aliens are stupid • ben parish

04

I wake up with a pounding headache in the same position that I fell asleep. The cool breeze brushes my cheeks and I shiver, pulling my hat further over my head.

I have to get to the highway today, no way am I making it out alive without proper medical attention. It's the thought of potential saviour that gets me out of my somewhat cosy sleeping bag.

As I stand, I hear the faint sound of an engine. I'm over half a mile away from the highway, I can't run to catch it now, not with my leg. That's good though, that means there are real people in this area. But still I sigh and try to hold back my tears of frustration.

Before the waves, I never cried but now, there's barely a day that goes by without me being on the verge of crying. I bite my lip to stop them from spilling over.

I have to try.

I find a large stick to use as a support so I can walk a little faster. The sound of my heavy footfalls makes me cringe, if someone finds me I'm toast. I've only been walking for an hour or so but I'm already sweating horribly and my backpack is weighing me down a great deal.

A sudden whoosh makes me look up. A drone. I duck behind a nearby bush. This means I'm near the road right? The drones patrol up and down the highways and on the outskirts of cities looking for weaker survivors to take out. Breathing is becoming difficult so I allow myself the small rest while I wait for the drone to leave.

It sit and watch it while it flies round. It circles five minutes, stopping for just 30 seconds in a different place each time.

I decide instead of wasting my time stalking an alien drone I should probably check on my wounds and feed myself up. I haven't eaten for at least two full days and my stomach is starting to complain.

I check my leg wound first, from what I can see it's stopped bleeding but just because it's stopped bleeding doesn't mean the pain has stopped. My whole leg feels like it's on fire. I don't take the bandage off because that might reopen the wound but instead, I change the bandage on my head.

After I'm done cleaning myself up I force myself to eat a granola bar. It's all I can stomach right now. My head wound is causing a slight hint of nausea and I don't want to waste food by eating it and then seeing it again five minutes later. I would drink too but I used up the last of my water on my leg yesterday. My throat burns for a drink after I swallow the last of the dry granola bar.

You'll get a drink at Wright-Patterson I remind myself and the idea of fresh, clean water spurs me on and I stand again, making sure to keep an eye on the drone still circling above.

I hoist my backpack back onto my shoulders and grab my makeshift walking stick.

I hobble for what I think is, about another hour and I am on the verge of collapsing when I see the glint of metal in the sunlight through the trees. It has to be a car.

It has to be a car.

I pick up my pace, well as much as I can while doing what I call, 'the penguin shuffle'.

As I emerge from the trees the sun is starting to set and there is no sight of the moving vehicle that I heard this morning. It has to be close though because according the road sign that's currently towering over me, Wright-Patterson is only 28 miles away and that's the only place I know of that has working cars.

I decide I might as well make myself comfy so I slump against the road sign and take off my backpack. I sit with it in my lap until dusk.

I hear the faint sound of an engine again.

Yes.

I'm here.

Come and get me!

Please.

I jump up and make as much noise as I can, not caring that there might be drones and Silencers about. I'm going to be rescued.

The stars are starting to shine through on the delicate pink of the sky and the moon illuminates the road. I look up at them and I'm reminded of the time Cassie told me about where her name came from. The constellation of Queen Cassiopeia.

How Cassie would have loved to see this, me jumping up and down and yelling like a mad woman. We would have laughed about it for months.

I grab my backpack and hobble as fast as I can to the middle of the road. I jump and wave my arms. I say jump but it's a hop because it's one legged but that doesn't matter because I can see it.

I can see a yellow school bus, it's driving slowly forward and behind the wheel I see a man in an army uniform.

The bus continues slowing and eventually halts right in front of me, the doors open painfully slowly. Or what seems to me like painfully slowly and when they eventually do I'm hit by a blast of hot air. It sends chills through my body, down my spine. This is the warmest I have been since I left home.

Another man in an army uniform jumps down and helps me onto the bus.

'Lucky we got you when we did.' He says in a low, gruff voice. The label on his uniform says 'Greene' and he looks just a little older than 20.

All I can do is nod and sigh in relief.

I'm going to survive.

I take a seat near the back of the bus, specifically near the heater so I can warm up my frozen feet and hands. I shove my backpack under the seat and lean in a way so that my back is against the window and my bad leg is supported up on the chair.

I sigh and shut my eyes. The motion of the bus gently rocking me to sleep.

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WEWEWEW HOW DID YOU LIKE IT????

I had a physics test today and I got one off full marks! Yay!

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Love,
- Jasmine
xx