Unexpected Invasion (Part 5) Completed story.

Another quarter-mile and the three of them stood before the school, hopeful they would find their parents alive and reconnect as families. So far, they had lucked out. They had spotted no more aliens, though overhead there remained a steady stream of smaller crafts coming and going. The team had no way of knowing how much devastation the aliens had caused.

“Okay, let’s see what we find,” Beth said, upping her steps towards the school. The two others followed closely behind, continually on the lookout for more aliens. When they reached the double doors, they found them locked. Beth began hammering both fists on the doors, yelling at the top of her lungs for someone to let them inside. It seemed an eternity before they saw the principal scurrying down the hallway towards the door, a happy smile on her face.

Unlocking the doors, she urged them inside. “Thank God,” she whispered. “It’s nice to know there are a few more alive out there. We could not leave here since this morning, unable to leave because of the explosions, and the UFO jammed our phone reception, though a couple of people have gotten their calls out.”

“My Mom, Dad, and brother?” Mel asked.

The principal nodded. “They’re all okay. C’mon, it will relieve them to see you’re alive. Everyone has been so worried.”

Mel nearly ran down the hall into the cafeteria where the parents had taken shelter. When she saw her mother, she broke into a dead run and fell into her arms, sobbing. She wondered if she would ever see them again, and now, in the comfort of her mother’s arms, she felt a flood of emotions.

“I was so worried,” her mother choked out. “I thought maybe you…” She couldn’t finish, the thought too unbearable to consider.

“Hey!” a man’s voice rang through the room. All eyes turned to stare at him. He was looking out the window, his face stricken. “They’re coming! One of the craft just landed outside and several of the aliens are pouring out with weapons in their hands.

Mel rushed forward. “Stand back. We have two of their weapons… I have my bow and arrows. We’ll take on this battle.”

“What?” Mel’s dad shouldered his way through the throng of people. “You can’t be serious!”

Mel understood his apprehension. She smiled, trying to reassure him. “It’s alright, Dad. We had to fight our way here.” She turned away and rushed to the window alongside Beth and Jimmy. Beth was already giving Jimmy instructions on how to use the laser gun to prepare for their attack.

A can-do attitude swelled in Mel as she prepared her bow. She couldn’t explain the heightened emotions flowing through her, but as she glanced at her two partners, knowing what they had come through, she felt confident they could take on the half dozen aliens heading their way.

“Okay team… you ready?” Mel asked.

“Damn right,” Beth said, new confidence rising in her. She raised the steel barrel of the laser gun upward to balance it on the window’s ledge, and locking her gaze on the aliens, her finger pressed against the trigger.

***

The loud chiming awoke Mel, and she bolted upright. Sweat beaded on her brow. It took a moment for her to realize she was still in her bed. She jumped as her mother poked her head inside the door, a bright smile on her face.

“There was a gas line explosion in the neighborhood that has caused terrible damage throughout the city. School’s canceled for the day. Might as well sleep in,” she said. “The fire department has cleared our house so we aren’t in any danger, but several vehicles got torched, including one of ours, and it blew several houses up.”

“A gas line?” Mel’s jaw dropped. She still could not wrap her mind around what was going on. Everything seemed surreal, out of its socket. It made no sense.

“It’s alright, they’re repairing it, honey.”

Mel blinked several times. Had she been dreaming? It felt so real. She had experienced nothing like what she had just gone through. In fact, she didn’t know if she even had enough imagination to drum up something so macabre.

She rolled to the side and winced as she threw the covers aside, staring at her scraped-up shins. Stunned, she stepped out of bed, the soles of her feet striking something hard—her bow and quiver! Did she sleepwalk as well? Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a slight movement. Something small and green. It slipped out of the partially cracked door in her room and scurried out into the hall. Her hazel eyes widened. It could not be her imagination! What did the aliens do to reverse the appearance of an invasion? How was that even possible? Her head spun with questions, but knew there would not be any forthcoming answers soon… if ever.

“Oh!” came Mel’s mother’s voice from out in the hallway. “And Mel, where on earth did this cat come from?”

Fiona? Mel hurried over to the window, threw back the curtains, and stared up at the slate-gray sky. Was it her imagination, or was there a vague outline of the metallic wheel veiled behind the low-lying clouds? Only a few signs showed they had even been there, save for the burned cars, trees, and a few houses, now merely rubble. Did they have the power to turn back time? If so, why? Were they preparing for something more catastrophic? Stunned, she ran for the phone. Beth and Jimmy… would they remember? She must know…

The End. If you took the time to read Unexplained Invasion, please let me know what you thought about it. I wrote this =for young adults but is suitable for any age. I hope you enjoyed this fun short story. I will leave the 5 part story up until the end of December. Thank you for your support!