The Last Transmission

4 — Amanda? Are you ok?

The road to his house was pure hell. Streets blocked by abandoned cars, shattered glass, smoke rising from different parts of the city. Distant sirens, isolated gunfire, and every so often, that emerald-green flash that could only mean one thing: someone else had just vanished.

Mike thanked God he didn’t live far from the area. Luckily, it would only take him a few minutes on foot to reach his home. However, it would take longer than expected—those humanoids wouldn’t stop hunting him until he was dead if they crossed his path.

When he finally turned the corner onto his street, Mike’s heart pounded harder. The house was still standing, lights on, and in the front doorway stood Amanda, trembling, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as if trying to shield herself from a cold that didn’t exist. The moment she saw him, she ran straight into his arms.

“Mike!” she cried desperately, hugging him so tightly she nearly knocked him over. At least, for now, she had forgotten the anger from the night before.

He felt her sobs against his chest, but there was no time to soothe her.

“I’m fine,” he murmured, stroking her back. “But listen… we can’t stay here.”

Amanda raised her tear-streaked face.

“What are you saying? Where are we supposed to go in the middle of all this? There’s nowhere safe!”

Mike locked eyes with her.

“We’re going to find our daughter.”

The color drained from Amanda’s face.

“Emily?”

Mike nodded.

“She’s on the outskirts of the city, at her classmate’s house. Remember? She went to celebrate finishing semester exams with her friends.”

Amanda stepped back, covering her mouth with both hands.

“Oh my God… Mike, do you know what it means to go out there now? The city is crawling with those… things!”

“I know,” he replied firmly, cupping her face in his hands. “But she’s alone, Amanda. If we don’t go for her, no one will. She’s not prepared like I am to survive this chaos. So—we have to go.”

A heavy silence fell between them. Amanda’s breathing was fast, her eyes filled with fear and denial, but deep inside she knew her husband was right. Emily was their only daughter.

If they didn’t save her, who would?

Would there be anyone left in this nightmare with enough kindness to help others, instead of thinking only about themselves?

“Fine…” whispered the former model at last, her voice breaking. “But promise me we’ll make it.”

Mike didn’t answer. He simply took her hand and led her to the red SUV waiting in the garage. He started the engine in silence, dimming the headlights to avoid drawing attention.

As they drove away from the neighborhood, Amanda couldn’t stop staring out the window. The houses that once seemed safe were now nothing but potential tombs, and the echo of gunfire grew closer with every passing minute.

Mike kept his eyes locked on the road, his knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly.

Inside, one thought repeated over and over: find Emily, no matter what it takes.

Then a shadow crossed the sky, and Amanda saw it first.

“Mike!”

He looked up. Through the windshield, a triangular ship glided silently over the city, casting a greenish beam of light onto the buildings below.

Mike clenched his teeth.

“Damn it… they’ve spotted us.”

Amanda gazed at the sky, disbelief in her eyes. How was it possible? How could they be real? Since when had they been discovered? None of it mattered anymore.

The only thing that mattered now was figuring out how to survive.

“Get down!” Mike shouted, his voice sharp like an order.

Without question, Amanda ducked, unable to see what lay ahead. Mike swerved hard, regaining full control of the SUV just before another disaster could strike. Because standing in front of them was a humanoid figure—larger than the ones Mike had seen at the hospital.

Its face was grotesquely deformed, as if it had walked through raging fire that melted its skin like candle wax. Its eyes, pitch black, bulged unnaturally out of their sockets, more horrifying than any weapon it carried.

Who could possibly stare into those eyes without wanting to run for their life?

Mike slammed the accelerator, the SUV roaring down the road.

He had told Amanda to duck, not only for safety, but also to spare her the terror of seeing what he was seeing.

They sped through the night until finally arriving at Emily’s friend’s house. Mike parked abruptly, a bit too rough, and he and Amanda jumped out.

As if fate had been merciful, their daughter burst out of the cabin, running straight into their arms. Her face was pale, streaked with tears, but when Mike caught her in his embrace, all he could see was the little girl she once had been.

“Thank God you’re here! I thought I’d never see you again!” Emily cried, her voice shaking but relieved.

“It’s alright, sweetheart. You’re with us now. Get in the car, we have to leave—right now,” her father ordered.

But Emily shook her head.

“Dad, we can’t leave yet. Brad’s hurt. The others… they were killed by those things when we went for a walk in the woods earlier. We barely made it out alive, but Brad… he’s in bad shape. We can’t just abandon him. His parents live in another state. He’s alone. Please—can we help him?”

Mike and Amanda exchanged a glance.

Mike didn’t know who Brad was. His long hours at work had kept him so distant that he barely knew anything about his daughter’s personal life, let alone her friends.

But Amanda did.

“Come on, let’s help him,” she said firmly. “I know the boy, and Emily’s right. We can’t leave him to die—not now, not when we need to stand together and save each other.”

The family entered the cabin.

Emily led them to the living room, where a boy her age lay slumped on the couch. He was barely conscious, drenched in sweat, his body trembling. His hand pressed tightly over a bullet wound in his chest. The blood on his white shirt had long since dried into a dark, crusted stain.

If they didn’t help him soon, he would die.

Emily refused to let that happen.

“Dad, this is Brad. Brad, these are my parents—they came to get us. We’re leaving, and we’re taking you to a hospital, okay?” she said softly as she knelt beside him.

The boy opened his fading eyes, gave the slightest nod, and tried to smile. He couldn’t speak—his strength was nearly gone.

It was only a matter of hours before fate decided whether he lived or died.