by Brandon Hale
“Dammit,” Jerry said, “you know I’m coming with you.”
Lauren smiled.
“But when we get there,” Jerry continued, “and find ourselves in a situation that guarantees our deaths, the last words you’ll hear will be me saying I told you so.”
“Sure thing,” Lauren said. “And if we get through this, and live happily ever after, you’ll have the privilege of hearing me say I told you so for the rest of our lives.”
They walked down the center of the road. Lauren was in front, followed by Jerry and Stan.
Above them, the sky was still covered with swarms of ships, but they saw none hovering above the town.
“Maybe they’ve given up,” Stan said. “Looking for you, I mean.”
“Maybe there’s nobody left,” Jerry said.
“Stan,” Lauren said, “you didn’t have to come.”
“Yes I did,” Stan said. “I have to know who it was that talked to me.”
“What did he sound like?” Lauren asked. They were now walking through the main street in town.
“It was my voice,” Stan said. “Or maybe that’s just how I remember it. It wasn’t a voice so much as a thought that was pushed into my mind.”
Jerry groaned.
“It wasn’t my thought,” Stan insisted. “I’m telling you, it was pushed in there.”
The grocery store was up ahead. “Seems like a year ago that we were in there shopping,” she said.
“Yeah,” Jerry said. “Where’s that old lady’s apartment?”
“Mrs. Salyers?” Lauren said. “It’s on the street behind the grocery store.”
“What the hell is that?” Stan said. He was pointing toward the roof of the grocery store. “Up there. Something’s hanging over the edge of the roof.”
They walked toward the store’s entrance, looking at the roof. As they got closer, the thing hanging over the edge became clear.
It was an arm. A human arm.
“Somebody’s on the roof,” Stan said. “Asleep or something. He better scoot back, or he’ll roll right off.”
“I don’t think they’re asleep, Stan,” Jerry said.
“Are you saying that’s a dead body?” Stan asked. “On the damn roof?”
“Maybe they were trying to make a stand,” Jerry said.
“He was dropped,” Lauren said. “From the sky.”
“How do you know it’s a he?” Jerry asked.
“It’s Mr. Salyers,” Lauren said.
“How do you know that?”
“Because,” Lauren said, looking ahead, “over there is Mrs. Salyers.”
They stood over the old woman’s body. It lay on the pavement of the parking lot, twisted and broken. In the dark, the snow was stained black with blood.
“They just dropped them?” Jerry said. “They lifted them into the air and just dropped them?”
“Apparently,” Lauren said. “You know, until this moment, I was still holding onto the hope that they weren’t here to hurt us.”
“We can turn back,” Jerry said. “They’ve still not noticed us. We should turn back and hide in the church. Stick to the original plan.”
“No,” Lauren said as she continued to walk forward. “We’re going home.”
“Why?” Jerry asked.
“Because God asked me to,” Lauren said.
Jerry groaned.
“You know,” Stan said, “the boy might be right. The more I think about it, the more I think it wasn’t God talking to me.”
“That’s fear talking, Stan,” Lauren said. “You go back. Both of you. But I’m going home.”
They walked through the town and eventually turned down the street that led to Lauren’s house. After about ten minutes, Lauren’s house was in view.
She stopped. “It looks dark,” she said. “Maybe they did leave.”
“I’m pretty sure they’re in there,” Jerry said. “At least one or two.”
“Only one way to find out,” Lauren said. She began to walk toward her home.
“Question,” Jerry said. “If we get there and the house is empty, what are you planning to do?”
Lauren shrugged. “Have some dinner?”
Jerry laughed.
They walked up to the house and stepped onto the front porch.
“It’s dark,” Jerry said. “They could be in there, waiting.”
Stan, who was still standing in the yard, said, “You shouldn’t have mentioned dinner. Now I have an expectation.”
“Well,” Lauren said, “we have plenty. Jerry and I went shopping yesterday.”
A light burst from the sky and enveloped Stan. Lauren saw his eyes go wide with terror as he began to float toward the sky.
