"What?"

  "Nothing," she replied, smiling as she went forward with a newfound confidence.

  They crept up to a small ridge where Miles was looking down on the wreckage. The last of the sunlight and the fires below were lighting it up for them to see clearly.

  "Would you look at that?"

  Lee was looking down at the carnage below. A large piece of the hull had been ripped from the vessel, and bodies were scattered across the ground. Some looked like the soldiers they had seen in town, but others were more like people.

  "I guess it isn't aliens after all?"

  Miles groaned. He wasn't convinced.

  "What do you want to do here?" Foster asked.

  Nobody said a word. They had no idea what to do.

  "Kill them all."

  "What?" Foster was shocked.

  "These are the assholes that attacked the town. The assholes who attacked my home. They killed people you know. We are going down there, and we're going to finish them off. Recover anything we can to understand who and what they are, and then get the hell out of here before a recovery team arrives."

  "Pretty cold," replied Lee.

  "This isn't a football game anymore. We’re at war. You want to be a survivor, or a loser?"

  Lee gulped. He'd never had to kill anything in his life, and yet Miles just smiled. He'd never killed a human being, but he'd done plenty of killing. Plus whatever it was down there, they were nothing but the enemy to him.

  "This is your call, you lead the way," Emma said to her brother.

  She trusted him in this absolutely, still bitter and angry for what they had done to Sam. There was not a shred of sympathy for the dead and dying.

  "We're just going to kill everything we see?"

  "If you don't like it, Lee, stay here and keep watch," she replied.

  Miles led the way, and all but Lee followed him. He stayed behind for a moment, cursing Miles.

  "What the hell are we even doing here? I’ve got an AK47, and a war in town, what the hell is going on?"

  That’s when he realised how absurd the whole situation was. He had to leave reason behind, because there was no logical explanation for this.

  "Aliens?"

  He giggled. And yet he thought back to what he had seen in town, and his face turned to a grimace, wondering if Miles’ way was right. He couldn't find a single logical answer for what they were going through; only the illogical explanations provided any hope of understanding what was going on.

  "To hell with it!"

  He ran on after the others. The last thing he wanted was to be left alone as the sun went down.

  Miles and Emma reached the first of the wounded quickly. They were the same robotic-looking soldiers that had attacked the town. They were twisted and mangled, and completely unable to put up a fight. Miles took aim at the first and fired a single shot into its head.

  "That's more like it," he said, watching it slump down dead.

  Emma took aim at the next and squeezed off a round, and Foster followed soon after. Lee could barely believe it. It was like killing was second nature to them.

  "What's the problem?" Miles saw him hesitating.

  He thought back to when he'd fired the shotgun at the one that was pursuing them. He'd not given it a second thought. But he knew why. That was in self-defence, but this was different.

  "Don't lose your nerve now. We need every man we can get."

  He went on to the next of the enemy and gunned them down. Many of them had no weapon to hand. They were scattered far and wide. Dozens of bodies, but they looked like nothing more than robots, and yet Lee still hesitated to shoot. He felt something grab his ankle. One of them was holding on. He kicked it away and stamped on its head. It was still moving.

  "Shoot it!"

  It was Emma. She looked sternly into his eyes as if expecting him to go through with it.

  "These things. They killed our friends. They killed Sam. Don't you dare show mercy for them, or you might as well put that gun to your head and pull the trigger right now," she said coldly.

  He couldn't believe what she was saying, but it was enough for him to take aim. He looked down at the robot-looking soldier before him and turned away. But a moment later he looked back. He thought of Sam. He thought of the bitterness he felt towards him for taking Emma, and then about what she had said. None of it was on Sam. It wasn't his fault. He hadn't got in his way. He'd just said yes to a good thing, just like he would have. As that bitterness towards one of his old friends faded away, it was replaced with anger over his death. And he knew where to direct that anger. He looked down the sights again and squeezed the trigger. A single shot rang out, and the thing at his feet was dead. There was no remorse. Instead, he was overcome by a different emotion, one he had least expected. Relief, but also a sense of achievement. It was only reinforced as he looked up to see the expression of satisfaction and appreciation from Emma.

