It happened on a mid-October Monday morning.

 

Todd pressed the button on his Keurig and it spat out the tasteless brown liquid. He took a sip and looked out the window of his apartment in Yonkers. It was a nice view of his neighbor's brick wall, but enough to read the weather. Rain. Damn it.

 

Most days, Todd didn't mind his job as a trash collector. Randall was even letting him drive the truck now. But on rainy days, Randall would complain about his back and make Todd handle collecting the bins.

 

He flipped on the TV.

 

As the news crews scrambled to find the best balance between safety and Emmy-winning shots, a planet-sized ship slipped through the atmosphere, shaking Manhattan to its foundations. Buildings swayed and collapsed. Dirt, fire, and smoke filled the areas not covered by debris. Sirens blared, then were silenced by searing rays that seemed to come out of nowhere. Smaller ships hovered above the skyscrapers, disgorging thousands of creatures. They crawled everywhere, running amok in the streets and pouring through buildings. One pounced on the news reporter and tore her scalp clean off before swatting the camera dead. There was a pause, then an awkward cut, then the whimper of the announcer in the studio.

 

Whoever the invaders were, they weren't here to negotiate.

 

Bleary-eyed as he was, Todd didn't blink.

 

He changed the channel. He watched the ad on HSN for the new Roomba. Only $279.99. He studied his living room. “Could use one of those.”

 

Todd flipped the channel again. CNN news anchors watched in horror without commenting. He changed it to Fox News. Different colors, same response. Are they in New York? he wondered.

 

Todd didn't panic. He watched thoughtfully, sipping coffee and wondering what the aliens were really after. Then, he changed the channel again. A Hallmark Christmas movie. Already? It's not even November. The girl on there looked like Susie from the bar. What was her last name? Didn't matter. She'd given him the ride of his life. The weekend bender left his memory shredded, but he'd never forget that night. He had asked for her number, but she simply responded, 'Why?' Something about the way she said it was kind but commanding at the same time. It was a moment never to be repeated. Just enjoy it, he thought. And he had.

 

He glanced outside and looked at the rain. More intense now. He hated collecting trash bins on rainy days. The cold wetness on his face that swept around his neck as he held onto the side of the truck. The lids of the bins that collected water that spilled onto his boots, seeping through. God, he hated the rain. But Susie, she was weekend sunshine.

 

He flipped back to Fox News. The reporters had fled their desks. Papers were scattered on the floor. Images of destruction filled the television. Manhattan had been turned to a heap of ashes in minutes.

 

A distant rumble shook the windows of his apartment. Todd knew it wouldn't be long before they made their way to Yonkers.

 

As he clicked off the TV and finished his coffee, the corners of his lips turned upward. The aliens may eradicate all humanity, but at least they had waited until after the weekend.