He forced himself deeper into the valley, heading for the rocky hills to the west. Blinking sweat from his eyes, he tried to focus on the phenomenon in the distance.

What the hell was it?

The rainstorm appeared beyond the rocks, but just how far beyond, he wasn’t sure. Alex paused to marvel at the sky. He knew he didn’t have the energy to travel much farther, but he was curious, and his curiosity propelled him forward across the dead landscape.

An hour later, he reached the last embankment of the valley. Gasping for air he began to climb, clawing his way up the loose dirt. Rocks and dead vegetation rained down the hill behind him as he dug deeper. By the time he reached the top, he could hardly breath.

“Just a little further,” he muttered.

From the top of the hill he could see a tan beach extending along the shoreline for miles, but where there would normally have been sunbathers, there was a graveyard of boats. Hulls were twisted in all directions, their cargo littered across the sand.

The ocean had receded far beyond the buoys that had once warned boats away from rocky areas. Now, they stuck out of the sand like dormant missiles. Miles away, the wall of water rose out of the ocean, where it was still deep and blue.

He followed the rain with his eyes until it disappeared into the sky. He couldn’t see them, but he knew they must be there. Somewhere above him, the aliens had ships that were draining the sea.

Alex shook his head, and another drop of sweat fell into his eyes. He grimaced, waiting for the pain to subside. To the east, short, rectangular buildings flickered in the heat waves. Civilization meant resources, which meant water and food. But it also meant danger.

He hesitated, painfully aware of the dryness of throat. Alex knew he was going to die, one way or another. It wasn’t a matter of if, just a matter of when and how. And he had two choices: die from dehydration or die like the NTC soldier that had worn the suit before him.

Neither option was particularly appealing. He took one last look at the wall of rain over his shoulder and started down the other side of the hill towards the houses.

Alex approached the buildings cautiously, scanning for aliens. There was no sign of movement besides the blur of a miniature dust tornado brewing in the distance. He paused, listening for any hint of the alien’s shrieks. Just because he didn’t see them, didn’t mean they couldn’t detect him. That was another thing he had picked up during the last four days. If he wanted to stay alive, he had to keep his focused.