2 weeks later…
“…The rumors are true? A Guarded Zone just got overrun?” says Phrixus.
“That’s what people are saying, the government doesn’t want to tell the truth, though,” says Roberth.
“How convenient…” Valeria says.
“Only delaying the inevitable, so far no reports of attacks here. Guess our luck has been really good for a while, sounds like that may be changing,” says Phrixus.
“I’ve heard an acquaintance’s friend in that Guarded Zone got impaled by a Manhunter, one of those hexapods things with their back tentacles, the military got overwhelmed,” says Roberth.
“I hope the capital prepares itself for the last stand sooner rather than later,” says Phrixus.
***
One year after the invasion…
The confrontation has been a very long and eroding one, fighting tooth and nail non-stop, restless and worn out, mankind has endured what would look like an everlasting war for survival as a species, but alas… despite everything they have deployed, planned and researched they couldn’t preserve worldwide order, the invaders still keep coming in uncountable numbers, slowly crushing the weakened resistance holding their ground, crippling the state of order of nations and devastating the global economy, 62% of the human population has been exterminated and the number is still rising. Society is starting to gradually collapse and Earth will turn into a hostile wilderness. For some reason, one month ago the alien invaders started to attack themselves, the reason is unknown but they are acting more barbaric and violent. On the other hand, though Phrixus is a witness to an apocalyptic event, nonetheless he maintains his unbreakable optimism despite the circumstances.
4:47 am…
A considerable earthquake, though small magnitude, followed by a booming and thunderous sound which could tear apart the sky itself wakes up Phrixus. He can hear how the winds outside are raging strong enough that it could raze the house if it were a bit stronger. Soon the electricity cuts out and the earthquake keeps up for some seconds, then it stops.
“What the…” mumbles Phrixus. He goes to the dining room where the rest of his family is gathered.
“Everybody okay? I don’t know where the first aid kit is,” says the father.
“I don’t sense anyone is hurt, that didn’t feel like a normal earthquake,” says Phrixus.
“We should go to the backyard to see what is happening,” says Phrixus’s sister.
They head outside, and as soon as they have a clear picture of the skies they are dazzled and a bit troubled by what they find above: it looks like a single, massive and erratic aurora is covering the atmosphere, shifting and warping itself in different shapes. It emits a greenish hue with yellow dots.
“How is that possible?” says his mother.
“It can’t be natural, something or someone provoked this,” says Phrixus.
“Just what we need... more weird things happening and no help against the alien bugs,” says his father.
11:12 am…
Despite the loss of Internet service, the TV networks remain operative. Some journalists are explaining the unexpected sky phenomena which is still visible in the day and is also occurring in different places globally. There is also a lot of unstable, spontaneous and strange weather activity, such as hailstorms in tropical places and heatwaves in cold zones in the neighboring countries, but they are surprised by the most important announcement which is covering all the news outlets: “The alien invaders have died” “Apophlings sudden death” “Killed by the aurora?” and many more similar headlines appearing on different TV channels, showing many pictures of many lifeless bodies of dead aliens everywhere.
“Could it be true? Is this over?” says Phrixus’s mother.
“How is this related to the aurora thing?” says his sister.
“I wonder the same, I haven’t heard of a new weapon against Apophis since the start of the invasion,” says Phrixus.
“So what are you saying?” his father says.
“I’m not sure… this event doesn’t make sense for me, we were close to the end of times and suddenly those things die by something else that we don’t even know yet,”
“Great… now everything is becoming more surreal.” he responds.
***
3 days later…
At Phrixus’s hideout…
“It feels odd… the woods are calm and devoid of worthy quarry, I can’t believe I’m starting to miss those days,” says Phrixus.
“Good riddance I say, but I’m still thinking what will happen to us in the next months. Switching to a more concerning topic, there are rumors about crops withering away without reason and large expanses of woodlands strangely dying,” says Roberth.
“Crops expiring? Where has that been happening?”
“In different places over the country, not many but still rising, the news showed us the government is planning to prepare a food ration program due to the ‘Aurora Blight’ as they call it, it is hitting the sustenance market hard right now, I checked and the food prices slightly increased today,”
“Never heard of that one.” He sighs. “Just what we need… first, we get invaded from outer space and now we will starve to death.”
“And you better hunt, forage, fish, and do anything that yields edible material because we don’t know if this is temporary,” Valeria adds.
“It is a good time to stockpile the provisions.” Phrixus says. “Marinated bear steak, anyone?”
***
8 days later…
“This is the last batch of vegetables we could procure,” says the clerk at the vegetable shop. “Either the crops yield bad quality harvests or they just die in the middle of their growth, the agriculturists say they checked for pests, soil condition, chemicals used and anything but always get the same result as the others. Of course, the culprit is this Aurora Blight, it is not a coincidence.”
Phrixus eyes the condition of the vegetables. “Some are good but others look like they are only fit as animal food and fertilizer. What about hydroponics?” says Phrixus.
