Free Genetic Drift by Martin Schulte

the coffee counter and it wasn’t there either.  Then he remembered that he had left it in the car.  The cashier was staring at the static sound coming out of the radio.  The cup of coffee fell to the floor as Ben whisked to the door.  The door slammed open and stuck as Ben sprinted out to his car.  He lifted the door handle but it wouldn’t open.  He reached into his pocket and the car chirped as the doors unlocked.  The phone was sitting on the seat facedown and he grabbed it.  The screen illuminated and One Missed Call was displayed. 
    Message Received came after the missed call alert.
    Ben could only hope his Dad was okay.  He entered in his passcode and listened to the message.
     
    Ben, my son, I hope this reaches you well.  I am sorry and you were right.  They have attacked and there is nothing I can do and this will be the last time I will speak to you.  I only pray that you are nowhere near a city being attacked.  If you do survive this attack, please go to the nearest town and find a militia.  You will be a great asset to them.  And son, the only way that I will be able to defeat these aliens is through the best part of me, you.  God bless you and I know you will do what needs to be done. Love you, son.
     
    Ben called his father back with the hope of an answer but the only answer was a recording saying that the number was not available.  He closed his eyes and hung his head.  He choked and did his best to hold in his tears.  “Don’t cry, it’ll let your enemy know that you’re weak,” he remembered his father saying as he indulged in his memories of the past. The memories with his father.  Chuckles and deep exhales would occasionally come out of his mouth.  He opened his eyes and came back to reality.  He walked back into the gas station.  He didn’t even wait to get to the counter.
    “Where is the closest militia based?” he demanded from the cashier.  The cashier was still in shock from the radio announcement and turned around. 
    “Um, why it’s, um, Charlottesville,” he informed Ben. 
    “Thanks,” Ben said, and he turned around to get in his car.
    He knew where to go and what he needed to do. He would honor his father’s last request and kill every last one of the damn aliens so his father didn’t die in vain.

DAY 276
    HOSPITAL TRIAGE
    CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA
     
    His heart was racing as he opened his eyes.  In front of him, Marcus Smith saw a cinder block wall painted off-white.  The beeping from the heart monitor pounded from behind him.  His breath became more rapid.  The urge to move overcame him and he pushed away from the bed into a sitting position.  
    He looked at the wires that were hanging from his arms and chest and started to remove them.  The heart monitor flat-lined as he ripped off the last of the wires.  Pushing himself off the bed, Marcus awkwardly stepped onto the floor.  His knees began to buckle as he reached back to the bed and used it as support.  The last thing he remembered was carrying that woman he found out of the bunker. 
    One of the nurses charged into the room and wrapped her arms around him.  Her attempted lift was met by his weight.  She conceded that he wasn’t budging, “Sir, please get back on the bed,” she asked, still struggling to hold him up.  Marcus propped his arms on the bed and lifted himself to a sitting position.  When he released the tension from his muscles, a burning sensation started to emanate from his back spreading to the entirety of his torso.  He reached backwards and felt his back covered with a pad.  
    “You had a lot of shrapnel in your back.  You were very lucky for two reasons: nothing major was damaged and you survived.”  She started to clean the blood running down his arm from the removal of the IV.  
    “So, none of the others made it,” Marcus said as if death was a daily occurrence in his life.  
    “You were the only one, I’m sorry to tell you,” she threw away the