• It took less than a half hour for the military to set up a perimeter around the crash site, and the survivors were banished from the high school parking lot to a shopping mall a couple blocks away where a field hospital was ready and waiting to treat the injured. Once Justin, Amanda, and David had trekked over there, they were immediately attended to by a doctor who bandaged up their minor cuts and checked for any serious injuries. They were all given a clean bill of health and took a seat on a nearby bench just outside the outskirts of the hospital. Thankfully, all three of them managed to get through the jam-packed phone lines to let their parents know that they were all right, much to their relief. Jason took a sip of his bottle of water as he listened to David rattle on about what he thought crashed into the school. Conspiracy theories were one of his many strange and unusual hobbies. "Had to be a botched military experiment." he said from where he stood leaning against a concrete column, "That or an alien artifact. Why else would the Army come in and barricade the whole area? There's no other explanation."

    "That's because you don't believe that there's any." Amanda told him for what seemed like the hundredth time, "Not everyone is plotting against us, David. People who believe that kind of stuff are just paranoid."

    David shrugged matter-of-factly, "Believe what you will, but when it turns out to be true, I have full rights to say 'I told you so'."

    Suddenly, there was a muffled boom of a tank cannon emanating from the location of the high school, accompanied by the rat-a-tatof machine gun fire and the frantic screams of soldiers. Jason bolted from his seat and listened as the gunfire continued, then eventually was whittled away into silence. He exchanged alarmed glances with Amanda and David and their expressions mirrored that of his own. A bloodcurdling, unearthly screech then tore through the city skyline, grasping the attention of everyone in the shopping mall parking lot. Seconds later, a horde of four-legged, nightmarish looking creatures charged down the street, their tooth-filled maws dripping with a green colored slime. The creatures descended upon the survivors like a brown wave, incredibly sharp claws slicing into human flesh like a hot knife through butter. At that time, the crowd of people decided to panic and they transformed from an organized crowd to a mob, running every which way in an attempt to escape the creatures' attack. "Move!" Jason cried, seizing Amanda's hand and sprinting in the opposite direction of the gory scene.

    There were no objections from the other two and the three of them ran down the sidewalk, not caring where they went as long as it was away from the slaughter. Their flight unfortunately caught the attention of several of the monsters and they took off at a gallop, their four-part mandibles opening as they let out a horrific screech. Adrenaline pumped freely through Jason's veins and his legs flew all the faster at the sight of the threat running swiftly after them, his mind searching frantically for a means of escape. The traffic grew heavier as they ran, skidding cars and screaming pedestrians slowing down the pursuers ever so slightly. Jason took the brief opportunity and pointed to a nearby subway service entrance. "In there!" he exclaimed. They took a hard left turn and scrambled through the doorway, immediately swinging it shut behind them. Before the door could completely shut, the monsters crashed into it and Jason and David had to use all their strength to keep them from forcing their way inside. Wicked claws and gnashing teeth poked through the space between the door and the wall and it wasn't until Amanda joined the two men that they managed to overwhelm the creatures and slam the door shut. While Jason and Amanda held the metal door in place, David rushed over to an emergency fire hose box, smashed the glass, unraveled the durable material, and wrapped it between the door's handle and a thick nearby pole. Their attackers continued to try and hammer their way inside, but the fire hose held fast and the door refused to budge.

    Confident they were safe for the time being, the three of them began to relax and their breathing came out in labored pants. "What...were those things." Amanda asked.

    "I told you...it was an...alien artifact." David replied as he sat down on the hard concrete floor, "Or...in this case a...transport of some kind."

    Jason took a deep breath as his adrenaline drifted away, "From...this point on, I'll never doubt your...conspiracy theories...again."

    David smiled and chuckled through his sweat-coated face. There was a sudden, violent bang as one of the monsters attempted once again to break the door down and the three teens were shoved back to reality. "Come on." Jason said, "There's got to be another way out of here."

    With that, they made their way away from their makeshift barrier and through the dimly lighted corridors underneath the city. Not two minutes later, the lights began to fade and became so dark that Jason could barely see his own hand. "Anyone got a light?" he inquired, his voice coming out louder than he thought it would.

    There was a rustling of keys before a medium-sized beam of light cut through the darkness. "Key chain flashlight." David explained, "Got it from the Dollar Tree in town. Who knew a piece of trash could be worth so much."

    The other two laughed as they continued their trek into New York City's underground world. Jason could just imagine what was happening up on the surface, more than likely filled with panic and mayhem at the sight of the alien incursion. One thing was for sure: no matter what, the three of them had to get out of the city, no matter what it took.