Crashed.

Amy:

I'm too stunned to speak. To confused to realize what just happened. Is this real? How is this even possible? Shouldn't I have been killed from the impact of the meteor hitting the earth? It just seems too unreal to be true. I must be dreaming, maybe I hit my head on the way out of the classroom. Maybe I accidentally breathed in some chemicals which are causing me to hallucinate. Maybe I've just gone completely bonkers. I think I'm going insane.

What ever I'm looking at seems like a giant steel rock. The steel beast is propped up on four spindly legs although one of them seems to have snapped in the collision which leaves the rock in a slanting position. The surface of the meteor is a rough tarnished metal/stone texture. It's almost like steel but I've never seen a metal like this before. An eary deep red glow radiates between the slanted edges where each metal panel is sealed together. A magnificent steel meteor fallen from the sky.

But the legs made to stand the rock up tell me that this thing is man-made. And the steam pipes jutting out from the back of the machine are there to presumably keep the inside of the rock cool. It's not a meteor. It's a ship.

The ship groans before it settles down, with a long lasting period of steam hissing out the whistling lead looking pipes before it all goes deathly quiet. Dead quite. The ship is so full of creaks and groans, it's a wonder it even managed to travel through space without being torn to pieces. I also start to notice massive dents in the cragged body work. The one side of the ship is lined with masses of blackened bullet holes. Some parts of the ship are even missing panels of metal where the material hangs of the frame like rags, revealing an entwining mass of steaming pipes and sparking fuses.

Suddenly a creaking noise comes from the inside the ship. Something is movie around in there. There's someone inside the ship.

Or something.

The ship is big, so I'm guessing it does have enough room to fit people in there. It's the size of two double decker buses parked next to each other. There's enough room for one person and plenty more. Aliens...

I flinch at the sound of the creaking noise growing louder and louder. Half expecting a green alien to come stumbling out carrying the whole traditional laser guns and spacesuit. My instincts are screaming at me to run but what I'm seeing has me glued to the floor. I grip the woodwork of the shed hard, my knuckles white and my fingers stinging from the splintered edges. My eyes are glued to the ship, I'm scared to move them in case something jumps out at me but at the same time I don't want to be seeing this. It's too much and I can't take it. Nothing prepares me for what happens next.

There's the sound of grinding metal coming from inside and then the groaning starts again. The ship begins to rumble and shake violently. The rackety legs vibrate, almost snapping from the pressure but somehow manage to withstand it. More steam begins to hiss from the whistling pipes, ringing louder and louder. It sounds like someone is running about inside and I hear panicked shouts. I press my back up against the shed, digging my shoes into the wet dirt anxiously as I watch the front panel of the ship slowly begin to slide open. Creating a doorway. No bigger than the average double door size.

Well at least that means the aliens aren't that much bigger than us. But my doubts become a fear as a silhouetted shape forms in the gap as the door slowly slides down.

I can't see much through all the steam and smoke that pours out from the red glowing gaps, but I can just make out a large shadow as big as two fully grown men put together, slowly stumbling out through the gap.

I'm about to scream, but then I hear it. Coughing. Whatever it is has a breath that is ragged and rasp. I stand up. I'm coughing too. My lungs filled with the grey stuff. It clouds up my throat and makes my eyes stream with tears but I try and grunt the pain away, looking around frantically for something to use as a weapon.

In the end I'm stuck with just a stick. Not a large on either. So I just chuck it away, I'm better of using my fists instead. The shadows staggers through the gap and stumbles forward. Still coughing and spluttering as I brace myself for a shock.

But when the shock comes, it's not what I expected at all.

As the dark spluttering shape approaches me and the smoke clears I realize that it wasn't one large alien but two small ones. And they don't really count as aliens since they both looked pretty ordinary. One of them is struggling for breath with an arm wrapped around his friend who's trying to help the young man to walk. The supporter is injured too, with crusty blood dripping down his head and a nasty oozing gash on his free arm. The boy struggling to breath and walk is only about sixteen years old. Barely even an adult so what is he doing in a spaceship?

They seem pretty human to me. I can't see anything else other than the ship that triggers the idea of an extra-terrestrial. So I dropped my hands and uncurl my fists slowly. I relax my muscles a little, still weary of a surprise attack but a lot more assured now I'm not facing a huge monster. I just stare at them both in disbelief, my jaw hanging open like a fish but I seem to have lost the function to close it shut.

“We come in peace,” the supporter croaks breathlessly.

I don't know what else to do. I just blink and stare at them blankly before grabbing the young one's free arm and slinging it over my shoulder so he has more support. By this time a few teachers have come running outside to see what all the noise was about. Most are completely gob smacked and just stare at the ship while ignoring my pleads for help. One teacher, Mrs Ellie, looks close to fainting. Mrs. Alexus eventually comes running out too, taking one long gawking stare at the crashed ship before her eyes finally turn towards me.

“Amy? Is that you?” She asks, her voice high and clearly confused.

