Interesting sounds, vibrant smells, and unforgettable visuals get stuck in our heads, and it is hard to recall the association when they are triggered. Sometimes they lead us to memories we would like to forget. Our hero is reliving the day that life on Earth changed.
Did you hear that? I know I should recognize the sound, but nothing comes to mind. It’s funny how we blot things out. I once knew a man I would speak to daily at my job. His voice tickled something in the back of my head, but I couldn’t place it. It took me years to realize that he was the barker at our local carnival in Indiana, and I heard his voice many times in the hottest throws of summer. Sometimes, it is all about context. Isn’t it?
Now that I think of it, the Locusts first came during a carnival. I was out with this girl I hung around with in high school. Her name was Lisa. Let’s just say that the seven or so years after graduation were incredibly kind to her. I have never been so excited to go on a first date, and going to the carnival fit well.
The mid-August night was hot. I remember worrying that I would sweat through my shirt, making me perspire even more. But holding her hand soothed me, and I stopped caring. As we walked around that warm evening, the smell of funnel cakes mixed with her subtle but lovely perfume. It felt like I was given a sample of the scent of heaven. Her long brown hair, green eyes, and perfect smile gave me some quality visuals as well.
Just past dusk, I remember fixating on the flashing lights from a rocket sled ride, and I didn’t notice the glowing streaks shooting across the night sky. It wasn’t until I overheard someone cussing and pointing up that I turned to the south and saw the shimmer of something massive, partially illuminated by the full moon and floating in the air. Lisa emphatically shouted at me and yanked my arm to shake me to my senses. I referred to that as my trance of disbelief. We both got a kick out of that. It wasn’t until the power was cut that I fully regathered, and we made a break for our car.
I’d like to tell you I was calm and brave, but that wasn’t the case. I cursed under my breath the entire way and struggled to get my keys out of my pocket. When we got in and assessed the situation, the parking lot was chaotic. I glanced over at Lisa. Her short breaths and tears spoke to her state of mind, which was pretty close to mine.
The southern sky lit up with explosions from what I am guessing was Indianapolis. With each burst, we could hear the frantic screams of people stuck in line to exit. Cars jumped the curbs and ran into each other. It looked like a demolition derby, and I realized there was no way we would get out of there in time. Then I remembered that the Crawford’s farm was on the back side of the fairgrounds. I grabbed Lisa’s hand and told her we should leave the car and run for it. She looked at me like I was insane until I also explained they had a tornado shelter, and I knew they stocked survival supplies.
I turned off the car, and we headed to the left side of the grounds, as far from that exciting fiasco as possible. Getting to the farm would force us to cross a small gully, but it wouldn’t be too difficult. As we jumped over the ditch, one of my shoes got stuck in the mud and came off. Though I looked back, I didn’t bother retrieving it. I glanced into the night sky and saw that this ship was probably less than twenty miles away. I cussed some more, took a deep breath, and helped Lisa across.
I’ve never felt so vulnerable as running across that freshly harvested cornfield. The moonlight cast a bluish tint on the newly cut plants, and we stuck out like a downrange target at a shooting gallery. Never have I regretted wearing a bright shirt more in my life. Lisa’s white cotton dress with small yellow flowers was no better. I couldn’t force myself to gaze back or up, so I stayed focused on Mr. Crawford’s farmhouse and ignored everything else. We ran as fast as we could, and Mrs. Crawford saw us. She came out and directed us to follow her into the shed.
Mr. Crawford greeted us with a Winchester for me to carry. It calmed me holding that gun, but I don’t know why. It is not like it would do anything against that approaching menace, but I felt safer gripping it. We took another glimpse outside and saw no one else was coming. I thought about all those people at the fair trying to drive away and not considering taking cover.
I could hear explosions way off in the distance. The weird things that come into your mind at times like that. I remember my dad teaching me how to gauge how far lightning was from your location. I figured the same would work for the explosions. I waited for a flash and started counting in my head, listening for the boom: thirteen seconds. A few minutes later, I counted ten seconds. It was definitely coming our way.
Between explosions, I heard a strange noise. It was like hundreds of birds flapping their wings. The sound was getting louder as it approached. Now that I think about it, I’m guessing that is why they called them things Locusts. Yeah, I’ll never forget that sound. Also, something weird was going on with the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck. It felt like they were swaying in time with that flapping.
Mr. Crawford called to me, and we headed back into the shed and closed the doors. My date was sobbing as Mrs. Crawford tried to assuage her fears. Their youngest daughter, Amy, gave Lisa one of her dolls. This brief moment of empathy stilled Lisa. She took the doll and reached down to hug the little girl. Amy smiled as she squeezed back.
For the next few minutes, we somberly waited for what would happen. I looked down at my foot and realized I was bleeding pretty severely. I guess all of the adrenaline blotted out the pain.
Mr. Crawford looked down at my feet. “Where’d your shoe go?”
Embarrassed, I explained I lost it jumping the gully but didn’t go back to get it.
The farmer nodded without emotion, reached over, and handed me the first aid kit. “I’ve got a pair of shoes around here somewhere. They might be a little big, but it’s better than nothing.” He walked over to a shelf and threw me a pair of work boots.
The fluttering noise was getting louder. It was harder to make out in the shelter, but as I quietly sat, I could see the dust on the floor moving like the hairs on my arms. Mrs. Crawford held on to their three children as she tried to distract them from what was happening outside. I sat, now able to feel the throbbing in my left foot. I did my best to wrap it and put on the boots Mr. Crawford had given me. To my surprise, they fit well and kept my wrappings in place.
