_707,809 miles from Planet Earth..._
9000 years ago.
A settlement thrived.
A conjoined giant creature with four long, slender limbs ending with hooves. Its hands were particularly tipped with sharp retractable claws.
Its skin is a moist mesmerising, iridescent blue-green color, which appears to shift and change depending on the surrounding light. This creature stands approximately 6 feet 5 inches tall, with a lean muscular build. Its most visible feature is its large almond shaped, and black eyes with vertical pupils that seem to pierce through souls.
Armed with advanced technology - a cosmic ray powered gun that shoots lasers. They stomped past my camera and walked away like I was invisible.
Dilapidated buildings, burning structures emitting huge clouds of black smokes were seen scattered everywhere, as far and wide as the eyes could see.
A war had happened here, a civil war out of survival. Two power factions had clashed against each other in order to obtain power, which led the destruction of ⅘th of the planet.
With no faction claiming victory, the weaker inhabitants among them and the buildings suffered from the clash.
Many died, and the majority were maimed, the planet was on the verge of collapse.
The few inhabitants left were the ones that cleaned up the planets, rebuilt the demolished structures and restored order to the chaos.
With so much garbage to discard, steadily making these trips once in 600 years, these creatures boarded their enormous spaceship and assigned a particular planet to be their dumpsite - Planet earth.
_Planet Earth - Present day_
*The aliens have not made their trip to earth in 900 years, so there have been no visits or signs of any invasion.*
As the morning's earliest light crept over the city's horizon, the streets came alive. The once-empty sidewalks transformed into a flood of activity, as the urban heartbeat quickened. Street vendors, bleary-eyed but eager, arranged their wares – pyramids of fresh fruit, baskets of warm bread, and steaming carts of coffee. The air was filled with the sweet scent of baked goods, the hum of engines roaring to life, and the murmur of conversations as sleepy commuters exchanged morning greetings. Amidst the growing noise, the city's rhythm accelerated, pulsating with an energy that signaled the start of another vibrant day.
Liam Crest groaned and cursed as his clock shrilled its alarm, waking him in a jolt. The clock was a gift given to him by his boss a day before he quit his job.
Liam Crest had always had a life ambition to become a multi talented actor. He had completed college as the most outstanding student in the whole school and went to the university to bag his masters program in Master of Fine Arts in Acting. But ever since he graduated, Liam's life has been a mess.
A miserable one at that. Despite his knowledge and skills, he was never able to fulfil his dream of becoming an actor. He was never given the chance to act or showcase his talents. He applied for jobs in the movie industry, both large, small and growing, but he was never employed as a professional actor.
In his previous job, Liam had been in charge of instruments, gadgets and equipment needed for every movie shoot. As an engineer? Not at all. Not a technician, he is not even allowed to test those equipment he was in charge of..His sole role was to offload those equipment from the industry vehicle to the shooting ground, arrange them and successfully load them back to the vehicle when the movie shooting is done, with a clause to his contract - He must not break, damage or mishandle any gadget.
Failure to oblige is a guaranteed 30% deduction in his paycheck till the gadget is fixed. There are some gadgets that Liam's total paycheck for the year is not enough to fix if broken; not to mention buying a new one.
'Am I too bad to become an actor?'.
Liam had asked himself one day while returning from another supposedly failed interview after submitting his CV and getting a prompt to be available for an interview.
In the building where he had applied for an acting role;
"Good day, Liam Crest?" The interviewer, a man in his early 40's with bald hair, well pressed tuxedo and a loosely fit glass that he kept pushing back to his eyes every time it slid down his nose.
"Yes Sir, Liam Crest." Liam answered amidst breath, as he was praying not to mess this opportunity up again.
The interviewer looked up at Liam, pushed his glass to his eyes and said, "Okay, I can see according to your résumé that you would be an indispensable actor in our industry, but.....
*Here we are again, the usual never ending but....* (sighs) *Just shoot, I already know how it ends, always known.* *This would be the 175th time I have heard the ever-accompanying 'but' in my job seeking adventures, crazy isn't? More like I was born to be an actor in a movie- to seek for jobs, and my antagonist is the big BUT. Well, inasmuch as....*
"Hello, Liam?"
Liam snapped to see a hand waving at his face, which seemed to have cleared his trance.
'Coughs...'
"Did you hear what I said?"
"No Sir, Nevermind... Thank you for your time". Liam picked up his bag, adjusted his signature tattered jacket and slammed the door behind him.
The Interviewer was stunned by the act. He looked so lost, he needed to grab something to feel alive, loosening his bow-tie, he adjusted his position to rest his back on his chair.
"What was that!?"
"I was talking to him and he drifted away, who does that?"
"He didn't even pick up his documents, he left it like he doesn't care or wasn't happy about what I said."
Slamming his hands on his desk, "I just offered him a job!".
A soft breeze blew past Liam's face as he strode down the street, self-doubt creeping into him as his regular companion. Walking past a shop, he sniffed the air and his stomach grumbled - milky doughnut.
"Arrgh! I need to eat. It's past Eleven 'O clock in the morning", after checking this broken watch. He scrambled through his pockets bringing out a dollar bill. He moved towards the kiosk from which the hot smell of oil-fried doughnuts emanated.
"Morning Rita, I need a box of doughnuts please".
"Good morning Liammmm". Rita said with enthusiasm, a little bit more enthusiasm. "Here you go, Liam, that's $1.70".
"what! why the extra 70 cents" Liam coughed hiding his $1.
Rita smiled, used to getting the same reaction from every customer this morning, explained the inflation to Liam.
"Well, because it's Youuuu, bring your $1 bill, I'll part way with the 70 cents".
Liam gratefully handed her the dollar bill and collected his doughnut, beaming. Taking the left route, he whistles while opening his box to grab a doughnut, the aroma hit his nose and he drool. His oily hand was a testament of a delectable meal to be devoured.
Liam sunk his teeth into the soft dough, and as the juice burst into his mouth -
A sudden white light shone upon the world blinding everyone, everywhere. As the light resided, a booming metallic and screeching voice pierced the ears of the humans.
A momentarily blue screen flashed unstably in the sky with an image appearing, large black almond eyes.
"These are the Astrals".....