“Jerry, get him!”
Jerry tried to reach out from the porch and grab the old man’s leg, but he was just out of reach.
He watched as Stan floated above the porch’s roof and out of view. A few seconds later, they heard a very loud thud as something landed hard on top of the porch.
“No,” Lauren said through clenched teeth. “He was the reason I came here.”
“Get inside!” Jerry yelled. “I guess we’re starting over!”
They ran into the living room and shut the door behind them. “Shall I start saying I told you so now or later!” Jerry yelled.
“Later!” Lauren said. “I think it’s time for me to go against everything I’ve ever believed in.”
Jerry looked confused.
“It’s time to fight,” Lauren said.
“Where’s something to use as a weapon,” Jerry said. “I can’t see shit.”
“I don’t guess we have to worry about staying hidden,” Lauren said as she flipped on the light switch.
As soon as the light switched on, they both screamed.
Three aliens stood in the living room, staring at them. One stood in the center, another blocked the doorway to the hall, and the third blocked the doorway to the kitchen. The only open doorway was the front door.
Outside, several lights were shining down from the sky.
“And we’re back to this,” Jerry said.
“Except this time, we don’t have a piece of plywood,” Lauren said. “Or anywhere to run.”
Jerry turned and looked outside. There were multiple aliens in the yard and in the street beyond. Across the street, several aliens were walking into the neighbors’ empty houses.
“They’re moving in,” Jerry said.
The aliens didn’t move. They simply stood in the living room, watching the last two humans in town.
“What now?” Lauren asked.
“I know we’re inside,” Jerry said, “but can I smoke a cigarette. Please?”
Lauren smiled. “Go ahead.”
Jerry lit the cigarette, took a deep draw, then said, “So guys. You know, you’re going to have to drag us into the yard. And some of you will get hurt. I noticed earlier that you’re pretty weak. I mean, that plywood almost knocked one of you on your ass. I’m not sure which one of you it was. You all look the same to me.”
“Racist,” Lauren said.
Jerry laughed, took another draw of his cigarette, flipped it outside, then ran toward the nearest alien.
“What are you doing!” Lauren screamed.
“Taking a hostage!” Jerry yelled. He grabbed the alien’s arm and pulled it toward him. “I wasn’t lying! They’re weak!” He wrapped his arm around its neck and pulled it toward the door.
The creature tried to fight him. Its convulsive flailing seemed unnatural to Lauren. It was the first time she had ever seen one move without grace.
“That’s why they use the ships, and the lights, and the deception,” Jerry said. “Physically, they’re nothing!”
As he dragged it onto the front porch, Lauren saw its mouth opening and closing, trying to breathe.
“Jerry, you’re killing it!” She yelled.
“Not a big concern for me!” Jerry said. “Come on! Grab one of its arms or something.”
Lauren g
rabbed the creature’s right arm. “This isn’t right,” she said. “We can’t kill it.”
“Are you fucking nuts?” Jerry yelled. “By now, they’ve probably killed most of the people that ever lived on this planet!”
Jerry dragged the creature off the porch. In the yard, at least twenty aliens surrounded him. “I’ll kill him!” Jerry yelled. “You know I’ll kill him! Just let us go. Just let us get in a car and drive away and you’ll never see us again.”
“They don’t understand you,” Lauren said.
The alien stopped fighting. Its body went limp. Instantly, they both knew it was dead.
“Oh shit,” Jerry said, surprised by the fragility of the creature. He dropped the alien’s body to the ground and looked around the yard. “Look for something to hold onto. Now.”
Lauren turned around and wrapped her left arm around the porch railing. “Here!” she yelled.
Jerry grabbed a piece of railing near her. A moment later, his feet left the ground. Within a second, he was upside down. He felt his fingers slipping from the rail.
Lauren was just outside the range of the light that had lifted Jerry.
“Don’t let go!” Jerry yelled. “Don’t let go of that rail!”
