“Come on, man, you gotta be fucking with me now,” Micha said as he poked the fire with his stick. “I know you are not that dumb…”

“No, no,” Philip contradicted. “You are not listening to me at all…”

“You are still discussing that? Stop it, please! I know you are fucking with us, there is no way you believe the Earth is flat in the year 2025,” Oliver said as he carried two six-packs of the finest German beer for the twelve of them.

“I don’t believe the Earth is flat, flat, but there is something to their theory,” Philip continued to argue. “I mean, who would have been able to make up all the things they are saying.”

“Idle people,” Micha fired back immediately.

“Idiots, most likely,” Liam joined the conversation.

“What I don’t understand about the flat earthers' theory, maybe you can enlighten me here, Philip?” Micha provoked him. “Why the hell would the government lie to us that the Earth was round? What the fuck do they stand to gain from that?”

“So we wouldn’t go over the ice wall and try to explore the lands beyond,” Philip answered.

“Even if that was true and there was an ice wall and lands beyond or whatever they say is beyond, why wouldn’t they want people to go there, again what do they, whoever they are, gain from that?”

“I don’t know, man,” Philip said. “I am fucking with you…” He said, breaking into laughter.

“Oh my God, my blood pressure is already two hundred over a hundred fifty,” Micha said, opening the beer Philip passed to him and taking a long sip. “I never know with you, you’ve believed in some dumb theories in your time, man.”

The crew laughed and teased Philip about his previous alter egos and theories he believed in through his high school and college days. As the laughter continued, the rest of the friends joined them around the fire.

They were all born within two years and lived in the same neighborhood, went to the same elementary and high school, and that’s how this tradition arose in their high school days, and continued once they went their own ways after graduation. Most of them left their hometown for college somewhere else, some sought jobs outside the country, and some stayed, but they agreed to not let this tradition die.

Micha was the one to organize everything and everyone each year. The first week of August, when all of them returned home from wherever they lived at the moment, they would gather at his, now late grandparents', estate on top of the hill that overlooked their city.

Unfortunately, each year their numbers dwindled, but Micha hoped this tradition would continue and a few years in the future as they got married, had kids, and their group would start to grow again.

Their friendship was tight, there was no bad blood between anyone even though they experienced various hardships during the years. Some of them were closer than others, but they knew they could count on almost everyone. In the past decade, some love relationships arose within the group, most of them died down, and a few persisted, of those who persisted only Liam and Dana were present at this gathering.

The evening air, as at most of their gatherings, was filled with the smoky aroma of barbecued meat and the sound of laughter. Micha, the unofficial chef of the group, manned the grill with a beer in one hand and tongs in the other, expertly flipping burgers and sausages. The rest gathered around the fire pit, their faces glowing in the warm light as they caught up on the past year.

Oliver, always the joker, regaled the group with exaggerated tales of his latest drinking and dating escapades, eliciting roars of laughter around the pit. He did not miss a chance to poke fun at Philip at any opportunity he got; that was their relationship ever since they were in diapers. Meanwhile, Liam, Dana, and Aiden discussed the best German beers in a heated argument, settling on a tie between Paulaner and Erdinger.

As the night wore on, the conversation, as always, turned nostalgic. They reminisced about their childhood pranks, their first loves, and the wild dreams they had as teenagers. Amid their laughter and good time, a sudden, deafening boom echoed through the night, cutting their laughter short. The group fell silent, their smiles fading as they looked around in confusion. The sound was unlike anything they had heard before; the bang was so loud, leaving their ears ringing, but it was also unique, not resembling any explosion or natural disaster they could think of, and it came from above.

“What the hell was that?” Micha asked, his voice laced with concern. Everyone stood up, scanning the horizon.

As they continued to look for the source of the explosion, Philip suddenly pointed upwards, his hand trembling. “Look, up there! What the hell is that?” he exclaimed, his voice full of fear and confusion.

Everyone’s gaze followed his pointing finger to see an enormous, dark shape looming in the night sky. It was unlike any aircraft they had ever seen - massive, with eerie light and a strange, otherworldly design they couldn’t wrap their minds around.

“What… is that… an alien ship?” Ron stuttered, disbelief etching his features. A mix of shock and fascination overtook the group as they stared at the object, now clearly visible against the starlit backdrop.

“Aliens? Seriously?” Liam scoffed, his voice betraying his uncertainty. “This has got to be some sort of military experiment, hologram, or drone show, right?”

As they stood there looking at the massive object, trying to find a rational explanation, any possibility of this being human-made was shattered as a few more of these large objects entered the Earth's atmosphere. Then the ships seemed to open at the sides, like a bird spreading its wings, and an armada of smaller vessels left the large objects.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

The awe-struck silence was shattered by a blinding flash from the direction of their hometown, followed by a thunderous explosion. They watched in horror as a column of fire and smoke rose into the sky, the alien ship hovering ominously above as their smaller vessels approached the ground.

“Oh my God, they are bombing the city!” Dana screamed, her voice full of panic. The realization hit them like a physical blow - this wasn’t just an alien sighting; it was an invasion.

The group huddled together, their eyes still fixed on the burning city below. The initial shock was giving way to a primal urge for survival. “We need to get to safety, and figure out what’s happening,” Micha was the first to speak, taking charge as he always did.

“Should we go down there, try to help?” Liam asked, torn between the urge to flee and the desire to help his loved ones.

"No, it's too dangerous," Dana argued. "We need to find somewhere safe, get in touch with our families, make sure they're okay."

“Where the hell is even safe if fucking aliens are invading?” Philip asked panickedly.

“Wait,” Alex said running towards them panting. “I ran to my car and took my radio. They are saying that this is happening all over the world; they are instructing civilians to stay inside and those who can, to stay out of the big cities, as those are the primary targets.”

