Chapter 20
"Won't it be dangerous?" Tonton asked anxiously.
"We won't know unless we try," Bogart answered confidently.
The boys had no definite plan on how to extinguish their curiosity. They simply wanted to know what was inside the camp. It was out of the ordinary and they were certain that the meteor was inside it and that the scientists were studying it already.
"It would be my first time to see a meteor," Kiko said excitedly. "I only see them in textbooks, but now, it is reality."
"Me, as well," Bogart uttered. "I wonder how big it is."
"Guys, wait," Tonton tried to tame their excitement. "We can't barge in and demand to see what's inside the camp."
The three laughed. Tonton was right, they could not just walk in and take a look. There presence must be kept a secret.
"We can run around the left side," Jamie suggested. "I don't see many people and activities in that area."
"Plus we can hide in the trucks," Kiko added. "We can use them to cover us as we sneak inside the camp."
"But we have to be very careful," Tonton reminded them. "We don't know who they are and what they can do."
"They are the scientists!" Bogart spoke a.s.suringly. "They are the ones the mayor talked about."
"Hey, guys," Kiko interrupted them. "Let's keep our voices low. They might hear us and catch us."
"Come on, let's get going," Jamie declared, "and don't forget to stay low. We can't be seen."
Squatting and walking slowly like a crab, Jamie led the way. The gra.s.ses were tall and the afternoon breeze was slightly strong which worked for the boys' favor. They were easily hidden as they moved towards the trucks.
"Wait," Jamie ordered in whispers. "I'll check the plastic sheets."
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They had already reached the trucks near the silver wall. Stealthily, Jamie moved a little further and touched the sheets.
"It's thick," he announced after going back to his friends. "I could not see anything behind it. But it is silent. That part of the fence must be vacant."
"How can we get inside then?" Bogart asked.
"We can go under," Kiko suggested. "The sheets do not really touch the ground. See?"
The boys followed Kiko's point finger, and indeed, there was a s.p.a.ce between the earth and hem of the fence. It
They moved forward and stooped low. They could easily fit, except for Bogart. Tonton went in first and observed his surrounding. There were more vehicles inside the fence. He was behind a small truck that looked like an ambulance. Nevertheless, it was silent so he reached down the fence and gave an okay signal. His friends saw it and Kiko immediately slid under.
When it was Bogart's turn, he struggled hard because he was too big for the s.p.a.ce. He let his legs go inside first and wiggled his way through. He was making the plastic fence sway, thereby making disturbing sounds. Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming towards them. Jamie quickly pulled back Bogart by his shoulders and dragged him behind a car while Kiko and Tonton stayed frozen on the other side.
"I think the noises came from here," a man's voice said.
"I agree," another one spoke. "Let's search around."
Bogart's and Jamie's eyes widened. Hurriedly, they crawled away from the men and after several minutes, the voices faded away. They sighed a relief.
"Let's go in here," Bogart suggested after noticing that the gap in that part of the fence was much wider.
Jamie nodded and carefully, they slid through. It was an open s.p.a.ce but several vehicles were parked everywhere. There were some people walking around but they did not notice them. Jamie tapped Bogart and together, they hid behind a very huge truck.
Meanwhile, Tonton and Kiko heard the commotion and getting caught off-guard, they suddenly became motionless. After recovering their senses, they hid under the ambulance truck.
"What now?" Tonton inquired.
"We can take a look inside this truck and find our friends later."
Tonton nodded his agreement. Carefully, they crawled outside and reached for the truck door. Surprisingly, it was not locked and they easily went inside.
They were no people inside except for someone who was lying atop a metal table. It was not moving and since there was no light inside, they could not figure out if the person was sleeping or simply resting on the table. Thankfully, there was still diffused rays of sunlight outside so that the inside of the truck was not too dark.
They slowly approached the table, and to their surprise, the figure was not exactly a human. Its lower body was covered in a white sheet, revealing only its chest and head. Its face was similar to human's but it looked weirdly different, especially because of its ashen skin color. Its black eyes were open but was staring into the unknown. Its nose but too pointed while its partly open lips were thin. Its upper head was bald and too large against its shrunken jawline. With his broad shoulders, he was more like a man.
"Who could this be?" Kiko asked himself. "Is it even a human being?"
"I don't know," Tonton replied. "But I feel I have seen something like this before."
Kiko moved closer and with one sweep of his hand, he pulled out the blanket, exposing a naked being with its hips and lower extremities looked burnt or decayed.
"Oh my!" Kiko gasped.
The being had a very slender body. Its grayish arms and legs were long ang thin. Its waist was very narrow against its bloated ribs. Its hips and legs seemed damaged, looking like a rotten tree log that had been smashed or partly burned.
"Is this an alien?" Kiko uttered in disbelief. "Have we just been visited by an alien?"
Kiko kept shaking his head as he alternatively looked at Tonton and the being. Slowly, Tonton realized that the being looked like those in his dreams - the featureless couple and the nation who was in the brink of a war. He approached the table and was about to touch it when the being suddenly s.h.i.+vered. It moved its arm and grabbed Tonton by his wrist. The boys screamed....