Renegade Runner Read online

  Renegade Runner

  Nick Ruther

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is coincidental. The author makes no claims to, but instead acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the word marks mentioned in this world of fiction.

  Copyright © 2020 by Nicole Conway

  DBA Nick Ruther

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Title and cover design by Covered by Nicole

  For Katie G.

  My favorite mountain goat.

  Contents

  1. RUN

  2. STOLEN GOODS

  3. THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE

  4. THE NEW KID

  5. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE

  6. ORIENTATION

  7. HERE, KITTY KITTY

  8. TAKING OUT THE TRASH

  9. START YOUR ENGINES

  10. HANGTIME

  11. OUT OF THE FRYING PAN

  12. ALIEN BIRD

  13. THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE ALIEN

  14. HIDE AND SEEK

  15. BAIT, SWITCH, BOOM

  16. MISDIRECTED

  17. SECRETS

  18. SMOKE SIGNALS

  19. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE

  20. FLY IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT

  21. PLAN B

  22. IMPACT

  23. SIGNS FROM ABOVE

  24. DOCTOR, DOCTOR

  25. FULL FRONTAL

  26. JUST FRIENDS

  27. INTO THE EYE

  28. WINGWALKER

  29. JUST JUMP

  30. FALLING

  31. GUIDING STAR

  32. CRYSTAL PERSUASION

  33. DEATH VALLEY

  34. FINISH IT

  35. RADIANT

  36. AFTERMATH

  37. WELCOME TO TEAM SUCK

  38. BATTLE DRESS

  39. SAY CHEESE

  40. OH, IT’S ON NOW

  41. BIG ALIEN JERKFACE

  42. PRESS PLAY

  43. FROM THE FLAMES

  44. RAIDER WITH A CAUSE

  Ready For Race Two?

  MORE FROM NICK RUTHER

  Acknowledgments

  1

  RUN

  Thump … thump … thump … thump …

  The muffled sound of my feet hitting the pavement kept a steady rhythm in time with the pulse of music in my ears. My ponytail swished against my back and neck, clumped and wet with sweat. The heavy humidity in the air made each gasp feel like I was trying to breathe through a straw.

  But I couldn’t stop smiling.

  This—being in my zone—felt too good. My favorite songs raging in my ears, driving my pulse and pace and taking my mind to faraway places. The familiar Florida heat, humid and filled with the smell of summer honeysuckle and freshly cut grass. This was my center. My calm. My happy place.

  This was home. And had been for as long as I could remember.

  Up ahead, our house stood at the far end of a winding county road lined with live oak trees draped in Spanish moss and steep hillsides covered in a living green carpet of kudzu. My calves burned. Just a little farther. Almost home. Then I could grab a cold shower, and maybe talk Mom into mixing up one of my protein shakes. They always tasted better when she made them.

  I stumbled, nearly tripping over my own feet as I lurched to a sudden halt. I stared at the front of my house. Mom’s little car sat, still running, parked out in the middle of the road with the driver’s side door wide open.

  But Mom was nowhere in sight.

  I pulled my earbuds out, the music immediately giving way to the ambient droning buzz of cicadas as I jogged over to peer inside. Mom’s purse sat on the passenger seat and the engine hummed, the door ajar alarm dinging musically.

  Okay. Weird … Why would she leave the car like this?

  Reaching in, I grabbed her purse and switched off the car. Maybe she’d hit something? Or gotten sick again? Or had had to run in to go to the bathroom?

  “Mom?” I called out, turning back toward the house.

  Our front door stood wide open, swaying ever-so-slightly in the last afternoon breeze.

  My stomach fluttered and flipped. Okay, now that was extra weird. Something about this felt … wrong. Where was she? Why would she have left the door open like that?

  I dashed up the steps and paused in the doorway. “Hey, Mom? Is everything okay?” I tried again. “Do you want me to move the car into the driveway?”

  No answer.

  A cold shiver raced up my spine. The old wooden floorboards creaked as I stepped inside, peering around into the living room. Nothing. No one there. Not even a single light had been switched on.

  “M-Mom?” My voice trembled. Creeping down the hall, I peeked into the kitchen. Still no one.

  Panic made my throat go tight. What if she’d collapsed again? Should I go ahead and dial 9-1-1 just in case?

  A crash from the bedroom at the far end of the hall made every muscle in my body go stiff.

  “Mom!” I started for her room at a sprint, bursting through the doorway.

  My heart stopped.

  A scream died in my throat as I stood frozen, staring in horror at two monstrous figures. They crouched over my mom, who was sprawled, motionless, on the bedroom floor. Tall and sinewy, with long arms and legs, and bluish skin that seemed like it had been stretched too tightly over an emaciated frame—What the hell were they? The creatures snapped their bulbous heads up at once. Their wide, tennis-ball-sized eyes blinked at me, as though they were just as shocked as I was.

  Time seemed to stop, like I was suspended in that terrible moment for an eternity. I stared at them, then at Mom, then back at them.

