Yesterday's Gone: Season One

Just then, the SUV was rocked as something landed on the roof. Above him, the creature screamed something unlike any animal Ed had ever heard. The sound reached into the recesses of Ed’s brain and turned his insides to frost as the creature scraped its talons on the roof, trying to either hang on... or claw its way into the truck.  
    Ed spun the wheel and floored the gas pedal, racing back and towards the other two creatures. The truck hit at least one. Ed stepped on the brakes, causing the SUV to screech to a stop. The creature on the roof flew backwards and tumbled to the ground. Ed jumped from the SUV, turned back and fired a shot at the head of the creature he’d hit but not killed. It’s head popped into a mist of black goo. He turned and fired at the monster who had been riding his roof.
    Both shots went flying by as the creature bounded toward him, closing in fast. He steadied his aim with the second pistol as death raced toward him. Twenty yards, fifteen, ten, and getting closer.  
    Every instinct said run , get back in the car , drive . But his battle-tested training overrode his natural instincts. As the creature sprung into the air toward Ed, arms outstretched, he found the inner calm he needed to hit his target directly in the face, causing it to explode in a mad gush of black gore.
    Ed fell to the ground, ducking out of the way, as the creature sailed over him and onto the asphalt behind.
    As Ed stood, he spun around, searching for the last of the missing beasties. It wasn’t behind the truck, nor inside, as he approached with guns drawn. His heart was pounding and his breathing was fast as he turned in full circle, scanning the parking lot.
    Nothing. It was gone.  
    Except he knew it wasn’t truly gone .
    No, it was hiding.
    He glanced down at the dead creatures on the ground, trying to figure out what they were. But nothing in his personal history gave a clue as to what he was looking at. It might have once been human, or started out as human, or was maybe a hybrid mix of human and something else. Something alien. While the creatures shared many similarities with one another, subtle differences were noticeable. One had clawed hands, while another had no fingers, just stumps. And though the clawed one was tall and lanky, the other was shorter, sturdier. Their skin was black as night, coated with something wet. Beneath the skin, Ed could see what seemed to be fading light, like a freaky translucent deep sea creature he’d once seen on TV.
    Ed hopped into the SUV, then drove to the front doors of Jade’s apartment complex. He parked horizontally, so the driver’s side door and cargo door were as close to the front of the building as possible, then scanned his surroundings once more before leaving the relative safety of the SUV and entering the apartment building.  

    **

    When he returned to Apartment 410, Jade ran to greet him, embracing him hard. Tears covered her face. “I thought you were dead!”
    Ed realized the three of them had been watching from the window, and had seen the whole battle unfold.  
    “I’m okay,” Ed said into Jade’s ear.
    Having his daughter in his arms felt so good. After years of frosty silence, hugging her was somewhat awkward, like he wasn’t hugging his little girl, but rather a woman he barely knew any longer, a woman with a new perfumed scent. Yet, somewhere deep inside the hug, was that bond that could never be broken between parent and child. And it was there he found himself getting lost in the memories of his prior life as a father. Before his life as an agent had spiraled out of control.
    He wanted to hold her forever, but couldn’t allow himself to get tangled in emotion. A part of him would have collapsed into tears, begged for forgiveness from his baby girl, if they had the time and luxury of a safe world where they could repair past damages. But this was not that time. And with the introduction of monsters into this new world disorder, he was afraid their wounds could go forever unhealed.  
    Now was the time for strength, not healing.
    He kissed his daughter on the head, then broke the embrace.
    “We’ve got to get out of here. Find a safe place.”
    “What were those things?” Teagan’s eyes were wide with fear.
    “I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like it. As crazy as it sounds, my guess would be aliens of some sort.”
    “Do you think that’s what’s behind all the people vanishing? Aliens came and took everyone?” Ken