aliens are stupid • ben parish

13

'Now these,' Sergeant Reznik starts, pointing to a little eyepiece that is attached to each of our helmets, along with a little light. 'Can help you tell Other from human. The Others light up green.'

Unclean glows green.

We've been given black shirts uniforms, a long with a jacket. To go with them, the usual combat boots, a helmet and a gun. On the helmet, the number we were given when we first arrived at Wright-Patterson, is painted on neatly in white paint.

I lift the helmet onto my head and find it fits perfectly. Apart from the chin straps that itch like hell and I keep having to move them.

'Oh wait no! Don't shoot! My chin straps are itchy!'

A fresh wave of anxiety rolls over me as I tie up my combat boots. Who knows, this could be the last time I do that. Tomorrow I could be dead. A crumpled heap in some unknown town.

That's where we're going, an old town filled with 'potential threats'. Or that's what Vosch told us when briefing the graduating squads. Apparently it wasn't just 53 that made an impression.

I had spend the rest of the briefing wondering what 'potential threats' could be but now we've got that fancy Other detecting technology attached to our helmets, I figured it out pretty quick.

After 2 whole months of being in the 4th Wave, I still wasn't sure what the imposters looked like. Did they look human? Did they look, well, like and alien. Or were they some sort of hybrid?

Now that's a bad image.

On the way to the helicopter base, I start trying to calm my nerves by telling myself that if this is our first mission they can't be sending us to hell right away. But then I remember that this place is run by people like Reznik and Vosch so that's a no brainer.

The sound of helicopter rotors draws my attention skyward. A large Black Hawk helicopter is coming into land a few feet away.

I shiver as the rotors blow freezing cold air straight in my direction. My face scrunches up as it hits me and I turn to the side a little to soften the blow.

'Go! Go! Go!' Zombie yells over the engine. 'Move it!'

What? Do I not get ANY warning?

I run behind Ringer to the chopper, pushing hard against the wind, putting all my weight forward as I sprint. When I reach the thing, a solider extents his hand and I grab it. He pulls me inside.

I scramble in and squeeze into a seat near the open side of the helicopter. So apparently these things don't have doors? As Zombie clambers in last I take a deep, shaking breath and we take off.

I see Wright-Patterson shrink below me until it looks like a tiny little box of grey in the distance.

Flying in a helicopter had always been on my bucket list but who knew it would now, the end of the world? And to be honest it's not as fun as I thought.

The helicopter wobbles slightly in the harsh wind and I think it's actually very possible that I could plummet to my death. There's seatbelt a yes but it looks like it wouldn't do anything in a crash.

I grip the sides of the plastic seat and look around at my squad members. Both Dumbo and Poundcake look sort of green in the face. I don't blame them, the ever wobbling helicopter isn't doing my nausea levels any good either.