Connor and the wounded alien floated silently down the creek behind his family's farm. The alien was nodding off again but not because it was tired. When Connor did one last sweep for supplies inside the house, he found it's helmet. His dad must have hit it directly in the head causing a huge dent to form and then again in the face when it removed the helmet. His canoe was crammed with bags of food, clothes, first aid gear, and weapons from his dad's gun safe. He took two pistols, his dad's semi automatic rifle, and a whole backpack full of magazines and ammo for them along with some water filters, a lighter, matches, and a few sharp knives. He also found a tackle box and a fishing rod in the barn with the canoes. Growing up a country boy was about to pay it's dividends.

It was only a thirty minute trip to the abandoned mine with a decent current and the Sharlah soldier was conscious for about ten of those minutes. Connor thought that was a good thing because it would be lost if it somehow escaped but he soon realized that it was probably smart enough to follow the creek back to his farm. He couldn't let it escape or it would find help and lead them to him.

"Hey ugly, wake up. We're home." He said and tossed a pebble at it as he started pulling the boats out of the creek.

The alien flinched at the sound of the pebble striking it's chest armor and threw itself into the shallow water of the bank as if it was being fired at. Connor couldn't help but chuckle at the display and it's failed attempts to get back up with it's hands still zip tied together.

"Seeg et araf FAA" It hissed as it slipped in the mud and went down again.

"Careful ugly, don't mess up that face any more than it is. Lets go, follow me." Connor said, using his fingers like legs to signal walking. It finally found it's footing and followed.

Connor stashed the alien's canoe in a bush about thirty yards from the creek and tossed some downed branches on top of it. He pulled his canoe full of gear behind him and cringed at the trail that it was making. He would have to come back out and disrupt that trail the best that he could. The mine was only about a ten minute walk from the creek but the ugly bastard behind him was struggling to keep up. It kept hissing and rubbing it's face against it's armored collar.

I think the bullet is still in there. In it's face.

The afternoon sun was bright but very little of it penetrated more than a few steps inside the mine entrance and none of it penetrated to the area that Connor wanted to walk to. It was a small area not far from the surface with a break room, a few beds, and a small doctor's office. The power was off and the generator was gone but he still wanted to set up there. He had a battery powered lantern and a few flashlights from his dad's supplies and he would make it work. When he arrived, he found that most everything was gone but they had left the table and chairs in the break room and a few dirty mattresses from the bunks.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Sit down." he said and gave he alien a push toward one of the mattresses against the wall. It hissed but did as he wished. It looked absolutely terrifying in the dim light and long shadows from the lantern.

Connor shined a better flashlight into the wound but he couldn't make heads or tails of the gray and blue mess that the bullet had made. He decided against trying to pull the bullet out and didn't really know what an antiseptic would do to the creature so he settled for a bandage. He didn't really care if it lived or died, but he felt like he should do something, even if to gain a little trust from it. Next he detached a group of pouches from around it's waist and looked inside. Two of them were water containers.

So you need water just like me. Is that what you came for?

Another pouch seemed to hold medical supplies. He only knew this because there were a few bandages among the other tools and medications. There was probably an equivalent to antiseptic in there. The next pouch held a small metallic object. Connor picked it up and looked closer. It was shaped like a crescent and had tiny wires all throughout the shape, dozens of them. The soldier perked up and started motioning toward itself with it's tied hands. It was insistent.

What do you need this for? Is it medicine? Is it going to call your friends?

Connor set the device in it's palm and raised his rifle just inches from it's face. It stared at him cautiously as it reached the device up to it's ear and inserted it. There was a low electronic buzzing sound and it's eyes rolled into the back of it's head for a few moments before returning to lock with his own once again.

"Human, what do you want with me? Why didn't you kill me?" It said in a low growl.

Connor stepped back and kept the rifle raised. "What was that? What did you put in your ear?"

"It is a translation device. It has been listening to your language for many years. It is now connected to my brain and is guiding my words. Why did you not kill me?"

"I don't know. I wanted to. Should I?"

"I will die. It does not matter how it happens. My wound is severe and nobody will come for me."

"Why are you here? What do you want with us?"

"We are the Sharlah. We have come for what belongs to us. Your world is ours to do with as we please. We will eat the meat. We will drink the water. We will use every resource and then look for more. All species of the Andromeda galaxy will bow to the Sharlah and be harvested." It said, drawing out the last word as if saying it out loud gave it pleasure.

"Even if that is true, you won't live to see it." Connor answered without missing a beat and lowered his rifle.

"No." Was all that it said in response.

"I was in a car that left the farm where you were wounded. What happened to the girl that was with me? Where did they take her?"

"She will be processed and held in a containment camp until the area is secure and our bureaucrats have done their work."

"Where is this camp?" Connor asked, sitting up straight.

The Sharlah said nothing and leaned back against the wall.

"I can make your last days miserable, you know this." Connor said.

"I know this."