The midday sun beat down as Ralphie and Sally lumbered through the thinning forest, their boots crunching on an array of fallen leaves and twigs. The haunting howls served as a reminder of the dangers of the wasteland.

Ralphie looked at Sally for a long moment. She was a strong woman, just a little older than Nigel.

“Where did you meet my brother?” he asked, trying to break the silence.

“It’s a long story, but we stormed a windowless eighty-story tower together. Not too many people can say that about their first date.”

“I didn’t know you had a thing for each other.”

“No, it was nothing like that. Nigel helped me out of a jam, but I got caught anyway.”

“Hey, sorry, I asked. I didn’t mean to bring up any bad feelings.”

“I did serve some time, but my father got me out. And Nigel was like a son to him, so he’s more like a brother to me. And besides, I took his girlfriend away from him, so I think we’re even.”

“Jet? I had no idea.”

Sally gave Ralphie a smile. “Yes, she’s waiting for us in Boston.”

“Then I hope we can get whatever part you need… so we don’t keep her waiting.”

“You know, you’re critical as well, Ralphie. Nigel insisted that we find you. He says you’re the key to something special.”

Ralphie couldn’t think of what that was. He only wanted to reunite with his mother to be a family again. A whirring sound brought Ralphie out of his thoughts.

“Did you hear that?”

“I didn’t hear anything,” Sally said.

“Something doesn’t feel right,” he murmured.

Sally gave him a worried glance. “It’s just your nerves. After what happened last night, I’d be more worried if you weren’t a little jumpy.”

Ralphie opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it. Apparently, Sally had a hell of a lot more experience in situations like this. As they pressed on, the forest abruptly ended. A massive clearing stretched on for as far as they could see. Ralphie’s breath caught in his throat at the sight. Trees lay splintered and shattered, some reduced to toothpicks scattered across the scorched earth. It looked as though a bomb had detonated in the heart of the clearing.

“What the hell happened here?” he breathed, his eyes wide as he took in the devastation.

Sally shook her head, her expression unreadable. “I don’t know, but we need to find out.” She reached into her pack and retrieved a pair of battered binoculars, raising them to her eyes as she scanned the clearing.

“I don’t see any movement, but there’s something in the middle. Some kind of pod or capsule.”

Ralphie squinted, his gaze following the line of her outstretched arm. Sure enough, a sleek, red-and-white object sat in the center of the clearing, its surface gleaming in the harsh sunlight.

“You think it’s safe to check it out?” he asked, his voice tinged with apprehension.

Sally considered for a moment, her eyes narrowing. “I don’t see any immediate danger. But we’ll approach with caution, just in case.” She started forward, her steps measured.

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Ralphie hesitated, every instinct screaming at him to turn and run in the opposite direction. But he couldn’t abandon Sally, not with the potential threat that lurked ahead. Steeling his resolve, he followed a few paces behind, his finger resting on the trigger of his rifle.

As they drew closer, the pod seemed to grow, its smooth surface unmarred by the destruction surrounding it. Sally paused when they were about ten feet away, her head cocked as she studied the strange object.

A piercing siren blasted through the air, the sound so loud and disorienting that Ralphie clapped his hands over his ears to block it out. He squeezed his eyes shut, his heart hammering in his chest as the siren’s wail seemed to penetrate his very bones.

Then, as abruptly as it had begun, the siren fell silent. Ralphie’s eyes flew open, his gaze locking onto the pod just in time to see a seam appear along its surface. The pod split open with a hiss of escaping air, revealing a dark interior that seemed to swallow the surrounding light.

Ralphie’s breath caught in his throat, his finger tightening on the trigger of his rifle. He opened his mouth to shout a warning to Sally, but the words died on his lips as a figure emerged from the depths of the pod.

It was humanoid, but that’s where the similarities ended. Its skin was a mottled gray, smooth and featureless save for a pair of sunken eye sockets that seemed to bore into Ralphie’s very soul. It had no mouth, nose, or discernible facial features—just those hollow, haunting eyes.

“Hello, travelers,” a voice said.

Ralphie tried looking in every direction, and there was no one else in the vicinity. The creature stepped forward, its movements jerky and unnatural, like a marionette controlled by unseen strings. Ralphie’s heart pounded in his ears as he raised his rifle, his hands slick with sweat on the stock.

“Sally,” Ralphie croaked, his voice little more than a hoarse whisper. “What the hell is that thing?”

Sally’s expression was stunned, her weapon hanging at her side. “I... I don’t know,” she breathed, her eyes wide and unblinking.

The creature cocked its head as if studying them, and Ralphie felt a chill run down his spine. Then, without warning, it let out a sound that chilled his blood—a high-pitched, keening wail that seemed to vibrate the surrounding debris.

Ralphie’s finger tightened on the trigger, but before he could squeeze it, the creature moved with blinding speed. One moment, it stood before them; the next, it had closed the distance in the blink of an eye, its elongated limbs lashing out with inhuman strength.

The creature tore the rifle from Ralphie’s grasp and threw it to the ground. A scurrying sound came from the alien thing. It sounded like a cross between a rat and several beetles feeding on an animal corpse. The creature grasped Ralphie’s throat, and the twitching sound intensified. He gasped for air, and his vision blurred as he clawed at the iron vise cutting off his windpipe.

“Get off!” Sally said as she clubbed the creature.

Ralphie’s lungs burned, and his body felt weak as darkness crept in at the edges of his vision. Just as he felt himself slipping into oblivion, the creature released its grip, and he crumpled to the ground, gulping in precious air.

“Wrat a ratter tatter,” the creature said as it cocked his head at Ralphie.

A low, rumbling sound reverberated through his body. He raised his head, his eyes widening in horror as he took in the sight before him. The creature stood motionless, its hollow gaze fixed on Sally as she backed away, her expression one of abject terror. And all around them, more pods were emerging from the scorched earth, their seams hissing open to disgorge more nightmarish beings.

What is this thing?

Ralphie’s heart hammered in his chest as the rumbling grew louder, the creature closing in on them. He scrambled to his feet, his gaze darting for an escape route. However, they were trapped in the heart of the hellish clearing.

The creature advanced on Sally. Ralphie snatched up his rifle, his finger finding the trigger as he took aim at the abomination.

“Sally, get down!” he shouted.

Sally dropped to the ground, and Ralphie opened fire, the thunderous report of the rifle echoing through the clearing. The creature jerked as the bullets tore into its featureless form, but it didn’t fall—it turned its hollow gaze towards Ralphie, that haunting wail rising from its lipless mouth.

What the hell is that sound coming from?

Ralphie’s blood ran cold, but he didn’t falter, squeezing the trigger again and again until the magazine was empty. Still, the creature advanced, its movements unhindered by the hail of gunfire.

As the rifle clicked empty, Ralphie’s heart sank. He dropped the useless weapon, his gaze meeting Sally’s as she rose to a crouch, gun in hand.

“What do we do?” he asked.

Sally’s expression was grim, her eyes hard as flint. “We fight,” she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. “Until our last breath.”

Ralphie nodded as he reloaded.

“Stop!” the creature commanded.

“Who or what are you?” Sally asked.

“Name… is,” the creature said.

It seemed to have difficulty getting the words out as if it were trying to speak for the first time.

“I’m Jerry—I wish no harm.”

Sally gave Ralphie a terrified stare.

“I think I know who this is,” she said.