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The sun hung low in the sky; it’s rays hitting buildings and causing large shadows to form. I was leaving the office that I worked at. Another long week that felt much longer than it was. I planned on getting home, ordering a pizza with extra cheese, and having a relaxing bath with a glass of wine before bed. Excited for what I had in store for myself, I almost skipped home while humming a tune that was plaguing my mind.

I approached my bus stop and, while I waited, checked through my phone for emails, texts, and calls I missed throughout the afternoon. Also, while I waited, I was grateful for the late summer weather. No hard winds or cold rains. No need for a thick coat and boots. Simply a nice button-down shirt, a pencil skirt, tights, and a cute pair of flats. My French braided hair sat neat on my head, looking as though I just finished braiding it only mere seconds ago.

Done going through my phone for the time being (I would peruse my various social media apps on the bus), I observed my surroundings since the bus was usually here by now. People were running down the street screaming! And cars were racing down the street! Why was everyone freaking out and how did I not notice? I looked all around to solve the mystery of the panicking, and I found out why when I looked up.

A giant disc-shaped thing was floating up in the air!

I felt my eyes widen, the hairs on my arms raise up, and my legs screamed to run. After a few moments of indulging the fear, someone ran up to me, shook me, and yelled, “COME ON! WE GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE!”

Helping to snap me out of my trance, I ran with the stranger. “What is that in the sky,” I asked the random person as though they knew more than me.

“It must be aliens,” the stranger answered, “I’ve never seen anything like that except in movies and documentaries.” They had a point. I, too, only ever saw something like what was in the sky on a TV screen.

“What’s your name,” I asked. I had to know the name of the person who potentially saved my life.

“Alex,” they answered, “And yours?”

“Cassandra,” I replied.

“We’re gonna survive this, Cassandra! I know we will!”

We ran as fast as we could. Alex didn’t let my hand go. It was as though if they let go, our plan to survive would fail. At one point while sprinting for my life, one of my flats fell off my foot. My steps immediately became uneven. Quickly, I pulled off my other flat mid-step. Now barefoot besides my tights, I felt the ground beneath my feet. Warmed from the sun with pebbles scattered here and there, it became another obstacle to overcome.

I was not the athletic type, despite my thin figure. Thankfully, the adrenaline coursing through my veins pushed me beyond my limits. Every pebble I landed on hurt less than it normally would. My eyes were near all-seeing. I noticed the movements of everything and everyone around me. Eventually, I knew I would give out. My hope rode on that we would be safe when that happened.

All our running felt fruitless when we saw a green beam of light hit the ground and shone itself on the other runners. Then, the light was pulling them up into the sky. I didn’t want to see where the other side of the light went to.

Fear engulfed my heart when I found Alex and myself encased in the green light. Before my feet left the ground, I shoved Alex out of the extraterrestrial spotlight and yelled for them to run. They did so without a word, but a thanks gleamed in their eyes at my sacrifice.

Slowly, I was pulled further up into the sky and neared the UFO. I did my best to calm my nerves as I was seconds away from whatever awaited me inside the spaceship.