Alien Among Us

                                                                                 March 2061

"The creation of the heavens and earth is greater than the creation of mankind but most of the people do not know."

-Qur'an Chapter 40, verse 57.

The sudden blast petrified them as if it pulled their souls for a second. It kept them silent for a moment, broken only by the piercing siren. The vast space hides things to discover. Thus, heroes sacrificed their lives and explored the unseen.

"Welcome aboard, Doctor Himiko," We are grateful to TSS for letting us borrow you," the astronaut said.

Doctor Himiko possessed one of the brightest minds. Her contribution to space research introduced her to the world. She is a woman well-known for her inventions. And with her bright mind, she also had a pretty face. The white veil around her head emphasized the youthful beauty that she had. Just like any other Asian, she has smaller eyes, a nose, and a mouth.

She was not a woman to be belittled. In her twenties, after graduating from Kyoto University, she worked as a scientist at different organizations dedicated to medical research. Being a scientist demands time, energy, and knowledge, but if she had another life, she would still choose the same job.

"Where is he?" Himiko asked.

"He is in the living quarters—acting weird since the blast," the astronaut said.

The broken glasses cluttered the floor. The walls had traces of blood. To her right, there was a row of scientists' bodies covered in white fabric.

"What happened here?" she asked. When she arrived, excitement gripped her. But all these disappeared since a corpse means danger.

"It's 2061, it's time Halley's comet came around, we just didn't expect it to hit us this time." the astronaut said.

"I'm sorry. What's your name again?" she asked.

"My name is Yuri," he blushed.

Yuri—tall, and good-looking man that's how women would describe him. At first sight, you will immediately notice his confident and professional demeanor—suited him for the job.

He made his mother proud when he graduated and became an astronaut. He was the talk of the town. A young man from a humble lineage and a small town. Everyone couldn't believe that a young man like him could reach his dreams and the stars.

"We're grateful, though we lost lives and our research, the damage was only 5% and the station can continue. Just need a little repair," he said while they continued walking.

Every ninety minutes, the ISS orbits the Earth. They made it of steel, aluminum, kevlar, and other elements. Components that made it strong and resistant to corrosion and heat. One of the history of humankind, without it, we would never have come far in researching space.

"Oh thank God, we got a doctor, George's here at your service," he stood up from slouching, dusted his hands filled with bread crumbs, and reached out his hand for a handshake.

She refused and walked straight to the patient.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Himiko and I'm here to help," she gasped and took her pen torch from her pocket.

"So, tell me...how are you doing, Mr.?" she looked at George and Yuri and gave them a signal to leave the room.

"James," he said.

"I was repairing something in the truss. And then there was a blast, a strong one. I fell and hit my head."

There was no wound or blood on his head. But his pupils were shrinking, his eyes twitching, and he had a dark circle underneath.

James was the only man in the station that was married. A loving husband and father—that's how his friends described him. Every night, he would hold his family picture and weep.

"They're here. They are already here," he said.

"Who's here?" she asked.

Then he kept quiet, his face turned to fright, and covered himself with a blanket.

"Lock the door. Make sure they can't come in here."

"Alright," she said. Himiko walked outside and found the two men waiting.

"When was the last time your friend slept?" she asked them.

"We don't know," George said, "but he always felt irritated, scared, and weak."

"I need polysomnography, get it ready for me," she opened the door, but before she walked back inside, she asked the men,

"Your friend told me someone is already here."

"Who else is here besides both of you?" she asked.

"No one, just us," George said. Then he bumped Yuri with his elbow.

"I told you, you've got to tell her," he whispered.

"Tell me what?" Himiko asked.

Yuri walked to the door and closed it.

"The dead bodies in the airlock, it's not from the blast," Yuri said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"We're still investigating, James... he told us—he saw something strange, a different creature," Yuri said.

"No, no, that's ridiculous. We're astronauts. We specialize in space research and we're not here to be killed by aliens. Besides, how is it even possible that they can get in here? What's their skin, green like Skrull of Marvel?" George said. He was always the silly one. The nerdy who always does nothing but read his fiction books and watch movies about aliens, and zombie invasion.

She rolled her eyes, gasped, and couldn't believe what she heard. "Boys, stop it," she said. She leaned her shoulder on the window where she could watch James. He's still hiding under the blanket, scared like a baby.

"There are no aliens. I mean, yes, sure they exist, but they are not the same as what you see in movies or read in books."

She took a deep breath and turned her gaze to the men. "In our belief, Allah created Jinn thousands or maybe millions of years ago, even before the creation of Adam. We can't see them, but they can see us. They have powers, they can fly, and they can shapeshift. But your friend right there is just probably..."

"Guys...Where's James?" George interrupted.

She ran and dropped her pen. James wasn't on his bunk.

"We have to find him or else he might..." she said.

"kill himself," Yuri said.

"Or got killed by an alien," George cried.

They found him sitting behind the door. Eyes wide open, blood oozed out of his throat and dripped to his chest. His lifeless body made them lapse in silence, broken only by the mournful cry of George and by the clangy blade that Yuri stepped on.

"George, he did it to himself, and perhaps he's the one who killed the scientists," Yuri said.

Himiko kneeled and checked his pulse. Her face turned pale in dismay—she was almost teary-eyed. She stepped back from the body—her heart pounded hard as if it wanted to break free. She would have tried to revive him, but it was already late.

"He was a good man. All he talked about was his little girl," George cried. He grabbed the photo from James' pocket and wiped his eyes.