They pulled Casey over the lip of the ravine and hurried to stand.

He brushed by his companions and hobbled towards the house, his mind digesting the sounds of the battle and coming to a single answer. The humans would not win. The volume of the gunfire was diminishing while the falling lights overhead told of a barrage that would not stop in the next few minutes.

They had to act now before the aliens entered the house in force.

He aimed for the door at the rear of the kitchen and climbed the steps to the small porch, using the railing more than a man in good condition.

Casey had thought of the actors as the weak link in the fight, but was now beginning to wonder if he would tie them down as they ran from the house. Using a car was out of the question; the aliens would follow a car if they could start it, and if the aliens did not get them, then the military response to the situation would have no problem tracking the hot engine of a car. It was a classic no-win situation.

Casey fired a shot into the lock and pushed against the wood, feeling the door give way, then burst open. He stumbled into the kitchen attempting to use the techniques burned into his mind in countless training exercises, but his body did not cooperate. Casey fell against the counter and swung the gun in a short arc as he searched for aliens.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

The actors crossed into his line of fire and ran into the dining room, heedless of the danger they faced. Casey jerked his weapon up to clear the aim and followed the actors with an angry reproof in mind.

He stopped short and stood stunned at the sight. The occupants of the house stood like statues staring out the front windows of the house, their eyes open to the strobe flashing of the explosions and gunfire.

John and Lia were standing to one side, unable to understand the people they came to rescue.

Slowly, Casey limped to the man who stood at the far end of the line, glancing out the window to see the aliens were in no shape to come in the house. Bodies lay strewn across the yard as the small aliens advanced on the woods.

It made sense now. Casey finally understood what had happened to the command portion of the operation. They had never controlled a hopeless situation when they had no recollection of the operation. Those waves had slammed into the house had driven the memories from the people in the house, made them nothing more than pawns in the battle.

Reaching forward, Casey grasped Turner’s shoulder and shook the man. There was no reaction. They were all in a trance that seemed as deep as a coma. He drew back and whipped his hand into Turner’s face with a loud report, and still there was no reaction.

“Get some water,” Casey said to Lia.