The Leader Read Online Free Page A

are.”
    “ And you know they’re
demons because...?”
    “ You’re going to laugh,
but... Well... There’s this angel I’ve been seeing ever since we
went to Area 51.”
    She was right. He couldn’t stop the
chuckle that rose up in his throat. “I’m sorry, Autumn. I mean, I
get that the aliens aren’t what they seem, but there’s nothing
weirdly spiritual going on. These are just things from another
planet that aren’t the good guys they’re pretending to
be.”
    “ How can you be sure?” she
asked.
    “ Because then there’d have
to be a God, and there is no such thing as God. Now look, the idea
of other life forms on other planets is realistic. Given the
multitude of planets out there, there’s bound to be
something.”
    She bit her lower lip and glanced
uncertainly out the window. “I used to believe that.”
    “ And...?”
    Shaking her head, she returned her
gaze to him. “I’ve seen too much, been through too much... I see
them, Alex. I see an angel and I see dark shadows hovering around
certain people. These shadows are sinister. They call themselves
The Watchers.”
    “ See? There you go.”
Relieved to have made his point, he scanned the room for any of his
belongings he might have missed while packing. “The aliens would be
our watchers. That’s what they’ve been saying. They planted us here
and have watched our development as a species.”
    “ But wouldn’t that make
them good?”
    “ Not if they have don’t
have good motives. That’s what this is about. Why are they watching
us? What do they plan to do with us? Not all parents are good to
their children.”
    She pressed her hand to her forehead.
“I don’t understand it. Nothing’s made sense since Marianne
disappeared.”
    “ That was the same time the
aliens showed up.” And the same time the alien began hovering over
him while he slept at night. He shivered, hating how drastically
his life had changed...and not for the better. “I know. Nothing has
made sense. It’s like one day our lives were in order, and suddenly
we’re spinning out of control.”
    “ Yes. That’s exactly how it
feels.”
    He sighed. “Look Autumn, you’re my
solid connection to any normality that was once in my life. I don’t
want to upset you. Can we agree to disagree about the spiritual
thing?”
    She nodded. “Yeah. In times like this,
we need to stick together. You know, as friends.”
    “ I agree.”
    Appearing relieved, she held out her
car keys and asked, “Are you ready to go home?”
    No. He wasn’t. But he’d take the pills
and be fine, if the side effects listed on the information sheet
didn’t include the symptoms he’d experienced that put him in the
hospital. If Dr. Reyes was right, then he would take the pills
because he couldn’t stand the thought of having to deal with that
horrible alien ever again.

Chapter Five

    Devon drove Vanessa home a week later,
once she was put on medication to help with her bouts of
depression, as her doctor termed it. It fit, Devon thought. Who
wouldn’t be depressed in their line of work? He glanced at her. She
was huddled in the passenger seat, looking small and alone. He
remembered her first day at work. She’d been full of life and
energy. He had no idea they’d start exposing her to the deeper
levels so soon.
    They must be getting
desperate. It was the only explanation why
they were speeding up their plan. The aliens weren’t supposed to
show up this soon. They were supposed to wait for another ten
years. But what if they aren’t
aliens? What if they had a more sinister
identity?
    He recalled the icy sensation on his
arm and shivered. He hadn’t felt it since, but he’d become aware of
something that seemed to be close by. He often saw some slight
distortion in the air around him. At one point, he swore he saw a
black shadow fade in and out of his vision.
    I’m going nuts.
    Swallowing the lump in his throat, he
glanced back at Vanessa and asked, “You want to talk