Exposed

Start writing Zog coughed as smoke and sparks filled the cockpit in his ship. He had been sent to earth to scout out what the humans were capable of and what they had. As they had entered the atmosphere, something struck the engines, sending him and his crew spiraling to the ground. The target landing zone had been in a place known as Florida, but a sudden bolt of electricity had sent them into the Midwest snow. Now he was looking through his dazed eyes at the scene around him. His crew of twelve fellow travelers had been reduced to only four. He rubbed his head as he lifted debris from his body. His four arms were intact and his body seemed able to move, but now everything seems black to his left. He lifted one hand slowly and felt a piece of metal where his eye had been.

“Kred? Jugh?” He called out. “Anyone, report now.” He commanded.

“I’m here sir!” A voice slurred from under a pile of panels, “ready for orders!.”

He hurried over and heaved off pieces of the ship until Croz could stand up. His normally tall head had been sliced down to just above his eyes, his cyber-organic brain had been cut in half.

“Report!” Zog demanded.

“Ship go boom.” He slurred. “Brain me hurt.” He complained.

“Not a very thorough answer,” Zog muttered. “Where are we?”

“Crash sir site,” He said as looked around.

“Hello?” Another voice called.

Both aliens hurried over and found the second in command impaled on several metal bars. “I think they missed my internals.” She said as she looked down.

The captain lifted her off the objects and she stood there, fluids flowing freely from the three holes in her torso. “Just need a little drink and I’ll be fine. Her gel-like body was already trying to seal itself again.

“Thank goodness you’re okay,” Zog said, “we will need you if there are any other casualties.”

“jiggles her does body.” Croz laughed as he drooled a little.

“Is he okay?” She asked, “I’ve never seen him like… oh dear. Where is the top half of his head?” She exclaimed.

A small alien walked onto what was the bridge, “I take one nap and the damn ship literally falls apart!” He shouted.

“Chief engineer!” Zog said with relief, “you’re okay!”

He opened a bottle of fuel and took a swig, “my name is Henry Chief Engineer!” He spat, “use my damn name!”

Zog dropped his head, “is this really the time?”

After several minutes of arguing and talking, they decided to venture out of the ship. Henry had a smile as they walked through the snow until Zog spoke. “We need to keep close to the site,” he explained, “this is our shelter. Chief… Henry, can you fix the ship? Croz, assess the environment. Dwill, how are the food and medical supplies?”

“Supplies are manageable given our current status.” Dwill responded as her normal movements slowed in the cold.

“Ice sir water cold turns falls it’s snow into.” Croz said as he poked his exposed brain.

“Sir, there is no fixing it.” Henry said as he looked over the field.

“Why not? Too much damage?” Zog asked.

“There will…” suddenly the ship exploded, “yes sir. Too much damage.” He said with a chuckle as Croz stared wide eyed.

“Pretty light.” Croz giggled.

Zog’s scales rippled in an annoyed pink hue. “What was that for?”

Croz looked over, “prisoners take sir no!”

“We can’t have humans getting their hands on it.”

“We had cloaking for that reason!” Zog yelled.

“Oh yeah,” Henry said in feigned realization, “I guess that’s what you get for hiring an explosion lover onto the crew.”

“Now we need shelter!” Zog yelled, “Croz,” he paused as he looked at his science officer poking the snow, “Dwill, what kind of shelters do they have?” He said as he scoped the area.

“Cold,” she said.

“Not you too…” he looked over at the statue wearing clothes, “damn it!” He screamed.

—-----

Elsewhere, a group of humans were running for their lives from creatures who had been dwelling in what had been a church. Eric, a tall athletic man turned as he ran and fired off a burst of 9mm from his Thompson as he yelled to the other two, “Where the fuck is the exit!” Another large bug-like creature fell and was quickly swallowed by the swarm chasing them.

Joanne stopped for a moment, “’Hru Dre Skolliath.” She shouted. A green wall of light formed between them and the swarm. “I think we are going the right way.”

Henry, a tall thin young man in thick glasses, looked at a small scrap of paper with a map scribbled on it, “up ahead, we need to take a left.” He said as they all kept running.

As they turned the corner, Joanne stumbled, falling roughly onto the ascending stairs out of the ancient crypt. “They broke through,” she gasped as she hurried to her feet, “I’m depleted.”

