AT THE BORDERS

A little more. That's all it took I bring the human race to its knees. People and their greed, the urge to push a little more.

If only we didn't have the urge to meet sentient beings that exist outside our own super-cluster of stars.

That was our undoing, the message we sent into space declaring our location.

Even though the galaxy is filled with life that science cannot hope to uncover alone doesn't mean that any percentage of them willing to travel to another planet is civilized.

The alphites are our enemy, not our friends, help us correct out mistakes. Join the rebellion now.

"Ah it's that damn recording again," uttered James Selovski, he's my partner.

Before you go thinking something weird let me tell you that I'm a guy and I don't swing that way.

We partner up because it's safer for us that way, the aliens don't bother us but anyone who thinks they have the right to take rations from the weak usually do.

And they get away with it.

That's how it is here in the slums.

The day they came, all of our tech stopped working, no communication, no coordination, no attack. It's as simple as that, the government couldn't respond to the fire they reigned on us.

Literally.

They burned most if the earth's surface, and now no one really knows how it is since no one who ever tried crossing the borders ever makes it.

It's sad, how we live now. Reduced to savages and scavengers. But we get to live and that's good enough for me. I prefer to be hungry than dead.

"You good for tonight?" James asked he seemed to want to go somewhere.

"Yeah I got enough rations to last two days. " I responded.

He laughed a little, "don't over estimate the portion you've got kay? Am gonna run an errand." With that he left.

Currently we were staying in the mostly Dry basement of an old department store. In comparison to the places where others lived, it was by far one of the most comfortable places left.

The immediate area reeked with a musk that was only bearable because of our living situation, the area beyond that which was more cooler smelled of strawberry flavored wine. It was a wine cellar cut of from the rest of the basement by a single cast iron and sparsely decorated door which led deeper underground. The wine was gone, my guess is the owner split with them or someone robbed the place or maybe there weren't any to begin with.

It's not like I cared either way, since I'm not much of a drinker. It was cool though and that was all I needed.

Suddenly I became aware of the, soft but audible sound of rummaging. I slowly picked up a bent piece of iron pipe and raised it above my shoulder edging closer towards the sound. I felt my heartbeat becoming prominently more rapid and the sound of blood pumping at my ears. What was it?

I carefully placed my steps, as I edged closer, I had never seen the aliens before but it was becoming more and more obvious that I might just get the opportunity, though it wasn't something I looked forward to, I mean everyone knows that one can't simply run from an alphite.

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs, the sound seemed to be coming from below.

Quickly I held the pipe high as I made my way around the stairs.....