Dark Invasion

Contents TITLE PAGECopyright © 2023Join Nathan's NewsletterPART ONE: THE ISLAND1234567PART TWO: THE DARK12345678PART THREE: THE FINALE1234567PART FOUR: AFTERMATH123DARK CITY (THE TRAVELERS BOOK TWO) Copyright © 2023 Nathan Hystad All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Cover art: J Caleb Design Edited by: Christen Hystad Edited by: Scarlett R Algee Proofed and Formatted by: BZ Hercules Keep up to date with his new releases by signing up for his Newsletter at www.nathanhystad.com And get Lights Over Cloud Lake for FREE! Nathan’s books are also available on Audible! Part OneThe Island 1 7:27 P.M. July 3rd, 1984 Sunlight penetrated the store’s front glass, temporarily blinding me. I squinted and returned my focus to the customer at the sales counter. She’d been here for a few minutes, trying to offer a phone number that worked. “If you don’t have your card, it’s no big deal.” I knew exactly who she was. Bell Island was a small community, and she’d been coming here for years. Since this was my second shift after returning from college, she’d probably forgotten my face. Mrs. Walker glanced at my nametag. “Elliot, can you rent me the movie? It’s my anniversary, and since my husband didn’t book a dinner reservation…” “Sure thing. I went to school with Lance,” I told her. “Elliot Hoffman?” Her expression softened. “I’m so sorry to hear about your mother.” “She’s going to be fine.” I accessed her account and entered the information. “There it is, Mrs. Walker. That’ll be $2.99.” “$2.99! That’s outrageous!” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I had a feeling I’d be doing that repeatedly over the course of the summer. “Do you want it or not?” She paid and I gave her change, which she promptly pocketed, rather than adding to the Take-a-Penny-Leave-a-Penny tray. Mrs. Walker snatched her romantic comedy and stormed out, almost knocking a new patron aside in the process. “What’s her problem?” Bones asked. “Marriage issues,” I answered. Bones. My best friend in the world. We’d known each other since we could walk, and I still found myself adjusting to the dramatic alteration in his appearance since I’d left for college. He’d gone from preppy to punk in the course of one semester. His red-tipped mohawk freely defied gravity tonight. “You’re early,” I told him, checking the clock. I had another thirty minutes before my shift ended and we closed up for the night. Nothing on Bell Island stayed open past eight o’clock except the diner, and that was my destination after work. Bones stopped next to a life-size cardboard cut-out of Sylvester Stallone with boxing gloves. “You really think he’s this tall?” “I don’t know, Bones. Why don’t you peruse the horror section, and I’ll be with you when I’m done?” I peered at Mark’s office to find him watching me through the window. He adjusted his glasses and sat at the desk, pretending to be busy. The phone rang. “Island Video. If we don’t have it, the next one’s on us,” I answered. The policy was full of asterisks and fine print, and rarely ever paid out. Given the exorbitant cost to purchase a VHS, we generally carried two of any new release, but Mark refused to change the tagline his ex-wife had chosen before leaving him a year ago. “Elliot. It’s me. Mark,” my manager said. He stared at the wall with the bright red phone in his grip. He rarely left that office. “Mark, what’s up?” The door chimes jingled and in walked a family of five, eager to choose a Friday night movie before we closed. The boys broke off, running to the kids’ section while the parents stalked to the new releases, a bewildered look on their faces. I’d seen it a million times after a long week. All they wanted was a flick and some popcorn before sleeping in tomorrow while their children watched cartoons. “When you’ve finished replenishing the shelves, I’d like a word with you,” Mark said. “Am I in trouble?” I kind of needed this job, although I wouldn’t admit that out loud. “No, I just have something important to discuss.” The phone clicked, and I hung up. “Do you have anything with aliens in it?” one of the boys asked. He was maybe ten, his blond hair spiked. “Sure, what kind of aliens are you after? Big robots? Little green men?” I furrowed my brow. His younger brother arrived, and the older stuck a hand into his own shirt, pretending he was breeding a monster inside his stomach. “I want aliens that bust out of your body!” He wiggled his fingers from beneath his collar. “Mom! Tell Brad to stop scaring me!” They ran off, Brad punching his sibling in the arm. “Precious, aren’t they?” Bones asked. “I used to babysit them ages ago. They were even worse then, if you can imagine.” He leaned on the counter, the chain clipping his wallet to his belt banging against it. I rented them five movies, none of which contained violence or aliens, and when they left, it was almost closing time. Bones helped me restock the popcorn shelf, and he thumbed through the previously viewed VHS tapes, clutching a slasher flick. “Should I buy it?” “You know we can rent any of these for free, right?” I reminded him. “Sure. I guess I forgot,” he whispered. “It’s not like you’ve been around much.” And there it was. Bones scratched the bald side of his head and skimmed the end of his mohawk. “It only