Can't breathe...urgh. Why did I have to call a stupid conference meeting today? My name is Alaria. I am 5'9 with straight blond hair... and I am currently sprinting through the blazing hot desert. Before climate change struck and destroyed most of the human population, this used to be the Amazon Rain Forest.

Oh, I would kill to be there right about now. Why, you ask? Well, because climate change happened, destroyed the world as you know it, extraterrestrials invaded and more than half the human population was captured by the ETs for who knows what. Filled in now? Great.

"Will!" I yelled, "am I late?"

"Huh? No," he replied.

"Great. I sprinted here as fast as I could."

He then asked me if I started to write a story about life here. I answered yes, then told him we had more pressing matters than a story. He has short black hair and green eyes, he's 5'10. He's only an inch taller but brags about it to me all the time.

We both walked toward the Group. The Group held residence in a shack made out of wood found around the area. It's large enough for around 2-3 people to sleep in. "So, Alaria, what is it you wanted to talk about?" asked Cole, the leader of the group and Will's dad.

I responded in an urgent tone, "We have to save Karen and the others!"

"Look... I've told you many times, they're as good as dead," he told me, a hint of sadness and pain in his voice.

"That's a lie!" I yelled with fury, "Karen is my friend, I have to save her!"

"This meeting is over!" he announced, "Go home and take Will with you. You two don't hang out very much anymore."

"Fine," I spat. So I left with Will and wrote the argument into my notebook to add to my story later.

Will and I strolled in silence through the desert and to my tent. "Hey?" he asked, "are you planning something?" I didn't reply, all I did was look at him. He then stated, "I know that look in your eyes. You're going to try and save Karen, aren't you?"

"So what? She's your friend too." I countered.

"You'll never come back alive if you go alone," he warned.

"I know," I said "but I'm trying anyway, even if it kills me."

I heard him mumble "She's my friend too," then louder, "I'm going with you, even if it kills me."

If Will comes, we'll probably both get injured or die, but then again it would be nice not to die alone, so I did the selfish thing and told him, "Sure." Next thing I know we're coming up with a game plan for the journey ahead...

So I took notes and hoped we would make it back alive to finish my story. "So should I bring my rifle, bow or wooden sword?" I asked

"How 'bout the wooden sword" he stated sarcastically.

I glared at him annoyed, we didn't have time to mess around. "I'll take the rifle," I stated with a determined look on my face.

"And how many bullets do you have?" he grilled.

"Last I counted around eight," I said embarrassed. He smirked and continued to stroll through the blazing hot desert.

After we arrived at my tent, I finished packing and Will found some of his stuff hanging on a tree from previous hangouts. And so we were off to a new adventure.

Three days have passed since we departed. We have made a camp in a small valley surrounded by rocks. It's currently night time, about two days from our goal, the facility where the ETs are keeping our friends. "There," Will whispered. He pointed at two figures looming in the darkness. "ETs, scouts," I whispered back.

"Snipe 'em!" he whispered in an urgent tone.

I took a deep breath, took aim, locked on my first target, the ET in the back, and... fired.

The ET fell to the ground dead, shot through the head. The second ET looked around but figured our location out a little too late because I took aim, fired and shot him right through the heart. With the targets neutralized, I reloaded and counted my bullets. "Six left," I mumbled.

Will stared at the dead ETs. "They have weapons," he stated.

"So?"

"You could get bullets for your rifle."

"My rifle needs specific bullets, but you could snag their water and food"

"Naw, too lazy" he said, yawning.

"Fine, I'll do it," I said annoyed.

We are now one days journey from our goal. I only have five bullets left because I hunted us a cae, the name of the deerlike alien animal whom the ETs brought with them. They feed off the small peppermint plants that grow in the ground. The cae are our only kind of food source other than peppermint. Peppermint is the only plant that grows here because of alien voodoo magic.