Tired but exultant, John lay on the edge of the gully, looking across the ditch at an alien as it pushed dirt aside, searching near a cheesy-looking spacecraft. It never heard his approach or the tiny noise made while he brought the rifle to bear on its back.

He had no concern about shooting the thing in the back; it deserved no less. These monsters had come to the house and attacked, as well as the attack at the gully. That behavior earned them death.

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The report of the gun surprised John, the shot from the large caliber gun throwing the small body of the alien to the far wall of the gully where it lay limp with an enormous hole in the center of its body.

John slithered back into the trees and moved to another shooting location. Hit and run was the best plan, shoot and move.

As he worked his way away from the attack, he wondered what the alien had been looking for in the dirt and if it might be something worth finding.