Isaac put both of his hands onto his ears and prayed there would be no more thunder. Thunder came anyway and lifted the boy in his mother's arms, bloodying her nose and frightening the boy to a whole new level. He had never been this scared and he never wanted to be this scared again. His shirt was soaked with sweat and his pants with his own urine though Isaac barely registered these.

“I think they're coming. We might need to move.” The voice didn't belong to his father and Isaac hadn't seen his father in a long time. It had been hours since daddy had left them to go fight. Daddy was a soldier and he had to fight. Mommy was a soldier too, but they had told her stay. Isaac didn't understand why they had told mommy to stay but he was glad that they had done so.

“Okay, Billy. We're ready when you are.” That was his mother and she was making sniffing noises, like her nose was full of snot. Maybe it was the blood. An hour ago blood had been scary but Isaac had seen a lot of blood over the that time. It didn't scare him now, not like the thunder. Blood you could see and feel and taste, but thunder came from nowhere and it never warned you it was coming.

“Okay. Better fix that nose sarge.” A few moments later Isaac heard the man talking to someone else like he had to Isaac's mommy. Mommy took one hand away from Isaac and began fumbling with something. Isaac wanted to look at her; he wanted to help his mother but he couldn't take his eyes off the body that was laying on the other side of the wall. They were hiding here to stay away from the living aliens but Isaac was sitting near a hole in the wall and could see out. The body had its eyes open and was looking at him, but it was dead so Isaac figured it couldn't see anything.

“Here mom, I will hold him.” Isaac's sister slid her hands around his waste. He made no move to stop her even though he did not want to be separated from his mother. All that Isaac could muster was a whimper of sound. After a brief sense of movement he felt the warmth of his sister's body an instinctively moved closer to her, gripping her tightly. The boy loved his sister very much though her smaller body made him feel less secure.

“Sarge, two incoming.” It was Billy again. Billy was a young man from the next settlement who often played soccer with Isaac and Isaac's friends. Isaac knew he was a soldier like his mommy, Why hadn't he gone to fight with daddy? Isaac wished had been able to go with daddy too. He wished all of them had.

“Okay, quiet, quiet!” That was his mommy again, sounding less stuffy. She was moving around behind him, helping the other mommies and daddies quiet the other children. Isaac knew many of his friends were here with him, but he couldn't look at them. Looking at them scared him even more because they were scared too. When they played soldier on the settlement's playground it was never like this. There was no blood and there was no thunder and the dead aliens were just his friends and they weren't really dead. Playing war was a lot different than actual war.

Isaac was still contemplating all of this when the two living aliens moved into view. They were tall, taller than mommy or daddy or Billy. The aliens had arms like people had arms but their hands ended in claws like birds. Their heads were long and their skin became horns near the top. 'Horned snakes' Billy had often called them. The aliens didn't have legs like people did, but their lower bodies moved like snakes, except for the small flat feet that went down the sides. The adults and some of Isaac's friends called these pods, but Isaac thought of them as feet.

Each of the aliens held a gun in its hand, but Isaac really couldn't tell if they were wearing any kind of clothing or not. Fighting naked seemed like the craziest thing to Isaac, but Billy had said people once fought naked a very long time ago. Isaac hated the idea; he would never fight naked.

The aliens could not make up their minds whether anyone was around or not. They sniffed the air like dogs, but didn't seem to notice Isaac or the other people. Long moments passed while they looked for Isaac and his people, but in the end the two moved off away from where the people were all hiding. After they were out of sight, Isaac felt his mother's hands back on him, lifting him up in the air.

“Okay let's move. Billy take point, Molly watch the rear. Everyone stay quiet and keep moving. Follow Billy.”

Everyone moved and Isaac felt his insides being shaken as they walked. His eyes stayed on the dead alien as long as he could see it and once it was gone he turned his head. His eyes finally fixed on Molly. He had never met Molly before today and he had rarely seen anyone like her. Her skin was white almost like chalk and her hair red like blood. Daddy had described her as being a “North” Terran. Isaac had learned that this settlement was mostly “South” Terrans, from Africa and South America and a place called Australia, but Tau Ceti had North Terrans too. Isaac liked Molly's song like accent, but he was most fascinated by her hair that was so much like blood.

The thunder struck them again.

Isaac was thrown to the ground and this caused him to cry out. Molly went down to and when she rose up it looked like streams of her hair were running down her face. She used her hand to push it away and it smeared on her face. Isaac understood it was not her hair, but her actual blood.

“Isaac!” It was his sister. Her hands rolled him over and her dark eyes bored into him, filled with tears. “Isaac are you hurt?”

“No.” He wasn't hurt, but Molly was. Isaac tried to say it but the no had taken a lot out of him. Soon his mommy was there and the group was getting back together, his mommy barking orders. She picked him up again and the group started running. Isaac looked around but didn't see his friend Cyrril. He did see Cyrril's mother but she was crying; Cyrril's dad was carrying something in a blanket. As they moved passed the medical clinic something thin and dark slipped out of the blanket and flopped around. It was a person's hand, Isaac thought it might be Cyrril's.

They made it past the medical building and everyone stopped. Some of Isaac's friends were crying and no one was shushing them. Everyone was breathing heavy except Cyrril's mom. She was making no noise as she cried.