  Mom’s eyes suddenly flew open. Her mouth gaped wide as she sucked in a rattling, desperate breath and pitched wildly. The two monsters recoiled, hissing in dismay as she looked toward me and let out a garbled, earsplitting cry. Her eyes seemed to glow with an otherworldly, turquoise light.

  “BRINNA, RUN!”

  2

  STOLEN GOODS

  “Pulse is still elevated,” a squeaking, squealing voice slurred through an erratic range of pitches, seeming to come from everywhere at once.

  My eyes—why couldn’t I open my eyes?

  Tremors racked my body. My jaw locked. Every muscle quivered, like I’d stuck my fingers in an electrical socket. What was happening to me? Where was I?

  My eyelids fluttered, giving fleeting glimpses of white light pouring down from above as my fingers and toes spread wide. Tingling, itching heat buzzed under my skin and something cold and metallic pressed against my bare back beneath where I lay. An exam table? Was I in surgery? Had there been an accident? Mom! Where was Mom? Was she all right?

  “We’ve got all muscle systems back. Cognitive tremors from the implant should subside as she acclimates.”

  As I acclimate? To what?

  I tried lifting my head to see. I needed to see! Where was I? Who were these people?

  Splitting pain shot through my neck and along the back of my head again like a muscle cramp. A desperate whimper leaked through my clenched teeth. Tears ran down the sides of my face, warm against the biting cold of the chemically tinged air.

  “Diagnostics complete. Everything looks stable. Tag her and get the rest of her data profiled for sale. I want all specimens prepped for immediate transport once we make dock.”

  Another thundering ton
e made my head loll, blaring through my brain like someone had cranked the volume up way too loud.

  “There’re a few jackals in the area.” The second voice scratched at my brain like car keys down a chalkboard. “We should put out lure signals in case any of them try to board us.”

  “Agreed. Get it done as soon as she is processed.”

  “Shall I put her under mild sedation?” The screechy voice grew louder, seeming to come even closer. “Human brains don’t tolerate the cerebral system calibration to the lingual converter well. Too primitive, I suppose.”

  “Very well. But no more than a day. We need every specimen ready for show and analysis when we dock. Humans don’t sell like they used to.”

  “Yes, yes. A shame the other one was so combative. Fugitives make for such fine profit. Perhaps we could try to—”

  “No,” the deep tone snapped firmly. “We will not chance another dive to the surface. It’s far too risky. Even Faulbender’s agents have become far more careful in their acquisitions. Our hold is sufficiently stocked, and this one might be of interest. See there? Her DNA coding is odd. The sequences seem to be … ”

  A cold prick on the back of my neck made my fingers twitch. The voices faded, ebbing away to silence as everything began spinning, slowly at first, then faster and faster. Memories of sitting on the twirling carnival rides at the county fair, shrieking with delight while Mom spun us as fast as she could, blurred through my brain.

  My body went slack. My eyes rolled closed. I surrendered to that feeling as it fogged my mind and swept me quickly back into that calm, drifting darkness. Soothing. Quiet. Restful.

  Too bad it didn’t last.

  My eyes flew open as I gasped for another ragged, desperate breath. Only this time there were no screeching or booming voices. No sanitary chemical smells. No cold metal table.

  Lying on my back, I coughed and sputtered, wheezing as I struggled for every gulp of air. My chest shuddered as my lungs stretched for every gasp, strangely stiff, as though I hadn’t breathed in a long time.

  No, that was ridiculous. Of course I’d been breathing. Get a grip, Brinna.

  My arms and legs were numb and clumsy as I dragged them in closer to my body. No sooner had I rolled over and gathered my knees under me, than the wild, erratic spinning in my head sent me toppling sideways. My head lolled and my vision tunneled in and out, like I’d tried to stand up too soon after being whipped around on a merry-go-round. My body shivered with a cold sweat and I clenched my teeth.

  No. Up—I had to get up. Right now. I had to move, figure out where I was and what was going on. I had to find Mom. She needed me. I couldn’t leave her.

  A sudden sharp pinch on the back of my head made everything get clearer. I blinked and the spinning, whirling sensation slowed.

  Then it hit me with a vengeance.

  I was about to vomit.

  Floundering back to my knees, my insides clenched and spasmed as I gagged, dry heaving until a big glob of something like clear jelly erupted from my throat. I sat back on my heels, shaking with a cold sweat as I stared at it in horror. What the hell was that? A freaking jellyfish?

  “I-It’s okay,” a soft voice quavered nearby.

  I managed to force my trembling, wobbling head to look up.

  Less than five feet away, a creature I didn’t recognize sat peering at me through a thick glass wall that stood between us. My vision swerved in and out of focus as I stared back at it—her—whatever that thing was. Its voice had been higher and more feminine-sounding. But her skin was green? No, yellow? I couldn’t focus long enough to be sure.

  And I didn’t get a chance to figure it out right then. My stomach lurched again and I doubled over, throwing up more of the thick, clear gel onto the glass floor.

