them. The aliens will scourge us from the planet, making room for themselves,” I said, repeating what Hunter had told us. “But for some reason, the cult thinks the beings will connect to them. Attune.”

“You don’t think it’s possible?” Bev joined the conversation. The kids stared at the TV with wide eyes, Carson looking uneasy about the whole scenario.

“We can’t be certain until we activate the Bridge. It’s the one thing I can control. And the fact that the Believers