“Hurry up, lets go. Five minutes and we’re out!” Connor yelled as he shoved cans if food into the already heavy backpack.

“Here, the shells for your rifle!” Liz called and tossed the green and yellow box from across the living room.

He had almost forgot about his rifle laying in the bedroom next to his mattress. He was ready to leave it behind after he found the shotgun, which he had dubbed Sandman. It would have been a painful loss to leave the old bolt action from his childhood but he was out of ammo and it was too heavy to carry for no reason. Now, thanks to the little old man from the pictures on the wall, he could load it again.

“Alright times up, lets move.” He said, throwing the pack over his shoulders and nearly fell backwards from the surprising weight.

Liz ran ahead and slid the canoe across the rocky bank and into the shallow water before turning around to look for Connor.

“Come on, they weren't all dead. There were more inside the truck. Run!” Liz whispered.

“What? There were more?” Connor hissed as he tossed the pack and weapons into the middle of the boat and climbed in, heedless of the water soaking his boots and pants. He was heaving from both the frantic run back to the house and the strain of jogging to the creek.

“Yeah, we’re lucky the driver crashed over the hill. The back door opened when you were running away and a few more came out.”

Connor grinned like he had just robbed a bank and got away with it. “We lit their asses up. They didn't know what hit them.”

“We did. I hit the one on the turret as soon as the flare popped. It looked like the road exploded after that. There were sparks everywhere. Your gun was shooting fireballs. It. Was. Awesome.”

The canoe caught its current and started picking up speed as it headed downstream toward the city of New Vista.

“I don’t know why I didn't realize those three were walking for a reason. We did get lucky there."

The city of New Vista came into sight after what seemed like an hour and a half of floating silently along the winding creek. Liz didn't say much, she seemed to be reflecting on the ambush as the realities were starting to sink in. The canoe scraped the creek bed and snapped her out of it.

"Low spot." Connor said and started to climb out as she did the same. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. I was just thinking about how I killed someone. I get it, they're aliens and they're here to kill us and take over the planet. I just can't help wondering who that was. If it had a name, a family, you know, that sort of thing." She said as they slid the canoe as quietly as possible across the rocks underneath it.

"Yeah, I get it. I want to know who it ate for breakfast, how many kids it's killed, if it likes to bite the neck first or play around a little bit."

"I'm going to keep killing them Connor, it's just a weird thing to think about. I wasn't a killer before this and I won't be one after it's over. If it's over someday." Liz said as she climbed back in. The Canoe floating on deep enough water again.

"I know. I'm sorry. Where do you wanna set up for the rest of the night?" Connor asked.

"Somewhere that the Sharlah are not, preferably."

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Connor postured up at the front of the boat and looked through his scope at the city sprawled out ahead. I don't see any lights or fires or anything really. There's no movement. They've got to have one of those camps here, where else would they take everyone?"

"To their big ships?" Liz pondered.

"No, not everyone. It seems like they're only taking a small amount right away and the rest are getting processed for later. I don't know what the plan is. Maybe they'll let them go back to their lives until they're needed or they'll keep them in the camps like cattle. Let's just pull out of the creek and head in on foot. We'll find a house like last time, we'll just have to be really quiet."

There was a small neighborhood not far from the creek. It was near the Vista Elementary School as well as a gas station and the police department which had a huge section of the outer wall blown to pieces. Connor considered searching through it for supplies and weapons but had decided against it for fear of another trap waiting for him. As they reached the first row of houses, movement caught his eye and he froze, grabbing Liz by the arm. She followed his eyes and tensed.

"Something is moving in there. Get ready." He whispered, bringing Sandman to the low ready. The window blinds moved as something brushed past them.

"I'm going up to the door, you keep watch from here. If you see a Sharlah, blast it." Connor said quietly and she nodded.

He stayed low and crept up to a parked car near the sidewalk to watch the house for a few more minutes. It was a ranch style home with an attached garage and a chain link fence around it. It was eerie, the quiet neighborhood. Even the shuffling of his feet on the concrete sounded like it could echo if he wasn't careful. He raised the shotgun to high ready and advanced on the house but stopped short of the front door, not really sure what to do. He knew Liz had his back but going through the door could be suicide if the aliens were waiting inside for him.

Shit, I need a plan. I needed a plan first.

He looked around and settled on a brick from the flower bed that lined the front of the house.

Ok, a brick, nice. There's always a brick around when you need one.

He thought for a moment and then just launched it as hard as he could. It went up and over his side of the roof before crashing down and shattering on the other side. As the crash sounded, Connor swung the door open, which was thankfully not locked, and swept the room with his barrel. He instinctively tracked a sudden burst of movement and nearly melted a cat that had leapt up to the counter top in the kitchen.

"Just a stupid ca-"

Something hit him in the back and the next thing that he knew was that the carpet tasted dirty.

"Are you one of them?" A man's voice screamed in his ear.

"What? NO!" Connor shouted back and bucked until the guy fell off. He had his blue blade at the man's throat in an instant but he didn't touch it.

"What the fuck is that? That's not a human knife!" The man said with hate in his eyes. He was skinny. His clothes were ragged.

"I took it from one of them. Where you at the camp upstream?"

"I'm not telling you shit."

"Listen, I'm human, obviously. I was there on the hillside. I shot at them and broke you out. Remember the truck that punched a hole in the fence?"

"Yeah. I remember."

"There's a girl outside, she's probably on her way now. Her dad and uncle were in that truck. They didn't make it. Show some respect when I let you up." Connor growled through clenched teeth.

"Just let me go. I wanna leave."

"You tried to kill me, I can't just let you go.

Liz entered the house and leveled her rifle at the dirty man on the floor.

"What happened?"

"He tried to jump me from behind, I think it's just a misunderstanding, right?" Connor asked and leaned closer to the man's face. "Yeah, I was just leaving, right?" He shot back. "Connor we can't draw attention, we need to keep moving." Liz said, her eyes darting back and forth.

"Liz, take a quick look through the house, grab anything useful. After that he goes, then we go."

Liz set to work while Connor kept him on the floor at knife point. He didn't like the guy's attitude, even if he hadn't already attacked him once. There was a flashlight laying beside them, It must have fallen from one of the counter tops during their struggle. Connor flicked the switch and it turned on, surprising him for some reason. He hadn't expected it to work. He tossed it across the room, still turned on, and called out for Liz before releasing the man and standing over him with Sandman now leveled at his face.

"Go, don't look back, don't turn back. Get out of my sight."

"My pleasure." The guy said and walked through the door before jogging down the quiet sidewalk. Liz came into the room and looked at the flashlight in the corner.

"I put some cat food in the bowl, we should leave a window open so it can get out. What's the flashlight for?"

"Bait."