Dead men littered the woods.

None of the men Parker had known survived tonight, most of them ripped open by the bizarre weapons of the aliens. In the distance, he could see the fire from the crashed UFO lighting the woods as it grew. The last few weeks had been dry, the trees growing brittle as they lacked for water. It was only a matter of time before the flames threatened the cars on the road.

With a deftness drawn from years of wandering the woods of the area, Parker worked his was swiftly back to the ravine as the helicopters passed overhead and continued unaware of his presence. The decision to wait taken from their hands if they did not hurry, they would have to outrun a forest fire on foot.

He slid down the gully wash into the ravine and ran along the base of the cut, knowing the urgency of the situation demanded immediate action.

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It was possible they could escape. From the moment he joined the defense of the house, Parker had thought he was a dead man walking, but now it seemed he might make it out of this mess alive. The possibility of survival was enough to make him work his best to aid the people from the house.

Maybe someday he would understand what had happened at this house tonight. For now, he only wanted to make it home.

The smoke from the helicopter fire thickened as he worked his way west, as blackened pieces of wreckage slowed his pace. There was a foul smell to the smoke, sweetness like overcooked meat on a grill on a summer’s night.

Someone was burning; it was probably the pilot of the helicopter.

It was time to climb the slope. With energy he did not know he possessed, Parker climbed above the thick smoke at the bottom of the ravine and gained height until he was halfway up the slope.

Using an exposed root for support, he looked for the others. Twenty yards away, perhaps ten yards down the ravine, he saw three of the survivors hanging onto a thin bush.

One of them was missing.

“Aw, Christ,” Parker realized. The smell was from a person he had saved.

He worked his way down to the people hanging so close to the fire.