Chapter 3

"Hey, let's stop at the rest stop over there," Zack said from behind.

"Sure!" Asher replied. "I'm sure they have some snacks there!" Asher takes the exit to the rest stop. Luckily for the two boys, there are no Zevers nearby. Asher parks his bike at the front entrance of the rest stop and the two get off.

"Let's go to the bench over there," Zack said. "That way we can sit down and figure out what we should do. The two boys sit on the bench. Zack takes out a tablet and opens up a map of the area.

"So we are at the gray dot?" Asher asked.

"Yeah," Zack replied. "If we want to get to Urbana, the easiest route is I-57. It will take us through Kankakee."

"I remember passing it on my way to Chicago," Asher stated. "There are a few Zevers, but not enough to take us out." 

"Mhm, yup," Zack responded. "When I passed through a few days ago, it was being used as a zever checkpoint. Trucks keep moving north to the base in Chicago. I'm guessing the camp in Urbana must be supplying the base with something. I'm just not sure what.

"There's still so much we don't know about the Zevers," Asher complained. "The real struggle is finding out what it is that we are fighting."

"I agree," Zack confirmed. "This is the first time in human history where we know so little of our enemy. It's almost frightening how little we know."

"Well, no reason to stay here any longer," Asher said. "If these highways are being used by the zevers, I guess we just need to follow them and we will hopefully get some answers."

"Agreed. Let's go!" Zack exclaimed. He closed his tablet and put it away when the device from the zever began to flash.

"AHH! What the heck!" Asher yelped, in a panic. "What's it doing?" The device began to flash a bright purple color from the screen. The light showed a projection of the two options the guys were given.

"Oh shoot," Zack remembered. "I forgot about that thing."

"Well, I know neither of us wanna be servants to an alien that we know little about," Asher said. "Should we just switch it off? That way we don't have to worry about it?"

"I mean, they did just let us leave," Zack stated. "I think this may be a way for them to track us. They may be watching and waiting on us for now."

"So if we abandon it, then they would probably just kill us," Asher confirmed. "Same thing if we said no."

"Yeah, I get the feeling the zever is very patient," Zack said. "If we keep this device on us, they won't kill us, and probably the same thing for other people."

"We could use the device to protect not just us, but others," Asher stated. "But we still need a backup plan in case we are attacked or they fall for our bluff." The device then flashes a stopwatch. 

"Oh boy," Zack said. "Looks like we need to figure out a plan in the next few days. They must be able to hear what we say."

"Oh great!" Asher expressed. "If we say no or get rid of it or don't make a decision, we're dead by what I'm guessing is orbital bombardment from a spaceship! And if we say yes, then we'll have to torture other people!"

"Well," Zack began. "We have a little less than a week, so we should be able to come up with something."

"Then let's go!" Asher started. "If we get to Urbana soon, we could get the students out and escape. If we did that, could we use our collective brain power to find a solution?"

"How stupid are you?" Zack rebutted.

"HEY!" Asher yelled. "I was at the top of my class in high school!"

"Yeah but you lack street smarts," Zack said, confidently. "You need to think like a grown-up in this kind of situation, not a little child."

"Mhmm," Asher remarked. "Like how you entered an alien-infested city without having an escape plan?"

"Hey!" Zack responded. "I HAD a plan! But you decided to cause an explosion and alerted half the city!"

"THAT EXPLOSION WAS COOL!" Asher yelled out.

"Would you two boys shut up!" A voice yelled from above. She was atop the rest stop's visitors center. Her voice was confident and yet soothing at the same time. She wore a yellow T-shirt with green sleeves. Her pants were bright blue, like the sky before the invasion. 

"Wait a minute," Asher started. "Aren't you the one girl that's in Mr. Hughes' chemistry class?"

"OHHHH," The girl said. "You're Asher, right? The one kid who almost failed his tests last year because you slept in?"

"THAT WAS ONE TIME!" Asher rebutted. "And for your record, I scored the second highest score for the math, physics, and chemistry class."

"Do you remember who got the highest?" The girl asked.

"Uhh, I remember it was a girl named Ruby," Asher said.

"Yeah," The girl said. "That's me. My name IS Ruby. 

"Oh," Asher said. "I always thought you were the quiet girl no one talked or paid attention to."

"Yeah I don't like people," Ruby stated. "Besides, you're too stupid for me to be friends with."

"I was right behind you in class rank!" Asher yelled out.

"In rank, yes, in GPA, it was no contest," Ruby declared. "I had exactly a 4.33. I was perfection. You had a 4.21."

"Isn't that really close?" Zack said. "Asher wasn't that far behind."

"See, here's the difference between me and Asher," Ruby started. "Asher had a 4.21 because that was all HE could get. I had a 4.33 because that's all there WAS to get. I could have gotten higher if it were physically possible, but no. Asher is far behind me in both intelligence and display."

"Display?" Zack questioned.

"She thinks she's better and more attractive to people than I am," Asher replied. "Even though she supposedly hates people."

"Hey, I hate people," Ruby started. "But they are very easy to control."

"So what do you want from us?" Zack asked. "Do you need something specific, or are you just here to get on Asher's nerves?"

"I'm here to tell you that you should attack the base in Urbana in two days' time," Ruby demanded. "I'll be there by then and be able to help."

"And why should we do as you say?" Zack asked.

"Just go with it and say yes," Asher whispered to Zack.

"I'll be there waiting for an attack," Ruby told the two boys. "Just know I won't be working with you, but I won't get in your way." Ruby then leaped into the forest and disappeared into the forest. 

"Should we trust her?" Zack asked. "She seemed suspicious."

"Ruby doesn't like people," Asher began. "But it would be stupid to wanna assist in the occupation and genocide of your own species. She's probably going to use us, but then again, we do have a common interest. All of us wanna get to that base, and bring it down."

"I'll trust your instincts," Zack said. "You know this girl better than me."

"Hey take what I say with a grain of salt," Asher said. "No one knows much about her. This was the most I've ever heard from her. And I've been going to college with her for almost a year now!"

"Well, we were going to go there anyway," Zack started. "And she looks like someone we can take on in a fight."

"Don't underestimate her," Asher retorted. "She spent a lot of her free time just tinkering in the engineering facilities creating things that I've heard could probably destroy one-inch steel."

"These are all rumors though," Zack questioned. "Right?"

"Yeah, they are," Asher confirmed. "But they are fun to think about." The two boys got on the bike as Asher revved it up to go.

"Hey, do you have a helmet?" Asher asked Zack.

"Is that what you're concerned about right now!?" Zack questioned, loudly.

"Yes!" Asher exclaimed in response. "I'm still new at this. I only got my motorcycle license two weeks ago!"

"AAAGGGGG! No I don't have one!" Zack said with annoyance.

"Here, I have an extra," Asher said as he handed a helmet from under the seat. Asher and Zack then went into the woods, riding directly beside the highway to avoid the Zevers.