Coup D'état *Discontinued

Day Ten

Nat pulled me behind a building a few blocks down, his hand remaining over my lips. He pressed me against his back to keep me still. Only the sound of our hearts beating filled the air.

                I feared that sound would be too loud.

                The minutes seemed to last hours as we stood hidden in the shadows of the uniform buildings. The wind blew gently, ruffling small pebbles in its path. Almost teasingly it licked at our exposed skin, sending chills down my spine.

                Nat pressed me tighter to him.

                At the sound of footsteps, both of us jumped in our spots. Nat’s body stiffened around me as the crunches became louder before steadily droning away. A rush of air tickled my ear as Nat exhaled behind me.

                Hesitantly, he released his grip on me.

                I turned around slowly, but kept the distance between us minimal.

                “What…”

                He pressed a finger to my lips, shaking his head no. Nat curled his fingers around mine before leading me quietly out from around the cabin. On tip-toes we hurried back to our home before anyone caught us. Nat kept me at a quick pace, but I was sure to be as soundless as possible.

                As we approached our street, Nat came to a stop, peering out from around the corner of one of the cabins to inspect the clearing. He ushered me with him as we sprinted down the road.

                I slipped underneath his outstretched arm as he held the door open for me. Nat shut it tightly behind us.

                The sleeping figures surrounding me were oblivious to the danger that Nat and I had just faced. It seemed impossible that none of them noticed the intruders in their cabins.

                A faint but putrid smell penetrated my nose. The rank stench was subtle enough that I could tolerate, but condensed enough to cause me to cringe. I glanced at Nat, noticing that he wore an expression similar to mine.

                Pressing a hand to the small of my back, Nat urged me toward our bunk. I climbed up into my top mattress sloppily, but managed to keep the noise level at a nil.

                “Nat?” I asked as loudly as I dared.

                He hadn’t yet climbed into his bed. His dark silhouette stood a few inches from my bed. Despite being unable to see, I knew our eyes were locked.

                His attention was turned on me, waiting for what I had to say.

                “Why were they there?”

                Nat moved a hand to rest on the edge of my mattress. I could make out of the shape of his fingers just inches from my own.

                His lips were shut tightly as he took in my question.

                “I don’t know.”

                Nat ducked down into his own bed, leaving me with no more of a response than that. I rolled over in the cot softly, listening to the creeks of the springs.

                There had to be a reason for the aliens to have explored our cabin. It couldn’t have been chance that out of the thousands of huts here, ours was the lucky one.