  He looked for his next target as the Tucker twins fired into the dead and dying as if they'd done it a million times before. He kicked himself for making such a big deal of it, feeling free of his bonds.

  "What the hell is this?" Foster lifted his rifle to fire, but stopped himself as he waited for the others.

  Emma and Miles rushed over to his side. He was standing over something entirely different, something living. It looked vaguely humanoid, but quite short, and very slight and fragile. It was covered in blood and dust.

  "What...what is that?" Lee stepped up beside them.

  "Still think it was the Chinese that did this?" Miles asked.

  Lee shook his head as the others gathered around.

  "It's...not human," said Emma in disbelief.

  "Then what is it?" Lem asked.

  "One ugly mother fucker," replied Foster.

  He lifted his rifle.

  "Wait!" Emma yelled.

  But it was too late. A single shot rang out and went through the creature’s head. It slumped down dead.

  "What the hell?"

  "We came here to finish the job, didn't we?"

  "No, we came here to learn about our enemy."

  "Learn? What is there to learn? They want us dead, isn't that what you said?"

  She shook her head, knowing he was right, but also twisting her words.

  "Enough, both of you!"

  They looked over to see Miles had found another survivor. He hauled it in close and had drawn a knife to its throat.

  "Start talking, what are you doing here, and why?"

  The creature was clearly on its last legs and was coughing up blood.

  "Tell me!" he yelled.

  The creature breathed a deep breath as if it was going to talk, but began to laugh.

  Engines roared overhead as another of the alien craft came in to hover over them.

  "Asshole!" Miles slit the creature’s throat and sheathed his knife. He took up his rifle as enemy soldiers descended from the craft and landed beside them.

  "Lay down your weapons!"

  The voice from the craft sounded identical to the one they’d heard in town, as if it were the same person, or a pre-recorded voice. A dozen of the machines had already dropped in ten metres in front of them, with more landing every second.

  "What are we doing now, wise ass?" Lee asked Miles.

  But he had no answers for it as they took cover amongst the debris.

  "Lay down your weapons! You have ten seconds to comply!"

  Miles smiled, as it sounded remarkably like Robocop. The smile was soon wiped from his face, realising their fate might be the same as that fateful movie scene.

  "What are we doing here?" Lee asked.

  Miles didn't know what to say. They had limited cover and were facing an increasing number of the enemy.

  "Lay down your weapons! You have five seconds to comply!"

  "Shit," whispered Lee.

  He counted down the last few seconds in his head, waiting for all hell to break loose. But he reached one when an almighty volley of gunfire rang out. To his amazement he wasn't hit, and he looked up. Half of the enemy were dead and the rest were being riddled with bullets. He looked back to the ridge from where they had first set eyes upon the wreckage. A line of muzzle flashes lit up the evening sky. He was overcome with a feeling of relief and joy. He leapt up, took aim at the remaining enemy soldiers, and opened fire.

  He'd fired off a dozen rounds before he even noticed he had done so without an ounce of hesitation. An explosion rang out in the sky as a grenade struck the hovering craft. It veered off sharply and crashed into the wreck of the larger ship, exploding on impact. It lit up the scene for half a mile around.

  Muzzle flashes continued lighting up the sky, and he could see the shapes of soldiers closing in on both sides, catching the enemy in a brutal crossfire.

  "Take them down, all of them. Kill them all!" Emma screamed as she stood up and opened fire with short bursts of well-aimed fire.

  An automatic weapon was ringing out, raining bullets down on the enemy, and they were torn apart. Lee was caught up in the frenzy as he found new targets to fire on. He was yelling, and he didn't even know it. He was enjoying it. It was the relief he needed. He was getting some payback, and it felt great. The gunfire soon began to die down, and Emma and Miles went forward to finish off the survivors. Lee got up to meet their saviours as they came down to greet them. But he was left shaking his head as he recognised familiar faces.

