Standing close to the shelves and pretending to examine the many bars of candy, Max slipped a Twix into his pocket. There were two cookies, but he didn’t intend to share it with anyone else. He snickered to himself and thought about another. He took a snickers bar too. His Mom was three aisles over. She couldn’t have seen. The cashier, a short stocky college student with his nose buried in a physics book, paid no attention.

Max walked back over to his mother’s side, where she was looking over the different over-the-counter aspirins. Long work days always brought on headaches for her. Even though Max had a naughty streak, he cared deeply for his mom and never let her down. Max was an only child living with his single mother. He recognized her hard work in trying to stay a happy family. Max always chipped in where ever he could.

“Can I help you mom?” he asked him mom, still deciding between Advil and Midol.

“No I think I have it, sweetie. Thanks,” She said, finally choosing one. “Why don’t you go and pick out a candy bar for being such a good boy?”

“Ok,” He replied and turned away. Normally he would smile to himself about the candy tucked under his shirt but for some reason he felt guilty. Back over by the racks of candy, he slipped out the Twix bar from his pocket and carried it by his side. After his mom was done shopping, he helped load the groceries into the trunk.

Max unwrapped the Twix bars in the car and offered his mom one of the cookies. To erase the guilt feeling for stealing, he hoped she would accept it.

“Oh, thanks. Twix was one of my favorites when I was your age,” She said.

“really?”

She went on and told Max about how she used to sneak some out with her friends after school. Max grinned and shifted the snickers under his t-shirt.

“Mom?”

“Yes, Max?”

Max took out the candy bar and presented it.

“Like mother like son, I guess,” Max said laughing a little.

“Max,” His mother said, drawing it out in a scolding manner.

“I will not make it a habit, mom. I just know we do not have a lot of money,” He said shyly.

“That doesn’t make it ok,” She said with a serious tone.

There was silence for a while after that. Max began to feel bad as if the candy bar was poisoned and started to work its way back up. There was an unexplainable sorry stabbing his heart. Before he could think about it anymore, his mom broke the silence.

“I guess I’ll just pretend I don’t know about it. You better not make it a habit,” She said and looked over at Max with a smile.

“I won’t, Mom,” He said, smiling back.

They drove back home with supplies loading down the car. It took them a while to get back to the house since they had just moved into a new neighborhood and hadn’t gotten used to the area. Max was to start school in a few days. They had yet to finish unpacking and get settled in. Max was very nervous about moving somewhere else. It had collided with anger because he didn’t want to move away from everything that felt like home. Would he make friends? Would his mom remarry to some asshole? Would he get beat up at school?

Many thoughts had accumulated over the course of time since his mom told him that they would be moving. Not wanting to upset his mom, he never said any word of protest. However, the feeling was there. They finally got home and Max was feeling full. The wrappers lay on his lap, the last evidence of the devoured candy bars. He helped his mom with the groceries and supplies.

Upstairs, Max sat on his bare bed. He looked at each marked box and decided which one to unpack first. He chose the box containing bed sheets and blankets. At least this way he would have a place to sleep. He opened the box and made his bed. There was a knock at his door.

“Come in.”

“Hi dear, I am going to order pizza tonight. What do you want on it?” his mom asked, standing in the doorway.

“I think I am too full from the candy bars. Whatever you are happy with, I am happy with,” He replied.

“Ok, let me know if you need help with anything,” She said, glancing towards the boxes.

“I will mom. Thanks,” He replied, and she left him alone again.

Max busted into his boxes, quickly setting up his bed. It took him another good hour to go through the rest of his boxes. Afterwards, posters decorated the wall and his computer hummed on his desk. He heard his mom call out for him.

“Max! Pizza is here if you want some!”

“Ok. I will be right there.”

Max turned around and examined everything. Except for the windows, he set up his room just like at his old house. He smiled and felt closer to home. After signing on to his computer, Max strolled out of the room and joined his mom on the couch. They ate pizza in front of the tube and watched a mediocre sit com that was not really funny to max. He and his mom made small talk until it was later.

“What do you plan on doing tomorrow, Max?”

“I do not know. I was thinking about checking out the neighborhood. Maybe I could find a friend.”

“That sounds excellent. Please be careful though.”

“I will mom.”

Max kissed his mom goodnight and headed upstairs for some time on the computer. A Voltron© screensaver glowed in the night of his room as he entered. He slunk down in his chair and wiggled the mouse. The desktop popped up and almost blinded him. He squinted and clicked on the internet icon. The connection screen popped up and slowly tried to link. After a few seconds, an error came up and told him that there was no connection available. Of course there wasn’t. His mom didn’t have it hooked up yet. Max sighed and decided to go to sleep. He went to his bedside and stripped to his underwear.

