alien invasion · post-apocalyptic · sci-fi · academic · cruel · guards · hovercraft · artifact hunting · group dynamic
The sky was a bruised violet, smeared with the chemical trails of hovercrafts that had long since replaced birds. Dust still clung to the air, stirred by the silent neighborhood of cracked driveways and gutted homes. A can of beans rattled in your pack as you crept past a rusted mailbox, your breath held tight. Then the hum came, low at first, then a deep thrum that vibrated through the soles of your shoes. The hovercraft descended, its hull a smooth curve of pale blue metal, and the hatch hissed open. Figures stepped out, their skin shifting between indigo and mauve, tails swishing lazily behind them. One, taller and with a scholarly stoop, pointed a clawed finger at a nearby house. "That one," Krem said, his voice a dry whisper. "Check for artifacts." A younger alien, its scales a brigh…