Jamie and Bogart stayed in their hiding spot and remained silent for a while. They occasionally heard footsteps but they were distant and unalarming.
"What do we do now?" Bogart finally shattered the silence. "Where could Tonton and Kiko be?"
"We can find them later," Jamie replied. "We can investigate this big truck first. It's what we came here for."
Bogart nodded. The truck was an open-back type which was covered with silver plastic sheet so they had no clue what was inside it. There was already a ramp propped against the back so they used it to climb and get inside the truck.
It was dark inside but they could see something like cute vehicle in the center. It looked like a small car but shaped like an oval or bullet. They could see nothing inside it for its few mirrors had a black tint. It was mesmerizing to watch because its silvery surface shone in the darkness.
Gently, they approached the vehicle. They gasped as it was more astonishing when up-close. However, its rear was crumpled, as if it was damaged by some impact or collision.
"What is this thing?" Bogart whispered.
"I don't know," Jamie answered. "It's some kind of a vehicle."
Bogart fumbled on its side and touched something like a button. He pressed it and to his surprise, a side door opened from the side. Its hinge was located on top and so the door opened upwards. However, the space on that side was narrow and so the door did not fully open. Instead, the strained whirring sound from the vehicle engine continued as it struggled to open the door which was stuck against the wall of the truck. In one snap, the door gave way and broke.
Bang!
The boys jumped in fear. They waited in silence but they heard no other sound but their labored breathing. Thankfully, the incident did not create a loud noise because only segmentx of the hinge was broken, leaving the door awkwardly hanging on it.
"That was close!" Jamie exhaled. "Hey, what are you doing again?"
To his surprise, Bogart climbed up the vehicle, his bulky arms and belly struggling on the limited space. He squeezed through the only seat in the vehicle.
"Wow, this is cool," Bogart said excitedly, ignoring his friend. "This is nothing like an ordinary car!"
"Is this a spaceship?" Jamie asked curiously.
Bogart was taken aback. He did not thought of that until his friend said so. He examined the dashboard of the vehicle. Indeed, it was something different. He saw countless buttons and levers. There were characters or images written on them but they were not familiar to him. His heart leapt because they stumbled into something intriguing.
"Jamie, I guess you are right. Things in here are quite weird. I don't think this is some kind of a scientist's gear."
"So a spaceship landed on us, and not a meteor?"
"I think so."
"And it did not simply landed. It crash landed. The back side is wrecked."
"This is exciting. I'm enjoying this discovery."
They both gave out a low chuckle. It was not everyday that regular kids could come across some alien objects.
"Hey, this is not really our discovery," Jamie said. "The scientists came in here first."
"Huh, I think you're right. But why did they keep this a secret? They were here last night but there was no news the entire day about some spaceship."
"This is fishy." Jamie thought long and hard, then said, "Well, there could be more trouble if the people know about this. People will get into panic."
Bogart nodded. "Could there be other spaceships here?"
"I think none. This is the only huge truck in the camp and located in the center. The other trucks are encircling it, as though forming a barrier around it to protect it."
"Besides, there was only one falling star last night, which happens to be a spaceship and not a meteor."
"Unless the first falling star was also a spaceship."
They instantly became quiet. Fear crept in as more realizations dawned on them.
"If there are spaceships," Jamie finally uttered, "then there would be aliens. This spaceship could not be here on its own."
"This is getting creepy. No wonder the scientists did not inform us about this. Could the mayor have known about this all along?"
"I don't think so. He gave his speech before the scientists arrived."
"Then the government is behind this."
Jamie nodded. He looked around him, and the way the camp was set up and how the truck was covered seemed to confirm their theory.
"Where could the alien be?" Bogart asked curiously.
"They must have taken him to be studied. They always did that in the movies."
"We should tell Kiko and Tonton about this."
"Come on, but we need to find them first."
Bogart was about to leave his seat when he accidentally brush his left arm on a hot surface.
"Ouch!"
"Bogart, are you alright?"
Bogart howled in silence, careful not to let anyone hear them and got themselves caught. The pain was searing that he almost cried. He pointed at something like a black box in his left side.
"This thing here is hot. I did not notice until my arm touched it."
Jamie climbed on the door side and squeezed himself in. He took out his friend's arm and below his elbow, he found a large burn. It was at least two inches wide and brightly red.
"We need to patch this first," Jamie said and took his handkerchief. "We can put some ice on it once we got home."
"There must be gasoline in this box," Bogart conjectured while his friend was busy bandaging his burn. "That's why it was hot."
"Silly, there's no way this spaceship is carrying some gasoline. There's no gasoline in space."
They both laughed. Jamie was soon finished with his job. Because it was still painful, Bogart found it hard to move his arms.
"We'd better keep moving now."
Bogart was about to answer his friend when a loud shriek echoed. It was a scream made by some scared boys. The two sat up, realizing that the voices were from their friends....