Bluebird Chapter 8

Bluebird Chapter 8

An Ongoing Story by Selomon

[Bluebird is an ongoing sci-fi fantasy story. Read Chapter 1 HERE]

The sun was up when I awoke. I heard birds chirping for the first time in a while. Part of me wanted to believe it was a good sign. That I was just having a nightmare. It didn’t take long to snap back into reality. 

There was a rumble that caused the birds to scatter. I quickly got out of bed, put on my boots, and found my bag. In it were a few cans of food, water, a map of the area, a small first aid kit, 2 packs of glow sticks, a compass, 2 pairs of pants and a shirt, a fire starter, a small firearm, and the watch Dr. Foster gave to me.

I carefully peaked out of a window while I put on the watch and saw a small alien ship flying my direction. The rumbling was slowly getting louder and began shaking the house. I thought about running as far from it as I could but decided to stay in the cover of the house. My brow got sweaty when the ship flew directly over the house. Things around the house started shaking creating a chaotic symphony of glass, metal, wood, and plastic bouncing off of each other.

To say I was relieved when it kept going is an understatement. I checked the map to see where it was going. It wasn’t heading towards any of the campsites that was clear. It was heading towards one of the large lakes nearby.

Suddenly, I remembered the ship I saw in the middle of the night. It seemed like it was real, but it could have been a dream. It wasn’t anything like the ones I saw in the attacks or any that were flying around. The only thing I really remember was just a big bright circle. Deep anxiety tried to overtake me when thinking that was my life now, but something kept me focused on moving forward. 

I waited a few minutes before peeking out again to see where the ship was. It was a few miles away and continuing to get smaller. The neighborhood was quiet again. I checked the map and got out the compass, plotting my way to the nearest camp. 

It was still sunny outside. Some of the birds flew back into a nearby tree. They had bright, blue wings and a brown underside. I was so happy to see them. It almost felt like we were allies now. Like the birds were part of the resistance. From that moment on, I would see them from time to time and take it as a sign to keep going because everything was going to be alright. 

But still, I didn’t linger any longer than I needed to. So, I went to the bathroom and got out of the house, leaving behind anything that was slowing me down. Heading towards the camp, I was able to find a nice and steady pace. The houses started to thin out. Trees began popping up in larger clusters around roads and buildings.

The sun was nearing the horizon when I found one of the camps. I had to walk up and down a few hills and when I got to the top of the tallest one, I saw large American flags waving in the wind. Below them were 3 large towers. I noticed a large sign that said Camp Holland. All around this was a large, barbed wire fence that was facing inside. Strangely, no alien ships were within eyesight. 

I crouched behind a large tree to get a good look at what was going on. I saw guards with rifles standing in the towers. There were a few people walking in a courtyard in the center of multiple large structures. It looked more like a prison than a safe place. 

There was something within me that needed to get inside, but the fear within me wanted to run away. My attention was pulled to a far building in the corner as a woman was forcefully dragged to a smaller structure in the center. Then I heard a branch snap behind me and before I knew it, everything went dark.

[Read Chapter 9 HERE]