"Whoa. What the hell -- did you see that?"
I look up. She's pointing at the sky, but I didn't need that help because I do see it. How could I not? It's a huge bright light in the middle of the sky, growing every second so that we know it couldn't possibly be a star. Or a plane.
Well. This is what we came to see, isn't it?
We pick up the pace so that we can get to it, fumbling over the rocks and sticks and stuff, feet perpendicular to the way the trail runs so we don't go falling down the hill on our asses. I switch between glancing at the ground to watch my footing and the sky to watch the thing's approach so that soon enough, I'm dizzy. It's like watching a tennis match.
"It's closer, Parker. Look, I think it's landing."
Indeed it is. I watch as the dot of light I saw before turns into something more concrete; it looks exactly like the searchlight coming down from a ship in the sky that we were always shown on TV as kids. The stereotype had to come from somewhere, right?
We get to the clear landing area we were always headed for just as the thing puts out its metal legs. Wind everywhere and a sudden apprehension makes us stay just outside the clearing, safe in the covering of trees. I know from years of experience that Hannah doesn't like to be coddled but I move my shoulders a few inches in front of her body anyway in an attempt to keep her safe. A fat lot of good my bony shoulders would do to protect her from that monstrous thing. It's at least as big as a football field.
The shuttle is stopped now, sufficiently anchored on the earth; the wind it caused has stopped and everything is silent. The searchlight is still blaring though, and it kind of hurts my eyes to look directly at it. We stay there for a good while, taking it all in, not daring to even take out our phones for a picture. I know Hannah can't believe the sight any more than I can.
We look at each other with expressions that say Well, now what? and then I hear something behind us. We whip around quick, searching, but the forest is dark enough that we wouldn't be able to see what made the sound even if it was right on top of us.
Our eyes say nothing is there, but we can hear it moving toward us. Hannah grabs my hand in that fierce grip of hers and she leads me forward, toward the craft. I don't hesitate or fight the direction at all -- we have to get away from whatever it is behind us.
It feels weird to be out in the open with that huge shuttle above us. I think Beam me up, Scotty, and the thought is only kind of scary. Before I know it we're right on the outskirts of the circle of brightness caused by the searchlight, and I haven't heard the sound behind us in a while. Hannah is still holding my hand, squeezing it as we look up.
There's something coming down to us.
I don't hear any doors opening, no whooshing of metal or beeping of a security clearance activating, but there's a shadow in the searchlight and it's flying down quick. Before we can think of what to do, where to hide, there are two of them in front of us. They alight gracefully on the ground. They're huge, spindly and skinny but at least eight inches taller than me. There's more silence now, both parties taking each other in. They have long hair, which I wouldn't have expected, but the gray skin is completely on brand.
I'm wondering at the fact that one of them has tits when I hear a voice inside my head. It says, We have plans for you. I can practically hear Hannah's pulse quicken.
"What kind of plans?"