I edged toward the door, scared to take my eyes off of the human statues. I didn’t know what the hell they would be like if they came to life again. Images of every zombie movie I had ever seen flashed rapidly through my mind, I could almost see them coming to life and attacking me. I could picture them tearing me to shreds as they tried to get at my brains, and organs. I shuddered in disgust.

   Reaching the door, I pulled down on the blinds in order to peek out at the seemingly peaceful day. The streets were still, no one moved upon them. People were frozen in midstride, or leaning against store fronts. Some were stopped in mid conversation with their hands in the air, or their heads tilted back to peer at the sky. A man and woman had been riding their bikes down the road when the strange freezing had occurred. They were now sprawled upon the street, their feet tangled awkwardly in the toppled bikes. The wheels were still spinning slowly; they were the only movement in the otherwise still day. Neither of them had made an attempt to break their fall, they had simply face planted into the asphalt. Blood was trickling slowly from the man’s nose; it dripped onto the pavement, forming a puddle beneath him. The woman’s face was obscured by her dark hair tumbling around her shoulders.

   It was a horrifying sight, one that I could not tear my eyes away from. Swallowing heavily I tried to gather my courage to step onto that deserted, desolate street. Was there no one else that could still move? I couldn’tbe the only one. That thought was almost as terrifying as becoming one of the frozen people.

   If I was frozen at least I wouldn’t be alone, and perhaps I wouldn’t even know what had happened to me. Or perhaps, chillingly, I would.

   I removed my trembling hand from the blind. I could not stay here, I needed to move. I needed to get to my family, to see if they were safe. I needed someone to help me sort this all out. Slowly, I eased the door open. The small bell above it rang softly, a gentle sound that was piercingly sharp in the quiet day. I winced at the noise, scrunching up within myself as I waited for something to attack me. Everything remained quiet.

   Involuntarily my gaze went to the sky. A cold trickle of horror crept through me as I caught sight of the ship hovering over Boston. It was a good sixty miles away but its ominous presence was felt just as strongly. I shuddered at the reminder of it, shuddered at the realization that though they had spouted peace, they had finally revealed themselves to be anything but peaceful. Something I had suspected for a long time, though I had never suspected anything like this.

   Who could have?

   I slipped from the store, closing the door silently behind me. It took me a moment to realize that not even the birds were singing. I glanced sharply around, but I did not see animal bodies littered amongst the people in the streets. They may have been affected also, but I didn’t think so. There would at least be a few birds lying amongst the people if that was the case. Apparently the birds had even been scared off by the sudden pall that hung over the world.

   My heart was thumping loudly in my chest as I crept slowly through the still streets, trying hard not to burst into tears or flee screaming. I studied the alien ship wearily. It was not coming toward our town, it did not appear to be moving, but I knew it was only a matter of time before they appeared in the streets, before they came to take everyone. And somehow I knew that was exactly what they intended to do.

   It was what they were going to dowith everyone after they came that frightened me the most.

   I slipped down another street, keeping my eye on the hovering craft in the distance. Bret had once told me he thought they had eyes everywhere, that they knew our every move. I could only pray that he had been wrong. Their technology was far superior then ours, that was an undisputed fact, but I had to cling to the hope that they hadn’t mastered the ability to know where everyperson was at all times.

   Please let that be true, I pleaded frantically. Please. I was nobody of importance, there was no reason they would monitor my movements.

   I turned another corner, slinking through the shadows as I moved toward the center of town. My heart was thudding so hard it hurt. I didn’t know if it was possible for the inside of a ribcage to become bruised, but I was almost certain that mine was.

   People were scattered about the streets in different positions and different situations. One couple was kissing and another was holding hands on a bench. A family was getting their picture taken by the old mill, and a group of children were frozen in the middle of a game of tag. I stopped for a moment to study the children. Goose pimples broke out on my flesh, even in the hot summer sun I was chilled by the sight of them. They were the creepiest things I had come across so far, so innocent yet eerie and unnerving in their immobility.

   I forced myself to turn away from them before I started screaming hysterically and didn’t stop until the aliens were drawn by my screams. I slipped into an alley, leaning against the cold wall as I struggled to catch my breath. The humidity of the day was not as oppressive as the terror clutching at me. I closed my eyes, trying hard not to fall apart, struggling not to completely freak out. It was still over a mile to my house. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it.

   I tilted my head back as I scanned over the roofs in search of cameras. I saw none, but that didn’t matter. For all I knew they didn’t even need cameras to spy on us. For all I knew, they were omniscient. That thought didn’t seem entirely farfetched, not anymore. They could apparently freeze people in an instant after all, why wouldn’t they know where we were at all times? Taking another deep breath I attempted to gather my waning courage.

   I pushed myself slowly away from the wall, feeling like a criminal as I crept stealthily down the alley. I glanced quickly away from the man leaning against the brick building. He had been in the act of relieving himself, there was a puddle of urine before him but thankfully there was no urine still coming out. Slipping onto another main road, I darted quickly down the sidewalk, dodging the obstacles the immobile people represented. I used the back of my arm to wipe the sweat from my forehead as it slid into one of my eyes.

  I slid into another alley, bending over as I was gripped by the sudden urge to curl up into a ball and let my sanity go. I thought the world might be a better place if I did. At least I wouldn’t be alone anymore. For a moment I was consumed by the urge to just give up, to wait here until they found me, but I had never quit before and I wasn’t about to start now. Not when I didn’t know what had become of my family, maybe after, if they were gone…

   I let the thought trail off; there was no use in dwelling on it. Not until I knew, and then I didn’t know what I would do.

   I pushed off the wall, breaking into a brisk jog as I hurried down the alley. Turning a corner, I began to move faster, nearly sprinting as I raced down the sidewalk. I was breathing so hard that I almost didn’t hear the distant rumbling noise until it was too late. As it was, it just barely caught my attention in time.

   I pressed flat to a wall, my eyes wide as the ground beneath my feet began to tremble slightly, my head bounced rapidly back and forth as I searched for the cause of the strange sensation and noise. I crept slowly forward, keeping my hand pressed against the glass window of a store. The noise grew louder, the quaking increased as the sidewalk beneath my feet began to tremble even more.

   I didn’t know where to go, what to do. My throat was clogged with fear, my body thrummed with tension. I continued to creep steadily forward, but I had to get off the street. I had to find a place to hide. My hand slipped into nothingness, I nearly fell sideways as someone grabbed hold of my arm. A startled cry started to escape me, but a hand slammed over my mouth as I was pulled against a hard chest, and drug into darkness.