I should’ve stayed up there. Hell, I shouldn’t have been up there at all, I should’ve just kept heading toward home!

A dozen bugs flaked off the orange rock and crawled up the sides of the crater, ignoring the corpses. More and more of the rock fell away, but not all of it left. The vast majority of the things that came off and simply didn’t move, the shock of the landing, or perhaps hurtling through the air, or any number of things, killing them.

Jeremy was still struggling, while the other man had gone limp. Eventually, as Gareth continued hiding, Jeremy stopped. He simply lay on the ground, unmoving.

Several minutes later, Gareth finally squeezed his way out of the car. He figured the strange bugs were all gone or dead, with any still there hopefully being too weak to do anything.

He surveyed his surroundings. The orange rock was now just dirt brown. There were remnants of the orange scattered around the ground, some still glowing with legs that were twitching, others dull and unmoving.

He went over to Jeremy, and discovered the man was still alive. He checked the spot where the bug went in, the see if he had to stem any bleeding, and noticed there was no mark. He staggered away and tried to find an easy way up and out.

He could hear sirens getting closer and decided that maybe he could just sit and wait for a bit.

No point breaking my neck trying to climb out on my own.

He took a seat, then looked at the bugs on the ground.

Cops will be here soon. Federal agents probably won’t be far behind. These things might be dangerous. Staying away from them would be the safest thing.

As he waited, he spied a thermos that had been launched from a car. He walked over and picked it up, only to discover it was empty.

Damn. Oh well. I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep if I drank a dead man’s coffee.

He dropped the thermos back on the ground and went back to waiting.

Gareth eyed the bugs more. None of them seemed to be capable of attacking him like the one did Jeremy, so he relaxed as much as he could in a pit containing corpses.

I’ve never seen anything like that before. I hopefully won’t ever again. Those bugs better all get incinerated.

Then he had a thought.

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The cops and paramedics arrived at the edge of the crater and looked down. Only one man appeared conscious, possibly the only one alive, and he shouted up to them.

“Hey! I need help getting out of here!”

A ladder was lowered and people came flooding down to save who they could. The man in the hole pointed at someone laying on the ground.

“I came down here with my coworker to save that guy in the car. I think it was too much for him, though. He passed out when he was pulling the guy from the car.”

“How about you? Are you okay?”

“I am a bit shaken up. I just need help getting out of here, and then I should be okay.”

The paramedic looked him up and down.

“You’re in shock. Just sit down and we’ll get you out of here after we determine if we can help anyone else.”

Gareth collapsed back onto the ground.

“Alright. We only saw one person who was breathing. The man in the driver’s seat of that car. He was in a bad condition, so I do not know if he is still alive. I would start there.”

“Thank you for your help, sir. Now just stay there.”

The paramedics went to everyone in sight, visible breathing or not, and did what they could. But Gareth was right. The only person besides him and his coworker was the driver of the car. They worked him free and lifted him from the crater, along with the good samaritan who had passed out. Neither of them had visible injuries, but they were gentle as possible as they carried them out.

The one conscious man they got to last.

“I am not injured whatsoever. I climbed down here to give my aid to anyone who could receive it. The blood on me is from that unfortunate passenger over there.”

He gestured to the spot next to where the only survivor had been.

“I would like to be on my way as soon as possible.”

The paramedics gave him a perfunctory checkup, then helped him out of the hole.

“It was a brave thing you did.”

He jumped, eyes darting around. He quickly calmed down when he realized he was being congratulated for being a fool.

“Hm? Oh, you mean climbing down in a rescue attempt. Stupid, more like. I was just following my coworker, and he went and passed out on me. We just made more work for you.”

“Be that as it may, you were the only people who did anything. You should be proud of yourself for attempting it.

“Though you and your coworker probably should leave it to professionals. As you said, you made more work for us. Trying to do the right thing can even lead to more harm than good, if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“I was even telling him that earlier… now look where I am.”

The paramedic chuckled.

“People will do things they never believed they would in the heat of the moment. But tell him to be more mindful in the future.”

“I will certainly try. Assuming he is alright after passing out like that.”

The paramedic sighed.

“I’ve seen situations like that a number of times. He’ll likely be just fine tomorrow, excepting any mental trauma.”

Gareth grimaced.

“He does not strike me as the type to get traumatized from this. Much as I dislike him, I hope nothing like that occurs.”

“It can happen to anyone. Just be considerate next time you speak to him. On that note, it would be a good idea for you yourself to get a mental health checkup after this event. You were down there too, after all.”

“…you make an excellent point. But for now, I think it would be best for me to get home and sleep. I am grateful for your help.”

“I was just doing my job. Now get some rest.”

As Gareth walked away, the paramedic noticed a bloody thermos clutched in his arms.

He’s putting on a strong façade. Hopefully this doesn’t affect him for too long.