Science Fiction: Welcome to my Worlds

entire cliff. “Scanner,” muttered Daren. “What could they be looking for?”

The ship was only a speck in the distance and he thought they were leaving. Then it grew rapidly larger until it hovered over the cliff dwelling. Daren could see everyone had gone inside after the first pass.

“No!” This beam was high violet and barely visible. The mark of an energy weapon. The ship held position with the beam on for barely a minute then flew on. The rock beneath it sagged and ran molten. It cooled to mere red-heat as they watched in horror.

“Gone. They’re all gone,” Daren whispered. He felt dead inside. His face should be streaming with tears for all the loved ones he’d lost. That he’d never even gotten to say goodbye to. But right now he felt frozen like the land around him.

Belatedly he hugged Cesily to him trying to give her warmth and hope and, perhaps, get some for himself.

“We should search. There might be survivors.” She looked up into his face as if hoping to find something there.

“There is no one. I could feel them snuffed out in an instant like Mayday candles.”

“Why would someone do this? First my family, now yours. They just, just exterminated them, like bugs.”

She was crying again into his shoulder and Darin knew he should be too. The cold anger squeezed his heart like an extension of this frozen planet. He had no idea why they’d done it, but he knew they would pay.