Max left the room to brush his teeth in the bathroom. Toothpaste foamed at his mouth as if he was rabies infected. Something caught his eye in the mirror reflection. Seeing the blue glow from the sky, he turned and went to the window. Outside in the blue sky, he could see little black round objects moving fast in groups like a spray of marbles or an exploding claymore mine. Some were bigger than others. Could they be dropping? He watched closely, wondering what in the world they were. The blue sky wasn’t of day but looked like someone was holding blue cellophane over a flashlight.

There was a loud deafening crash. Muffled from being indoors, Max couldn’t tell what hit what. He didn’t even know what was happening.

“MAX!” his mom screamed from the other room. He spit his toothpaste foam in the sink, wiped his mouth and blasted out the bathroom to where his mom was standing at the living room window.

“What’s going on mom?”

“Come here honey. Look at this!”

Max stepped beside his mom and she pulled him into a hug. Holding Max, his mom was mesmerized by the big black sphere thing that had crashed into the side of the neighbor’s house. Max couldn’t take his eyes off it either. Onlookers ran to the rescue, more curious of what the object was.

Smoke and debris hung in the air around the black bulb and was glowing from the small fire spitting up from a section of the damaged house. People were scrambling to get a closer look. Max wanted to see what it was as well.

“Can we go see what it is?” he asked, looking up at his mom.

“I don’t know if it’s safe to go beyond the sidewalk. Let’s keep our distance.”

Max went and put on a pair of blue jeans and shirt. He went out first and went as far as the sidewalk across the street from the wreckage. Small embers floated up, threatening to start the next light show. Max’s mom stood behind him and put her hands on his shoulders as they looked on in awe.

“OH MY GOD! MY HOUSE!” the owner screamed, not wanting to believe the damage.

“What the hell is that thing, dear?” his wife cried out.

“PUT THAT FIRE OUT!” a man yelled holding the leash of his barking dog.

“DON’T GO NEAR THAT THING!” a haggard old lady screamed from her porch.

Emergency sirens wailed a ways off. Small explosions and muffled crashes were heard in the distance as more black pods rained down randomly.

The capsule that found its way into Max’s neighbor’s house started to produce electrical lines around it. Everyone shut up and backed off; waiting to see what would happen next. The capsule thing started to open.

Some type of airlock hissed and steam escaped in streams. The sphere opened up like a giant pac-man. It was so dark, no one could see inside. Everyone stood in silence as the fire crackled on.

Suddenly, a blue laser light zipped from inside and shot the man with the dog. He and the dog dissolved right in front of the crowd. Not a single thing was left of him or the pooch. No collar, no clothes. Screams and shouts of panic echoed off the houses as the crowd broke into an adrenaline rushed frenzy. Multiple rays of blue shot out and zapped away the escapees.

“RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!” Someone shouted as the buzzing noise of the lasers struck the ones running away.

“It’s an attack!” another shouted.

“Get ou-. “ A man started but wasn’t able to finish. He was overcome by a laser and was gone.

Max’s mom yanked him towards the house. They had both watched in horror. The sudden movement jerked Max out of his trance and he could see the panic in his mother’s eyes.

“Run! Get back in the house!” she yelled.

Max’s fear fueled him into the house. He turned at the doorway for his mom but she was not there. His eyes scanned the yard, but she was nowhere. People ran up the block, getting away. Something big moved in the shadows. He could tell that it wasn’t human by the way it moved. He gave one last look before slamming the door and running down to the basement.

Max stood in the darkness under the stairs. He couldn’t hear anything other than his own heavy breathing. Where did his mom go? He thought to himself. After a few minutes, he worked up the nerve to check for her. He listened closely as he crept up the stairs, one by one.

“Mom!?” he shouted but there was no answer.

Max got to the living room and looked out the window. The fire of the house was still ablaze and the smoke was stronger. Not a single person was around. It was quiet, too quiet. He stepped outside and called for his mom again. She did not answer. A tear rolled down his cheek as the thought of her being zapped away passed through his mind. Feeling vulnerable, Max ran back inside. He sat on the couch and waited in the dark. His tired eyes dropped lower and lower until he was asleep.

To Be Continued…

Editors note:

Please feel free to contact Mickforhire at his e mail address to express your thoughts and comments on his first chapter. Its mickforhire@gmail.com

Thanks, Dwedno.