Day Sixteen
An Original Science Fiction story
This is a fictional AP-style news article that’s part of an ongoing flash fiction series detailing the aftermath of an extraterrestrial attack on multiple US cities.
Read the previous stories below to catch up on the narrative so far:
Deadly clash at Utah street market sparks new calls for extraterrestrial deportations
By: Angie Riggs
World News Daily
PARK CITY, Utah — A verbal altercation between an alien and a human turned deadly, leaving four dead and nine others injured in a Utah resort town on Sunday morning.
The violent clash occurred at a street market in downtown Park City. Witnesses say an alien vendor selling rare stone jewelry at a booth got into a heated argument with a human customer. Their verbal fracas soon escalated into a shoving match when the alien reportedly jumped over a table to attack the human.
Eyewitnesses reported the alien eventually drew a weapon resembling some type of laser pistol and opened fire. He peppered a gathering crowd with acid pellets, sending dozens of bystanders scrambling for cover. The attack ended when a local police officer shot the alien dead.
“I’ve never been so scared in my life,” said Gavin Marsh, a shopper at the street market. “That alien’s weapon burned actual holes into people’s bodies. I don’t want to go shopping ever again.”
Several victims remain in serious or critical condition at a local Park City hospital. The incident has shaken residents of a quiet mountain town mostly known for skiing and hosting Winter Olympics events in 2002 and 2034.
“Our family decided to move up here because it felt like such a peaceful place,” Park City resident Emma Langdon said. “You never imagine these sorts of things can happen in your own backyard.”
The alien/human clash in Park City renewed calls for deportation of extraterrestrials from lawmakers in Washington. Critics of the Federal Alien Resettlement Program said the agency must be held accountable for not doing more thorough background checks and letting violent aliens come to Earth.
FARP, they claim, has lost sight of its original purpose and is welcoming anyone flying a spaceship.
“We need to push back on FARP policies and hold agency leadership accountable,” Utah senator Nephi White said. “This administration has made it clear alien lives are valued more than the lives of Earth-born humans. It shouldn’t be this way.”
Tensions between extraterrestrial refugees and humans have mounted ever since a wave of alien attacks in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore 16 days ago left more than 40,000 people dead or missing.
White said President Seth Gillman has not done enough to restore law and order in the days following the attacks. Protests and riots have repeatedly flared up in multiple cities from coast to coast, resulting in clashes with local police and millions of dollars in property damage.
“Gillman is sitting in the White House fiddling while Rome burns,” White said. “Who does he think will put out the fire he started?”
Did you enjoy my latest sci-fi tale? Browse through my other short stories in the Strange New Worlds archives and check out my Alien People Chronicles series.
