Chapter 2: One Year Later

Waking and lying on my back, I stare at the ceiling. I hear birds tweeting.

I can't help but wonder if anyone did get away from the earth during the invasion. If anyone had access to a ship or something and it'll bring us resources. Pipe dreams. All pipe dreams.

This is how it's been. For one whole year. Feels longer actually. Feels like a lifetime. This was the new normal. Kind of like when that pandemic hit us in the year 2020. When we were all wearing masks and people were dying. All of us either whined about masks or toughened up.

Even if our world had gotten together, could we have fought these creatures? Funny. I think we would've all fought for one common goal, like in the big sci-fi movie "Independence Day". All of us coming together, to unite against one common enemy. Wave flags and be thankful, firing our fireworks and chanting how amazing earth is. Hell, I bet half the country thought the alien take over was fake news. We don't work together. We should. But being smart takes a real effort.

The sun hasn't risen yet, I go for a morning jog. Keeping a close eye out for extraterrestrials, I haven't seen one yet.

I refuse to live in fear. I refuse to let the alien overlords control me. If I am subservient, I will end up like all the other poor humans I knew. People I used to go to the store with. People I used to laugh with. Now all taken and put wherever my son is. What do they want with us? What is their end goal?

A few feet from the cabin lies a beautiful blue lake.

Pollution is no longer a concerning factor, I strip my nightwear off and jump in. I've done this a hundred times.

Swimming, I can get lost in my head. Pretend that my son is waiting on the shore for me. He never enjoyed swimming. It always scared him. He didn't like the feeling of wet skin much.

I go swim out. Far. Keeping in shape was important if I wanted to battle the apocalypse on my own.

Diving underneath, I keep my eyes open. I can see fish; the floor of the lake is soft on the bottoms of my feet.

Holding my breath, I truly am at peace. I'm not looking for the next lizard fuckface to come and grab me. I can pretend that life will be the same when I pop out of the water.

***

Donning a grey tank top, camouflage pants, and military boots, she performed one-hundred pushups and a few sit-ups, readied her silver revolver and hunting knife, and filled her water jug up to the top before placing it in a backpack.

I found so much in these woods. So many abandoned jeeps and so many dead bodies to loot. The woods served me well.

This lake. I'll miss it. A huge source of water. Once it was a place I could get away from my deep, dark feelings about the world around me.

Her short, blonde hair (which she maintained herself with a knife) was slightly sweaty after her workout, but she didn't care. Trivial things like sweat or muscle soreness didn't matter. All trivial when faced with death daily.

Taking rests was something Julie didn't wish to do but knew she had to. Dying of dehydration wouldn't get her son back.

The woods were quite peaceful, nature had claimed what the aliens had destroyed.

Taking gulps of water, she had become used to being alone. Just sitting, leaning against a large tree with the sounds of bugs and birds. Their lives hadn't changed. They'd live long after humans would.

After closing her eyes for a few moments, she let the breeze and sun hit her skin and her head rest upon a tree trunk.

Holding her gun to one side, she had no idea what would be next.

Julie came upon a campsite. She had never seen such a thing-not since the takeover at least.

"Hello? Anyone here?" She spoke not in a yell, but loud enough so that maybe anyone nearby could come to her aide.

Her gun was pointed toward a dark green tent. In front of the tent, was a campfire that had been out for a while. This campfire was surrounded by cans of soda and beer.

Coming out of the tent was a large man with a brown beard and long hair. Clothes stained in mud, dirt, and food. His hands were quite large. He held his arms up for a moment.

"Wow. A human! It's great to see ya!" He smiled and approached her.

"Likewise. You see any of the aliens?" Lowering her weapon, she looked around the campsite a bit, keeping a close eye on the big man.

"They call themselves Barg." The frumpy man spoke in a whisper, his eyeballs darted back and forth. Like something could come out of a bush and attack.

"Barg? Odd. How do you know that?" She raised her weapon slightly, but not high enough to meet his eye level.

"They don't come out much. See, I lived in a city. And it seems like the Barg has taken our tall buildings. Schools, Hospitals, and used them as large hives of sorts. Hives for doing God knows what to humans. I'm Butch by the way." He reached his hand out, but she didn't shake it.

I don't trust many humans. I can't help but get the feeling that we've all reverted to primal instincts. Then again if I don't trust Butch-maybe I'll end up cold and dead.

"How do they eat? What are their weaknesses?" Julie asked, voice stern but not as tense as before.

