Father's Stake

Everything is in disorder now. The world has been in chaos since they arrived. They’ve almost wiped out humans on Earth. They’ve dug out plants and trees and put them into their vast ship orbiting Earth. They’ve slaughtered animals and burned them off. That’s their intelligent way of softly killing us. They know that without plants and animals, we could not survive. They’ve also captured some of us and tortured to death.

I reckon that there are only ten thousand people left on the entire planet now. Many struggles to fight, including us. A few of us settle in concealed places like underground or submarine. But still many could no longer survive because of food scarcity. We could also be easily hunted, for there is nothing impossible for the Flies.

We call them the Flies. They look like one, only that they are a large bipedal creature. They could fly over the airplane and up onto their ship. They don’t have a scout to use when they touch down on the ground. They just shot downward from their ship. Millions of them. They have killed humans and dumped the bodies like a mountain. Some magnetic force from the ship pulls the cadavers up just like the way it’s done to the plants and trees.

One time, Father and I fought one of them. I never forgot my pistol with me. It was my father’s advice. You should hit it with five bullets to kill it. And that’s terrible because we only had a few bullets.

It came out suddenly from behind the dead coconut tree after I’d just gone out from the cavern we constructed up in the insensible mountains of Lypee. It darted like a hopper to me.

I dropped and was badly hurt as it hit me. But, I got on my feet and run away. I hid behind a huge rock, groping for the pistol tucked in my belt. I cocked it and aimed at the fly.

It flew over me. I pulled the trigger, but it was just the first bullet. I needed five directly on its head. It descended and pinned me down on the barren ground. I felt like there was a gigantic bronze statue crushing on me. I saw my scared face reflected in its huge reptilian eyes.

Someone shouted to distract the fly. It was Father. He was running towards us, gripping a bolo. When he was about four yards, the Fly ascended and it shot to him like an arrow. The rough and metallic head hit Father’s chest. He fell off. He rolled over to move away. The fly was still hovering over him.

I struggled to my feet and pointed the pistol, but I was afraid I may have fired it to father. The fly held up Father’s bony body in the air like a newborn baby. He fought with his hands, striking at the eyes. And they both fell. They grappled on the ground. I shouted to gain the alien’s attention. It turned and look at me.

“No!” Father cried, as the fly flapped towards me. I saw him striving to get up.

The fly got me. It lifted in the air. Its clawed hands held my shoulders. Its wings made a disturbing sound, similar to a bee buzz. Its long metallic tongue licked my face. It felt cold as iron. I would have been dead at the moment, but the planned slaughter was postponed. I fell to the ground when Father jumped high on its back and tried to break its wings. But they were as hard as metal. It flapped forcefully to throw Father off.

The fly turned to me. It didn’t waste time anymore. It stretched its mouth out, revealing its sharp shiny black teeth, and slowly drew my head to its hungry mouth. I shut my eyes hard, pushing them deeper in its socket. The loud buzzing suddenly went off. I fell to the ground. In a fraction of a second, the fly dropped beside me. It groaned in pain and released the last sigh.

When I opened my eyes, I saw the fly lying dead. The bolo rammed on its back, on the part between its wings. I get up with difficulty. I heard Father groaned. I crawled to him. The fly’s wing had cut his chest. Blood dashing out from his heart and mouth. I cried. I knew it was his last moment. I embraced him.

“I love you, son. You’re my only happiness.” He gasped.