In the heart of the bustling city, Millfield Park offered a peaceful escape, a green oasis amidst the urban chaos.

Emily Thompson, with flowing brown hair and eyes like emeralds, sought solace in the park's tranquility, making it her sanctuary. 

She lived across the street from the park, and walked there often.

One afternoon, someone Emily had never seen before passed by her as she rested on a bench. He had sharp blue eyes and hair so pitch black, it seemed otherworldly. 

To Emily’s surprise, he sat down on the bench with her and started an easy conversation. He was charming and kind. 

Despite her attempt to dismiss it as imagination however, Jack looked strange.

He looked wrong.

His name was Jack? How did she know that?

He looked evil and greedy and sinister.

But he was so kind and his voice was so easy to listen to.

He made her uneasy. 

But nothing ever happened at the park. Or in the city. Emily had lived there for years and hadn’t ever once felt unsafe,

Until now. 

But his smile was beautiful and his clothes were clean and he seemed like such a normal person. Anyone walking by would have just thought he was a normal man.

Emily came to the park often. It was the only park in the whole city. The park, other than Emily and the stranger, Jack, was empty. 

It sounded empty to Emily.

Except for the man’s voice, which filled the air and sounded like a song, the most beautiful song Emily had ever heard, more beautiful than the birds that Emily couldn’t hear anymore.

The birds?

What birds? Emily couldn't hear any birds.

The stranger made it impossible to look anywhere else.

He was everything.

He was just a man. He was Jack.

His gaze was unwavering, and he held Emily’s attention. She was in a vice grip made of the man’s stare. 

She felt strange. Where were the birds?

She asked the man, “Where are the birds?”

He chuckled. He giggled and chortled and hawed. He laughed and laughed and laughed. 

“My dear, there are no birds anymore.”

“Soon, there will be no you.”

Jack's laughter echoed through the deserted park. His voice echoed like they were in an empty cathedral, not a vibrant park.

Emily remembered the park as vibrant. It wasn’t anymore.

The green oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the city was now brown, and the meadows were barren. 

“My dear,”

He leaned in closer.

She was stuck in his gaze.

He smiled, reveling in her discomfort.

“The birds are gone because I made them disappear. And soon, my dear, you'll join them in oblivion.”

Emily wanted to stand up.

She wanted to run.

She couldn’t move at all. She was paralyzed with fear.

Jack shifted his gaze away from hers.

“My species needs a new home. Humans don’t deserve their home. We are entitled to it, and there is nothing that can be done.”

As he spoke, his skin became a mottled gray, like rock. 

“The creatures on Earth will be removed. All of them. You will be the first human to go.”

Emily realized that without his piercing eyes locking her into place, she could move.

She stood.

He continued to speak. He did not acknowledge her change in position.

“Are you ready to die?”

She ran.

She pumped her legs and her arms in harmony, her feet pounded the ground where there used to be lush grass.

She could feel him behind her.

Gaining on her.

A hand seized her neck. 

A gray, mottled fist holding a rock was the last thing Emily ever saw.

6 Months Later

If one were to look at planet Earth from space, they wouldn’t see a vibrant sphere of green and blue. Instead, all they would see is brown. Different shades of brown, yes, but barren of any other color. The history of Earth is split into two categories: Before and After. Before, when Earth was lush and beautiful and had creatures of joy, and After, when there was only dust, silence, aliens, and sorrow. 

Jack was wrong though, about only one thing. Humans could not be eradicated. The survivors, if they could be called that, clung to the fringes of existence. Human settlements were scattered across the barren terrain, makeshift structures rising from the dust. The atmosphere had become thin and unbreathable to accommodate the needs of the invaders, forcing the remnants of humanity to adapt to the harsh conditions or succumb to the desolation. The survivors faced not only the physical challenges of the altered landscape but also the psychological toll of living in a world devoid of its former glory. The memories of lush forests, diverse ecosystems, and the laughter of children echoed like distant dreams.

The survivors told stories about a girl named Emily. She was beautiful, and she trusted beautiful. She was the cause of the suffering. Her story evolved, but it was always clear to the children of the survivors: Do not trust. 

You never know what someone’s true intentions are.