As they ran up the stairs, the rough stone walls became brick and eventually they passed through a wooden doorway into the sacistry. Eric turned as the other two bolted from the portal. Quickly he slammed the door shut and grabbed the bookcase next to it and threw it down.

As the rapid thuds of the insectoid bodies slammed into the door, the wood began to bend and groan as cracks began to form. Eric, Joanne and Henry did not stay long enough to see as the door began to give and the bookshelf move under the assault. The freedom of the sun was only fifty feet away.

—----

Zog and Henry carried the frozen gellitiod. A building sat nearby with a single odd metal contraption on black circles sat still as smoke came out of one end from under it. As they came closer the sound of a combustion engine sounded from one end of the odd thing.

Henry grumbled as they lifted the medical officer up the stairs, “it had better be warm enough to thaw her. How are you so heav…” his complaint was cut short as they collided with three humans coming out the door.

Zog fell backwards as Dwill landed and broke into several pieces, her left arm still in Zog’s two left hands, even though her arm was also now in two pieces. “Humans!” He cried as his two right hands each grabbed a pistol from under his left shoulders.

The humans picked themselves up as they wheezed and whistled and clicked to each other. Soon they were in the odd metal object.

Henry, in fury, began shouting insults and foul language. “You show some respect to engineers, the Supreme Hypertonic Intergalactic Truce Society and frozen gellitiods you children of a dgarthian Splortz!” He screamed as he shook Dwill’s other arm angrily.

“Watch where you step!” Zog barked as Henry stomped Dwill’s toecicles into smaller shards.

Croz stood staring into the shadow of the building as he chuckled, “buzz buzz.” He kept repeating.

—----

Eric did not take the time to pause as he slammed into two creatures carrying a strange statue. He stumbled and fell into a roll as he reached the last stairs, his Thompson never leaving his grasp. Henry helped support Joanne as they rushed down the stairs and into the waiting car.

“Hurry!” He yelled as he quickly crossed the open space.

“Get the door!” Henry said as they approached, “get in.” He said as he almost threw Joanne inside. He climbed in right behind her as Eric sat and shifted into drive. Gravel flew through the air as he slammed his foot down, quickly leaving the church in the rearview mirror.

“Joanne,” Eric began, “are you okay?”

“Fine, just need something to eat and some rest.” She muttered as she held her head painfully in her hands. As she looked down at her lap, squinting in pain, drops of blood fell freely from her nose.

Henry grabbed a tissue and handed it to her, “what were those things outside?”

“I said the spell correctly,” Joanne declared weakly as she leaned her back, “I guess I shouldn’t try to summon help and lightning back to back. Maybe I summoned more demons by doing that.” She reasoned.

“Let’s get back to the house and we can figure it out there.”

A few minutes and several miles later, they pulled up to a two story, grey colored farmhouse. A tire swing covered in snow rocked in the breeze, suspended from a leafless apple tree. Inside they would be protected. Henry’s parents had lined the walls with wards and runes, hidden conveniently under the wallpaper. They had left him the house when they left on an expedition and never returned.

Joanne laid down on the couch as Eric made her toast. They had learned enough to know that food and rest was essential to her recovery. Henry entered the room with a stack of books. “If we need to face down more creatures, we need to  learn about them.”

Joanne rolled to her side as she grabbed a piece of toast. Casting her spells had a severely draining effect on her, though as she practiced she built up more and more stamina. Her nose had finally stopped bleeding and she was not seeing double anymore. “I didn’t recognize those things, although we were running for our lives. Henry, could you turn on some music?”

“Yeah,” he said as he walked to the radio, the air recieving the sounds of the new Nirvana song.

Eric walked into the kitchen, with a glance at the tommy gun as he pulled his side arm, a shiny and engraved M1911, he sat it down next to it. “Anyone want eggs?” He asked as he opened the fridge.

“You want to cook after we were almost eaten?” Joanne yelled from the living room, “what is wrong with you?”

Henry popped his head through the doorway, “scrambled. There is a bag of hash browns and bacon in the freezer.”

"Sounds good,” Eric saluted with a fork as he made his way around, “and I cook to relax!” He yelled back as he cracked some eggs, “besides, we are safe here.” here…