Joseph Yenkavitch

They reminded him of glowing red eyes.

Here it is, he thought, his chest tight and teeth chattering.

The alien!

Indeed, it was lying motionless in the shallow crater, still sizzling with a heat that made the air around it ripple.

Malcolm held his breath.

Here, the smell was awful, like spoiled eggs and rotten milk.

It made his stomach turn, and he thought he could possibly throw up.

He took another step closer, aware of the heat radiating up into his shoes.

It was like a wad of slime that had been rolled through cat hair.

It wasn't entirely motionless.

The thing itself seemed to emit a fascinating pale glow.

It was vibrating, as if inside its strange and goopy skin something was thrumming.

His hand twitched.

He realized with a bit of horror and awe he had almost touched it, his fingers tingling.

He looked around, feeling foolish for doing so.

but he didn't want anyone else to see the thing he had found.

The thing that had come from the sky in a flash of blue, and now lay in the field, looking like a giant piece of hairy gum.

Licking his lips, he let his hand do what it wanted.

It reached.

The closer he came to it, the more it felt like he was reaching into an oven.