Short Story Collection

When the Altra Came

When the Altra Came

The sun was just beginning to rise when I heard footsteps behind me. I recognized Sofia before she said a word. She sat beside me and dropped her backpack.

"Good morning, Tera," she said.

"Good morning," I replied. "Are we switching shifts now?"

"Yes. Mom wants to see you when you get back to camp."

"Alright." I stood and stretched my legs. It had been a long couple hours of watching the sky, but if I hadn't, the consequences could've been deadly.

I picked up my bow and quiver and left the lookout point, heading back towards camp. I could use a few hours of sleep, but whatever my mother wanted would take priority. She's the leader of our little camp, and she has been for nearly seven years.

The trek to camp is a bit long. If the Altra arrive suddenly, we need all the warning we can get. Our camp is one of the few groups of surviving humans, and to keep free from them, we move several times a year.

I walked into camp, where people had begun to stir. They nodded to me as I passed, and I nodded back. I headed towards my mother's tent, but just before I could enter, she came out, flanked by her second-in-command, Joshua.

"Hello, Tera," my mother greeted. "How was watch?"

"Fine," I said. "No sightings."

"Good," she nodded. "Tera, I need you to go dig up Supply Station Four. We need more tents, since Harvey's got damaged in the storm a couple nights ago."

"Just one more?" I asked.

"Better bring two or three, so we'll have some on reserve. Joshua will help you if you need."

The look on Joshua's face said he was reluctant to help, so I offered to go alone. Supply Station 4 isn't too far of a walk. I left camp, eager to finish this errand and go to bed.

The sun continued to climb in the sky, and the forest cover shaded me, as well as kept me hidden from any Altra that might be nearby. I was seven years old when they came. I still remembered that day.

They came from the sky, so many people thought they were angels. They were beautiful, so it wasn't hard to believe. But they were cruel and alien. They were inhuman, yet somehow human at the same time. They had a terrible agenda: to overwhelm the human population and assimilate us with them. My parents were biologists. My father thought they were bringing the evolution of the human race. My mother thought they would cause our extinction. They were both right.

Years ago, when they landed, they acted civil and respectful of us. They cooperated with our law enforcement and appeared to become part of our society. It wasn't long before we began intermarrying. We didn't realize at the time that that was what they wanted. When the Altrae-human hybrids came along, they disappeared. Their human mothers and fathers turned up dead. Not soon enough, we realized we were at war.

The Altra had pretty much every advantage over us: technology, physical strength and fitness, intelligence, and speed. The only thing we had that they lacked was emotion, and more often than not, that was a weakness.

Before too long, I reached Supply Station 4. It wasn't very well hidden, but the Altra had no need to come into the forest. I located the marker, found the hidden shovel, and began to dig. I attributed it to both my exhaustion and my preoccupation with my thoughts that I didn't notice him sooner.

I let out a cry of surprise upon looking up and seeing him staring at me. He looked just as surprised, which was funny. Or, it would've been, if not for our current situation. The guy watching me had unruly black hair, piercing dark eyes, a strong nose, and sharp cheekbones. There was no denying it, he was beautiful. But it was a cruel beauty.