Lauren found herself wondering why she should hold on. She looked behind her and saw the yard full of aliens, watching peacefully, curiously. The dead alien was gone, if it was ever really dead. She saw Jerry’s fingers stretch as they tried their best to keep him on the rail.
His fingers slipped off and he shot upward. As he passed the roof of the porch, he managed to grab the gutter.
Lauren looked back at her own rail. She knew she couldn’t withstand their pull. Her right shoulder was worthless. There was no way she could keep herself on the ground with one arm.
“Grab another one!” Jerry yelled from the roof. “Grab one! It’s the only way, Lauren. I’m telling you they’re weak! Grab it and drag it inside your car and drive away!”
“I’m not leaving you!” Lauren screamed.
“I’m gone already!” Jerry yelled. “Go!”
Lauren looked back to the yard and saw the aliens watching her. She considered ending it right then. All she had to do was look them in the eyes, then it was over and the planet was theirs. In that brief moment, she wondered how many times this scene had played out across the world. How many people fought back? How many managed to escape to the woods? How many were lifted a mile above the surface of the planet, only to be dropped back on the ground?
“Don’t sit there staring!” Jerry yelled. “Go! I can’t hold on much longer!”
Lauren closed her eyes and began to pray.
Jerry continued to yell, but she pushed his voice away.
She asked God for strength, both physical and emotional.
Her feet lifted into the air.
“Hold on, Lauren!” Jerry was yelling. “Don’t let go!”
Lauren held onto the railing and continued her prayer. She heard herself whisper, “Help us.”
She felt her arm begin to slip from the rail.
“Don’t let go of that porch, Laurie! You stay right there!”
I’m trying! She thought.
Her eyes sprang open.
Laurie.
He had said Laurie.
“Arthur,” Lauren whispered as she opened her eyes and looked at the yard behind her.
Arthur was in the yard, dragging one of the aliens toward the street.
Lauren tried to push away the million questions in her mind. She watched as he dragged the alien through the yard. Like the one Jerry had grabbed, this creature was flailing wildly. The other aliens simply watched, curiously and cautiously. As superior as they were, it was obvious they understood Arthur possessed the greater physical strength.
As he dragged the creature toward the end of the yard, Lauren saw a ship sitting in the street behind him. He pulled the alien to the ship and grabbed its arm. He slammed the creature’s palm against the surface of the ship.
“Hear us!” he screamed. “Hear us!”
Lauren fell to the ground. Beside her, she heard Jerry smack the porch rail, then bounce into the snow. His groans told her that he at least survived the fall.
Jerry used the railing to get to his feet. “That hurt,” he mumbled. “A lot.” He looked at Lauren. “Did I hear Arthur?”
Ignoring him, Lauren ran through the yard, stopping in front of the ship in the street. The other aliens surrounded her, but none of them were moving.
Arthur stood in the road, watching the alien stagger away from the ship.
“That’s right,” he said. “Tell the others. Scream to them.”
He turned to Lauren and smiled. “Thank God you’re here. I was worried that you wouldn’t be here.”
Lauren stared at him, unable to speak.
“Art?” Jerry said as he jogged up to the street.
“Hello, Jerry,” Arthur said.
Light began to shine onto the street, but it wasn’t the white light from the ships. This light was softer. Warmer.
It was the sun.
Lauren looked at the sky and saw that the ships were beginning to separate. Many seemed to be leaving the atmosphere.
One of the aliens walked up to Lauren. She stepped away from the creature.
“It’s okay,” Arthur said.
The alien touched Lauren’s arm and gently pushed her shoulder back into place. She moved her arm in wide circles. There was no pain.
“I think it’s over,” Arthur said. “Well, actually, it’s kind of just beginning, but I think the danger’s over.”
“What the hell is going on?” Jerry said.
“Very long story,” Arthur said. “I’ll explain it later. For now, just let yourself relax and enjoy the realization that you’re going to be okay.”
Lauren grabbed Arthur and pulled him into the most powerful hug she’d ever given.
Jerry simply laughed.