“That kind of technology hasn’t expanded enough in the country, unfortunately, few farms use them but I’ve seen they don’t have any problem growing crops in the sense they flourish without issue, if only the international trade was in good shape...”
“Right… in any case I’ll buy these.”
“Very well, just a moment.”
***
1 hour later…
“…I finished bringing some food to my family, what are you up to?” says Phrixus, talking with Roberth via smartphone.
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
“Nothing really, my sister just brought a ration pack recently, four coupons per person.”
“They might slash that number by half soon if the Aurora Blight keeps messing up the ecosystem.”
“That’s why we are *cough* amassing *cough* the ration packs nowadays, so it is better to be prepared for the worst.”
“Here we are doing the same… by any chance, wanna go to the square like old times? When we had normal lives before all these crazy occurrences?”
“Hah, good idea! I can’t believe we have experienced so many ludicrous things in such little time, be sure to bring Valeria.”
***
7:12 pm…
“Bellusaxum, aliens, World War III… those were our trending topics here before, now we have to work out how to avoid starvation,” says Phrixus.
“You know, I remember how the aurora looked like before when it came, currently it looks… weaker and less intense,” says Roberth.
“If it disappears, what happens next?” says Valeria.
“That question makes me speculate a lot. Apophis and its minions stopped causing trouble just when the aurora came, so they seem connected. The news says this is a global affair, and I can’t accept this is some kind of man-made weapon, to cause such a mess like this.” He points to the sky. “So my conclusion? There may be someone on the other side.”
“Possibly the ones who sent Apophis?” says Valeria.
“That would be dumb, I’d say other visitors here to take advantage of our crippled position and conquer us, with no chance of fighting back we are an easy pick,” says Roberth.
“E.T will come for us… especially for Roberth,” Phrixus says with a laugh.
They spend most of their time on the square, reminiscing about the old days and how much everything has changed, as well as what the future will look like.
Three weeks later…
The situation has been getting worse. The ration packs are becoming limited and not many people can collect them, leading to violent riots across the country. With a weakened government unable to maintain law and order, crime becomes rampant, the nation turning steadily to an anarchic land where only the strong survive, despite martial law in effect. It doesn’t deter people from their pursuit to sate the hunger even if it is morally wrong. Besides the state of social manners the Aurora has completely dissipated but the food shortage persists, some people even tried to plant their own crops trying to grow different produce like mushrooms, with little to no success.
***
2:21 pm, Phrixus’s lair…
“...There are organized gangs that are raiding supermarkets even guarded by the military, then we have these guys who rob homes to scavenge something edible,” says Roberth.
“The worst part is there are muggers who are not afraid to kill if they don’t get what they want,” says Valeria.
“When I thought that once the Aurora Blight went away everything would go back to normal…” says Phrixus.
“That’s not the case it seems, we are in a position where we can’t trust everybody, there may be a few good Samaritans trying to do what is right but still… it won’t be enough,” says Roberth.
“Such a sad state of affairs… to come like this, the worst scenario I can imagine is…” says Phrixus as he is interrupted by strange sounds coming from the sky outside.
They go out to see the source of noise, as they look to the skies they find themselves perplexed by what are they staring at: a massive alien spacecraft about five times the size of a large aircraft carrier. It hovers through the sky as it slowly descends. The overall design of the ship is exotic but at the same time bizarre. Another two equally bizarre-looking spacecraft appear in a lightning-speed arrival but come to a halt and keep the slow descent going in different directions.
“Argh you have to be kidding me… colonizers I bet, just when we are at our lowest,” says Roberth.
“Are they responsible for the aurora and Apophis?” says Valeria.
“Better said the ‘supposed’ death of Apophis, I say we should…” says Phrixus. Before he can finish his sentence he receives an intrusive thought, like a voice speaking in his mind, it is accompanied by a strange but soothing sensation.
“Denizens of Earth, we come in peace to your homeworld to give you this warning: your planet is withering away… an outcome which we are responsible for and we will rectify. We can offer you passage to be relocated to a new planet with similar features, we can also heal your ailments, we are landing near this area and we will remain for seven days, then we will depart and never return,” says a mystical-sounding voice in his mind.
At the end of the telepathic speech, it is followed by an assortment of disturbing images of Earth; barren lands, extreme weather conditions, famine, conflict, death… a proof of the future of the planet if you should remain here.
He gets dizzy for a second. “What the… did you… did you also heard that?” says Roberth.
“I saw visions... our planet… it is true? Is that what awaits us soon?” says Valeria.
Phrixus remains silent for two seconds. “I... I don’t know what to say about this, I should go to speak with my family, you should do the same.”
“I’ll keep my eyes open, their proposal sounds ambiguous,” Valeria says.
***
At Phrixus’s house…
His father says, “…I don’t trust them, I always sense something shady below the table over those dealings.”
