1 Chapter 1
I duck down behind a parked car, the chaos of a normal workday surrounding me. I sling the backpack hung haphazardly on my shoulder to the concrete and pull out a homemade tool from the large main pocket.
KOI grin in satisfaction as my expert hands deftly unlock the car and the door pops open with a click. It was an older model with less modern security functions, making it an easy job. I drop into the driver's seat and reach into the glove compartment, searching for something worthwhile. My hand brushes against a small velvety surface and I pull it out. The small ring box lay delicately in my calloused hand, its golden hinge shimmering in the morning sun. I open the box to view the small ring inside, admiring its wonderful reflection of colours as sunlight filtered through the clear gem. I toss the small box into my bag and continue to search the rest of the car. In the centre console I find $126 cash and a $15 Burger King gift card, the redemption code still concealed beneath the scratch off label. My long limbs struggle to exit the small car, but I manage to escape within the crowd before I can be spotted.
I gripped the handle of my backpack, keeping my head low and pace quick. I weave between bustling businessmen and jogging teens, careful to not bump into any others hurrying down the street. The brick office buildings and glass skyscrapers cast dark shadows, offering a multitude of different locations to disappear into.
I watch carefully as invisible eyes observe the massive crowd, hobos and druggies waiting for a turn of luck, criminals scanning for a victim and Police surveying the city through their cameras. I keep my head down, shielding my face from view and continue down the sidewalk. I stop at a traffic light, standing with a small group of people waiting to cross. From behind me I hear a woman speaking with someone on the phone.
"Yes, I know he's a handful but I really can't afford to lose you Rose. Luke needs a babysitter, I can't leave him at the house alone while I work. Lilian is off at college so she can't watch her brother. Please Rose, just hang in there for a few more weeks until I can find him a new one. Please. . . Oh thank you so much, Rose, I promise I will talk to him- what? Wait, Rose what are you talking about? Calm down Rose, what are you seeing? A spaceship? You're seeing a very big spaceship in the sky, and there's smaller ships coming out of it. Rose, what- are you- Is this some sort of joke? Rose? ROSE!" The woman shouted into her phone, worry dripping from her voice.
"That woman lost her god-d∆mn mind and I swear to God if I get home and Luke isn't taken care of-" She cuts off her own sentence with a low growl. The frustrated mother mutters other profanities and ill-wishes under her breath before going silent. She lets out a small gasp and I see small, black shards of plastic skid past my feet. I hear something drop to the concrete, I look behind me to see the phone cracked and broken on the ground and the middle-aged woman staring at the sky with wide eyes. The street is soon filled with blood-curdling shrieks, people run for cover among the towering buildings.
I stood frozen in place as I stared up at the bright blue sky. The inky shadow creeping towards me belonged to a flying vessel in the sky. The outside walls of the aircraft were covered in green luminescent writings of a different language, and the very bottom of it spun like a top in zero gravity. The billboards that lined the street began to flicker, the unidentifiable language glowing brightly on the LED screens. After a few moments, everything cut out. The billboards went black, the street lamps turned off simultaneously, every light within sight was unplugged, plunging the block into darkness. My hands trembled and I held on tightly to my backpack handles until my knuckles were a ghostly shade of white.
A small panel opened on the vessel's smooth side, revealing a bizarre looking device. Once switched on, the device opened to show a large projection. I felt fear coil around my gut as a disgusting creature gazed over the city. Vine-like veins raised up against dark, forest green skin covered the creature. Multiple yellow eyes watch the humans below intently and a long tongue hangs from a gaping hole filled with jagged teeth. The Aircraft behind the projection fills the now silent air with mechanical whirrs and soft echoes of scraping metal. Tunnels open up on the sides of the ship and hundreds of smaller ships spewed out from the openings. The swarm of shuttles descend upon the city, massive claw hands extending from the tops of the ships. The metal claws tear into the concrete buildings easily, burrowing in towards the people cowering within them. Many rush out the doors and are quickly snatched relentlessly by a claw. I rush down the street, dodging the terrifying vehicles and falling debris from the destruction of this city's tallest edifices.
A panicked businessman rushes past a young woman, pushing her to the ground. She clutches a large bundle to her chest, shielding it from the fall. A small head emerges from the woman's arms and she looks around frantically. The dark-haired woman spots me from across the street, her light green eyes piercing into my dull hazel ones.
I watch helplessly as a chunk of falling debris lands on the woman's leg, her eyes exhibit immense pain, yet she remains silent. Instead, the woman holds the small child's face within her two hands and speaks with her. Tears stream down the child's face and she shakes her head as she throws her tiny arms around her mother's neck in a hug. They stay like that for a moment, mother and daughter sharing a loving hug amongst the death and fear surrounding them. It was almost beautiful, the mother whispers one last thing to the girl before pushing her off and yelling at her to run. The small girl runs from her wounded mother, wiping endless tears from her cheeks.
A claw rushes towards the woman and clamps down around her waist, it drags her out from under the concrete. She screams in anguish as her skin tears, bones disconnect and blood pours from the woman's leg. A large bone juts out from the amputated limb, the shuttle gains altitude and heads back towards the mother ship, leaving a piece of the victim beneath the concrete.
