The worst f-ing vacation

“This will be a great summer vacation. A few days camping in the wilderness, then we become tourists going to National Parks on the way home,” says Chris.

Ava asks, “Mom, are we still going to see Yellowstone?”

Chris turns in her front passenger seat to look at the twins. Replying to Ava, she says, “That is the plan. With our camping gear, we will do an overnight there as well. We have a campsite reservation, so we only have three days in the wilds.”

The driver, John, adds, “We will be able to shoot in the wild part so you two can show off your long-range skills to Mom.”

Emma says, “We are allowed to shoot, so that isn’t a park?”

John replies, “Not a park. It is a large ranch, and we have clearance for shooting but not hunting. It is the wrong season for hunting.”

Emma nods and asks, “How far will we walk before we get to the camp?”

Ava adds, “We have a lot of gear to move.”

Chris replies, “Your dad will drive as far as our four-wheel drive can go, so we won’t have to walk too far.”

John says, “Based on the Google satellite view and topographical maps, I think we will have to walk about a mile. That will get us to the small lake and the views.”

With the high altitude and heavy packs, everyone is breathing hard and sweating when they select a campsite. Between breaths, Chris says, “We left the phones in the Suburban, so I can’t check the altitude. What do you think, John, are we above ten thousand feet?”

John is putting down the biggest pack and the long rifles. He is breathing hard and nodding. After a couple more breadths, he says, “Oh yeah, above ten thousand easy. We will take a minute to catch our breaths.” Taking a breath, he continues, “Then get the tents up and prep our fire pit.”

Chris says to the girls, “Which one of you will take the fire pit?”

Ava and Emma look at each other. As twins, they sometimes communicate silently. They both put their hands up to do rock, paper, scissors. Emma gets the fire pit and says, “Digging at this altitude sucks.”

John says, “We are not taking chances with a fire getting loose and burning down the forest.”

Emma replies, “I know. I’m just complaining about the digging.”

Chris says, “That means Anna needs to help with the tent. Starting with the ground cover tarp.” After a short pause, taking a breath, Chris continues, “In a minute.”

It is late July, and the air is cool. The sky is crystal clear, and they begin to see some stars even before the sun has completely set. Ava comments, “Dad, you said we would have great views, and this view is stunning. With no city lights, the view of the sky is amazing.”

John smiles, “One of the extra benefits of coming out here.”

With dinner complete and dishes washed, the family is around the fire. Now that the sun is down, it is cold enough for jackets. Chris says, “Tonight we star gauze. I brought a paper star map so we can try and find all the constellations that are visible here.”

John says, “Tomorrow after breakfast we will figure out our shooting plan. This area, next to this small lake, is the flattest area for miles. We will see what good targets are across the lake and up that mountain. I’m expecting both of you to get twelve hundred yards of shots.”

Emma asks, “Do we get to use the ballistics computer? I don’t like doing it in my head.”

John replies, “Yes. To get the initial setup going. Then we will change targets, and you have to adjust without the computer.”

As they start looking for constellations, Ana looks west and asks, “What is that? It's moving.”

Chris asks, “Where?”

Emma says, “I see it.”

John is looking in the same direction and says, “Think of describing it as a shooting solution. What elevation? What distance.”

Ava says numbers, so Chris and John shift their gaze. Chris says, “Got it.”

Emma asks, “Could it be the space station?”

John nods, “It looks like it could be. With the sun in that direction, we are getting a reflection from it.”

Ava asks, “Can we use our scopes to look at it?”

John replies, “Good idea.”

John grabs the rifle bag and pulls out the two precision rifles they all shoot. He hands one to Chris and the other to Ava. “You two use that one. Mom and I will use this one. It’s probably going to be hard to spot.”

Chris is looking through the scope and says, “Not seeing it.”

She lifts her head for the third time to try and align the rifle. Putting her head on the stock, she looks through the scope and says, “I see it. It looks long, but not a cylinder. It is wide across.”

Ava says, “I see it. Yeah, it’s more like a wide Hogue roll. Wait, what just came off the side? There is another.”

Chris says, “I see them. They are tiny in comparison, and they are moving away. Now there are more.”

After a second, Emma says, “Can I see?”

Ava rolls away from the rifle so Emma can look. John says, “Give me a count of the small ones, and which way are they moving?”

Emma starts counting softly while John and Ana are looking in the direction. Ana says, “I can see them now. They are starting to glow.”

John is squinting. Ana says, “Dad, can you see them?”

John says, “Yes. They are glowing because they have entered the atmosphere. They are coming down. And it looks like they are heading this way.”

Emma says, “I count twenty-eight.”

Chris says, “I also have twenty-eight.”

Emma says, “Something just happened to the big ship. It blew apart or exploded.”

