They are here | Teen Ink

They are here

October 30, 2016
By Lucki, ASHBURN, Virginia
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Lucki, ASHBURN, Virginia
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The author's comments:

This is my short story, not a real book.

 

 

SUBMISSION TO SHORT STORY CONTEST

The floating cars sped down the neon roads, the city lights lit up the dark black sky, and the holographic billboards flashed advertisements. Jaxon checked his watch, 12:00 am, exactly midnight. Jaxon sighed, he was on his way back from his job. The night shift just ended, he usually was finished by 4 in the evening but he had to cover for one of his co-workers.


He was exhausted and didn't feel like doing anything, he didn't even own a car to get himself home, he couldn't afford it. He lived close enough to walk but he hated walking after a long day. His dingy apartment was in view but he decided to visit his friend Maya her luck in wealth was quite the opposite of him.


She worked in technological advancements, finding ways to make life easier for humans, she was paid generously. In all honesty he hung out often in her penthouse because he enjoyed the atmosphere but he always ended up comparing his apartment with his, hers always won.


He knocked on the door and it was opened a second later with a beaming face. "Jaxon!" She said excitedly. He gave a tired smile back. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him in. Maya enjoyed his company it made her feel like she wasn't alone.


She didn't have any friends in the office so she was always off to the side, away from people. "Guess what?!" She giggled excitedly. Jaxon laughed at her reaction. "What?" He shrugged. "You have to guess!" Maya squinted.


"You know I hate guessing." Jaxon mumbled. "Oh fine! You're no fun..." She sighed and went to her drawer and pulled out a small cube. It didn't look much, just a small black cube but Jaxon knew better than to judge things by appearance, the first time he looked at Maya he thought she was a fragile little girl he realized he was wrong after he saw her beating up a guy that was just a tad too close to her, he laughed at the memory.


"Ready Jax?" Maya smiled and snapped him out of his nostalgia. Jax was his nickname, a nickname only Maya called him. She touched the top of the cube and it glowed a bright blue. "So where do you wanna go?" She asked a menu floated in the air with a search bar.


"Uhhhh, the beach?" Jax suggested. Maya typed in beach and the room transformed. It was warm and he could see the golden sand beneath him, but he still felt the hardwood floor. He could hear the ocean waves crashing but they stopped at a certain point, not flowing any further.


He moved around and a loud thud came from him hitting something. It must have been the corner of the table. He winced and grabbed his hip. "Sorry! The furniture may look like it isn't there but it is." Maya apologized and turned it off.


The apartment went back to its normal state. He was amazed. "Maya! You need to show this to your boss!" Jax encouraged.  "Well... I'm still working some things out." She looked at the cube.


"It looks fine to me." Jax shrugged. The cube suddenly sparked Maya screamed and threw it to the ground, it shattered once it made contact. "See..." She sighed and picked up the bits and pieces and threw them in the trash.


The trash was filled to the brim with other failed attempts.Jax was about to suggest something but a rapid knock came on the door. Maya rushed to open it. A scared face was panting and gasping for air. "Watch the news! NOW, THEY ARE COMING!!!" The lady screamed and then ran down the hallway to inform others.


"W-what?" Maya couldn't hide the fear she had. She flicked on the TV and went to the news channel. "A massive unidentifiable flying object is covering the skies and casting shadows on our city, numerous people have gone missing and are still going missing. Please, stay in your homes and be cautious of your children." The reporter opened her mouth to say something but the camera cut off and static filled the screen.


"Oh my god..." Maya covered her mouth. She pulled out her phone, she pressed the speed dial for 911 but her phone remained turned off with a black screen. "Jax! My phone!" She frantically waved it around.


Jax checked his phone, it didn't even turn on. "Calm down..." He tried to keep himself calm. Then all at once the lights shut off and darkness enveloped them, Jax gasped . Maya screamed in terror.


He looked out the window, the whole city was pitch black the only thing that brought light was the lights of the flying object. Jax searched for Maya and grabbed her shoulder, he felt her flinch at his touch, she was really scared.


"It's ok." He tried making her feel better. The whole city relied on electricity in this era, so they were helpless in the dark. A whirring noise cut through the silence. Jax slowly turned around and saw a small pod like object hovering outside the window.


The windows were black so you couldn't see inside, it had a sleek design that seemed impossible to achieve. Jax grabbed Maya's hand and pulled her back and went through the door into the hallway.


"What was that?!" Maya breathed. "I don't know." Jax admitted. The heard a loud crashing noise on the other side of the door and then silence. Jaxon peeked through the door. It was now inside the apartment and looked like it was searching for something or someone.


Metal arms extended from the sides, picking up and throwing things aside. "Oh god, it's actually looking for us." Jaxon quietly shut the door and then turned to talk to Maya.


He gasped, she wasn't there anymore. "Maya?" He thought she may have ran in fear. Multiple explosions were heard. Jaxon sprinted down the stairs and made it outside the building. He wanted to call her name but he didn't want to risk being found.


The 'ship' was releasing smaller pods from the sides, so many that it looked like a cloud of black. They were searching in every corner and crevice, Jaxon knew he would last long. "J-Jax?" He turned at the sound of his name.


"MAYA!" He yelled in joy and brought her in a hug. She didn't hug back. He looked into her eyes and squinted. Did she always have glowing green eyes?


"Jax, maybe it's best we give up." She looked at the ground. "What?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "You can't--I mean WE can't escape." She corrected herself.


"Maya?" He became suspicious. Maya lifted her head and sneered at him. "Alright you caught me." She sighed.


He took a giant step back.


"You humans can't escape we are taking over you by the second." She circled him. "All the humans need to hand over their bodies to us to take over." She tilted her head, creepily.


He turned and ran the other way. He heard her laugh. "You can't run." She watched him run like how a wolf stalks its prey. He was out in the open now, bad move.


The black pods surrounded him along with people who had unnatural eye colors, purples, golds, and greens. He looked around to see if anyone was truly human, nobody. He couldn’t breathe, he needed to leave.


One black pod came forward and extended a metallic arm and grabbed him by the waist, preventing any movement. "I told you that you can't run." He heard Maya, no, an alien's voice. "Take him." She ordered.


He could feel his diaphragm being squeezed and then Jax felt searing pain in his head, he screamed and blacked out. They had conquered the human race.



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