Cruz: Scifi Alien Invasion Romance (Hell Squad Book 2) by Anna Hackett
Authors: Anna Hackett
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her.
Santha gasped. It was a girl. About ten years old.
She wore a filthy, tattered nightgown and her face was streaked with dirt. Half her head had been shaved, the other half was covered in a cloud of tangled dark hair.
Santha’s heart was a heavy pound in her chest. The girl reminded her of a young Kareena with her dark hair and green eyes.
“Sweetheart, are you okay?” Santha whispered.
“What the hell?” Cruz crouched down. When he saw the girl, he pressed a fist to the wall and looked like he wanted to knock the bricks down.
The girl simply blinked at Santha, her expression vacant.
She had to be in shock. Other than the missing hair and the filth covering her, she looked fine.
“We’re going to get you out of there.” Santha couldn’t save her sister but she sure as hell could save this little girl. Santha tested the strength of the grille over the vent. If she could just get it off—
Again, Cruz grabbed her hand. “Santha—”
“I’m not leaving her!” A furious whisper.
“We can’t get out of here if she’s with us.”
“She looks just like Kareena did as a girl.” Santha bit her lip. “I can’t leave her.”
He sighed and pressed a palm to the wall, his head dropping. “We could get killed or captured, we could get her killed trying to escape. And we’d wouldn’t be able to come back for the others. Besides, she might need medical attention we can’t give her.”
“She looks fine, Cruz.” Santha yanked at the grate again. She needed something to get the screws off. “Now help me, dammit.”
From somewhere in the lab, there was the sound of a door opening and raptor voices.
The girl whimpered, her eyes going large.
“I’m getting you out.” Santha yanked at the items on her belt. There had to be something that would work.
Then the girl turned. Santha’s heart sank to her knees, a sob catching in her chest.
The shaved side of her head was covered in small round circles. Each one was a hole drilled into her skull. Some had tiny wires protruding from them.
Santha’s arms dropped to her sides and she closed her eyes. They couldn’t risk taking her outside, where God knew what could get into her open wounds.
Cruz’s arm wrapped around Santha’s shoulders. “We’ll come back for her. We won’t leave her.”
The raptor voices were getting louder. With one more frightened look at them, the girl darted away.
“We have to go.” Cruz pulled Santha away from the vent.
At the door to the storage room, he cupped her shoulders. “I need you back in the game so we can get out of here.”
She nodded dully, but images of that raptor lab remained in her vision, burned into her brain.
“Santha.” He shook her a little. “Focus.”
“Okay, goddammit, I’m focused.” She drew in a big breath. “We get out. Then we come back.”
He nodded. “I promise.”
“Okay.”
Santha focused on getting out of the raptor base. She couldn’t let her thoughts stray to what she’d seen, to that little girl.
They moved rapidly through the halls. Three times, they had to dart into side rooms to hide as raptor troops passed by.
Don’t think about the lab.
They managed to sneak out of the building without being seen. They sprinted out of the schoolyard and behind a neighboring building that used to be a restaurant.
Don’t think about the lab.
Moving into a jog, they headed back toward the Darkswift. Ruthlessly, Santha choked off thoughts of that little girl and how she’d been violated.
“Let’s skirt the park,” Cruz murmured. “I don’t want to run into another one of those feathered monsters.”
Santha nodded.
It took a little longer, but they went around the long grass. She forced herself to stay alert for any signs of raptors or other alien creatures. But all she could hear were the echoes of those pained human moans.
They reached the Darkswift. Santha strapped in and Cruz started the engine. The canopy clicked into place.
“Elle, we’re preparing for
Santha gasped. It was a girl. About ten years old.
She wore a filthy, tattered nightgown and her face was streaked with dirt. Half her head had been shaved, the other half was covered in a cloud of tangled dark hair.
Santha’s heart was a heavy pound in her chest. The girl reminded her of a young Kareena with her dark hair and green eyes.
“Sweetheart, are you okay?” Santha whispered.
“What the hell?” Cruz crouched down. When he saw the girl, he pressed a fist to the wall and looked like he wanted to knock the bricks down.
The girl simply blinked at Santha, her expression vacant.
She had to be in shock. Other than the missing hair and the filth covering her, she looked fine.
“We’re going to get you out of there.” Santha couldn’t save her sister but she sure as hell could save this little girl. Santha tested the strength of the grille over the vent. If she could just get it off—
Again, Cruz grabbed her hand. “Santha—”
“I’m not leaving her!” A furious whisper.
“We can’t get out of here if she’s with us.”
“She looks just like Kareena did as a girl.” Santha bit her lip. “I can’t leave her.”
He sighed and pressed a palm to the wall, his head dropping. “We could get killed or captured, we could get her killed trying to escape. And we’d wouldn’t be able to come back for the others. Besides, she might need medical attention we can’t give her.”
“She looks fine, Cruz.” Santha yanked at the grate again. She needed something to get the screws off. “Now help me, dammit.”
From somewhere in the lab, there was the sound of a door opening and raptor voices.
The girl whimpered, her eyes going large.
“I’m getting you out.” Santha yanked at the items on her belt. There had to be something that would work.
Then the girl turned. Santha’s heart sank to her knees, a sob catching in her chest.
The shaved side of her head was covered in small round circles. Each one was a hole drilled into her skull. Some had tiny wires protruding from them.
Santha’s arms dropped to her sides and she closed her eyes. They couldn’t risk taking her outside, where God knew what could get into her open wounds.
Cruz’s arm wrapped around Santha’s shoulders. “We’ll come back for her. We won’t leave her.”
The raptor voices were getting louder. With one more frightened look at them, the girl darted away.
“We have to go.” Cruz pulled Santha away from the vent.
At the door to the storage room, he cupped her shoulders. “I need you back in the game so we can get out of here.”
She nodded dully, but images of that raptor lab remained in her vision, burned into her brain.
“Santha.” He shook her a little. “Focus.”
“Okay, goddammit, I’m focused.” She drew in a big breath. “We get out. Then we come back.”
He nodded. “I promise.”
“Okay.”
Santha focused on getting out of the raptor base. She couldn’t let her thoughts stray to what she’d seen, to that little girl.
They moved rapidly through the halls. Three times, they had to dart into side rooms to hide as raptor troops passed by.
Don’t think about the lab.
They managed to sneak out of the building without being seen. They sprinted out of the schoolyard and behind a neighboring building that used to be a restaurant.
Don’t think about the lab.
Moving into a jog, they headed back toward the Darkswift. Ruthlessly, Santha choked off thoughts of that little girl and how she’d been violated.
“Let’s skirt the park,” Cruz murmured. “I don’t want to run into another one of those feathered monsters.”
Santha nodded.
It took a little longer, but they went around the long grass. She forced herself to stay alert for any signs of raptors or other alien creatures. But all she could hear were the echoes of those pained human moans.
They reached the Darkswift. Santha strapped in and Cruz started the engine. The canopy clicked into place.
“Elle, we’re preparing for
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