"Why should I tell you?" Butch knelt to his burnt-out campfire.

"For one, I'm a human. Like you. I'd like to think our common goal is to reset society. Take back our planet. And two-well I have a son. David. He was abducted by the Bargs last year. Whether he's dead or alive-I wanna know."

"Reset society, you say?" Butch stood and cocked his head to one side.

"Please, tell me anything that could help me find David- I'll consider you-well an acquaintance." Julie squashed a fly on her neck with one hand.

"Let's get to populating the earth." He chuckled and walked toward Julie. Looking down at her. "I think that is what we should focus on, sweetie. Drop to your knees." He narrowed his eyes, unzipping his pants.

A moment of fear struck her heart as he licked his lips, and in a flash, she pulled the trigger to her revolver.

The shot radiated through the trees.

The bullet landed right in Butch's kneecap, an explosion of mist-like blood erupted from his knee.

"Okay. Please! Please don't kill me! Please! I'll tell you anything!" He fell to the dirt and scattered leaves.

Groaning, he whimpered. A tear escaped one eye.

"You had your chance." She then knelt by his head, pressed the barrel of the gun to his forehead, and fired another shot-sending blood straight into her face.

Did I just kill one of the last remaining humans? That thought hadn't occurred to me until long after I pulled the trigger.

Investigating the campsite, tossing the fishing gear to one side, I found nothing but empty soup cans and some glass bottles of beer.

Through the woods, I walked.

Barg? Lizard-humanoids. That's what Butch said. That concept makes me think the would-be rapist wasn't telling the truth. There's a theory that celebrities and presidents have indeed been 'lizard people.' Some super race of aliens controlling us all. I think Butch has watched too much Alex Jones.

Then again, their helmets were kinda shaped like Komodo dragons. I don't know what to believe anymore.

It's all chaos and darkness, folks.

Julie saw nothing but trees, leaves, thorns which clutched to her clothing. The trek towards a possible haven took hours, but she finally saw a clearing and ran for it.

Junkyards. Once places I regarded as filthy. A place I'd never have any interest in. Now, a place like this is imperative. It's sad, how many objects I'll probably find here. How many good things have humans thrown out? Plastic, wires, weapons, machines, clothes. It was so easy, to toss whatever the hell we wanted into the garbage. Never did we give it a second thought.

The ground beneath her was gravel, piles of old machines, cars, and rusted metal were stacked miles high in every corner.

The junkyard was surrounded by a barbed-wire fence.

Sitting on the ground, she placed her backpack beside her, slipped on black, leather gloves, and dug through one of the large random piles of discarded items. She found some bullets and she found some other scrap that might be useful in fixing machines or even a vehicle.

She was knowledgeable when it came to mechanics and how things worked ever since she was young, so now she could put her mind to the ultimate test.

Fiddling with her revolver and the new scrap she had found, she found herself lost. Lost in concentration.

My son was known as the 'nice guy in school. Never got in trouble, a total teacher's pet. I remembered how nervous he'd get before tests. How every test was a 'big deal' and that he was always worried no one would like him if he failed at one task. If he is alive, the poor kid is probably losing his mind. Although, I do smile at the fact that he's probably kind to the aliens. I feel as though he's not kicking or swearing. I bet he's actually being polite to them. I know, I shouldn't smile at that. I know it could get him killed. I know that him being so naïve could land him in trouble.

These times don't offer a lot though. So, if a smile crosses my lips, I'll embrace it.

Julie held her breath and dropped the scrap, a dark shadow loomed over her, and the sound of a laser rifle cocking was heard. Almost like loading a shotgun shell into a chamber, but electronic. Like a computer trying to imitate the sound.

Standing, she narrowed her eyes, and aimed the barrel of the gun directly at its chest.

The Barg stood on two legs.

The creature spoke in some weird sounds of clicks, clacks, and grunts. It was angry. She could tell.

Holding her breath, she fired two shots into the Barg, the bullets dented its armor, but it only seemed to grow angrier.

Of course, 'anger' was a human emotion, the Barg probably didn't experience emotion as humans did. It certainly grew more determined.

Both stood in the middle of the dirty junkyard.

The entrance to the junkyard is way behind me. Even if I run with all my might, the Barg would easily fire a laser blast. Straight into my back. I could just go with it. Give up here. I don't think so, though. I've made it this far.

I hold my breath, I brace my body for whatever is to come.