Who could have?
I slipped from the store, closing the door silently behind me. It took me a moment to realize that not even the birds were singing. I glanced sharply around, but I did not see animal bodies littered amongst the people in the streets. They may have been affected also, but I didnt think so. There would at least be a few birds lying amongst the people if that was the case. Apparently the birds had even been scared off by the sudden pall that hung over the world.
My heart was thumping loudly in my chest as I crept slowly through the still streets, trying hard not to burst into tears or flee screaming. I studied the alien ship wearily. It was not coming toward our town, it did not appear to be moving, but I knew it was only a matter of time before they appeared in the streets, before they came to take everyone. And somehow I knew that was exactly what they intended to do.
It was what they were going to do with everyone after they came that frightened me the most.
I slipped down another street, keeping my eye on the hovering craft in the distance. Bret had once told me he thought they had eyes everywhere, that they knew our every move. I could only pray that he had been wrong. Their technology was far superior then ours, that was an undisputed fact, but I had to cling to the hope that they hadnt mastered the ability to know where every person was at all times.
Please let that be true, I pleaded frantically. Please. I was nobody of importance, there was no reason they would monitor my movements.
I turned another corner, slinking through the shadows as I moved toward the center of town. My heart was thudding so hard it hurt. I didnt know if it was possible for the inside of a ribcage to become bruised, but I was almost certain that mine was.
People were scattered about the streets in different positions and different situations. One couple was kissing and another was holding hands on a bench. A family was getting their picture taken by the old mill, and a group of children were frozen in the middle of a game of tag. I stopped for a moment to study the children. Goose pimples broke out on my flesh, even in the hot summer sun I was chilled by the sight of them. They were the creepiest things I had come across so far, so innocent yet eerie and unnerving in their immobility.
I forced myself to turn away from them before I started screaming hysterically and didnt stop until the aliens were drawn by my screams. I slipped into an alley, leaning against the cold wall as I struggled to catch my breath. The humidity of the day was not as oppressive as the terror clutching at me. I closed my eyes, trying hard not to fall apart, struggling not to completely freak out. It was still over a mile to my house. I wasnt sure I was going to make it.
I tilted my head back as I scanned over the roofs in search of cameras. I saw none, but that didnt matter. For all I knew they didnt even need cameras to spy on us. For all I knew, they were omniscient. That thought didnt seem entirely farfetched, not anymore. They could apparently freeze people in an instant after all, why wouldnt they know where we were at all times? Taking another deep breath I attempted to gather my waning courage.
I pushed myself slowly away from the wall, feeling like a criminal as I crept stealthily down the alley. I glanced quickly away from the man leaning against the brick building. He had been in the act of relieving himself, there was a puddle of urine before him but thankfully
there was no urine still coming out. Slipping onto another main road, I darted quickly down the sidewalk, dodging the obstacles the immobile people represented. I used the back of my arm to wipe the sweat from my forehead as it slid into one of my eyes.
I slid into another alley, bending over as I was gripped by the sudden urge to curl up into a ball and let my sanity go. I thought the world might be a better place if I did. At least I wouldnt be alone anymore. For a moment I was consumed by the urge to just give up, to wait here until they found me, but I had never quit before and I wasnt about to start now. Not when I didnt know what had become of my family, maybe after, if they were gone
I let the thought trail off; there was no use in dwelling on it. Not until I knew, and then I didnt know what I would do.
I pushed off the wall, breaking into a brisk jog as I hurried down the alley. Turning a corner, I began to move faster, nearly sprinting as I raced down the sidewalk. I was breathing so hard that I almost didnt hear the distant rumbling noise until it was too late. As it was, it just barely caught my attention in time.
I pressed flat to a wall, my eyes wide as the ground beneath my feet began to tremble slightly, my head bounced rapidly back and forth as I searched for the cause of the strange sensation and noise. I crept slowly forward, keeping my hand pressed against the glass window of a store. The noise grew louder, the quaking increased as the sidewalk beneath my feet began to tremble even more.