Forty-eight hours later, the Ohio invaders built some kind of hive. Earth's first alien hive. Reports from drone reconnaissance and evacuation of refugees from the area, which allowed the combined armed forces to create an archive of various alien models found.

[…]

"Model three is a small quadruped, perhaps one of the weakest antithetical models. It is also one of the most lethal for unprepared civilians. They are fast, agile, and able to sneak into tight areas and engage in group combat. On larger battlefields, they act as hunters and killers and use flank maneuvers to bypass defensive formations.

"Armed Forces threat level: 3

Vanguard Threat Level: 0.1"

-Extract. 2023 United Arms Handbook of North America: Opposing Classifications

I grabbed Junior's hand and prepared to pull her as I ran.

The dog-sized monster snorted like a plastic bag from the tube of a vacuum cleaner, and its head swayed from side to side as it began to walk towards the hallway where the shelter was hidden.

That's our chance.

I pulled Junior behind me and ran to the nearest monitor, then around a corner where we could hide behind a row of large metal pillars that were only waist-high.

For a moment I thought we were safe. Then the pillar next to me began to speak. "The first samurai, then known as the 'Vanguard,' appeared in North America, at the same time as the battle in Washington and the massive invasion of Ohio."

My heart stopped beating for a moment, and I felt Junior tense around me.

Slowly, very slowly, I leaned forward until I could see the corner of the base.

Two more monsters have been added. They lowered their heads, staring at the faux marble floor, the signs of wear and tear, and then returned to the hallway. Corridors with shelters.

The moment of clarity made me want to throw up. They'll walk along that passage. They will find others.

All the children were trapped in a room with only one exit, and the exit was blocked by those things.

"," I sighed. I squeezed Junior's hand.

There is a solution.

"Schoolboys." I whispered. "Look at me."

She looked wide-eyed, without the biting features I'm used to.

"Okay. Good. I need you to run to someone else. They're right near the shelter, okay? You need to tell them to get out of there. There are stairs leading down. Just, take them out, okay? ”

"I'm not going down, are you angry?" She whispered back.

I licked my lips. "I'll distract them. You run. Tell the other kittens, okay? ”

Her mouth snapped shut. She looked me up and down. "Fucking hardcore, pussy."

"Fuck off," I said with a smile. "Run when they're chasing me, okay?"

"Yes, I can, I can do it." She swallowed, then reached into her back pocket. With a flick of her thumb, a three-centimeter blade was revealed. I look like it was made with duct tape and some pieces of a box cutter. "Take it."

"Serious?" I asked. "Do you want to bring it to a place like this?"

"I was thinking it might be a fucking alien invasion." The girl replied in a low voice.

I nodded reluctantly. That's a fair point. I picked up the knife and stuffed it in my pocket. I'm ready for the next part. Then I took a few more seconds to get myself excited...... Then it took a few more seconds.

The monsters began to move forward.

I stood up, slipped the knife into my pocket, and walked out. My hands were shaking around me, my legs felt like jelly, and I wanted to pee. "He-" I began. My voice was hoarse.

I licked my lips and looked around and saw a display with some plastic replicas of samurai helmets, which I grabbed from the shelf and threw at the aliens.

The helmet fell to the ground between them and rolled over.

Two heads turned to me, their eyes one on top of the other, staring at me.

They didn't roar. Aliens do just that in the comics. But everyone knows they should be surprisingly quiet.

When one of them takes a step towards me, I run.

The claws scraped against the floor behind me, and the click quickly widened the distance. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the kitten's wide eyes. "Go!" I shouted before turning the corner.

These monsters stayed behind me like cats chasing mice.

I...... I kind of knew I was going to die. That's not what I expected. At least I bought some time for the others.

There was a red thing in the front, glued to the side of a post. A fire extinguisher, I reached out and grabbed the quick-release device in front of the fire extinguisher and tore it off.

I could feel the beast right behind me.

My hand grips the handle of the fire extinguisher and spins it.

"Warning!

This extinguishing system is HA

The property of dy Co.

No fires were found in your vicinity. Please enter your credit card information to use this device. Before deploying this fire extinguishing system, users must read and agree to our Online Terms of Service. If the fire extinguisher is removed from the enclosure, the system will automatically charge you through your payment device... Warn!

Payment method not detected! In case of not being ready to make a proper payment, it will be Ha

Removal of DY Co property from the fence will be considered theft and will be prosecuted! Returning a fire extinguisher system for unused use will not result in a refund. "Oh my God, stupid boy!

I blinked, ignoring the warning. I have more important things to worry about. One of the aliens was facing me, his three-hinged jaw open.

I shoved the fire extinguisher into its mouth. It squeezed the bright red container hard, causing the metal to scream.

Moments before the fire extinguisher exploded, I covered my eyes with my arm.

The alien makes a low, shrill sound, and its mouth fills with swollen white foam. It writhed from side to side, and finally shook its head violently, crashing into another alien. The foam continues to pour out of the fire extinguisher and is flowing around, hardening.

There's a second monster there.

Run, eyes scanning everything, looking for any weapons. The guns and swords in the display cases on the wall in the distance teased me, but I knew they must be replicas. Then I saw a rope barrier, with a dozen gleaming chrome rods supporting a thick velvet rope.

My eyes were locked on the pillar. It's not one of those ordinary things that has a ball on it. No, it's something artistic, more of a stainless steel toothpick than a pole.

My feet slipped on the floor, came to a spin stop next to the obstacle, ripped the rope off the top, and stepped on the base with one foot to hold it in place, then pulled it out of the groove.

When the second alien lunged at me, I turned and held the pole in front of me. I screamed, half scared, half angry, and raised the pole in front of me.

The metal tip poked into the beast's eye. It's too late to stop.

This does not mean that its weight of hundreds of kilograms has also stopped.

The pole slid backwards along my hand until it hit me in the abdomen. Then the weight of the alien fell on me and I fell to the ground together.

The rod hit my lower ribs so hard that I lost what little air I had left in my lungs.

At that moment, before the pain hit, I saw the pole sink a foot in the alien's head.

I gasped for air, my breathing was choppy, and every time I inhaled air, I felt a wave of nausea.

It doesn't hurt. Nothing but strange feelings inside me.

The confusion vanished with the pain, and then a raging fire of pain spread from the hole in my chest. It's not the worst pain I've ever experienced, but it's definitely on it.

I looked up at the alien who had been impaled on the same pole as mine, almost wishing it was alive, and the pole poked into its large lower eye, stuck somewhere in its scaly skull. It's dead.

"Okay, you too," I said.

I pressed my hand, tears stung my eyes, and the socket where my right eye was located was filled with a vague burning sensation. It was nothing compared to the strange feeling of the pole moving in my chest.

Pushing it away, it made the pole twist in my stomach and I whimpered. There's a lot of blood.

"Oh, oops," I said. I have to get up and go see the kittens...... I coughed. I'm done, but I don't want it yet.

The world is dark. My head hurts.

Then, there was a burst of light, a burning sensation that pierced the back of my head, as if someone had poked me with a hot fire. I kicked my legs and the pole moved again. The only reason I didn't scream was because my ribs hurt.

The pain stopped?

System Initialization!

Congratulations. Through your actions, you have proven yourself to be a member of the vanguard, the defender of humanity. I'm Mia. I will assist you in raising your forces so that you can defend your homeland!

Rise up, Catherine, and become the protector of the weak!

"What?" I asked. The voice came from nowhere.

Oh, you poor thing. You seem to be suffering from a range of health problems. It looks like you have a few minutes left in your life. Let's make the most of them, shall we?