THE NIGHT THE STARS FELL FIRST CONTACT

There were thirty-five lizards that had been captured and taken to the Army base near Truro, they were kept four to a cell, securely locked up, the cells were electrified and always turned on at night.

The soldiers sat around drinking tea, smoking, talking about the creatures, and laughing.

Staff sergeant Sam Phillips had been in the army for twenty-five years. He joined when he was eighteen, and could never imagine doing anything else, the army had been his life. He had been to Iraq, Afghanistan, and seen it all. Sam was about five- nine, sandy coloured hair and piercing grey flecked eyes. His frame fit a well-muscled body due to workouts in the gym. Sam was cordial, but wary of strangers, and mildly suspicious of newcomers. This was what twenty-five years fighting terrorists made him, ‘let your guard down, and die’ was his motto. Sam pulled out a packet of cards. “Anyone for cards?”

“Yes, sarge came the reply of seven soldiers already getting bored sitting around guarding the creatures.

“Yeh, I know, everyone’s pissed off, but this is the job.” He gave a wide generous smile. “I never thought I would be sitting around UZI in hand guarding these Lizards, creatures, or whatever the hell they are, like something out of a sci-fi movie.”

“Sarge, none of us ever thought we would be invaded by Aliens not in a million years.” Tom replied adding, “Especially these ugly bastards; I wonder if they’ll put them in a zoo, reptile section I suppose?”

Sam laughed. “You got to be kidding me, these are not friendly reptiles, they are dangerous, and they come from another planet, they are not meant to live here.”

One of the lizards banged on the cage. Sam shouted. “What’s your problem chum?”

“OUT!”

“I expect you do mate, but you will stay there until someone comes for you…Now shut up!”

“Maybe it’s hungry sarge?” The creatures fascinated Bob Macro, he had never seen anything like this in all his twenty years; he had only been in the army for a year and already thought he knew everything. He would be held as a hero, guarding these creatures, and coming so close to them, he would tell everyone how close he was he could almost touch them, and how he could see every detail. He didn’t feel any fear, and that was his first mistake. He got up and walked towards the cell.

The game of cards had started so everyone was watching their dealt hands.

“What do they eat?”

Without looking up Sam said. “The chef is going to give them dead mice, rats, salad and green veg, probably some carrots too, come and sit down we’ve dealt you’re cards.”

Bob looked over his shoulder at his colleagues. “Ok, coming.”

He was close to the bars as he looked into the eyes of one of the lizards who was standing near the bars.

“So, what brought you here then? Can you understand me? No one’s going to hurt you.” He tried for a smile, but the creature’s cold green piercing eyes chilled him, he was about to step back.

Sam looked behind him and saw Bob almost face-to-face with the creature. He shouted, “You’re too close to the bars!!” Before he could react, the lizard snatched at Bob’s neck and wedged him against the bars of the cell, he screamed and grabbed hold of its arm trying to release its grip, but it was like trying to lift iron already set and dried from cement without tools. The lizard hissed. “OPEN THE DOOR OR I RIP OFF HIS HEAD!!”

Sam and the others were on their feet UZIs pointing at its head.

“LET HIM GO NOW!” he yelled, eyes narrowing, levelling his weapon, straight between its eyes. The creature hissed, its tongue slid out of its mouth and licked Bob’s cheek.

“I SAID. LET HIM GO NOW OR I WILL BLOW YOUR FUCKIN HEAD OFF.”

As senior officer Sam knew he had two options, open the cell doors, kill the creature and save Bob’s life. He took the second option. The flash of the UZI sparked a blinding light sending the others cowering in the corner huddled together, deafened by the noise. One of the soldiers grabbed Bob’s arm and pulled him free, he fell to the floor and rolled away from the cell choking and gasping. The stench of sulphur, cordite and gunpowder filled the air.

Sam dragged Bob to the chair. “What were you thinking? You idiot! did you think it was going to roll over for you to tickle its tummy? I warned you they were dangerous! We are not here to interact with them. We are here to guard them and make sure they don’t escape. Now if any other bright spark has any more silly ideas, they will be court-martialled. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!”

They all stood. “Perfectly Sir.”

***

Ellen looked at Pixie lying on the floor beside her, she seemed uncomfortable sleeping on the cold concrete floor, but she had nothing to put under her. Gently she brushed some blond hair from her eyes. The child was exhausted, she noticed one of the leg bottoms of her pink flannelette pyjamas was ripped just above the ankle, she lifted it to see if there were any marks on her little ankle but thankfully there was nothing, at least the creature did not hurt her. Ellen had started worrying about where Todd and Lasko, Brian and Kevin were, they must be frantic with worry, unless they were dead! The thought was too terrible to contemplate, and she thrust it to the back of her mind.

She got up and patted the wall. “Daryl are you ok?” he didn’t answer for a few minutes, and she thought she heard a strangled sob. “Hey! Daryl?”

“Ellen, I’m ok, just a little down, wondering where Lilly and the kids are.”

Ellen didn’t know what to say to comfort him, but she knew what he was going through. “Did you find a way to open that latch yet?”

“No, still working on it, it’s some kind of lock I’ve never seen before it has some kind of mechanism that can’t be sprung it’s impossible to open it.”

“Daryl, I know help will come, there are others out there fighting these creatures, we’re not alone.”

“Who? Because right now I can’t see anyone coming for us, besides the size of these things would stop anyone in their tracks.”

“Maybe we could negotiate with them?”

“Negotiate for what? We have nothing to offer them. Ellen, it’s simple; they want us for various horrendous reasons, one for breeding, the other for food, what could we possibly offer them in exchange for our lives? Nothing!”

Ellen sighed, she needed to lift his spirit before he sank to the bottom and drowned.

“Daryl, if I tell you something would you believe me?”

“Try me.” He said miserably.

“Many months ago, well, about six months precisely, my son had been diagnosed when he was four of a grade five brain tumour, it was not curable, and he would have died in a few months before his fifteenth birthday. He had chemo, radio therapy, and all the drugs on the market, and drug trials you could possibly imagine. Then one night he found an exceptionally large, beautiful dog in our garden, we thought he was lost, but he was sent to us to help Todd; and he cured him completely. We called him Lasko. And Lasko had come from another planet, he is a healer, I swear to you I’m telling you the truth, then three of his people arrived and they are helping us, they are amazing, they look almost human, only their hair is very blond, and they have amazing blue eyes you would never believe, all of them are over six feet tall and they have a lovely silver pale complexion.”

Daryl listened not knowing what to think, his eyebrows curled up and down, and he chewed his lip anxiously as he gazed into the darkness wondering if she was just trying to make him feel better.

“Daryl?” she called when he didn’t reply.

“I’m listening.”

My husband, friend and one of the aliens went to the war office for support, once we knew they were going to invade us. There are already our military forces fighting these creatures, and I know Valadon and his people will come for us…You’re Lilly, Carina and Christian, they will get us out of here…I promise.”

“Are you sure you have not been watching too many sci-fi movies, Star Trek, or Mars attacks?” she heard him laugh.

“No, I like Romantic movies with a happy ending.” She replied grinning herself.

“Typical woman huh?”

“Yes, I’d say I am, I hate sci-fi and horror, there is enough horror in the world already; do you believe me?”

“Well, after what’s happened so far, I think I believe anything now, but do you think we will get out of here?”

“I am ninety per cent sure, Lasko will track us down.”

“Well let’s hope it’s sooner rather than later because by tomorrow morning I think they’ll either eat us, take you and Lilly and all the kids, and god knows what they’ll do to them.”

***