Day of Reckoning, Part 1

by Richard Fowler

Introducing Richard Fowler's 6-part science fiction story based on the truth.  Please read Richard's personal story first. Enjoy...

About Richard Fowler
Born and raised in Virginia but no stranger to South Carolina with roots in the upstate going back to the 18th century, Richard has been homeless practically since he hit the streets of Charleston.  He is now hard at work getting some kind of an act together and hopes to take it on the road in the very near future.

Day of Reckoning
 
Invaders.  They came on a spring day in May of 2026.  Without warning they came ---sleek, silvery and unknown.  People on the streets going more or less about their usual daily routine, only gradually began to notice as the three craft drew closer to the New York City skyline.    The UFOs were much like those observed over so many years, though they didn’t dart back and forth or buzz the crowds.  Nor did they indulge in any of the obnoxious little games UFOs were generally known for.  Casually, but purposefully, they cruised along in a tight pattern toward the Battery and the Business District.  For the most part, New Yorkers tend to ignore out-of-towners, but here and there was a curled lip of distaste from those with no patience for “hot shots” or foreigners, and here’s what was obviously both.

Lights flashing along their undercarriages, they grouped in a circle and hovered above one of the more distinctive skyscrapers in that area.  Way below, a growing crowd of people focused on the otherworldly spectacle and only a very few noted the oddity of what transpired at ground level. 

Singly, or in rushed little knots, a steady stream of refugees surged out of the building that the UFOs were favoring with attention.  The front exit on Murray Street was only the most prominent indication of what was going on at all the exits on all four sides.  Certainly no one considered that it might be related to the phenomenon in the sky ---though it most certainly was.  More than a few of these evacuees seemed either relieved to get away or anxious about those left behind. They had a tale to tell ---of invasion and threatening actions by strange beings ---that all began a couple of hours before the arrival of the UFOs.  A sharp young reporter early on the scene, focused as anyone on the sky, picked up immediately on the odd evacuation and she asked some of these people to account for themselves.

Blindingly vibrant light beams suddenly shot out from the hovering craft and enveloped the office building.  Each beam was a different color ---violet, crimson and gold--- the significance of which was purely a matter of speculation for the startled observers below.  Only gradually did the intent of the light display prove to be more threatening than anyone at first imagined.  First, the skyscraper became suffused in an iridescent aura that spread well beyond the play of the beams, in a manner not unlike large rolls of syrup flowing down the side of a bottle.  The shimmery curtain quickly descended to the street in a soundless rush and within seconds, cracks began to blossom in the paved sidewalks.  People screamed and scurried across the street...

To Be Continued...