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THEY ARE HUNGRY !

by Diego PAOLUCCI

	I'm in the dark, barricated in the cave, sitting on the ground, 
the shoulders on the rough wall. I'm the only survivor of my family. They 
will catch me up soon, they will break the iron door down, they will get 
me and tear me to pieces. For now they've just played with me. I feel 
them moving outside the wall, panting and scratching at the door.
	Waiting. They're waiting that I'm going out of my head and to 
deliver myself into their hands. They aren't in a hurry. They're not 
scared about me, only hungry, they are starving. They believe I will 
give in, I will implore them for mercy, I will try to run away. They're 
wrong, they won't get me easily. 
	I'm waiting for you, fucking bastards, come and get me.I'm 
stroking my father's shotgun. I'm holding it so close in my hands that 
it's a part of myself, by now. Two shots, only two shots but I will shoot 
them, straight in the middle of their fucking eyes, I swear it on the 
Bible.
	It was my mother's idea. A cottage on the mountain, lost in the 
hood. She told me "We'll relax ourselves". Now She'll be 
hanging at the ceiling, like a quarter of beef, waiting to be loaded on 
their fucking spaceship. Oh yes, Mum, I bet that you're feeling very 
relaxed, now. 
	We should have understood immediately that something was going 
wrong and we should have run away til we were in time. There was 
something in the air, a sensation of imminent danger. And the hood 
seemed to have proper eyes. Now I know what was anguishly staring at 
us.
	Our cat was the first to disappear, the very first night. We found 
him, what of him was left, two hundred meters far from the cottage, under 
a tree. My father thought of some wolf and started keeping the shotgun 
always loaded. But the real horror started as we arrived at the village. 
And we found it deserted. Abandoned houses, closed shops, cars in 
the middle of the street. And a message on a wall written with the blood: 
"THEY ARE HUNGRY OF US".
	We went back frightened to the cottage, determined to run away, 
but the car had been thrown in the river. We decided to go away on foot 
the morning after, but it was already too late.They attacked during the 
night. My father was the first to be dragged out and torn to pieces. I 
only heard the screams while running to the cave, followed by hungry 
shadows. Thanks God I didn't hear when my mother and my sister were 
kept.
	Now I am here alone, with the shotgun in my hand and with the 
madness consuming my heart. And I am awaiting. Not too much.At last 
they break the door down, they come in in drove. I aim the shotgun at 
them and I shout with all my breath. And I shoot. Then they jump to me 
all together and drag me away, I faint.

-Jesus Christ Charlie, he had a gun!- the man torns his grotesque 
rubber mask up and throws it on the ground with anger.
-I didn't think he would have the courage to shoot.-
-He shot Jack. Call a damn ambulance. Take him away.- 
Two men, wearing white overalls like the astronaut ones, but without 
helmet and less encumbering, carry the body away on a stretcher.
-Calm yourself Frank. It's all over.-
-You're right. They were four, weren't they?- 
-Yes, they all died killed by the aliens.- A snigger.
-You're still wearing the mask, Charlie. Take it off and take off your 
costume as well. The farce is over.- 
-This time we did a good job. They will be satisfied at the lab. 
The house cameras have taken all the scenes and the micros have 
recorded all of their screams of fear. This time they will have lots of 
stuff to test.- 
-Tell me Charlie, wy do we do it?-
-Every time the same question, Frank. It's a secret governament 
experiment to study the human behaviour in case of an alien invasion. 
So we will be ready when they'll come. You know it Frank.- 
-How many have we killed, by far?-
-Twenty families, Frank, you should know it as well. But, don't use 
that expression. We aren't killers. We scare them to death, that's true, 
but only to analize them. They're just like guinea pigs for the lab 
doctors. Once the scene is over, we anaesthetize them, we drug 
them so that theywon't remember anything and we desert them in 
some little abandoned village of the countryside that we built. 
It looks like a movie set but they always believe in it.- 
-Do you like all of this Charlie?- 
-Oh come on Frank, it's an important thing. We should be ready when 
they will come. Don't you think so?- 
-Oh sure, Charlie; we should be ready- he throws the mask on the ground 
-I wonder if they will be cruel as we suppose- with a lowet tone of voice 
-I wonder if they will be more cruel than us.-
-What did you say Frank?- 
-Nothing important.- he goes out at the open air. The place is full of 
the men with the white overalls and crafts like ambulances. 
-Put an other advertisement on the papers, Charlie. I go home.- 
-Okay Frank. I will arrange it.- 
-I wonder which family we will eat next time, Frank.- Frank, silent, 
stares at Charlie, licks his lips and then burst to laughing. Charlie 
doesn't find anithyng amusing in that kind of life, but he doesn't 
say anything. He gets in the car and tries to let that nightmare beyond 
his shoulders.

(translated from italian by Ilaria Sica)

DIEGO PAOLUCCI, 24 years old italian writer, comix addicted and movie expert, attempted to scare us with this short script; actually he's working at the realization of an SF illustred saga as author, with a team of professionist. He his waiting also to write the screenplay for Roland Emmerich next movie (jokin'!).
mail to Diego any comment or request

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