The Pipe

Trip made his way up the rocky incline. In less than a hundred yards, the trail ended against the purple wall of the hill. He tried to climb farther hoping the trail continued higher up.  His foot slipped and he fell back on the rocks lining the trail. “They couldn’t have come this way,” he said to himself. He climbed again thinking why would a trail end against a wall? He wondered if some spaceship had picked the aliens off the mountain. He grabbed a rock and tossed it hard against the wall, angry that he’d failed his duty. There was no way around that wall.

            Looking up, he realized twilight had descended and he needed to return to the city for safety. He hurried his steps still looking back to see where the elusive aliens might have gone. He never gave thought to how he would explain chasing aliens outside the city. The security officer had seen them. So had Kraft and Reema. He could easily bear down on Kraft’s mind to make him tell the truth. He worried about Reema, though, because her telepathic skills were formidable. Would she lie about the aliens?  He needed proof.   

Instantly he twisted on his heels and ran back down the road toward the black tree. He could hardly see in the growing darkness, but he scrambled up the hidden path. When he found the outcropping that had torn the alien’s shirt, he groped with his hand till he felt the soft cloth. In the dark it didn’t look red, but the nubby feel of it assured him it was what he was looking for.  He stuffed it into his jumpsuit pocket and ran as fast as he could toward the city, the glow of the highway guiding his steps.