Jack City

Creating a Killer

Her mother knocked and opened the bedroom door. The room was dark aside from a small desk lamp.

"Hi baby," she began. "I'm going to take a quick shower and then go to sleep."

'No problem mom," the daughter replied. "I'll see you in the morning."

The mother blew a kiss and closed the door. The red-haired girl turned back her bed covers and slipped inside. She opened the drawer to her bedside nightstand and pulled out a journal. The last twenty-four hours had been exhilarating yet she needed inspiration. Turning to the most visited page, she began reading.

I saw them.

They had no idea I was watching. Crouched between two trees with my binoculars around my neck, I made no sound. Even if I had, I doubt they could have heard or seen me. Rain fell harder than anything I had ever seen before and it funneled off the top of my head into my eyes. The afternoon sky was as dark as mid-evening but there was no eclipse.

The aliens were here.

They had set up several diversions to hide the crashed ship but we accidentally found them. No one else knew but me and the men I was spying on.

On that fateful day I learned that no one can be trusted. I learned that given certain criteria, weakness becomes a man's strongest character trait. I witnessed what happens when men are scared for their life.

A few hours earlier, my father swore to my mom that he had quit drinking. He said he would never lift a bottle to his mouth ever again. I heard him swear on his life after a long argument and a river of my mom's tears.

He lied.

He didn't want to lie but he was weak. All men are weak. This world would have few problems if not for weak men.

Dad received a phone call at home telling him to go to work. He said it was a serious problem but I didn't believe him. I was sure he was going to meet up with Mr. Sanders and Mr. Mason so I followed him on foot and then eventually to JCF. It was madness for a while: The fire in SCA followed by hail and then driving rain. I was lucky not to get hurt but after hours of waiting, the three of them met up where they always met up: In JCF, near the highway. It was their spot, their hangout. One of them always returned the morning after to pick up the empty bottles. Most of the time, it was my dad because it was on his way to SCA. Alcoholic environmentalists are a rarity.

They weren't drinking much this afternoon, which was odd. From what I could see, they were more concerned with something happening across the street, in a vast field next to the SCA building. Sanders' was pointing and my dad was nodding. I wanted to get closer to see what they were looking at but was too scared of being caught. In hindsight, I made an awful mistake by remaining where I was.

Dad stood and Sanders reached for his jacket to no avail. My father disappeared across the street, out of my line of vision. Nothing transpired for a few minutes until I saw Mason stand abruptly. He grabbed Sanders and seemed to be forcing him away from where he was standing. Sanders dropped the bottle of beer he was holding and started running. I hid behind a tree as both men dashed passed me. I couldn't imagine why they left my father behind.

I slipped twice before securing my footing on the wet forest floor. I looked back to check if Sanders and Mason were returning. No chance of that happening, they were long gone. Something was wrong and I knew it. Every step towards the field next to SCA was a new heart attack. I hoped to see my smiling father but expected the worse. The rain suddenly subsided as if clearing a path for me. As I crossed the street I didn't see any smoke but I caught a glimpse of a metallic silver orb.

I wasn't sure of what I was looking at when I first saw the thin form glare at me. It looked scared and angry at the same time. Its face was red and I found that odd until I realized why. As I inched closer I saw a body on the grass next to the alien.

Dad. I tried to yell but nothing came out.

The alien turned away from me and hurried to the downed ship. The door opened and then closed with it or him inside. I ran towards my dad and knelt next to his lifeless body. A mouthful of brisk air rushed into my lungs when I saw that his face was almost entirely gone. I vomited and then cried and then vomited again. Brossard's cop car siren lights were flashing in front of the SCA building, three hundred feet away. My arms were flailing, trying desperately to flag him down but he didn't see me. I gave up after ten minutes.

The alien didn't reappear but rain returned with a vengeance.

I sat next to my dead father holding his cold hand.

A soldier found me half an hour later. I didn't tell him what I saw. He was too busy vomiting.