The Future Project

4: The Ridhel

Jenna hiked up the cellar stairs in front of Eric, using her rifle as a railing to keep her balance on the steep steps. As soon as she stepped outside, her jaw unhinged. There was no house there anymore. Instead there was a singed pile of wood and rubble, there were three scaly creatures scuttling away. It took three aliens to completely demolish the beautiful, well built, sturdy house, and they had an army.

Eric scooted up beside her. "Oh my god, the house!"

That's when they saw the girl. She crawled out from behind the wreckage. She was about Jenna's age, maybe younger, skinny, scratched up and limping. Her purple dyed brown hair was plastered to her face with blood and sweat, and her green eyes reflected the fear of the destruction and mayhem surrounding her. The girl had a huge gash in her side and was grasping at it with one hand as she made her way over to Jenna and Eric, she was covered in dirt, dust and ashes, she was clearly there when the house went down. Maybe she had been running from them, maybe this was the reason the house did go down. But why was this girl special?

"Help me," she rasped. "Please."

The aliens were gone, there was no reason Jenna and Eric couldn't come to her rescue. So they helped her to the cellar.

Jenna hung up the rifles inside, neer the door. They would still be needed.

Once in the cellar, Eric fixed up the girl's wounds, since he was a doctor, while Jenna made her some tea and and got her some clean clothes.  She quietly accepted it all, never speaking to them. Until finally they all relaxed in the living room.

"They're called the Ridhel," she whispered. "They want to live on earth, but they believe mankind is too selfish to share our world with them. So they vouch to destroy us."

"The aliens are called the riddle?" Jenna scoffed.

"R-I-D-H-E-L. Ridhel, yes it does sound like that doesn't it. It is also a riddle for most why they have come. How to stop them." The girl gave a faint, distant smile. "My name's Dylan by the way."

"How do you know all of this?" Eric had been listening thoughtfully.

Dylan turned to give him an anxious look, "I can understand the Ridhel."