Chapter 5

The sky turned black, an unnatural darkness that spread like ink across the horizon. It wasn't a storm-Aeliana knew that instinctively. It was them. The aliens had arrived.

For days, they had heard the rumors, whispers of nearby towns being reduced to rubble in mere hours, but there had always been a sense of distance to it. Willow Glen was small, insignificant, and maybe that smallness would be their saving grace. But now, as Aeliana stood on the porch, her hands trembling, she could feel that any hope of safety had evaporated. The invasion had reached them.

A deafening roar echoed from above, and Aeliana looked up just in time to see the sleek black shape of an alien ship cut through the clouds. It was massive, larger than any human-made aircraft, and it moved with terrifying precision, hovering above the town like a predator watching its prey. Around her, the air was thick with panic. People ran through the streets, their shouts blending into a cacophony of fear and desperation.

"Get inside!" her father, Marcus, barked from behind her, pulling her roughly by the arm. Aeliana stumbled back into the house, her heart pounding as she watched the chaos unfold from the window.

In every direction, the townsfolk were scattering like ants, searching for safety where none could be found. Cars screeched as they tore down the dirt roads, their tires kicking up dust as families tried to escape. Others locked themselves inside their homes, as if thin walls could protect them from what was coming. Aeliana's stomach twisted with fear as she realized that, for all her father's preparations, they weren't ready. No one was.

"We need to hide," her mother, Lydia, said, her voice tense as she moved quickly through the house, gathering what little they could carry. "We'll go to the cellar. It's the only place we can-"

"They'll find us," Marcus interrupted, his face pale as he stared out the window. "You saw what they did to the other towns. They don't leave anyone behind. We can't just sit here."

Panic surged in Aeliana's chest as she watched her parents argue, their voices rising above the sounds of destruction outside. She looked over at her younger siblings-Tara and Evan-who sat huddled in the corner, their eyes wide with fear. Tara was trying to be brave, but Aeliana could see the way her hands shook as she clutched Evan close to her.

"There has to be another way," Aeliana said, her voice cracking as she stepped closer to her father. "We can't fight them, but maybe-maybe if we hide-"

"They'll find us," Marcus repeated, his voice eerily calm now. He turned to face them, his eyes dark with a kind of resignation that made Aeliana's blood run cold. "They'll find everyone. It doesn't matter where we go or how deep we hide."

"So what do we do?" Lydia asked, her voice rising in pitch as the panic in her own chest mirrored Aeliana's. "Just wait for them to kill us? To take us?"

"We have to make a choice," Marcus said, his voice barely above a whisper. "A hard choice."

Aeliana's heart sank as she saw the look in her father's eyes, the one that told her he had already made that choice. "What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Marcus didn't answer right away. Instead, he glanced at Lydia, who nodded ever so slightly, her face drawn with the weight of whatever terrible thought had passed between them. Then, finally, Marcus turned back to Aeliana, his expression grim.

"They're taking people," he said. "For reasons we don't understand. But some survive. If we give them what they want-if we give them someone-they might leave the rest of us alone."

Aeliana's blood ran cold. "What are you saying?" she asked, though the answer was already clawing at the edges of her mind, filling her with a sickening dread.

"We don't have a choice," Lydia said, her voice steady, though her hands shook as she gripped the back of a chair. "We have to give them something. Someone."

Aeliana felt the room spin around her. "No," she whispered, backing away from her parents. "No, you can't be serious."

But they were. The look in Marcus's eyes, the cold resignation in Lydia's voice-it was all real. They were talking about her.

"You're the best chance we have, Aeliana," Marcus said, his voice softer now, as if that would make the words hurt any less. "They want people. They want someone young, healthy. Someone they can use."

Tara let out a small gasp, clutching Evan tighter to her, and Aeliana felt like she might vomit. Her parents were going to offer her as a sacrifice. They were going to give her to the aliens in exchange for their own survival. The betrayal hit her like a physical blow, knocking the air from her lungs.

"You you're going to give me to them?" Aeliana choked, her eyes filling with tears. "You're going to hand me over like some some offering?"

Her mother flinched, looking away, but her father met her gaze head-on. "It's the only way, Aeliana," he said. "You know that. If we don't give them what they want, they'll take everything. They'll take everyone."

Aeliana's heart pounded in her chest, her thoughts racing as she struggled to comprehend the magnitude of what her parents were asking of her. They were right, weren't they? The aliens would take them all, or worse, they'd kill everyone, just like they had done in every other town. But the idea of sacrificing herself-of being handed over to those creatures-it was too much to bear.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "No, I won't do it. I can't."

"You have to," Marcus said, his voice harsh now, his desperation spilling over. "There's no time to argue. They're coming, and if we don't offer you, they'll take Tara. Or Evan."

Tara let out a sob, and Aeliana's chest constricted with the weight of her father's words. She looked at her siblings, at the fear etched into their faces, and something inside her cracked. Could she do this? Could she really sacrifice herself for them?

"I'm sorry, Aeliana," Lydia whispered, stepping forward to place a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, but we don't have any other options."

Aeliana felt the world closing in around her. Her legs wobbled, her breath coming in shallow gasps as she tried to steady herself. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to be taken by the aliens, to be used for whatever terrible purposes they had. But the thought of Tara or Evan being taken instead that was worse. She couldn't let that happen.

"I'll do it," she said, her voice barely audible, her heart breaking with every word. "I'll go."

The relief on her parents' faces was immediate, though it made her feel sick. They would live. They would survive. But at what cost?

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Aeliana's mind was numb, her body moving on autopilot as her family prepared her for what was to come. Marcus and Lydia said little, their voices low and hurried as they made plans for her "offering." Aeliana tried to block out the details, but it was impossible to escape the grim reality of what awaited her.

When night fell, the sky was full of alien ships, their dark shapes looming over the town like harbingers of death. The roar of engines filled the air as one of the smaller ships descended, hovering just above the edge of the town square.

Aeliana stood at the center of the square, her heart pounding in her chest as the alien ship's ramp lowered with a hiss. She could see the silhouettes of the aliens inside, their forms tall and menacing, their glowing eyes fixed on her.

Tara cried silently from where she stood with Evan, clutching his hand so tightly her knuckles were white. Aeliana looked at them, her heart shattering. She wanted to run to them, to hug them one last time, but there was no time. The aliens were waiting.

With one last look at her family, Aeliana took a deep breath and stepped forward.

And then she was gone.