His sister says, “But what if those visions are true? Everything that is a plant is dying, this country has gone to hell beyond repair. Are we going to act like vultures and scavenge food scraps for the next three years?”
“If we only can…” says his mother.
The discussion is turning into a heated debate.
Phrixus shushes them and speaks. “I will take a peek tomorrow to see what the fuss is about, I won’t give any prejudiced statements until I see for myself what are we dealing with.”
***
The next day… 3:21 pm…
On the outskirts of town, Phrixus heads to the location of the nearest alien spacecraft, it is far away from the city but he has recalled a lot of people have been leaving the town on foot or vehicle. Arriving on a small hill he spots the alien ship, its size is startling. He wonders how many people it can hold inside. There are unnatural, strong winds accompanied by dirt, like a small sandstorm and geographically it shouldn’t happen in this area. Using a pair of binoculars he spies the alien vessel: the first thing he notices are the many, long lines of people, carrying their belongings with them. It looks like a line to board an airplane, they are attended by the alien visitors, surprisingly humanoid in shape but Phrixus can’t get more detailed information due to the distracting winds. The people are checking in their gear and they are requested to put their hand on a strange panel, once they do it they get inside the alien ship, the process is quick and efficient.
“Just like going to the airport…” mumbles Phrixus.
Besides the lines of people, he spots robotic drones patrolling around the ship, he can only guess the purpose of those mechanical units is to act as guardians. As he is about to leave one small but very important fact gets his attention. Focusing his gaze to another side of the ship, he notices people leaving the vessel.
“They are allowed to leave the spacecraft… interesting,” says Phrixus.
Having seen enough he decides to leave the area and share his findings with his friends and family.
4 hours later…
“…And you can leave the spaceship if you want and enter again, I managed to talk with one person who left and he was allowed to get inside, no questions asked,” explains Phrixus.
Roberth and Valeria are digesting the information, it takes some time to assimilate what Phrixus saw earlier.
Roberth says in disbelief. “Man I don’t know… I don’t really wanna live in a ravaged world but I don’t trust them a bit.”
“They haven’t shown us what the new world looks like, what if this is just a charade to something horrible like experimentation once they get enough of us?” says Valeria.
Phrixus chuckles. “I’ve seen enough cartoons and movies about that and it doesn’t frighten me anymore, I talked about this with my family and they are doubtful but at the same time they don’t want to live in the future they showed us. I assume we have a few days to think about it.”
“Better not overthink it, once I arrive at home I’ll be blunt with my family,” says Roberth.
3 days later…
Phrixus keeps spying on the alien ship. There are still many people coming in and making lines. He reads a piece of newspaper which says there are many alien spacecraft all over the country and the globe; one article relates some miraculous cures being done there, terminal patients healed and disabled people regaining their lost capabilities are just some of the stories. Another section explains the impending and catastrophic food shortage as there are no solutions to the damage caused by the Aurora Blight and not even the rationing can help. As he stores his binoculars he receives another telepathic message.
“We will leave in three days,” the mystical-sounding voice says.
“Time to come to a decision then,” says Phrixus.
***
2 hours later…
Having prepared himself for any question his family could ask to convince him they shouldn’t go to the alien spacecraft, he arrives at home and finds all his family in the dining room discussing; they see Phrixus entering.
“Alejandro, now that you are here you should know, we have all agreed and we decided to board the alien vessel,” says his father.
Impressed and not having expected this answer he replies. “Really, everybody wants to go now?” says Phrixus, his apprehension about having to leave his parents and sister behind fades right away.
“You should pack up your things soon, we are leaving in two days. If it is true they will promise us a new home, then it is better than staying here,” says his mother.
Phrixus is silent for a few seconds. “I have to call my friends. I’ll be back.”
Quickly leaving his home he heads to his lair while ringing their respective phones on his way.
***
43 minutes later…
“After some coaxing, I managed to get the most important members of my family,” Roberth says. “A few bad apples prefer to stay here no matter how much I talked to them, that’s their problem.”
“Mine don’t have a problem but I have two relatives who are unwilling to move, it makes me a bit sad,” Valeria says.
“Not everybody will accept the aliens’ offer, at least we have our relatives at our side, good to know this wasn’t turned into a rough argument,” says Phrixus.
“I only have one question, do they allow pets? Especially yours.” Roberth points at Phrixus.
“Besides cats and dogs, I have seen people taking horses and cattle, not even a small issue as far as I can tell, yeah… I’ll be fine.”
“Now we only have to worry about our friends, if they plan to move or stay. They better make a choice before it’s too late,” says Roberth.
“Maria, Oviedo and a few more told me they will come with us. I’m ok with that, I’ll start to pack up my sentimental things in my little lair; I have a lot of stuff which I like,” says Phrixus.
“Be sure not to bring your entire gallery, only hand luggage please,” says Valeria.
“Say goodbye to your guns.” Roberth chuckles.