  "Master Sergeant Jack Ross," he said with a smile.

  "I thought you were done with this town!" Emma yelled.

  Martin was with them, and Kim, too.

  "We are here to stand with you," she declared.

  "Ross, you're the man in charge here, so what'll it be?" Miles asked.

  "I don't really know you, and you don't know me. What I do know is this is my country, same as it’s yours. Whatever these assholes are, they’re trying to take it from us. I've fought a lot of wars and a lot of battles, but I've never fought for home. This is your home, but it might as well be ours, too. It's what it stands for."

  "What's that?" Emma asked.

  "Freedom. You are free men and women, fighting for what's yours, and we won't leave you to do it alone."

  "Then what do you suggest?" Lee asked.

  "These assholes have taken your town. Our town. I say we take it back."

  "So you'll stay and fight with us?"

  "We're staying all right, Emma, and we're gonna fight together. Wood Point is our town. Let’s take it back!"

  PART 3

  Chapter 1

  "How long are we gonna wait out here?" Jose Ortiz asked impatiently.

  The first rays of light were appearing on the horizon.

  "We've been here all night," he protested further.

  "The kid says the enemy have been using this road, so we wait as long as we have to until they use it again," replied Max Ramos.

  They were well hidden on an embankment overlooking a small road. Tall trees towered over them, covering them from the air. On the far side further along the road they could just make out the two Shaw brothers and some of the others from Lee's school.

  "I don't even know why we let them come along. They've got no idea what they're doing out here. Just as easily get us all killed," said Ortiz.

  "Quit your bitching," Master Sergeant Jack Ross snapped.

  Ortiz looked a little sheepish, but also angry.

  "Come on, we've got school kids on an operation, that doesn't seem crazy to you?"

  "What isn't crazy about all this?" replied Ramos.

  "But kids, what are they doing here?"

  It was clear he wasn't going to happy with an answer from anyone but Ross, who groaned as he came to the same conclusion.

  "Donny says they can handle it, so they can," he said sternly.

  Ortiz grumbled. He wasn't happy about it but knew he wasn't getting anywhere.

  "Look," said Ramos.

  Ross lifted his rifle to use the telescopic sight for a better view. Sure enough, a vehicle was heading their way, the same four-wheeled vehicle the enemy had used about the town.

  "Wait, I've got a second target," said Ramos.

  Another identical vehicle came around the bend in convoy with the first.

  "Shit," said Ross.

  "We can still do this," replied Ramos.

  "The deal was one vehicle, that’s what they said," complained Ortiz.

  "Yeah, well give them a call and tell them this isn't what you ordered," replied Ross smarmily.

  "They aren't ready for this."

  "Stop complaining, Jose. One, two, what does it matter? We're taking our shot."

  "But they..."

  "They aren't ready. Yeah, I heard you. We all goddamn heard you." Ross finally lost his temper.

  Ortiz was silenced this time, but Ross wasn't done with him.

  "Enough of this crap. We have bigger problems, and those kids down there are some of the only friends we’ve got in this world right now. It’s them, or we've got no one. They managed to survive this far, so there’s something to them, right?"

  Ortiz looked stunned.

  "Right?"

  "They've got spirit at least."

  "Damn right they have. Their town has been taken, and yet they're still out here fighting back. So quit your bitching, and save that anger for the enemy, you get me?"

  He nodded in agreement.

  "All right, then let's do this. You all know what you have to do."

  He took another look at the vehicles. They were approaching at speed.

  "They sure are moving with purpose."

  "What do you think they're doing?"

  "Rounding up stragglers. They're subjugating the town, so they'll want to be certain there aren't hold outs still out here."

  "I never thought I'd see the day," replied Ortiz.

  "That we had to fight on our own soil?"

