The Big Game Read online

centre of the crater was scorched and the plants around it covered in a thick layer of dust. The air coming up the slope was warm and smelt like burnt toast. However the real point of interest was the ship which was stationed almost exactly in the centre of the crater and now hidden from view in all directions from anyone but the two boys. Jerry tapped Mal on the shoulder and used his finger to write in the dust, “A L I E N S”. Mal nodded and indicated to Jerry to retreat back down the slope.

  “What do we do now?” Mal whispered when they were back at the bottom of the slope. “I want to get closer, there’s something moving on the far side of the ship”, replied Jerry excitedly. “We should call someone”, said Mal.

  “And tell them what?” Jerry began, “Aliens have landed? Do you really think they would believe us? Let’s get around the other side and get some photographs, they’ll have to believe us then”. Mal could see Jerry’s point and even before he could agree Jerry was creeping around the mound, heading for the other side of the crater. Mal followed him nervously.

  It took quite some time to navigate a route around the crater to the other side of the alien ship. The mounds on this side were a little lower and the vegetation sparser as they crept up to the ridge once more.

  They peered over to see the ship had an open hatch on this side with a short ladder hanging from it. Two aliens were outside the ship, they appeared to be much smaller than the boys, about the size of five of six year olds but otherwise as far as they could tell were similar in that they had the correct compliment of arms and legs and a head in the usual place between their shoulders. Their features were hidden under large dome-like helmets and heavy looking suits. From this distance they could hear their breathing apparatus and the hiss of the radios which had first alerted them, though they couldn’t make out any of there language.

  One of the aliens appeared to be taking readings using various devices while the other stood a little way to one side and seemed to be carrying some kind of weapon. On seeing this, the two boys gave each other a worried glance, each acknowledging the others unspoken fear.

  Suddenly the hiss from the radios stopped and the two aliens turned to face each other, they reached up and with a twist they removed there helmets. The boys finally saw them for the first time. They were small but hideous creatures. There mouth parts moved and they appeared to speak to each other in a rapid high pitched chatter.

  Jerry reached into his pocket for his camera phone but Mal tugged his sleeve and they both ducked down out of sight. “Shouldn’t we try to communicate with them?” Mal asked. “You don’t walk around with a gun if you want people to talk to you”, said Jerry, “Let me take some photo’s on my phone and let’s get out of here”, he added.

  They crept back to their vantage point and Jerry took out his phone and turned it on. Mal was gesturing to him, opening and closing his fist. Jerry looked at him puzzled. Mal mouthed the word “FLASH”. Jerry smiled and nodded then checked the camera setting to ensure the flash was turned off. A close thing, he would have given them away for sure…

  Jerry took a photo of the ship and then turned his lens towards the aliens who were both gazing intently at the instrument one of them carried. He took a couple of shots. As he took his second one the alien with the weapon turned and he managed to photograph what passed as the aliens face. Jerry glanced at Mal and nodded as if to say “job done”. They were just about to retreat back down the mound when Auntie Sheila’s face appeared on the screen of Jerry’s phone followed quickly by the sounds of the City’s football team singing “We are the champions” at the top of their voices. It was lunchtime; Mal’s Mum was calling them.

  The boys’ faces lit up with panic as the aliens looked straight at them. The alien raised his weapon and fired; there was a thump and stones and dust rose in front of Jerry face.

  The two boys scrambled back down the slope and ran. The only thing beating faster than their feet was their hearts as they tried to negotiate the paths back around the outside of the crater to where they’d left the bike. The phone called out again betraying their movement. Jerry fumbled to silence the phone unable to answer as they ran, only to drop it in undergrowth. “Leave it!” yelled Mal. “Get to the bike”.

  They ran and ran, the sound of the phone fading behind them, as the bike came into view Mal glanced up to see the silhouette of one of the creatures appearing on the ridge with the sun behind it. As they ran across the creatures shadow the air cracked as the alien fired its weapon again. Mal felt something wiz past his head.

  They made it to the bike and leapt on, ignoring the helmets Mal kicked the motor into life and they sped off. Mal could feel Jerry’s hands gripping his belt with all his might. The bike sped over the mounds putting as much distance between them and the aliens as possible. “Where gonna make it!” shouted Mal without turning around, just as the air cracked once more. Mal felt Jerry’s grip let go of him as he fell from the back of the bike forcing the bike to veer wildly off the trail.

  Mal opened his eyes, where was he? He remembered it was the day of the big match, then he remembered the spaceship, the alien… Mal sat up quickly, too quickly, the world span. He touched his face and found a trickle of blood from his forehead. Then he remembered the sound of the weapon and Jerry falling from the bike. He staggered to his feet and climbed up to the trial from which the bike had launched itself. He found Jerry; he was lain in a pool of blood which oozed from beneath his scales. All signs of life had left him. His normally bright yellow eyes were greyed over, his short tail, which Mal had never seen still before, lay limp and lifeless.

  He heard the thump, thump, thump, of a helicopter approaching but it seemed an age before the felt the air begin to swirl about him. The helicopter hovered for a moment before moving off the sound being replaced by the calls of others running towards him, some were armed, one carried a stretcher. Mal didn’t care anymore, he couldn’t move. His eyes were fixed on his friend as his mind collapsed in on itself trying to make sense of what had happened. Then he heard a familiar voice. “Mal, Mal!” He forced his gaze away from his fallen friend just as has mothers arms engulfed him.

  He could hear more helicopters approaching now and he looked up just as their sound was suddenly drowned out by an enormous roar. Smoke and dust were blasted upwards just as it had once before. It had only been a few short hours since such an event had led the two friends to this moment but to Mal it felt like a lifetime. The alien ship rose into view, the blast stopped and the machine hovered in the air as if looking at them one last time. Mal noticed markings on the bottom of the ship which they had not noticed earlier, now he would never forget them, N A S A.

  The ship sped off almost silently until it became nothing but a speck in a clear blue sky and vanished. The sounds of the hovering helicopters suddenly burst through the bubble that Mal’s mind had occupied as he and his mother were ushered away to a waiting ambulance. Mal never kicked a football again.

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  About the author:

  My name is Ian Hillbeck most of the time, and John Smith if I’ve done something wrong ;-) Friends call me “Merlin” and I can’t spell what enemies call me..

  I was born on 14th May, 1960 (work it out) and I live and work in Barrow In Furness, Cumbria, UK. (Though my boss may want to argue the last bit :)

  I’m a Senior IT Engineer for the IT Department at BAE Systems, formerly known as Marconi Marine (Barrow) formerly known as VSEL, formerly known as Vickers, who are best known as builders of nuclear submarines for the Royal Navy

  I have a wife called Ann and three children. Two boys called Gareth and Daniel and an alien female named Tyne. My Mother got quite annoyed at my reference to my daughter being an alien, but any father of a young girl will know exactly what I mean.

  When I’m not on my PC I like to write (obviously), listen to Meatloaf or play on someone else’s PC. On Saturdays you may see me supporting my local soccer team Barrow AFC, cruising down the Lancaster Canal on my boat or out and ab
out Geocaching.

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  Connect with Me Online:

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/bleblet

  Facebook: https://facebook.com/ian.hillbeck

  My blog: https://la14.co.uk