“Sounded like a sonic boom,” Nori replied. The tall woman stepped to the window and eased the curtain aside. Then she simply stood there, gazing out into the night sky.

“What do you see?” Lana approached and looked out. Her jaw fell as she saw what was on the other side.

A huge ball of fire was descending from the sky. Despite the flames, it had a distinct artificial shape.

“It’s a … it’s a … it’s a ...” Lana stuttered helplessly.

“A spaceship,” Nori said grimly. “Looks like everyone was right. It’s aliens after all.”

“But … why is it burning?”

Nori frowned. “I don’t know. It shouldn’t be from entering our atmosphere - it's too low for that.” She followed the descending ship, then her eyes widened. “It’s heading this way!”

The ship devoured the last few hundred meters within a second or two and hit the ground. The earth-shattering impact threw them all to their knees as chunks of stone and dust fell from the ceiling.

Coughing and struggling to stand, Nori called out. “Everyone OK?”

Lana rose as well. There was an open, oozing gash on her forehead.

“Shit. Here, press this.” Nori put a clean cloth on the bleeding wound.

“Thanks,” Lana said weakly. “Nathan, are you alright?”

The young man nodded, though he looked pale.

“What was that?” Lana asked. “Did it hit our building?”

“No chance. If that thing hit anywhere near us, we’d all have been incinerated by now.” Nori moved to the window. “Oh, wow, it looks like it landed in the square at the end of the street. It looks mostly intact, but it’s still burning.”

Lana and Nathan hurried to the window. Sure enough, further down the street where a large square with shops once was, now lay a huge piece of flaming metal.

“So, a spaceship, eh?” Lana tried to smile.

“The impact destroyed everything around the square,” Nori said, frowning. “I just hope no one was around. We should check it out.”

“What?” Lana took a step back. “You want us to go out in the middle of the night to investigate a spaceship? An alien spaceship?”

“If not us, someone else will. And around here, the gangs are the only other ones who dare to go out on the streets. It’s pretty close, we can make it there and back before anyone else gets there.”

“It only takes a second for a Warped to kill you,” Lana pointed out.

“Suit yourself. I’m going out there.” Nori put on her jacket and fastened her shoelaces.

The two students looked at each other for a long moment, then the girl's shoulders slumped. “Wait up. We’re coming too.”

***

“Nathan, are you sure it’s safe going out from here?” Nori whispered, looking through the cafeteria’s service exit.

The man nodded at her and offered a faint smile.