Life After Death

Chapter 19

The idea that this is some crazy alien war made sense. It could explain why we are still alive. I reasoned that aliens could be here hiding in human form, perhaps for a very long time. One way to wipe them out would be to kill all humans. The aliens that flew over in a UFO and scanned the compound were probably looking for their enemy. Unfortunately, their enemy is roaming around and threatening us, not them. Our only chance for survival would be to keep a low profile. That idea works now that it’s winter, but with spring and a new planting cycle taking place we will stick out like a sore thumb. 

“How are we going to avoid being seen when you have the robots plant the spring crops?” I asked George’s avatar. 

“We are only a tiny part of a vast planet, Jack Siefert.” 

“You’re not being totally honest with us, George. None of this makes sense unless aliens are fighting a war on this planet.” 

“Your reasoning is good, Jack Siefert, but you are not yet ready for the explanation.” 

I wanted to get angry but I remained calm. “Just tell me that we’re doing the right thing. That’s all I ask, George.” 

“You are doing the right thing, Jack Siefert.” 

“I’ve been thinking, George. I’ve noticed that there are no birds still alive. I noted that soon after going out to look for survivors. I think that this virus that killed the human race came from a bird virus. Birds are . . . or at least were everywhere. Bird droppings could have easily infected everyone very quickly. Is that how the aliens did it?” 

“Your logic is good, Jack Siefert.” 

His avatar turned and walked away. 

I thought about what he had said, but after a while I decided to go about the business of being chief cook and bottle washer. The good news is that the girls appeared to not have suffered any posttraumatic disorders from the firefight in the mall. In fact, they seemed playful and giddy. 

After completing a workout in the gym and showering, I went back to my room and relaxed by reading before bed. I had just fallen asleep when I was rudely awoken. 

“Jack, get up. We have a problem.” 

I swung up to a sitting position to see Diane, or as least who I thought it was. “What’s wrong?” 

“Three aliens have gotten into the compound. We have to go stop them from doing anything to the animals.” 

I got up and saw that she was dressed in a metallic reflective suit that covered everything, including her face. She handed a similar suit to me. “Get into this.” 

I put my legs into the bottom part before pulling the rest of it up so that I could stick my arms in the suit’s arms. The garment covered my feet and hands like a bio suit. “Why do I need this?” 

“It’s designed to keep our body’s infrared signature hidden. The aliens have infrared vision capability.” 

“How did you know that?” 

“George told me.” 

I finished putting the suit on and closed the face shield. She handed me the BAR. “Take this. It’s fitted with an infrared scope.” 

I looked it over. “I didn’t realize that it had an infrared scope.” 

“I found one in George’s workshop.” 

“No kidding.” 

“Come on, we don’t have much time.” 

I ran downstairs with her. “How did they get into the compound?” 

“A tree outside of the fence has a limb extending over the electrified fence.” 

“We’ll have to inspect the fence and make sure that there are no other possible weaknesses like that.” 

“I’ve already ordered that.” 

I guess she’s in charge now. 

We went outside and ran toward the barns. The aliens were not yet up to the farm buildings so we took up a position just south of the cattle barn near some trees. I used the infrared scope on my rifle to search for signs of them. After a few tense minutes, I spotted them. 

“There coming up from over there,” I whispered, pointing. 

“You take the first shot, Jack.” 

I centered one of the aliens in the crosshairs and pulled the trigger, dropping him. Diane fired a volley at the other alien, killing him. 

“Take cover,” I whispered. “The third alien is going to shoot at us.” 

Diane and I moved to the right and got down and hugged the ground. I could feel the heat from the enemy projectiles whizzing over our heads. I took aim and shot the alien shooter when it exposed its head from behind a tree. 

We cautiously approached the bodies. 

“They look like lizards,” I said. 

“It’s only because they have scales. They have human-like bodies. Even their faces look human-like. Except for the webbed hands and feet, they are not all that different.” 

I used a flashlight to illuminate them. “You may be right. They bleed red blood.” 

“I know I’m right, Jack.” 

“Are we going to leave them here?” 

“No. I’ll have the T-Units take their bodies out of the compound and put them in the field across the road. Wild animals will do the rest.” 

We returned to the house and got out of the stealth suits. 

“I wonder what George thinks about this,” I said. 

“He’s the one who alerted me to the intrusion.” 

“Hopefully, there won’t be any more intrusions.” 

“Go back to bed, Jack.” She turned and walked away. 

Evidently, I’ve been demoted. What could have caused this change? Is it something I said to George? I just couldn’t understand why things had changed so suddenly.