  “You’ll be okay. It’ll pass soon,” the impish creature coaxed, scooting closer to the glass. “I … I think it’s just a nutrient compound for transport. You’ll feel a lot better once it’s all out, I promise.”

  “W-What’s … what’s going on?” I managed to croak, my throat raw and burning as I wiped my chin and looked at the creature again. “Who … what are you?”

  “That’s … well, it’s sort of complicated.” The creature offered a tentative smile that never touched her wide, sky-blue eyes. It did offer a view of her tiny, pointed teeth, though. Creepy. “You should probably be asking where we’re going.”

  I blinked slowly, still half-delirious as I studied what my brain told me could only be one incredible, impossible thing: an alien. I mean, that had to be it. Nothing else made sense. Everyone said aliens were green, after all, and this, er, whatever-it-was had faintly scaled, pastel-green skin that faded to a vibrant yellow around its eyes, hands, and feet. Definitely alien, right? Or, you know, I’d finally had a full-blown psychotic break and was hallucinating.

  Man, I really hoped it was the latter.

  Overall, the little creature had a human-ish shape with a petite torso, slender arms and legs, and slightly too-big hands and feet. Two round eyes as big as ping-pong balls stared curiously straight back at me as she huddled against the glass wall between us. Her eerily wide blue irises shifted, catching in the light as her thin, vertical pupils tracked over me, as though she were every bit as curious about how I looked.

  “I’m Enola,” the creature murmured quietly with another fleeting and somewhat disturbing, pointy smile. “My homeworld is not far from yours. Well, um, relatively speaking, I suppose. We’ve observed your world some, as best we can from a distance. Anyway, that sort of makes us neighbors, doesn’t it?” She gave a thin, forced little laugh. “S-Sorry. That, um, that probably sounds strange.”

  Homeworld? What did that even mean? My brain ached, trying to piece it all together into an explanation that made sense.

  Enola began wringing her long, knobby hands in her lap. “I’ve never seen a human up close before. Your homeworld is considered a private reserve. I don’t think the dredgers are supposed to harvest from there.”

  “Dredgers?” I sat back, rocking a little too far and almost falling over. My head felt too heavy. Or maybe my neck was just weak.

  “Oh, er, yes. That’s right.” She looked down, seeming to curl in on herself with her thin lips pressed into a grimace. “I suppose humans probably don’t know there are other complex sentient species in the galaxy, do they? I’m sorry. This must be … quite difficult for you to process all at once.”

  Well, she had that part right, at least. I had no freaking clue what was happening and my brain throbbed just trying to think about it. Complex sentient what?

  “I-I … ” I couldn’t force my brain to focus. A chill climbed my spine and shivered out over my skin, making me shudder and pull my arms and legs in close. The cold air left my nose numb and my teeth chattered with every breath. Looking down at the bizarre, skin-tight garment that hugged my body like a scuba suit, I couldn’t even remember putting it on. The garment was so light, I barely realized I was wearing anything at all, and yet the white woven mesh shimmered in the light like metal. Had someone else dressed me while I’d been unconscious? Where were my real clothes? And my phone?

  On the opposite side of that glass wall, Enola wore the same thing, although it had obviously been formed to fit her far smaller frame. Neither of us had been given shoes, though, so I got a good look at her four-toed, claw-tipped feet. Yikes.

  Okay, this had to be my imagination.

  “This isn’t real,” I whispered, my pulse spiking as I whirled around to stare at all four walls of the tiny glass box I sat in. No—not a box. A cell. And there were others on every side of me, each one containing a creature more bizarre than the last. The cubes above and below mine were obscured, though. The walls separating us were opaque so I could only see ominous dark shapes on the other sides.

  My throat closed. Tears welled in my eyes as I choked on a sob. “This … This is impossible. It’s a dream. A nightmare.”

  “I … I’m afraid not.” Enola’s bizarre, reptili
an features softened, her brows drawing up in distress as tears rimmed her huge eyes. “If it’s any consolation, we were all harvested the same way, captured from our homeworlds by dredgers. They collect specimens from worlds all over the galaxy.”

  That stinging pain bit at the back of my mind again, rippling down my spine and making my eyes pinch shut.

  No. This was not real. It couldn’t be. I didn’t care what that lizard-girl said; aliens didn’t exist. People didn’t get abducted. This was a dream. That was all. I’d wake up soon, and then—

  “I think they’re taking us all to Alzumaris,” she went on, her voice still broken and trembling. “It’s a solar system much larger than ours. I’ve read it has a population of over two thousand intelligent species, and even more considered cognizant but not intelligent—like us. Granted, most of them aren’t indigenous to Alzumaris. It’s something of a melting pot.”

  My heart shuddered in my chest, sending out a pang of wild panic to the rest of my body. I was going to a different solar system?

  No. I was being dragged there against my will. I’d been … abducted.

  “But why?” I gasped, looking back at her as tears ran down the sides of my face, warm against my chilled skin.

  Enola’s chin trembled when she seemed to notice my expression. “For sale,” she answered softly.