He cursed when he took the first step. The stairs creaked under the weight of his boots. He winced at every step. Without his helmet on, he could hear the strain of every fiber in the wood.

To his relief, carpet covered the hallway at the top of the stairs. His boots sank silently into the material, and for a second he felt a brief reprieve from the fear. The first door to his right led to a bedroom. In the corner, he could see a window looking over the street below. To his left was a small bathroom.

He checked the sink first. It was bone dry. Then his eyes fell on the toilet. Never in his life had he thought the sight of a toilet would fill him with such hope. His eyes lit up like a child’s on Christmas morning when he lifted the lid and saw a few ounces of cloudy water in the bowl.

Swinging his backpack onto the floor, he crouched and retrieved the straw he had had lifted from a fast food restaurant. The utensil had already come in handy on several occasions. He closed his eyes as he bent down and started sucking the water down his dry throat, trying not to think about the germs he could be slurping down. The odd sound echoed through the quiet house, but he no longer cared. All that mattered was water.

When the bowl was dry, he stood to check the back tank. It was half full, but the water was a reddish brown, more than likely a result of rust from the chain.

Was it safe? Did it even matter?

He hesitated, staring at the murky liquid. It could be his last chance to find drinkable water for days. Especially if the Organics were nearby. He couldn’t risk entering another house; he had already gotten lucky once.

As he filled his canteen with the reddish brown water inside the tank, a shrill shriek broke through the silence. He fumbled with the bottle, nearly spilling the liquid on the floor. The sound faded away as quickly as it had emerged.

He froze. Several silent seconds passed. Was his mind playing tricks on him? Had the sound just been a fluke? Some pipe creaking in the bowels of the house?

Another screech tore through the stillness.

That was the sound they made. The aliens were close.

The hair on Alex’s neck stood up. Another shriek followed. Shocked into motion, he scooped up the last of the water from the tank and rushed back into the hallway. His eyes scanned the passage. Should he risk going downstairs, or should he find a place to hide?