“One more klick. Two minutes and then we go. The hovers are almost there.” Billy sounded very excited as he spoke.

“Is the LZ clear?” Mommy was asking.

“I dunno sarge, I dunno. Their gonna spray it before we get there.”

Billy went away and spoke to Molly. She assured him that she was okay. Isaac's sister pressed up against her bother and hugged him. Mommy hugged back and Isaac felt a little better.

“Molly's hurt.” He managed to say. Mommy, his sister, and Molly all turned. They laughed and Billy joined in.

As the laughter died down Cyrril's mommy came over and touched Isaac's head. She then held mommy's hand.

“Anda...” His mommy began to say, but Cyrril's mommy shook her head.

“Lets get them home.” The two mommies stared at each other for a time. Eventually Cyrril's mommy walked away and Isaac's mommy and sister stood up.

The group began moving again and Isaac heard some more thunder and the whine of a hover. Bright lights flooded the sky and more thunder followed. Isaac could feel his heart beating with every blast but he knew he would see his daddy soon. They came to a small bridge and walked over it. His sister carried Isaac over the bridge as his mommy disappeared from sight. Isaac whimpered when she did, but his sister whispered a song to him. It was an old song about a woman who people would love to love. It was mommy and daddy's favorite song and his sister sang it to help him sleep. Once they were over the bridge Isaac's mommy came back and began carrying him again. They were walking up a hill and Isaac's sister was close behind and holding his hand.

Then more thunder hit them.

Isaac flew through the air and landed on a stone. He cried out but no one came to him. Isaac looked around but everyone was scattered and trying to stand. Smoke was everywhere and people were bleeding and crying.

“Watch your six!” It was Molly and she was a few feet from some of the aliens. Isaac had not seen them get so close and he was scared for Molly. She was hurt worse than before but managed to pick up her gun and fire, knocking one alien down. One of its friends shot back and a green fire enveloped Molly. She screamed out and her body burst into flames. She screamed again and then fell backwards, firing her gun into the air.

“Anda! Isaac!” Isaac looked around for Ms. Anda, but she was limping and shaking her head. She was looking at her husband and grabbing at the blanket covered thing. He was shaking his head back to her, trying to hold onto it and drag her along.

“Mica, no! No! Leave him with me! Save Isaac!” Mr. Mica cried but he did as his wife commanded. He ran to Isaac and scooped him up. Isaac cried out, he didn't want to leave his mommy!

"Hush boy! Hush!" Mr. Mica said and Isaac hushed. Mr. Mica was daddy's best friend and one of Isaac's favorite people. The dark skinned man weaved around some smoke and someone laying face down on the ground. As the two of them moved past a rock, Isaac saw a living alien and cried out. Mr. Mica saw it too and ran the other way. He ran so hard they were almost back to where Ms. Anda as she sat in her own blood, cradling the thing in the blanket that might be Cyrril.

From nowhere an alien shot at Ms. Anda and she and the blanket thing went up in flames. Mr. Mica was breathing heavy and crying as he ran. Isaac wanted to cry too but most of all he wanted his mommy and sister. More thunder struck them and then Isaac heard Mr. Mica groan. He set Isaac down. Mr. Mica looked into the sky and his hand fell on his chest which was covered in blood. So much blood. He fell onto his back and tried to speak but Isaac couldn't make out the words.

“Isaac! Run!” It was his mommy. She was dragging his sister with her and they were both bloody. Isaac jumped up and ran towards them. He noticed an alien was moving toward them and he ran harder.

“Billy!” His mother screamed. She grabbed her side gun and shot he alien. It went down but two more appeared. They were going to burn mommy.

“No! Mommy no!” Isaac heard himself screaming as he ran and then a hand grabbed him from behind.

“Come on boy!” It was Billy. He shot one of the aliens as Isaac's mother shot the other. More appeared and more and more. Everyone was screaming. Billy fired again and so did mommy but one of the aliens lived and fired its green beam at Isaac's mommy and sister. They screamed. Isaac screamed.

“You fuckers!” Billy yelled but he picked Isaac up and ran. They ran and ran and ran, Isaac screaming the entire time. Thunder chased their steps and fire and heat made them cry out. Isaac clutched hard to Billy and Billy kept telling him it would be alright even when they fell or stumbled. 

"Billy! Isaac!" Isaac turned in Billy's arms and saw his father running towards them. Bill sat Isaac on the ground and the little boy stumbled towards his father.

“Fall back! Lift off! Fall back!” His daddy was saying as he scooped Isaac up. His daddy loaded him into a hover and Billy sat beside them. The door closed and Isaac felt himself moving upwards like they were flying.

“Mommy!” Isaac cried. He wasn't the only one.

“Billy, Mira? Sara?” Daddy was resting his hand on Billy's shoulder.

Billy was sobbing almost like babies sob. “They burned the women and shot the men. Just like Kappa Ceti.”

Now his daddy was crying too and Isaac couldn't hold back his own tears. He cried all the way to the spaceport, but by then he had cried himself out. Isaac had no more tears to give to anyone or for anyone.

Next Chapter: Chapter Two