I sat still, taking deep breaths of Lisa’s perfume: so nice. Man, this is a date I won’t soon forget. I chuckled to myself. We were facing possible death in that room, and this is what was filling my mind.
“I think they’re really close.” Mr. Crawford said with a solemn look on his face.
“Who?” his wife queried. Her eyes squinted and darted around with each noise.
“That is a heck of a question. I’ve never seen anything like that ship. I wonder when we will hear a response from our boys up north.” Mr. Crawford rested his shotgun on the wall beside him as he cleaned his glasses and checked his phone for any signal.
Grissom Air Force Base wasn’t too far away, just a few miles north on State Road 31. It was like they heard the farmer’s request, and we could hear the roars of scrambling jets approaching.
Mr. Crawford listened while focusing on the ceiling. His initial smile quickly faded. “That’s a good sound, but this means we are basically under a battlefield. Lucky I paid extra for this shelter.”
Hallelujah and Amen! Good job, Mr. Crawford. I mused as I checked my newly acquired boots.
The farmer looked back at us and had a thought. “You two should sit over here. This space was designed to protect against a building falling on us.” He patted the seat next to his wife, and we graciously complied. As we stumbled over, multiple blasts caused Lisa to let out a brief expletive. Mrs. Crawford gave her a stern look as she held her children closer. Lisa looked at her apologetically as she hesitantly sat beside the protective mother.
We listened to the intense battle that felt like it went on forever but was only about twenty minutes. No one spoke or moved a muscle. The quiet was worse as you braced yourself for the next jarring detonation. Concussive eruptions would shake our room from time to time, but nothing in the shelter moved. Mr. Crawford got his money’s worth on his purchase. I looked over once to see him smiling in admiration at the strength of his shelter. Still, my heart was racing, and I was feeling helpless.
We heard a series of syncopated launches, followed by substantial explosions. Then the sounds of large objects crashing to the ground. Kala, one of the older children, looked at her father, “Do you think it is one of ours?”
All Mr. Crawford could do was shake his head, but I noticed that the fluttering stopped. I had to say something. “I think it was that floating thing. I can’t hear the flapping noise anymore. Can you?” The room stayed silent, listening for the dreaded noise. Lisa was the first to smile.
Mr. Crawford looked at me and put his hands up. “We should wait a while. We have no idea what it is like out there. I’ll check the cameras in a little bit to see if it is clear.” As we anxiously sat, we could hear more crashes and things bouncing in the trimmed corn fields.
The commotion died down, and a more familiar fluttering noise began. The unmistakable sound of military helicopters descended on our position. The chopping clatter of their blades and hearing soldiers on the ground moved something inside me. Mr. Crawford went over to the console and scanned the perimeter. With a smile, he looked at us and gave us the okay to exit.
I stood up and grabbed the gun he gave me as we bravely walked out the door. Little did I realize that opening that door was the start of a new era on Earth.
The ship we saw in the air was now in flames and broken into pieces in the field we crossed. It stretched into the carnival parking lot. I looked over and saw my car crushed by some debris. I loved that car, but I am sure glad we weren’t in it when this happened. Other escapees weren’t so fortunate. I felt ashamed that I didn’t convince anyone to come with us.
Among the wreckage, sprawled across the field, were bodies. They weren’t human, but they were disturbingly similar. Their torsos were taller, and their faces longer. It was hard to tell, but it looked like their blood was red, and as far as I could see, the ship’s destruction killed all of them. For at least ten minutes, I tried to figure out what part of the world these invaders called home. I looked at their faces and uniforms for any indication of nationality, but nothing registered. It was like my mind refused to accept that the solution was beyond our planet.
The stench of burning chemicals inflamed my nostrils, and my eyes watered. We stood vulnerably as soldiers sifted through the rubble, and no one noticed us. Even with our guns, we imposed no threat to anyone. Mr. Crawford stared in wide-eyed wonder at the menagerie before him. He turned and put his arm around his wife as his children huddled around them even closer.
Lisa came up behind me and gently put her arm around me. “Well, this has been quite a first date.” I wondered if that meant I’d get a second.
We looked around and surveyed the damage. Hundreds of parts and strange soldiers lay lifelessly about us. Finally, Lisa pointed to the sky and let out a horrific scream. I instinctively turned and saw that most of the destroyed ship was still about 125 feet in the air. Nothing moved, and there was no life on it. The craft merely floated above the ground. I could see a single soldier slumped in a chair, held in by his seatbelt.
I heard that over two hundred ships appeared simultaneously around the Earth. They did a lot of damage that day, but the last time I checked, we’ve beaten every wave of their attacks. But they still keep coming. Can you believe that was over six years ago? It feels like yesterday. Now things like borders and politics don’t seem to mean too much, do they?
Lisa and I dated until we were both drafted. It was just too hard to keep a relationship going when we were both in different parts of the world. It’s a real shame because she was a keeper. I still have her picture in my wallet and lock screen. Maybe after all this, we will reconnect.
I’ve shared way too much. Hell, you probably know most of this already. I just get nervous and have to talk. Thanks for listening, but now I know where I’ve heard that sound before. When that Locust first appeared over Indianapolis, there was this strange pop. We were far enough from it that I thought it was just one of the rides at the fair. I know there was more to that story now.
Man, I’m good. Would you look at that? My watch just lit up with intruder warnings. One of their ships has just jumped near us, so be on the lookout! It’s time for us to do our part. Are you ready?
firstflite