Chris shifts the rifle slightly, saying, “Wow, it is in a million little pieces. What happened?”

John says, “I’d like everyone to change focus. Which way are those small ones heading? I don’t see a burn trail behind them. They are absorbing the reentry heat, or we can’t see the trail because they are coming right at us.”

Chris shifts the rifle looking at one of the now bright orange balls and says, “I don’t see anything trailing.”

Chris rises to her knees, looking at John. “If they are heading at us, we need to get out of the area.”

“Agreed. Girls, grab your little essential backpacks. I have the rifles and my essentials. Leave everything else.”

As they head to the suburb, everyone is looking at the sky. John says, “I think we should pick up pace.”

Getting to the suburb, they look at the approaching fireballs. There is no sound, but they start to feel the radiant heat. As they watch, the first impact is to the mountain above the lake area. John yells, “Get in!”

As the blast wave from the impact rocks the truck Chris says, “Girls, get buckled and hold on.

Chris says, "John, we don’t have roads; this is not going to be fast.”

“I know.”

The second impact is further east of them. Looking out the window, Emma says, “The forest is on fire.”

John says, “We are heading down. This will be slow. I need both girls looking for incoming meteors. Chris, I need you to help me navigate the terrain and trees.”

Chis nods, and both girls reply, “Got it.”

A minute later, Chris says, “You’re pushing. We don’t want to break the truck or us.”

Emma says, “It’s hard to see much through the trees.”

Seconds later, Ava says, “I have one incoming in front of us.”

“How close.”

“Now!”

The trees down the slope snap and explode with a large fireball. John slams on the brakes. The air pressure wave slams into the front of the truck, cracking the windshield. His hands are clenching on the steering wheel, and Chris can see his jaw muscles clenching. “I have to go around. I’m going to the left of the impact.”

Chris puts her hand on his arm. “We are okay. You got this.”

Driving for the next few minutes, John looks to his right and then at Chris. “The fire is spreading toward us, up the hill. The flames draw air up the hill, fueling the fire, which means we are on the hot side the way it is traveling faster.”

The Suburban four-wheel drive is jerking and jostling over the hillside terrain. John has to slow to go over small trees. Everyone is getting jerked around inside.

Ava yells, “Another one directly behind but high.”

In the next few seconds, one of the fireballs impacts one hundred yards ahead. The trees snap as the meteor comes down. The area has more dense trees, and that helps slow the meteor. It doesn’t explode into a fireball. They start to see smoke and flames.

Chris asks, “John, are we far enough along to turn down? I think you can angle down to the right.”

John is focused on driving and the new impact ahead. He glances toward Chris, nods, and turns to start heading down. “We will pass close to the fire, and it will get hot. Don’t touch the glass if we go through any flames.”

After completing a wide ninety-degree turn, Ana is looking at the new crash area and yells, “Stop. There is something on the left.”

John stops. Even though his daughters are twelve, they have been trained and been through enough to only say stop if it is important.

Chris is trying to look around John as he stops. Emma looks past her sister and says, “There is someone.”

The truck is stopped, and John turns to look. He sees something stumbling on two legs through the forest.

Ana says, “It has a baby in its arms.”

Chris puts her hand on John and squeezes. She says, “I don’t know what that is, but leaving it in this firestorm is wrong.”

John nods, puts the car in park, and says, “Give me my holster.”

Chris reaches under the seat and hands John his 1911 45-caliber pistol in his belt clip holster.

Emma says, "Dad, be careful.”

Chris says, “Be quick.”

John steps out and puts his holster on his hip as he walks toward the being. Because he is experienced, he moves quickly across the terrain toward the beings. After about fifteen yards, they hear a noise. Chris turning and looking through the windshield sees a horrific sight.

Emma says, “The bear is on fire.”

A large black bear with all its fur on fire is yelling and charging out of the fire. It is not focused on John or the beings, but it is moving directly toward the two beings. John continues for a few more feet as the bear gets closer, then stops. He pulls his weapon, cycles the slide, and raises it toward the bear.

Taking a slow breath to calm himself, he leads the bear and compensates for the slope and fires. The bear is hit and collapses dead. Its fiery carcass starts to ignite underbrush.

John holsters his gun as he looks at the beings. The adult is looking at him. John motions to come toward him, and the being begins to move, stumbles, then stops. It looks up at John, and the large black eyes close slightly. After a second, it starts moving quickly. It suddenly knows how to traverse the forest.

Seeing them quickly moving John returns to the vehicle and opens the back. He says to the girls, “Pull stuff toward the seat and get your weapons out of its reach.”

The being gets to the suburb and looks at John. It is taller than John by a few inches with long, slender limbs. Other than that, it looks humanoid. It takes the small child and climbs into the back.

