Alton One: Chapter 10

"If I wrote a story of my kidnapping by aliens, I always thought I'd call it Escapes from the Lost," Mike said, still standing with Sarah, peering out at the corner of James Street and Columbia Avenue.  Mike didn't knjow what Sarah was focusing on, but his vision was mainly set on the eastern skyline.  His hope was that he'd see the ship Lance was on. Why not? It's not like it hadn't appeared before.

"That's a good name," she said. "Why that name?"

"Because the aliens who kidnapped me were lost.  They were lost in space, per se.  They had no home, because there home planet was destroyed by crooked people who had no idea how to run a planet...

"Did you see that!" Sara stepped back, and pointed out the window.

"What?" Mike stepped next to her."

"Get down, Mike."  She fell to the ground, tugging his arm as she went.

He fell on top of her, and rolled so that he was lying on his belly, and could still see out the window by peering through the edge of the curtain.  "What did you see?" he whispered.

"I guess it was nothing."  He face suddenly pale.

"What?  Tell me."

"I saw it.  I saw..." tears rushed over her face.

"You saw the alien?" He looked at her, hugging her the best he could in the position they were in.

"Mike, I'm scared."

"Me too."

"We're getting out of here," she said.

"Agreed."

A half hour later they were seated at the kitchen table, and Mike watched as Sarah stuffed some beef jerkey into the top of an already stuffed back pack.  "There," she said, "That should be about everything we'll need."

"Or at least everything we think we'll need."

"Or at least everything Lance and his mom stored in this house."

"It's funny, it's like they were looking preparing for this day."

"Are you ready?"

"Well, I was thinking we should take naps first," Mike said, and burst out laughing.

Sarah joined in.  At one point during the fit she knocked the backpack off the edge of the table and she heard something smash.  "Shit!" she laughed.  "We should see what that is."

As stressful as things were this day, laughter seemed to be a major irony.  How do you find laughter among blood, death, aliens and the like, Mike thought.  "This might be the last normal moment until whatever we are going to do today is finished, Sarah."

"What do you mean?"

Mike didn't answer right away, instead he listened to the audible hum of the refrigerator.  He jumped at a CLINK CLUNK" sound that came from behind him, and he and Sarah both turned to look.  "It's just the refrigerator," Mike said.  "It's the ice maker."

"Wow.  It's funny, all the time I've spent in here I never noticed it before."

"It's funny you say that, because I was just thinking of the humming of the refrigerator, a sound you only hear when you're really paying attention to it.  It's neat how life goes on, and we don't hear, or see, what's right in....

KABOOOOOOM!!!!!

Something whizzed over Mike's head as he jumped onto Sarah, dragging her to the ground with him.  He rolled over, on top of Sarah almost, to protect her from flying boards, glass and shrapnel.  He felt objects falling onto him, stinging his left ear.

"TEH HOUSE IS FALLING IN!" Sarah Screamed.

Clambering sounds, like glass breaking, boards falling, continued for several moments.  Mike's eyes were locked shut, and he kept them shit what seemed like 10 minutes, but in reality was only seconds.  He did not budge, even as he felt he was covered completely.  He inhaled, and COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!

"You okay, Sarah," he whispered, motioning to get up, but unable to over the weight of Mike.  She pushed Mike hard, and he made no effort to move.  He was unable to move.  He continued his coughing jag.  He inhaled deep.  A breath came in sharply and painfully with a mouthful of dust.  He exhaled, and when he inhaled the air was thick and hard.  His chest burned.  His ear burned worse.

"MIKE!  GET OFF!  MIKE?  I CAN'T BREATH!  MIIIIIKKKKEEE!