Host Chapter Eighteen

So I get that Otis doesn’t want us to like Jared now. He’s supposed to be a living, breathing example of douche-baggery. But am I the only one that thinks he’s the most sane? All the others are about one change of heart speech from lining up to have aliens rammed down their necks.

I mean, the Seekers are supposedly violent. That would imply that they do things like fight the human resistance and kill those too dangerous to use as hosts. Maybe they’ve just decided to switch up their tactics. These creatures do posses space travel, they just might be smarter than a blender.

It would make a bit of sense. Send in the pretty female who looks weak and defenseless. Once she’s earned their trust, they can take over from the inside out. At the very least they’ll know where the humans are. That would be just as much a threat as actual violence from Jeeve.

This chapter is titled, rather appropriately, Bored. It’s like Otis has a window into my mind from the future. She can see both the pain and irritation she’s going to cause and tries to offer warnings that are exactly what it says on the tin.

Here’s another tip, Otis. Not every chapter needs a title. You can just go with the old tried and true numbers. Sure, it’s not nearly as sexy as the titles that some real authors use, but in your case it would be a slight improvement. It would mean you stop telegraphing the chapter’s contents more than Western Union circa eighteen sixty. You might then have a hint of suspense in this bland offering of ground newspaper you called a book.

Jared refuses to talk to Eve which really keeps the story rolling along nicely. Meanwhile Eve is busy practicing the kung fu Jeb taught her and sharpening her sword. Soon enough it will be time to kill Jared and offer his still beating heart to her alien god, Xenudoo. Else the sun will set upon the glorious Click-chitter(in alien speak) Empire.

As you do for dogs who are cooped up all day, Jared takes Eve for a walk. He walks ahead of her and guides her to the springs and let’s her bathe and relieve herself. Then he takes her back.

See Otis, you messed up again. We’re supposed to see Jared as paranoid but he lets her follow him. A truly cautious Jared would make them walk before him while keeping the gun leveled at Jeeve’s back. If your going to play that angle, go whole hog, not bacon bits.

When they get back from the springs, Jeb berates Jared. He says that Jared wouldn’t treat a dog that way. I think that’s funny, because that’s exactly how most people do treat their pets. Leave them at him while they’re at work, take them for a walk or two in the evening and feed them. All she needs now is proper shots and a tag labeling her property of the genuine humans.

Also, I can think of a good reason for Jeb to act the way he does. It’s lonely at the top of his powerbase and Jeb feels he can’t trust anyone. Then a long lost relative comes along, one he can trust because he holds the power of life and death over her head. She becomes a confidant via hostage. If ever he feels she knows too much he can just shoot her and say she was plotting against him. Until then he can live out the fantasy of taking care of family.

Jared gets ready for bed. Eve stares dumbly at him. He warns her if she tries to escape he’ll kill her. Eve feels insulted by this because she knows no where she can go. Let’s think about this, somewhere there are aliens perhaps? Anywhere other than the volcano cave would be a start.

Here’s another square for your Otis bingo card. An inexplicably beloved character, in this case Eve herself. Both Jeb and Jackie Otis are taking a shine to her for no apparent reason. They just like her and think she’s so great she rides unicorns over rainbow roads on her way to pickup orphans stranded on a burning island.

I’m not saying that Eve couldn’t do something likable, or at least likable by those people. She could try conversing with them or apologizing for her species or for controlling Jackie Otis or even complimenting the humans. She could offer them help against the invasion or share alien tech. Hell, she could even do something heroic like save a kid from a cave collapse or something. Otherwise we just have people gushing because she hasn’t tried to shiv anyone in her first days of imprisonment.

Jared has taken a lesson from Torquemada and breaks out the medieval implements. Specifically, he eats snacks in front of her like chips and chocolate. Oh no, anything but that. Bring the thumbscrews and hot irons but don’t eat before her. You’re an animal Jared. Simply put, he’s a soulless, black hearted creature born of sin.

Ian, the brother of angry Kyle, stops by to help further some stuff that’s been happening out of sight. The aliens were looking for Eve, they found the abandoned car and one of them got hurt by coyotes. The short story is the aliens don’t bother with search parties for too long as they’ve got better things to do like watch car commercials on loop.

Oh, there was one seeker who carried a Glock that wasn’t happy at all. She was not buying the whole only a weather balloon seen through swamp gas. The truth is out there damn it and she’s going to find it.

Somehow they know exactly where that nameless seeker went to investigate. How the hell did they follow her without being seen? Do they have spy planes and reconnaissance satellites? Do they possess tracking devices and remote cameras? Or are we just hand waving this, Otis?

Eve makes a noise when they mention the seeker in black. This tips Jared off that she knows something. He comes into her open cave prison and says she’s going to tell him what she knows. Luckily that’ll only take a couple of seconds.

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Chapter Nineteen>>