Alex was a cop, on his way to becoming a detective in a year. All eyes turned towards him, as the group suddenly realized he, with his training and expertise, could be the one to tell them what to do.

“What do you suggest?” Micha asked him.

Alex shrugged his shoulders. “I have no ideas, to be honest. No one can prepare you for this.”

Before they could continue and decide on what to do, a huge explosion resonated just below the hill, the sound making them take cover instinctively. And then, all of a sudden, in a synchronized motion, the smaller alien ships started rapidly descending towards the earth, firing smaller missiles on their way down. A few ships went in their direction, one of the smaller bombs landing some five hundred meters from them.

The ground shook as the smaller bomb detonated, throwing dirt and debris into the air. The group was once again thrown into a state of panic; the reality of the situation hitting them with full force. The alien invasion was not a fantasy threat; it was right there, unfolding before their eyes.

“Run!” Micha yelled, his voice a beacon in the chaos. “To the woods, now!”

They sprinted towards the treeline, each breath heavy with fear and adrenaline. Behind them, the sound of destruction continued a cacophony of explosions and the eerie hum of the alien ships.

As the group sprinted through the dense underbrush, the booming sounds of the alien invasion resonated around them, spreading panic. The once-familiar woods near Micha’s grandparents' estate suddenly felt alien, with each step taking them further into uncertainty. In the chaos, the group inadvertently split into two, with Liam, Alex, Dan, and ten others heading in one direction, while Micha, Dana, Philip, Oliver, and the rest veered off another path as another smaller bomb fell between the two groups.

Liam’s group, larger and more disoriented, stumbled through the woods, their breaths ragged with fear and their bodies carried by pure adrenaline. As they pushed forward, running from constant explosions, the unnatural hum of one of the alien ships grew louder. Emerging into a small clearing on the other side of the hill, they suddenly found themselves face-to-face with their invaders.

The aliens were towering figures, clad in all-black futuristic space suits that seemed to gel to their towering figures, with black visors obscuring their faces. The group stopped dead in their tracks, fear overcoming adrenaline as they completely froze. The aliens had weapons that resembled guns straight from sci-fi TV shows, seamlessly integrated into their suits. The humans, unarmed and overwhelmed, stood no chance as the aliens pointed their guns directly at them.

Liam raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, his eyes meeting those of his friends. They were surrounded, and one by one, all of the group raised their hands. The aliens moved in, their movements precise and fluid, as they began to herd the group toward their ship.

Meanwhile, Micha’s group, smaller and led by him who knew the woods like the back of his hand, had managed to evade detection longer. But as they navigated through the dense woods, the sounds of heavy footsteps alerted them to the presence of another alien patrol. Peeking through the foliage, they saw the menacing figures in black armor, their guns at the ready.

Micha pointed backward, and as they backpedaled, trying to retreat silently, one of them snapped a twig and betrayed their position. The aliens turned, their guns swinging towards the noise, and in the heart-stopping moment, the group braced themselves for the worst.

Then in seconds, they were surrounded by their invaders as they led them towards their ships.

“What do we do?” Philip whispered.

“What can we do,” Micha answered with a defeated tone.

And a few meters before they reached the alien ship, a flurry of movement erupted from the deeper woods. Another group of beings, Micha could only think they were aliens as well, leaped into the clearing. They wore space suits of a different design, less intimidating, and more organic in appearance. One of the aliens had his visor raised, and Micha noticed his face was cat-like, covered in fur, and black tribal-like tattoos decorated the fur.

The cat-like aliens moved with grace and agility, swiftly taking down the hostile invaders with their ambush and much larger numbers. In moments, the human-threatening aliens lay incapacitated on the forest floor.

Micha watched in stunned silence as the newly arrived aliens turned to them, their expressions inscrutable but not threatening. One of them stepped forward and subtly nodded to the group.

“We need you to come with us,” the feline alien said in a surprisingly melodious voice and clear English. “We are here to help.”

The group, still processing the swift turn of events, was too stunned to speak. Aliens were not only real, but there appeared to be multiple species, and one of them looked like the cats evolved into humans overnight and were speaking fluent English to them.

“Who… who are you?” Micha managed to mutter.

The feline alien, his eyes somehow reassuring Micha he meant no harm, regarded the group, “We are known as Theraxians,” the alien began, his voice maintaining its melodic quality. “To be completely honest with you, we planned to invade you first, but not as these savages, the Raxar, the species you just encountered.”

The group was too stunned to speak. “What the hell is going on?” Philip was the only one able to mutter a word.

“Look, right now we mean you no harm,” the alien said, taking a step forward. “So please follow us to our ship if you want to give your species a chance of survival and prevent your loved ones from becoming slaves to space tyrants.”

They all instinctively looked at Micha, who just shrugged his shoulders.

“Come, follow us,” the alien continued. “Time is of the essence before they realize we are here. There are a few more of our ships, and hopefully, they will be able to gather more of you humans to give us the best chance of saving this planet.”

As the alien finished talking, The Theraxian spacecraft materialized seemingly out of thin air in the clearing. It contrasted starkly with the aggressive and angular design of the Raxar ships. This vessel had smooth, flowing lines and an organic structure that almost resembled a living creature. Its surface had a pearlescent sheen that reflected the dim light of the moon and stars, giving it an ethereal glow.

The group, still in shock from the evening's events, found themselves captivated by the alien technology before them. The ship's design seemed to harmonize with nature, with parts of it gently pulsating, as if it were breathing. Subtle hues of blues and greens danced across its hull, mesmerizing and calming at the same time.

Micha, looking at the others, nodded towards the ship. “Alright, let’s go. It’s not like we have much of a choice here.”