CHAPTER SIX: INVASION DAY
People across the world were ordered to stay inside no matter what. If you had an emergency, you were to stay home and call authorities. Pregnant women who were at risk of labor within the next week were asked to go to local hospitals, as well as anyone else who would medical treatment during the next seven days. Hospitals were full of very pregnant women, cancer patients, dialysis patients, and many other sensitive groups, but it was the only way to ensure people would not have to go outside during the battle.
Shortly after the sun rose on the east coast of the United States, the alarm was sounded. The first ships were in firing range, and soon millions of people all over the world could look out their windows and see missile blasts lighting up the sky, even in areas that were at high noon. The nuclear explosions made no sound, but everyone knew this would change as soon as they got close enough.
North Korea, as spies suggested, joined the fight, acting on their own initiative to take down the ships using missiles. They had far more missiles than people thought, but no one cared in this moment, even as Russia supplied extra shells that no one was aware of. It was hard to complain when you knew this could be the world's only hope to survive an invasion.
After two hours, however, everyone's supplies were shot of long-ranged missiles. Next would be the short-range, which could only be fired when the ships were entering the atmosphere. These explosions people heard as the world, including North Korea, began firing. Pieces of destroyed ships began raining down, many hitting the ocean but some hitting populated areas as well. There was nothing anyone could do but fend for themselves, so people with low areas, such as the Crosswire's, disappeared below ground.
Other people could only fend for themselves as the explosions grew closer. Once the world's short-range missiles were expended, planes were brought in with their own missiles. North Korea also joined this fight, but they stayed clear of the others as they worked at getting rid of every ship that they could. Dozens fell, sending more debris falling to the ground.
But there were still more coming, and everyone knew this. Armies, all of them donning as much protective gear as they could wear and armed with all the ammo they could carry, prepared as the first ships began making landfall. South America was first, with ships landing in Chile, Venezuela, and Columbia. Armies there waited for the aliens to exit their ships, and when they did, they discovered advanced armor protecting their vulnerable spots.
Fast decisions were made. Grenades were launched without much effectiveness, but if you shot the creatures down at the knees then shot at them in a particular way, the bullets would make their way to their vital organs. This method was spread throughout the world, but satellites were down all over. Messages were often spread the old fashioned way, using land-line telephone communications and hand-delivered messages in some parts of the world. This allowed every day citizens to jump into the fight and be heroes just like the armies, an important role as the fight began to rage.
Ships kept landing, sometimes in remote spots but usually in populated areas. Armies and police units were able to go after many of these aliens, but they were difficult to kill because of their armor...and because they could fight back. Lasers were reported to be on several ships, but not all of them seemed to have them, or the aliens would only use them sparingly. No one understood, but they knew to keep fighting no matter what it took. Ammunition could be run between places, sometimes on foot and sometimes using different vehicles, from SUVs, Jeeps, and cars, to small planes, trains, and boats depending on the area.
The world grew loud too as explosions still sounded and pieces of ships landed with jolting blasts. Fires raged across the world, adding more sounds as buildings burned and people ran away as best as they could. The air was dirty with smoke and invisible radiation, and many people near North Korea fell as they tried to run away. Their weapons seemed to be more potent, the effects of the radiation more damaging, than other areas effected by nuclear blasts. The world's leaders expected this, but there was nothing they could do. Losing some lives was better than losing them all, just as contaminating the atmosphere was a just cause if people were able to live.
The ships kept coming but people kept fighting. In New York City, a ship landed on top of a residential apartment building, and rather than go down without a fight, people used broomsticks, metal beams, and kitchen knives to go after the alien until police could help. Their assistance wasn't needed; the homeowners took care of themselves. Similar situations happened across the world. Sometimes they were successful, but other times people were killed as the alien fought back. A few times help never came and the alien invader was able to go quite far before being taken down by vigilante justice.
But the aliens were falling. As day turned to night and back again, the ships kept coming, but people were fighting and winning. After thirty-six hours, NASA was able to spread a message picked up by the somehow safe International Space Station and delivered to the Earth—the fleet was coming to an end. After twelve more hours of more intense fighting, the last alien ship fell, and the world went quiet.