A man was lying by the far wall surrounded by bright fragments of glass. He struggling to raise his hand.

Jim pushed the door open with his foot to enter the bedroom and stopped in his tracks at the sight of the small gray alien standing a few yards from the man.

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The man was holding a gun and in a fleeting impression Jim saw it flash while a device the alien held jumped. The man flew to hit the far wall so hard Jim thought he heard bones snap while the alien spun to face the door.

Without thinking, Jim fired the shotgun. The first shot drove the alien back to the windowsill and the next blast tipped it out of the house. He had the fleeting impression of small gray legs disappearing, tugging the curtains as they passed.