Calvin prepared for the blow. He expected pain from his imminent and gory death, searing pain, but none came. He looked into what he expected to be the beast's gullet, but rather into empty space. The creature was trashing about at his back, tearing up flesh and allowing large bubbling amounts of acidic blood burn his skin. Ripping into the back was a yellow-ochre blur that moved about and about. The blur shouted "Calvin, get the stuff and move through the tree line.
Calvin got up, paper bag in hand, and ran for the trees. As he passed a large elm tree, the yellow-ochre blur slammed against the tree, a loud crackling sound emitting from a rib. "Sonuva-" before Hobbes could finish his sentence in his hoarse voice, the creature came charging at Hobbes. Calvin ran to the wagon wreck, grabbed the broken steering stick, and ran at the creature.
The creature, hulking over Hobbes, suddenly felt great searing pain in his left thigh. He looked to see a boiling piece of black steel sticking out of the fleshy side. Greenish blood sizzled out. Creature roared and moved back to his cornered prize, except, it was gone now.
Calvin and Hobbes crossed the treeline and into the open wheat meadow. A large flint stone marked the eastern side, which was between the field and the treeline in which they had just left. Hobbes was kind of disappointed to find that there was no shelter to be found. But Calvin knew better. Further out in the field was a small refinery, about a hundred feet long and fifty feet wide. It provided the entire neighborhood with gas for burners and fireplaces. The refinery consisted of large tanks, dozens of pipes and gauges, and manual repair systems, which hadn't been used in a year.
Calvin had discovered this hidden meadow one day while cruising through the forest, exploring a new river that had cut the face of the forest. That was about a year ago, when the river was wider and deeper, by about four feet, putting it at a good six feet of water, dirt, and turtles. He had accidentally gone of the ledge of the cliff and down the two hundred feet, spilling into the river. He pulled out the wagon, a wet soggy mess. After coughing up water and pulling a crawdad from the wagon's ruts, he found he was on the opposite side of the ledge, on the narrow shore of the river. The cliff on his side wasn't too steep at spots, and decided to explore. At the top, he found the treeline and the flint stone that guarded it. Past there was the large steel refinery in which he was now taking Hobbes. He spent two hours, playing and searching around the field, before he remembered he had to get home. He climbed down the slope and, with the wagon, swam across the river.
Creature waited until his cuts and abrasions healed, then headed into the forest. He scampered over the flint stone and roared. In the dim light he could see his prey, tearing away in a hurry. Why bother, he thought. You're only going to get eaten. Creature then leaped down and pursued.
Calvin came to a panting rest, and turned to Hobbes. "Okay, this is where we begin in our plan. I want you to keep running forward, got it? No matter what you do, keep running." "but-" Before Hobbes could object to his friend, Calvin broke off in the opposite direction.
Creature noticed rustling in the wheat nest to him, but before he could investigate, his sight caught hold of the taller creature. Creature licked its lips and started after it, never minding the wheat that swayed next to him in the windless night.
Calvin emerged out of the wheat and at the flint rock and climbed up. He peered in the dim light. Just barely he could see Hobbes, the creature shortly behind him. Calvin shouted out "Hobbes! Stop!" Hobbes, frantically, obeyed his friend, although he was scared of the creature.
Calvin produced a firework from his bag and the steel pipe. Making sure the wind was dead and the gas refinery was in sight, Calvin brought the steel bar up and down onto the stone. Like tiny stars of brilliant gas millions of miles away, sparks erupted from the stone, each with its fiery destination. Calvin jammed the firework into the sea of sparks. Several sank deep into the fine twine of the explosive, and the bottom was alit.
Hobbes was under the creature's maw, the drool falling on him. The creature reared up...and was gone. Hobbes looked up. The creature was following a streak of sparks that was leading away from him and Calvin.
Creature was truly stupid, he was, but he had a purpose. His Queen, mother, and mentor had sent him here. He was a special troop, one of two hundred to scour planets all over the galaxy. Earth was one of many that contained life. Currently, the Earth brother Mars were being scoured by Creature's brother, searching for the tiny spider-like Covinks. His stupid ness now shone brightly as the streaking bright object took him in. Creature took off after the object. He sprinted, almost alongside it. He was attracted to this light, and wanted it. He swiped at it an missed. As he approached a large steel pipe object, the swift smell of gas overtook his olfactory sense. Then he realized that it was over. He stopped, slightly depressed he didn't get his prize that he had just worked to hard to get, and raised as high as he could, like a human. He stood up straight, opened his mouth and allowed his second jaw to pop out. The tiny teeth bristled as a chill ran down his spine. He raised his arms and brought them over this tongue mouth and out, as a salute to his Queen. As the firework hit the jungle of pipes, he smiled slightly.
Squinting, Calvin watched the large mushroom fire arise into the air. The fiery cloud extended up and at the base it started to widen, engulfing the creature, its arms outstretched. As the creature was engulfed and its skin was ripped from its body, the wheat alit on fire. Hobbes was watching in awestruck horror. He did not realize that he was in the fallout area. Reluctantly, he turned and bolted toward the stone.
The explosion died off, and the fiery wheat quivered. Calvin watched the shock wave become visible as dust kicked up. His hair was swished back as the sound and superheated air pushed him back a step. he had done it. He killed the threat to Earth, although he did not know how great the risk was.
After Hobbes finally caught up with Calvin, the fire had died down some, but a large flame billowed from the refinery, turning the air smoky.
"Well Hobbes, you played well as live bait."
"Live bait?"
"Yes. Now, what say we turn in and get going? Eh?"
Hobbes thought about, and agreed.
"Because we're walking back, think we should spend the time thinking off a good excuse of why the meadow is burning, Rosalyn and Susie are both dead, and there are holes in the garage and from the kitchen to your parents room?"
Calvin passed through the treeline. "Sure. How about something with aliens?"
Hobbes laughed. "And I'm sure they'll buy that."
"They better."
The two laughed with each other, the way the best of friends commonly do. They laughed as they took in the stench of gas and burnt flesh, laughed that they had just killed the threat to Earth…
…at least so they thought. One hundred and twenty six miles over their heads, a large craft orbited, cloaked from regular human radar. Satellites blinked and buzzed and passed by every now and then, and always they would go through exactly three minutes of static. Aboard that craft, in the Royal Helm, in the front, stormed the Queen. Her son, one of her favorite sons, had just been killed. On the bubble screen before her, she watched the murderers, laughing it up. Queen made a vow to herself. She would kill the humans for laughing at the expense of her son.
Or die trying.
End
**cue ominous music, thus giving the effect of an upcoming sequel**
