Cal rushed to his table, put a sheet of paper into the typewriter and started striking the keys as quickly as possible, something had crashed in the woods last night, he had not been out drinking but had been drugged and the military was involved; he needed to get the story down for the paper while it was still fresh in his mind. Cal just wished he could picture the object and the strange man’s face but his mind still blocked it from him.
The sun rose over the sleepy backwater town and glinted sharply through the damp morning dew. Rays of light crept through the slightly open blinds and reached out towards Cal. The sun hit his face and he grunted as he turned his head away from the light. He opened his eyes gingerly, he blinked rapidly to clear the blurriness and sleep from his vision. Finally, he lifted his head so he could rub his eyes.
A shooting pain ran through his neck, he winced as he sat up straight. The reporter had fallen asleep at his desk last night. He groaned as he looked around the room for a glass of water. That’s when he remembered he had knocked it over the night before.
Cal went to get up to fetch another drink when the paper on his desk caught his attention. Cal picked it up and began to read, his eyes widened with excitement, it was about the events of last night which he had clearly forgotten about. Cal raced to the window and peered out into the streets; they were empty, not a soul to be seen.
‘That means the military has gone.’ Cal thought and he smiled ‘I’ve got to get this over to the tribune; if I’m quick they might just get it into print today.’
Cal rushed to get dressed, grabbed a quick drink then ran out to his car. As soon as the car fired into life he was away. As he got to the road out of town his heart sank, at the very end was a roadblock manned by three State Troopers.
The troopers signaled for him to stop which he did immediately.
“Morning officers, is there a problem?”
The officer lent into his window, “That depends, the woods are closed today.”
Cal raised his eyebrows, “Can I carry on down to Greensburg, I don’t want to be late to work?”
The officer looked towards his superior, who smiled then signaled for them to move the barriers and let him through. Cal felt his heart rate return to normal as he watched the roadblock fade into the distance.
The Tribune-Review
The man took in a deep inhalation from his cigar as he scanned the page in front of him. Finally, he looked up and locked his predatory gray eyes onto Cal’s.
“Why didn’t you ring me straight away, this is a hell of a story!”
Cal sighed; he did not want to tell Daniel that he was more than likely drugged by a man wearing a black suit and that he could not remember most of the evening.
“The phones were out.” He shrugged.
“And the blockade wasn’t relaxed until the morning?” The editor asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Exactly,” Cal responded.
The larger man got up and slapped Cal on the back with quite a force.
“Good work we will get this out as soon as possible, even if the paper is going to be late this morning.” Daniel glanced at the clock on his wall. “It has just gone six now so at a push, we could have this at people’s homes around 9ish.” He grinned, “Get that article down to the boys in the print room… and good work Cal, you deserve this one!”
The locals had started to complain by the time their favorite paper finally arrived at their homes and in the various stores dotted around the area. They were shocked and intrigued by the paper’s headline that day.
“Unidentified Flying Object Falls near Kecksburg – Army cordons off Area.”
The article continued by describing the events of the previous evening.
‘The object that had widely been reported as a meteor came to a crashing halt in the woods next to the backwater town of Kecksburg. Volunteers from the local fire depart were on the scene quickly and discovered the impact site. The towns’ people rushed to the area to take a look at the strange object in the crater; however just as quickly as the object had crashed then the area was immediately sealed off on the order of U.S. Army and State Police officials; reportedly in anticipation of a close inspection of whatever may have fallen.
The State Police officer’s then roped off the area while the locals were escorted away by the Army, some at gunpoint. The Tribune – Reviews own Cal Walter noticed a group of NASA scientist wearing protective yellow suits, investigating the area.
A couple of hours later the Military removed the object on the back of a flatbed truck that drove quickly through the town with a close military escort. Residents of the town were confined to their homes while this object was taken away.
The State police still controlled access in and out of Kecksburg this morning and the woods were still cordoned off; there was no sign of the military.’
That day the Tribune-review was bombarded by the largest amount of calls it had received in a long, long time; not since the incident with the supposed fugitive serial killer some twenty years ago. That story had turned out to be nothing but a bunch of teenagers playing a prank but this time they were really on to a winner. Cal lapped up the adulation from his boss and they both enjoyed a smooth glass of scotch.
Just after 14.00 a jet black Ford Sedan pulled up into the carpark. The receptionist sat at the front desk suddenly got an uneasy feeling, she went to the blinds and peered out trying to catch a glimpse of the driver, but the windows were tinted and the driver was obscured.