I give a groan. “Just help me get this guy inside,” I growl, but regretting how harsh my voice sounds afterwards.

Yet Mrs. Alexis doesn't seem to even notice my rude comment and simply takes the boy's arm off me and hauls him to his feet herself. Once I can stand up straight I realize there weren't just two people on the ship. Another man, around twenty years old, steps out through the door, carrying a small sealed crate. Neither of the aliens are wearing spacesuits or are carrying laser guns. Are they even alien at all?

“Get him inside, they both need help.” The latest one demands gruffly.

Mrs. Alexis nods before dragging the injured boy indoors through the fire exit.

There's a silence. Non of the teachers dare to speak. One, Mr Bran, even dares to approach the ship. Gingerly skimming his hand across the surface, almost stroking the wrecked ship lovingly.

The silence is interrupted when the genius maths group come stumbling outside, followed by a grumbling teacher who is ordering them to get back inside instantly. But they ignore her. Instead they gasp at the astounding growling ship Alice even begins to sob pathetically. I gawk too. I still have a dab of blood on my white school blouse where the injured guy's arm sweep past the material. I stare at it in amazement. There's alien blood on my blouse!

I hastily gather my senses together, quickly shaking my head. Did an alien spaceship just crash land behind my school?

It's when I finally tear my gaze away from the stunning sight, I realize everybody has returned indoors. Presumably to find out what the fuck is going on. After one last glance at the bulk of rock, I pull myself away and head inside. I should really be getting home, but after everything that's happened, I don't think I can. I could always get a teacher to ring Emily, who is my careworker. They can explain my absence with some sort of lie, while I clear up my head from this experience.

I walk past the deserted classrooms, peering through the freshly cleaned windows to guess which one the others went in. After finding nothing I guess they are all in the staff room at the end of the hall. All students are forbidden to enter without permission. I head in there anyway, not bothering about the staff only rule. I march into the staffroom to find the three aliens there, one being bandaged up by the school nurse. But there's no one else other than a few more teachers and staff who stare at the aliens with a mixture of interest and fear.

The alien getting his arm bandaged up is pretty badly injured, with blood still dribbling from the gaping wound and also trickling from the side of his head. The injuries were probably from the crash. But the other two seem fine, with only a few cuts and bruises. The young one who was struggling with breathing is sitting on the sofa next to his friend, looking very pale and nervous. He has his hands clasped together and his eyes dart around the room anxiously. The other just watches as his friend's injuries are tended to by the nurse. And no, his blood is not green (slightly disappointing).

The funny thing is that the three aliens don't seem that old. You'd have thought that them travelling through space, they would be older. But I guess they have different rules on driving where they come from. In fact I suspect that all the rules where they come from are very different from ours.

I take a seat at the other end of the room, perching on the edge of the chair and crossing my legs to restrain them from trembling with nerves. I'm sitting in the same room as three aliens. The injured alien groans a couple of times as the nurse tugs hard at the knotting, she tell him to shush and quit acting like a baby.

I don't really know what to say. Nobody else seems to be talking either. The teachers are speechless and the aliens are solemn. Mrs. Alexis sits in one armchair, curiously gazing at the two aliens who sit awkwardly on the sofa. Their friend and the nurse occupy the table, with his Injured arm laid out on the wooden surface as the nurse treats it.

“Soooo, wow. Aliens crashing behind the school huh?” I try to break the silence, but everyone ignores my try for small talk.

Instead I gaze at the two sitting on the sofa. The younger one is quite good looking, with mad black hair sticking out in all directions, held together with hair gel. Sex hair some people would call it. He has a soft pale face and bright gleaming pale blue eyes, which seem lost right now.

The other guy sitting next to him is very very tall. That's the main feature that attracts my attention; his huge height. He's what, over 6 ft 5"? He has his long lanky legs stretched out before him and he slouches comfortably, twiddling his thumbs as he waits for someone to speak. He looks a little like a grass hopper. Only with tanned skin and shortly cropped sandy blonde hair.

We sit in silence for a while until my teacher speaks:

“Amy, maybe you should be getting home now?” Mrs. Alexis asks.

“I'm not going anywhere until I get some answers,” I scoff.

“Well, I strongly advise you leave. Wont Your care worker be worried about you?” Mrs. Alexis asks, although I highly doubt she really cares at all and just wants me out the way.

“Nah, she's probably busy with the prees. They take a while to get into bed.” I smile innocently.

Mrs Alexis leaves it at that. She's not happy about giving in to me but she does anyway. Obviously taking note that I'm not going anywhere without answers.

There's another groan as the man having his arm tended to, sits up. The nurse is done with him and he's left with a bandage wrapped tightly around his head and arm.

Once the guy stands up, I realize he is quite muscular and well built. His hair is shaved into a buzzcut and his face has quite strong features. He holds a cigarette between his lips and begins to light it. He reminds me of a sergeant from old war movies.

Then more people start to spill into the room, gazing at the aliens excitedly. The buzzing of questions filling the room as I'm not the only one who wants questions. Everyone wants to see the new arrivals.