War For The World

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Her mind went wandering as she lay there string at the photo. She longed to return to that moment, to be given the opportunity to redo it all.

She'd've taken more of an interest in his wellbeing, going out of her way to listen to him and give better advice. She ached, thinking back to how casually she'd acted in his grandparents' house, similarly atop the ruined building during his panic attack.

She'd been too focused on saving the world that she'd failed to save a friend.

Regardless of the martian menace the black and white photo pops had given her reminded Alice of a better time, and was currently the only photo she had of the pair together. She savoured it, coming back to it religiously over the past two weeks in times of sorrow.

She held onto the photo for a while longer before drifting off to sleep. Sleep was far less entertaining for her these days, with dreams popping up sparsely. As expected she encountered no dreams, simply blackness, waking up a few hours later to a knock at the door.

She let it go, choosing to huddle back down in her warm den and continue to sleep.

The knocking returned however, this time in the form of rather aggressive banging.

She groaned. Throwing back her blankets Alice stood up. Her feet stuck to the papers that covered the floors of her bedroom. Notes and scribblings of their plans and desperate ideas on how to defeat the Martians. IT was all useless to her now, what point were brainstorming ideas in an unwinnable war.

"What!" she exclaimed as she swung the door wide.

The person on the other end, a young man with a soldier outfit far too big for him was mid knock. He pulled his hand back before it made contact with her face.

Alice peered over him. People seemed to be in some sort of hurry. She saw scientists carrying boxes, others running with personal belongings out of their room.

"Ma'am I"- he began

"Out with it please" she said aggressively. Her attitude seemed to take him aback, he sputtered as he tried to compose himself.

"Ma'am I thought I would inform you we are evacuating the square"

Alice frowned, confused.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean"

Rather than get annoyed, which is how Alice admitted she'd have reacted were she in the young man's shoes, he flinched backwards.

"Spit it out" Alice pushed further. She could definitely tell this was no drill, no ordinary day.

"Apparently, we've got reports of large figures approaching our position. Im not too sure but I think I heard someone say something about them reverse navigating our experimental signal which means"-

"They're coming for us" Alice interrupted.

Her heart began to race as the young man nodded and moved off to her neighbour to try the same spiel. Alice turned back to face her pigsty of a room, letting the information sink in.

They're coming for us.

***

The people of Yosemite Square were lined up in a snaking row of bodies and bags that slinked up and down the entire common hub room. Alice had made her way quickly out from her room to be greeted by the pandemonium of people pushing and shouting as they tried to get further in line and thus closer to apparent freedom. There was a certain rhythm to it. The shouting would continue until the chime of the elevator played as the rusted wall slowly opened up and people crammed inside. Once the elevator reached breaking point it'd close its doors, shuddering as it went and slowly hauling the mass of people out into the smoke and fire above.