The young lady had the strange urge to lock the door but she knew she could not be so unprofessional, instead she turned and rushed back to her desk, with the intention of warning security to keep an eye out. As the receptionist got back behind her desk she nearly jumped out of her skin.
Two men dressed in black suits stood before her, they had black overcoats and were sporting black hats and had their eyes covered with jet black sunglasses. They both smiled in unison. It looked more like a grimace. The young women wanted to scream but she managed to just keep her composure.
“Good afternoon Miss, we have an appointment to see your boss.”
The receptionist subconsciously shook her head, “Sorry… sorry Sirs, Mr Burton specifically said no interruptions this afternoon and he definitely isn’t expecting any further appointments, you will need to reschedule.” She managed to speak but only in a whisper.
“Please Miss, be a good girl and let him know we are coming up to see him.”
The young woman felt a rush of tiredness wash over her, she began to feel dazed and confused. She felt the urge to comply with the man’s request. Her hand went to the phone without her even noticing it had done so. She called the office.
“God damn it Shirley, I said no Calls” This better be bloody dam important!” Daniel said.
“Sorry Sir, two men have an appointment with you now. I shall send them up.”
“Goddammit Shirley tell them no, I have no appointments booked today… Tell them to get lost!” Daniel slammed the phone down, “What has got into that bloody woman?” He said out loud. Cal just shrugged.
They were interrupted by the double doors swinging open. Daniel turned out of his comfy chair and threw his scotch glass down onto the floor; it smashed into small pieces, the ice slide across the floor and rested on the side of a jet black pair of shoes.
“How the hell did you get in here, those doors were bloody locked?” Daniel roared.
The two men did not say a word but continued into the office. Cal could finally see their faces and as soon as he did all the color drained from his face. He got a blurry recollection from the previous night and a familiar feeling of dread flooded into him.
The two men in the black suits ignored the ragging Daniel whose face was by now a deep shade of beetroot, and approached Cal, as they got closer he subconsciously took a step back until the wall blocked his retreat.
“No need to be afraid Mr. Walter, we would like to return your property.”
Daniel swung around and glared at Cal, “Don’t tell me you know these circus clowns?” Daniel noticed the fear in his friend’s face, “What’s wrong with you?”
Cal was unable to answer.
The first man in black walked slowly towards Cal and as he did he pulled out the camera and notepad that had been confiscated the night before.
“We have made some minor revisions to your work but you are welcome to have the edited work back.” The man in black held out his open palm and presented the items to Cal.
Cal was wary of taking anything from the strange men but by now the dazed feeling had taken control and Cal acted without thinking. He reached out and took his stuff back from the man. Cal retreated to the wall and flicked through his notepad; it was empty. Cal started to feel sick as he checked his camera, everything from the night before had been wiped.
“What the hell is going on here, you two better explain who the hell you are before I beat the shit out of you!” Daniel screamed.
The men in black turned to look at the portly editor and in unison, “I wouldn’t do that.” The eerie voices chimed out.
Daniel’s fury was reaching fever pitch. “Fuck this!” He screamed and picked the phone up, his intention was to get security to come up and remove his uninvited guests. The line was dead though.
Daniel felt a cold touch on his shoulder and when he looked up, the first man in black was stood right next to him, and his hand was placed firmly on the editors’ shoulder.
“What… how did you get there without me noticing?” Daniel asked but he felt strange and his anger levels rapidly seeped away. Daniel began to feel disorientated and dazed.
The man in black pushed the editor back into his chair, “Please sit Mr. Burton, we have something to discuss with you. With your cooperation, this will not take long.”
Daniel nodded; he felt only the desire to submit.
The man in black snapped his head towards Cal; “Mr. Walter this is a private discussion, my colleague will show you to your vehicle. I am sure Mr. Burton will allow you to have the rest of the day off.”
Daniel did not look away from the man but just gave a dismissing wave.
“Thank you Mr. Burton.”
The second man in black gestured for Cal to follow him, which the reporter did instinctively. The man in the black suit closed the double doors behind him and then escorted Cal through the strangely deserted building. Finally, Cal was left outside with a warning.
“Do not attempt to return to or try to contact work today Mr. Walter.”
Then the door was locked behind him.
Cal woke up several hours later in his living room; he looked around groggily, as he had evidently fallen asleep in his armchair but how? The last thing he could remember he was in Daniel’s office, celebrating so how the hell did he get here without any recollection of the drive home?
The reporter went to get up but something fell off of his lap. He picked up the paper and turned it over to the front page; it was a later edition of the tribune-review. Cal’s eyes widened in disbelief at the Headline: