Koalas (Kyle O'Shea)

Chapter 1

Everyone was smiling. It seemed like they have never done anything else. The couple next door, who were about to get divorced when suddenly their fighting stopped and they started smiling. The neighbour in house 14, who hated the dog of the family in 12, was laughing at the dog in happiness. Her younger brother, who always was unwilling to wake up early in the morning and complained about it was suddenly very happy and so where her parents.

Melody could not fathom what happened to everyone. It wasn't solely their behaviour but their eyes as well. She had contacts like these but they didn't change her personality. When she heard her parents said something of a perfect soul for their family, she flipped. She packed a black sport bag, money, clothes, and the contacts before she ran away. Her phone was in the jacket she wore and she made sure to block the numbers of her family. Except the one from her older brother. She tried calling him again and again but he didn't answer his phone.

What happened to the world? She walked to her place of work. It was a cute Kindergarten. Melody started working there once she finished college. Work was her sanctuary but today it didn't hold any comfort, as everyone around her had the weird eyes and bright smile. She walked into the bathroom and put in the contact lenses. If you didn't look close enough, you couldn't see the difference. Melody didn't know what was going on but something told her to blend in. She felt sick when the small children she loved also had this silver ring around their pupil. They didn't even act like children anymore. A strange scar was on their neck. It made Melody conscious of her hair and immediately pulled the elastic out if her hair, making in fall down to her elbows.

Luckily, Melody had a short day at work. She almost ran out of the building and towards her brother's home. He lived about twenty minutes walking distance. It only took her 15. She knocked at her brothers door, but nobody responded. Something was wrong. The world changed almost over night and she was confused and scared.

Over the course of the next months Melody found a small cave close to a town. She had travelled for thirteen days by foot before she settled down.

Aliens.

She never thought she would live to see that day and never did she consider, that this would happen. They were body snatchers. They were put into the human body, their host, at the back of the neck and made the human conscience vanish. They would disappear and never get back. Melody became paranoid of everyone she met. They were so friendly, too friendly. How ridiculous that good and friendly suddenly meant death.

It was midday and most of the body-snatchers were at work. It was the perfect time to go to the supermarket. Melody needed more food and was happy to use a real toilet. She walked slowly, as if she had no care in the world but she was scared. She dreaded facing one of those aliens. Her hair was open and underneath her sunglasses she wore those contact lenses. Her hand shook as she reached for some cans which she put into her bag. With a smile she greeted the alien.

"Oh hello, how are you?"

Back in the human world this would have been ignored but she knew what she had to do.

"I'm good, how are you? The weather is absolutely gorgeous today, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. I really enjoy the warm climate. I lived in the ice cities prior to this." The man behind the counter said as he scanned the products. Another customer entered the store and Melody was even more scared than she was before. Melody quickly put the products in her bag again.

"I have never been there. How is it?"

"Incredibly cold. But the cities built of ice are so beautiful. I was one of the best architects. But the claw beast always were so scary. We bears had to be really careful. I'm Andrew."