about border patrol agents securing illegal immigrants.
And then things got weird. Entire groups blinked out of existence. They just vanished.
"Did you see that?" the nerd asked.
"They're gone," Hailey breathed. "Just, not there."
But, the closer she looked, the more she realized that might not be the truth. A halo of a body crept between the flames and her view, the edges outlined in light but the person invisible. Except for a minor distortion, she never would have seen it. Hailey was so shocked that she didn't say a word, just swung the telescope to the rest of the survivors.
At most, she'd seen maybe seventy people, but now there were only fifty, probably less. As more exited the ship, others disappeared. Finally, her description was enough for the old man to want a look. She backed away, stepping slowly while her eyes scanned the miniature war zone in the distance. Through the telescope, it had seemed so close. With the naked eye, it was still surreal, but far enough away to be no threat.
"It's like Scotty's beaming them up," the man whispered, his voice reverent. "Mary, they look just like humans, come see."
Hailey's hands were shaking, and her heart felt like it was trying to pound right out of her chest. There was nothing to do, but damned if her baser instincts weren't screaming that she should be running away. Fighting it, she took deep breaths and sank into one of the powder coated benches set on the far side of the clearing.
She could still see the crash site. The flames were so intense they illuminated the entire sky, brighter than a football stadium. Only the wet ground prevented them from spreading further. With the naked eye, the people were little more than dark specks around the base of the ship, but the lights from vehicles were everywhere. Yellow strobes spun above trucks; headlights pointed all in the same direction. It all looked like a bad movie scene, but it was real. It was all too real.
We're not alone anymore, she thought, trying to come to grips with the scene before her. It felt like any minute, someone would announce that this was performance art or some cinema magic. There was no way an alien ship could simply crash into the North Carolina shore and vomit up people. Just an hour ago, humans had been alone in the universe.
She pulled out her phone, wondering what the news was making of all this. A touch of the screen showed nothing - no signal at all. Neither calls nor data were flowing. It wasn't minimal. It was just gone.
With the elderly couple engrossed in their telescope and the geek getting everything he could on digital film, she could really do nothing but sit there and watch the flames burn around the base of the ship. Time passed, she didn't know how much, and people began to head back home. There really wasn't much more to see. The craft burned. The damp marshy island was too wet to do more than smoke, and without the telescope, all she could see were the lights of emergency vehicles - some coming, some going. No one stopped to explain what had happened. No one came to make them leave. The scene just went on and on.
Finally, she pulled herself to her feet. Maybe the news would have more information. Hell, they'd at least have better pictures. If nothing else, she still had to finish her laundry before work tomorrow. Alien ship or not, there was no way she could afford to take a day off. Hailey glanced over her shoulder one last time, then started walking slowly back home.
Chapter 2
The Mimics: Bioluminescent: Book 1
The impact had thrown him against the bulkhead. Without a noise, Tsij struggled to his feet, looking around for casualties. Ixala stood braced against the table, staring at the data monitors with one arm held against her waist.
"You ok?" he asked in their native language.
She turned her deep green eyes on him, then nodded, flashes of panic streaking across her markings. "We didn't make it to the ocean. Orders are to evacuate."
Tsij stumbled toward her. "We can't!"
She took a deep breath. "They already have. Humans are coming, Tsij. Some are probably out there already." Her eyes flicked down his body, and her skin paled to a drab green. "Tsij!"
He flared his colors at her. "I'm fine. Just get me some pain medication, an immune booster, and extra dispensers."
While she turned for the medical cabinet, he