John jumps in the driver’s seat and starts driving toward the burning bear as a reference. He just walked part of this and knows more about it.

Chris asks, “Is this an alien invasion?”

John is focused on driving as he turns downhill but replies, “No armor, no weapons. I don’t think this one is part of an invading army.”

Ana says, “The alien is hurt. There are two burned spots on its leg.”

Chris replies, “Standard first aid. Clean and bandage a burn.”

Emma hands Ava a first aid kit from her essential backpack. Ava takes a bottle of water and shows it to the alien. She then pours water on the burn spots on its leg. The alien makes a noise, breathes several times, and then collapses.

Emma reaches for the baby and says, “It reacted to the water and collapsed.”

Chris replies, “It’s probably from the pain. They do not look strong. Put gauze on the spot to help it.”

John says, “We are approaching the edge of the fire.” Just then he jerks the wheel right and plunges into the flames. John yells, “Drop off, and I had to turn. Don’t touch the windows.”

They are in the intense flames of a forest fire for several seconds. It seems like an eternity to John. Now they are out, and Chris looks around to see the Suburban with smoke coming off of it. The paint is blistered.

Ana gasps and says, “The gauze. I put it on the wound, and it took it, absorbed it.” It looks like it is using it to recreate its dark gray skin.”

Chris says, “Put gauze on all the burnt parts. When it wakes up, offer it water.”

Turning to John, Chris asks, “How far to a road?”

“Maybe fifteen minutes.”

Chris continues, “John, we have aliens in our truck.”

John is focused on the terrain, but nods and says, “These are the definitions of illegal aliens.”

Emma asks, “Where do we take them?”

John replies, “We are taking them to the authorities. We won’t be harboring illegals.”

Chis nods and says, “Understood, but where? To the sheriff in the local town?”

John gives a slight laugh, saying, “Hell no. The federal government controls immigration. If we gave those two over to the locals, they would probably be dead in hours. We have to get them to federal agents.”

Ana says, “This big one drank some water and then looked for the baby.”

Emma says, “I gave the baby back. They are trying to hold on in the back.”

Chris turns as the alien looks up toward their direction of travel. They make eye contact, and Chris senses, feels, and experiences a presence in her head. “John, he is a guardian, protecting the baby.”

“How do you know that?”

Chris shakes her head. “It was in my head. It knows we are about taking them to the federal people, not the locals.”

John glances in the mirror and sees the alien looking at him. He senses the alien reading his thoughts, and suddenly it is gone. He says, “It just read my mind.”

Chirs asks, “And?”

“My thoughts were about protecting my family and getting out of here. It was suddenly gone.”

Emma says, “Dad, I think it knows you were a Navy Seal. It is agitated now and moving to the back of the truck.”

Ana says, “I’ve been watching. There are no more fireballs I can see, but jets are flying above the area of our camp.”

John says, “The military would have spotted the incoming fireballs or escape pods. They are sending people.”

Chris says, “I see the road. Turn to the left slightly.”

John says, “Got it.”

Two hours later, they are at a convenience store for gas. Chris says, “You are exhausted. I can drive after we get gas.”

John shakes his head. “I’m good. Take the girls for a potty break, get water and snacks while I fuel up, and look for a place to take them.”

As he is fueling the truck, a sheriff's deputy pulls up and gets out. He says, “Are you guys, okay?”

John says, "Yes, officer, we got out of the fires. I will need a new paint job or a new truck.”

The officer asks, “You need any help?”

John replies, “The wife and kids are getting water and snacks. I called a friend, and we will stay with them.”

The officer begins a typical digging or casual interrogation about details as he walks up to the suburb. In the back, the aliens are covered with a tarp. As the officer looks in the back window talking, he suddenly pauses, shifts, and says, “Have a safe trip,” and walks back to his car.

Chris and the girls come out with a bag as the officer drives off. Chris asks, “Everything okay?”

John says, “Get in.”

When they are in the truck, he continues, “He started asking questions then suddenly stopped and left.”

Chris glances toward the back of the Suburban. “Where are we going?”

John says, "Well, the closest possibility is the US Marshals in Spokane. We will head there.”

Two hours later they arrive, and John tells everyone. This will be dicey. Put weapons away; we don't show weapons to federal agents. Stay calm.

He enters the building and talks to an agent. After showing him a picture of the alien, the agent says to wait and picks up the phone.

As they drive away, Chris says, “Girls, we did our part. We didn’t let that baby die in a fire, and we turned over the illegal aliens to the authorities.”

Seconds later Emma gasps and says, “No.”

Chris turns and says, “What?”

“It was in my mind. I think it was the baby. I saw cities burning.”

John says, “The worst f-ing vacation ever!”