Arthur looked at Jerry. “I take it you’re glad to see me?”
Still smiling, Jerry said, “Actually, I was just thinking about the fact that if you hadn’t stolen my girlfriend, I would very likely be dead right now.”
Arthur Laughed.
Jerry looked at the aliens, then said, “And I’m wondering what the hell just happened.”
Lauren pulled back from the hug. “No shit,” she said. “And speaking of Jerry‘s girlfriend, where is she?”
Arthur’s smile began to fade. “That’s… complicated.”
Jerry’s smile vanished. “Arthur, where is Alice?”
Arthur looked at the ship behind him. “She’s in there,” he said. His tone was undeniably uncomfortable.
The Aliens and the Humans
It took four days to return the people of Earth back to their homes. Two days later, a few television networks were already back on the air.
Arthur sat on the couch, flipping through the channels.
“It’s like he never left,” Lauren said as she walked into the living room, holding two cups of coffee. She handed one cup to Jerry and the other to Arthur.
“I’m going to miss this house,” Arthur said.
“You’re really doing this,” Jerry said. “You’re really going to go through with it.”
“Yes,” Arthur said. “Right after this cup of coffee. It’ll be my last cup for quite a while.” He took a sip, then said, “I owe this to her. And you need to go say hello, Jerry. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”
Jerry walked to the window and looked at the ship. “I will,” he said.
“It’s okay to be freaked out,” Arthur said.
“I still can’t wrap my brain around it,” Lauren said. “What happened again? Right after she died?”
“You of all people,” Arthur said, “should understand that she didn’t die. Nobody ever dies. Not really. They just move out.”
Lauren laughed. “That’s the most comforting thing you’ve ever said to me.”
Arthur chuckled. “Yeah, I g
uess I’ve changed a bit.”
“She sacrificed herself so they could understand,” Jerry said. “I still can’t believe it.”
“Go on not believing it,” Arthur said, “because that’s not what happened. I didn’t understand it at the time, but she knew. She understood that it wasn’t a sacrifice at all. She didn’t choose to die. She chose to evolve.”
“It’s very hard to accept them as superior beings” Lauren said. “You didn’t witness their cruelty, Arthur. We saw them kill people. It’s going to be hard to just shrug this off as a miscommunication.”
“It’s going to be hard, but you have to do it,” Arthur said. “That was the one thing Alice demanded before she jumped off that walkway. Well, it was one of two demands, but I’m keeping the second one to myself.”
“They killed Mr. Salyers and his wife,” Lauren said. “Arthur, we had to pull Stan’s dead body from our roof. They almost killed Jerry and me. You can just forgive them for that?”
“It’s not about forgiveness,” Arthur said. “It’s about understanding. And if you’re waiting on them to apologize, you’ll be waiting a very long time. They didn’t stop because of regret. They stopped because they discovered we were more than they thought we were. Thanks to Alice.”
“I’ll never be okay with them,” Jerry said. “Ever.”
“Then just stay away from them,” Arthur said. He turned to Lauren. “Remember when we had that problem with field mice?”
“Yeah,” Lauren said. “And I think I know where this is going.”
“We set dozens of traps,” Arthur said. “We killed many mice that spring.”
“I know,” Lauren said. “Please don’t make me feel guilty.”
“I’m not,” Arthur said with a smile. “You already felt guilty. After we saw the mouse with its head stuck in the trap. I had to kill it with the broom handle. You cried because of it.”
“What’s with all these animal comparisons,” Jerry said. “We’re not field mice, we’re not bees, and we’re not Lauren’s uncle’s damn pigs. We’re humans.”
“We continued setting the traps,” Arthur continued. “Even after that incident with the little survivor.”
“Jerry has a point,” Lauren said. “We’re not mice.”
“That’s exactly why we have to let this go,” Arthur said. “Now that the TV is back on, I’m sure the President will be saying this very thing in his speech. If that mouse could have somehow put its mind inside of your mind… if it could have somehow shown you that it was self-aware… you would have stopped with the traps.”
