_This is the second crash this week _I thought to myself as I shoveled up snow around the ship. This one was bigger than the last one, but they looked similar. As much as I would like to be amazed and intrigued by this scientific and historic marvel, I couldn’t shake the feeling of just wanting to change my cold, wet socks as I shoveled small pile after small pile of snow, digging up the alien space ship from its crash site.

“Do you think one is inside?” Monty asked, his voice muffled by his snow suit.

“Definitely. What are you gonna ask it first?” I asked, still shoveling.

“I wanna know if it’s ever tried a Big Mac.” Monty replied.

“You are obsessed.” I say.

“What can I say? Our little McDonalds adventure changed my life.” I could hear his smile behind the snow suit. He took a breath and shoveled a couple more piles of snow.

“I just couldn’t believe you had never had it before.” I said in between shovels. Monty chuckled.

“What are you gonna ask it?”

“Dunno. To take me to its leader, I guess.” Monty and I both laughed.

There was a huge clang, we both turned around.

“We’ve got it, boys!” The site manager called. Monty and I stopped shoveling and ran to the other side of the ship where the suspected entrance was. The whole entrance had been dug out of the snow and now 4 of my coworkers wielding crowbars were attempting to pry open the door. I stopped breathing as I anticipated the door opening.

With a loud groan, the door opened. All we could see was a narrow staircase leading into the inner part of the ship. A bunch of us looked around at each other. Who would go inside? Had this been discussed beforehand? Before anyone could speak, I deafening screaming came blaring out from inside the ship. Instantly, I brought my hands to my ears and my coworkers all did the same. Except Monty, he just stood there, staring. I wanted to say something to him but the shrieking was so loud it felt like it was rattling my bones. Monty started walking towards the ship.

“Monty!” I shouted to him. He ignored me and kept walking. “MONTY!!” I shouted again. Monty suddenly stopped. He turned around, making eye contact with me, clearly unfazed by the monstrous shrieking coming from the ship.

“What are you doing!? It’s dangerous!” I called to him. Monty still said nothing, but then he winked.

“Thanks for the burger!” He called back.

“What!?”

Monty turned back around and started running towards the ship. I saw a couple of the other guys on site try to stop him, but when they uncovered their ears, they fell to the ground in pain. A moment later, Monty disappeared inside the ship. I stood there unmoving. I was completely shocked. What had my friend done? Did I just witness someone take their own life? And then suddenly, a blinding flash of light.

I heard more screams coming from my coworkers, screams of pain and terror as I fell backward, being pushed by some invisible force. Then everything went black.

When I came to, I was greeted by silence. Eerie silene, except of course for the ringing in my ears. I was cold, so so cold. I sat up, it was gone. The ship was gone. Not even a single bolt could be seen forgotten in the snow, only the indentation was left behind. And then I realized it. Silence. What about everyone else?

With a jolt I looked around me, all of my colleagues and friends laid on the snow, decorating it with their blood. Many of them clearly having been decapitated or had other limbs cut off.

_It was Monty._ I thought. _He spared me._ The memory of his eyes rolling in the back of his head in bliss as he chewed his first bite of his very first Big Mac flitted into my mind.

“This whole time,” I said into the sharp, cold air. “You were one of them.”