  "Yeah, Sarge, I mean, who'd have thought it?"

  "How many wars you think people ever saw coming?" asked Ramos.

  "Plenty."

  "Bullshit. Don't give me that hindsight crap."

  "Enough. You can speculate all you like when this is done," snarled Ross.

  They hunkered down a little lower so they were barely visible, just their eyes peering over the edge. The vehicles had a dark mirror-like finish so that you couldn't see inside. The size of a small truck, but fully enclosed, and weren't powered by any internal combustion engine. They sounded more like a muted version of a jet fighter than any wheeled vehicle he'd heard before.

  "Who the fuck are these guys?"

  "That's what we're here to find out, Jose," whispered Ramos.

  The two vehicles were tearing along the road at quite a pace. Ross looked over to the far side of the road and gestured towards Payne who was between them and Donny's team.

  "Be ready for anything, I mean it," said Ross.

  The two vehicles soared past them as they hunkered down. As they passed, they watched a tree topple into the road ahead and crash to a standstill. The two vehicles slid to a halt. Ross felt his pulse racing as he adjusted his grip on his rifle, readying for all hell to break loose.

  "Wait for it...wait..." he whispered.

  A door slid open on the first vehicle and one of the smaller robot-like machines climbed out. It was assessing the tree and everything around it. Another door opened on the rear vehicle, and one got out of that, too.

  "That's it, right on the money," Ortiz smiled.

  Ross took aim at the closest. He didn't need to say a word; his rifle was going to do the talking. Everyone knew the deal. He squeezed the trigger, and a single shot rang out. It hit the closest in the knee, and it went down. There was a second of silence as the shot echoed out across the valley, before all hell broke loose. A single shot from Jesse Dunn hit the second one in the face, and it collapsed instantly. Two more got out from the rear vehicle, and were quickly followed by two from the front one. Before their feet had barely touched the ground, they were met with a volley of fire. Accurate bursts knocked them down. The rear vehicle began to reverse out, but Payne lifted his grenade launcher and fired a round. The charge ignited low on the vehicle, and an almighty explosion flipped the mangled wreck onto its side.

  "Move in!"

  Ross was eager to get this over and done with quickly. He ran forward with his rifle still at the shoulder. That's when he noticed the last enemy soldier climbing out from the wreckage of the vehicle that had been flipped by the grenade. It was missing its legs, and yet there was no blood. Only sparks, as though electronic cabling had been severed and was arcing against the wreckage of the vehicle. But he wasn't waiting around to learn any more. He took aim and fired two shots to finish it. He rushed on to the first that he’d hit in the knee. It was trying to crawl back to the first vehicle, as if still thinking it could escape.

  A burst of fire rang out from the far side as Payne advanced and blasted the remaining enemy soldier through the window of the lead vehicle. The valley fell silent once again. The wounded enemy soldier reached up for the vehicle, trying to climb in, but Ross looked back at the last one he'd killed.

  "These things, they aren't living, or like anything we've ever seen." He took aim at the hand the wounded enemy had placed on the side of the vehicle, trying to haul itself in. He fired and blew the hand off at the wrist. Yet again there was no blood, only cables and servos.

  "What the hell are they?"

  Before Ross could answer Payne, he noticed Lee and the other football team members rushing down the road with their AK47s in hand. Donny was clearly trying to hold them back, but had no choice but to follow along.

  "What the fuck?" Lee asked.

  "You were told to stay put!" Ortiz yelled.

  But they ignored him.

  "What the hell is that thing?"

  "It’s like some kind of Terminator, Lee," replied Foster.

  "That's what we're here to find out. We need this prisoner," replied Ross.

  Ortiz grabbed the wounded soldier and tried to haul it back from the vehicle, but it lashed out and struck him in the jaw. His head snapped back, and he fell back onto the road. Payne giggled once he saw his friend was still breathing. Ross and Ramos were taking it more seriously, though. They had the enemy in their sights.