Everything Azdrei’in encountered was new and intriguing. He explored the ground between the looming structures around him, comparing the shapes and materials of each one to what he had seen in the memories of his elders who’d lived on Ashad’te. With no context, it was impossible for him to tell what the constructions’ purposes had been before the Earthlings had been exterminated. The best he could do was peer through dusty windows and guess. However, the point of his visit wasn’t to figure out what the previous inhabitants’ lives had been like. Once the rest of the Lunvalgan people arrived, they would most likely tear everything down to build their own infrastructure anyway. He could ponder over his surroundings as he walked, but his purpose was to search for survivors of the virus and eliminate them so that his people would be safe.

Although he couldn’t see any other living things at the moment, he was aware that he wasn’t alone in the ruins. He could detect the heat signatures of at least a few other creatures nearby, using yet another predatory tool to his advantage as he made his way deeper into unknown territory. The only trouble was that he couldn’t tell what the other creatures were. There were at least a few other species within the radius of his senses, but it was well known that Earthlings weren’t the only race that existed on this planet. He couldn’t assume any of the warm bodies he had pinpointed belonged to the beings the Eilix had attempted to kill off.

But that was what he had been sent to find out.

Proceeding slowly, he altered his course to approach one of the larger creatures he’d detected, raising his gun to shoot if it proved to be hostile. Around the corner of one of the structures, there was a heap of foul-smelling bags that had been ripped to shreds by scavengers. The animal he’d located was on the other side of it, so he closed the distance and peered around the edge of the visual blockade, only to find that the warm body belonged to a four-legged beast covered with matted hair. The creature had been digging through the bags, most likely searching for something to eat, based on the prominence of its bones. He studied it with a mixture of caution and curiosity as it took notice of him, bristled in fright, and ran in the opposite direction. It was a species he’d never seen before, but he was certain it wasn’t an Earthling. According to the Eilix, their targets walked upright like Lunvalans did and shared some similar anatomical features. So, he left the heap of bags and kept looking.

There were a few other warm bodies in the area, but most of them seemed to be a similar size as the hairy creature he’d just found, so he disregarded them. It wasn’t until a larger animal began to approach him at high speed that he raised his weapon again.

Spinning on his heel, Azdrei’in tensed as he got his first look at the race he was supposed to kill. Earthlings were shockingly similar to his own kind, with the same general physique and height. However, the being running toward him now had much lighter skin with a pinkish hue and short, messy brown hair. From a distance it was difficult to tell what color its eyes were, but they seemed darker than the Lunvalgans’ as well. Unlike the hairy beast, the Earthling wore clothing like his people too, although this one’s shirt and trousers were tattered as if they hadn’t been changed in many days.

Realizing quickly that it was coming to attack him, he fired his laser gun before it could get any closer and watched as it fell to the ground. [i]At least they are easy to kill,[/i] he thought to himself, stepping over to examine the twitching body. Somewhat hungry after his flight from the mothership, he wondered offhandedly if Earthlings were a viable food source, but since they looked so much like his own people, he couldn’t bring himself to find out. Instead, he left the corpse behind and moved on, reporting to his commander through his communication device: “I have found one human that was still alive. It is dead now, but there may be more. I will send more information as I gather it.”

Just as he started to move on to a different area, he paused as he took notice of another larger heat signature nearby. This one was farther away than the Earthling that had just charged at him, but now that he was familiar with the general size of their race, he suspected the creature he’d sensed just now was a target too. Determined to hunt it down before it could do the same to him, he changed his course and tracked the Earthling by its warm body temperature until he came upon an open field. The sight reminded him of the farmland he’d seen in his elder’s memories, only this farm was more primitive. He strode onto the field, his white eyes sweeping over the closest structure, one that was far smaller than the massive constructions he’d seen before. Judging by the residual heat he could sense inside of it, the structure had probably been serving as a home for an Earthling who hadn’t yet succumbed to the Strizin’s effects. He could tell it wasn’t currently inside though.

Stopping briefly, his gaze traveled to another structure, an even smaller one that radiated warmth from multiple creatures inside. Some of the bodies were too large to belong to an Earthling—unless they grew far bigger than the one he had killed—but it was worth looking inside to find out if there were any targets that he needed to get rid of.

Ignoring the home, he crossed the rest of the way to the second structure and pressed one hand to the door, pushing it open while he lifted his weapon to shoot if he saw any creatures that looked like the one that had attacked him not long ago.