They lay in the blind, crammed into a space large enough for one person, and tried to cover all avenues of attack.

John felt slightly ridiculous. He could only think they were practicing a little overkill. If any of the aliens came near the blind, the firepower would pulverize them.

Lia was lying at his side, her feet near his head. Occasionally, she would play with his feet, wiggling his foot back and forth on the dirt. He sighed. She was a distraction he did not need. He had the distinct impression she had decided upon the reality of her marriage and was now interested in him. It would be a compliment if the attention came at any other time; it just seemed inappropriate to behave this way when they might die.

The aliens had exited the UFO and were milling about the bottom of the craft. It was huge compared to the UFO the army guy had destroyed, a distinct gap between the lawn and the underbelly of the ship tall enough for him to walk under without bending.

“What if there are more ships?” he whispered to the man.

The man made a show of searching the surrounding woods before answering. “We take them one at a time. Have you seen the floating gun platforms?”

“I think so.” John pulled his foot from Lia’s grasp.

“Try to take out the platforms first. They are more dangerous than the aliens. Did you hear that?” he said to Lia in a voice marginally louder than a whisper.

“Yes.”

The aliens seemed to split into groups and set about their separate tasks. A large group of twenty or more headed for the house. A second group disappeared behind the cars, while the last group of ten made their way to the trees.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

“Who are we?” Lia asked softly.

The man diverted his attention from the aliens long enough to give John a questioning glance. He could see clearly in the light from the UFO, then held a finger to his lips and turned away.

John tapped Lia’s leg, suggesting she be quiet, and received a similar tap in response. He would have been fine with a simple tap, a light touch of the fingers to his leg; instead, Lia’s tap seemed more a caress.

Casey kept his gun centered on the ship while he checked the surrounding woods, expecting the gun platforms. If he could trash the platforms while they exited the ship, the aliens could not locate his firing position. The silencer on the guns would protect them from detection, but Casey hoped the aliens had a limited means of discovering their presence. If this larger ship had a means to detect heat, then they were in a trouble.

It was no use trying to borrow trouble; he had to concentrate on the problem at hand and deal with the changes in the situation as they arrived.

He tried to keep his mind on the ship, but he could not understand the actions of the actors or the woman’s question. How could they not know who they were? It was possible the aliens had erased their memory; he seemed to remember something about missing time, meaning missing memories. It was part of a conversation that had seemed unimportant.

The only type of weapons he had seen in use had been the platforms, the air pulse, and the hand-held tube. None seemed able to erase memories. It meant nothing from his perspective; who knew what the weapons could do? What if the aliens did not kill as they entered a landing zone but incapacitated the victims instead? It would save the aliens a lot of time.

He remembered the slight bout of confusion after the pulse had hit his shelter and suspected he was looking at the use of the weapon. The pulse was some kind of weapon that put humans in a state of suspended animation for a short time. The pulse would have to be strong to get through the walls of a house.

It stood to reason, yet Casey was still worried he was guessing too much about the capabilities of the aliens. The more he watched them, the more he thought their technological edge was not so far above human technology, like they came from a place where they learned how to fly before they learned how to make a car.

A platform edged out of the ship. Casey took aim, then fired in a well-practiced rhythm. Two shots and the platform collapsed to the ground.