Forty-eight hours later, Ohio invaders were building some kind of hive. The first alien hive on Earth. Reports from drone reconnaissance and refugees evacuating the area have allowed the combined armed forces to create a dossier of the various alien models discovered.
[…]
"Model Three are small quadrupeds, perhaps one of the weakest of the opposition models. It is also one of the most lethal to unprepared civilians. They are fast and agile, capable of sneaking into tight areas and carrying out Fight in groups. On larger battlefields, they act as hunters and killers, using flanking maneuvers to bypass defensive formations.
"Armed Forces Threat Level: 3
Vanguard Threat Level: 0.1"
- Excerpt. 2023 North American Combined Armed Forces Manual: Opposition Classification
I grabbed Junior's hand and prepared to pull her while running.
The dog-sized monster snorted like a plastic bag in a vacuum cleaner tube, swung its head from side to side, and began to walk toward the corridor that hid the shelter.
That's our chance.
Pulling Junior behind me, I ran to the nearest monitor and rounded a corner where we could take cover behind a row of large metal pillars that were only waist high.
For a moment I thought we were safe. Then the pillar next to me started talking. "The first warriors, then known as 'Vanguards,' appeared in North America at the same time as the Battle of Washington and the massive invasion of Ohio."
My heart stopped for a moment and I felt Junior tighten around me.
Slowly, very slowly, I leaned forward until I could see around the corner of the base.
Two more monsters were added. They lowered their heads, staring at the scuff marks on the faux marble floor, then returned to the hallway. Corridor with shelter.
The moment of clarity made me want to vomit. They would walk along that passage. They'll find someone else.
All the children were trapped in a room with only one exit, and the exit was blocked by those things.
"Shit," I sighed. I squeezed Junior's hand.
There is a solution.
"Elementary schoolboy," I whispered. "look at me."
She looked wide-eyed and didn't have my biting features that I was used to.
"Okay. Okay. I need you to run over to the others. They're near the shelter, okay? You need to tell them to get out of there. There's stairs leading down. Just, get them out, okay? ?”
"I'm not going down, are you fucking angry?" she responded in a low voice.
I licked my lips. "I'll distract them. You run. Tell the other kittens, okay?"
Her mouth closed with a click. She looked me up and down. "Fucking hardcore, pussy."
"Go away," I said, smiling. "Just run when they come after me, okay?"
"Yes, I can, I can do it." She swallowed and reached into her back pocket. She flicked her thumb, revealing a three-centimeter blade. Mine looks like it was made from duct tape and some scraps of a box cutter. "Take it."
"Seriously?" I asked. "Is this where you want to take it?"
"I was thinking it might be a fucking alien invasion," the girl whispered back.
I nodded reluctantly. It's a fair point. I picked up the knife and stuffed it into my pocket. I'm ready for the next part. Then I took a few more seconds to get myself worked up...and then a few more seconds.
The monsters began to advance.
I stood up, put the knife in my pocket, and walked out. My hands were shaking at my sides, my legs felt like jelly, and I wanted to pee. "He-" I started. My voice was hoarse.
I licked my lips and looked around and saw a display with some plastic replicas of samurai helmets, I grabbed it off the shelf and threw it at the alien.
The helmet hit the ground between them and rolled over.
Two heads turned toward me, their eyes one above the other, staring at me.
They didn't growl. Aliens do this in the comics. But everyone knows they should stay eerily quiet.
When one of them takes a step toward me, I run.
Claws scraped on the floor behind me, the clicking sound quickly gaining distance. I saw the kitten's wide eyes out of the corner of my eye. "Go!" I shouted before turning the corner.
These monsters stayed behind me like a cat chasing a mouse.
I...I kind of knew I was going to die. This is not what I expected. At least I bought the others some time.
There's a red thing in front, glued to the side of a pillar. A fire extinguisher, I reached out, grabbed the quick release on the front of the fire extinguisher, and ripped it off.
I could feel the beast behind me.
My hand grasped the handle of the fire extinguisher and I turned it.
"warn!
The fire extinguishing system is Ha
dy Co. property.
No fires have been detected near you. Please enter your credit card information to use this device. Before deploying this fire suppression system, users must read and agree to our Online Terms of Service. If the fire extinguisher is removed from the housing, you will automatically be charged through your payment device... WARNING!
Payment method not detected! Transferring Ha without proper payment ready
dy Co property removed from the fence will be considered theft and will be prosecuted! Returning a fire extinguisher system without use will not result in a refund. "Oh my god, stupid kid!
I blinked and ignored the warning. I have more important things to worry about. One of the aliens was facing me, opening its three-hinged jaw.
I put the fire extinguisher in its mouth. It squeezed the bright red container so hard that the metal squealed.
Moments before the fire extinguisher exploded, I covered my eyes with my arms.
The alien made a low, raspy sound, and its mouth was filled with expanding white foam. It twisted from side to side, finally jerking its head and crashing into another alien. The foam continues to pour out of the fire extinguisher, flowing around and hardening.
There is a second monster there.
Run quickly, eyes scanning everything for any weapons. The guns and swords in the display cases on the far wall teased me, but I knew they had to be replicas. Then I saw a rope barrier, a dozen gleaming chrome poles supporting a thick velvet rope.
My eyes locked on the pillar. It's not one of those ordinary things with a ball on it. No, this is something artistic, more like a stainless steel toothpick than a pole.
My feet skidded on the floor and I came to a swivel stop next to the barrier, ripped the rope off the top, put one foot on the base to hold it in place, and pulled it out of the slot.
I turned around and held the pole in front of me as the second alien lunged at me. I screamed, half scared, half angry, and raised the pole in front of me.
The metal tip poked into the beast's eye. It's too late to stop.
That doesn't mean its hundreds of kilograms of weight also stop.
The pole slid back along my hand until it hit my stomach. Then the alien's weight fell on me and we fell to the ground.
The pole hit me hard in the lower ribs and I lost what little air I had left in my lungs.
At that moment, before the pain hit me, I saw the pole sink a foot above the alien's head.
I was panting, my breaths coming in fits and starts, and every inhalation of air made me feel sick.
No pain. Nothing but a strange feeling inside me.
The confusion faded with the pain, and then a raging fire of agony spread from the hole in my chest. Not the worst pain I've ever experienced, but certainly up there.
I looked up at the alien impaled on the same pole as me, almost wishing it was still alive, the pole poking into its large lower eye and lodged somewhere in its scaly skull. It's already dead.
"Okay, fuck you too," I said.
I pressed my hand down, tears stinging my eyes, and the socket where my right eye was filled with a vague burning sensation. It was nothing compared to the strange feeling of the pole moving in my chest.
Pushing it away, which made the pole twist a little in my belly, I whimpered. There is a lot of blood.
"Oh, crap," I said. I have to get up, go see the kittens...I have a cough. I'm done, but I don't want to be this way yet.
The world is dark. My head hurts.
Then there was a flash of light, and a burning sensation pierced the back of my head, as if someone had poked me with a hot poker. I kicked my legs and the pole moved again. The only reason I didn't scream was because of the pain in my ribs.
Has the pain stopped?
system initialization!
Congratulations. Through your actions, you have proven yourself worthy to be a member of the Vanguard, the defenders of humanity. I'm Mia. I will help you improve your force so that you can defend your homeland!
Rise up, Catherine, and become the protector of the weak!
"What?" I asked. The voice came from nowhere.
Oh, you poor thing. You appear to be suffering from a range of health problems. It looks like you have a few minutes left to live. Let's make the most of them, shall we?
