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Without hesitation, he pushed the button and launched the grenade from the rooftop.
    Then, he pulled himself up and waited for the invisible blast. What came next sent a thrill through his body that made the Jacked pill he’d taken earlier seem like a piece of candy.
    The closest three Spiders instantly dropped to the ground, shrieking, their legs thrashing madly at the air.
    Jeff joined David at his position and together they watched the other three Spiders crash into the side of a building.
    â€œShoot them! Shoot them now!” Jeff said. He positioned his rifle on the ledge and opened fire. The bullets tore into the lead Spider’s unprotected flesh. Blue mist burst into the air, peppering the concrete with goo.
    He moved on to the next Spider and continued firing.
    Seconds later, the last creature groaned and died.
    Panting, the two boys glanced over the rooftop at the mess below in awe. “We did it,” Jeff said, his words slow but confident.
    â€œWow,” David said. He rubbed his shoulder. “This thing hurts when you shoot it.”
    Jeff laughed.
    They continued to look down at the alien corpses with morbid fascination. Jeff felt satisfied, like he’d just passed the most important test of his life.
    â€œWould dad be proud of us?” David asked.
    Jeff hugged his little brother and said, “Yes, bud. Dad would be proud.”
    â€¢Â â€¢Â â€¢
    Jeff couldn’t remember how long they’d been at White Sands. The days and nights continued to tick by, and somehow they continued to survive. Had they been out here five days now? Six days?
    He shook his head and pulled up his gas mask for another bite of granola bar. It was the last one he had in his bag. There were still MREs left, but judging by the package, they weren’t going to taste that great. But, what the heck?
    He had already torn into the side of the package with his knife when he heard voices. David heard them, too. The boy jumped to his feet and grabbed the ladder to the open hatch. They climbed onto the roof of the hangar and sprinted to the west wall.
    Could they really be voices? After all this time?
    When they reached the ledge Jeff saw something that he wasn’t sure he would ever see again. Human beings. Two live human beings.
    Jeff wanted to jump and shout and scream, but instead he ducked down, out of sight. He reached up and pulled David down with him.
    â€œThey could be bad people,” Jeff said.
    â€œBut . . .” David started to say. He nodded. “Okay.”
    Peeking over the side, Jeff watched one of the soldiers walk into the hangar. Raising a finger to his mask, Jeff said, “Shhhh.” The sound came out muffled and deep.
    The boys walked back to the ladder and quietly made their way down into the office. Jeff watched the soldier drop to their knees in the center of the room and let out a wail. “No!”
    Waving his brother forward, the boys raced down the staircase to the bottom floor with their rifles drawn. They cautiously approached the person in black body armor. Stepping into the light Jeff caught the soldier’s eyes through their visor. Tears fell down her face.
    Jeff turned to David, unsure of what to say. But deep down he knew they were finally leaving White Sands—that they were finally going somewhere safe.

ALSO BY NICHOLAS SANSBURY SMITH
    ORBS SERIES
    Orbs
    Orbs II: Stranded
    Orbs III: Redemption
    Solar Storms
    White Sands
    THE EXTINCTION CYCLE SERIES
    Extinction Horizon
    Extinction Edge (March 2015)
    Extinction Age (Fall 2015)
    THE TISSIAN CHRONICLES
    The Biomass Revolution
    Squad 19
    A Royal Knight

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