Air Invasion

Klaxons. Klaxons everywhere. Truly this was it.

It was the dead of night, of course. They never attacked during the day. That was too obvious, and we'd see them coming a mile away -- on a cloudless day. (And even on overcast days, they always mysteriously waited 'til night.)

Either way, I was wide awake in an instant and at my post, pointing a spotlight into the sky. We knew what was coming. We knew the direction, because it was always the same. North by northeast.

I aimed my spotlight and almost immediately found my target, a dirigible of nondescript make. No markings. No unusual builds. Nothing to make it stand out. But still the sight of it gave me chills.

Almost immediately the guns fired up, tracers lancing into the night and pelting the airship. Dangerous, yes, but letting it complete its voyage was far more dangerous.

In seconds, the craft exploded, lighting up the night, aerosolized Nightmare falling to the ground like a blanket of burning napalm. After a while, you learned to ignore the screams.