War
The vast plain was silent. Five figures stood alone, neither talking nor moving. No bird called; no wolf howled. The dust on the arid desert floor swirled away from the near statues, as if it was consciously attempting to avoid them. Off in the distance, lights began to flicker on in a mining village as sunset neared. Suddenly, the quiet eve was shattered by the whistling sound of a sixth figure hurtling through the sky. It reached the earth with a thunderclap that pulsed out into the stillness like a flood. Then all was as it had been. Long minutes passed as the sun slowly sank beneath the horizon. When all was dark, one of the figures spoke, whispering with a palpable menace.
“Have all completed their tasks for the first?”
Each affirmed that their tasks had been completed. They girded on armor and checked their assortment of terrible weapons for impurities, but found none.
“Good,” a figure that towered over the rest boomed. “Our mission is one step closer to being fulfilled.”
“We need to make sure.” Another pointed to the distant mining village with a weapon so horrible it could kill at a thousand yards. All grunted their assent and joined him, stalking toward the sleeping town. There was a sudden frenzy of death and destruction.
An hour later it was if the hamlet had never been. The six creatures had retreated to a ridge where they were roasting a small animal for dinner. One of the beings was disturbed by a vibration on his hip, and reached in to pull out the offending item. It was small and plastic and spoke to him.
“Daddy?” it said. “When are you coming home?”