Leonard navigated the desolate desert road with the fickle moonlight as his only guide. Of all the times for his bicycle light to die, it chose the one night he found himself biking home in the late hours of the evening. Yet, something was soothing about pedaling through the tranquil desert night. The crisp air rushed past him, carrying the faint aroma of sagebrush and creosote. It was a nice change of pace after the late-night project session on campus. The student election season had begun with a heated fervor, which meant long hours in the university's journalism room. It sucks, honestly. He could be eating cupped ramen while watching anime, but he's biking alone in the middle of bumfuck nowhere.
While engrossed in the breeze, a thunderous explosion erupted from the earth beneath him. The force of it caused him to lose control of his bicycle. A massive boulder loomed before him, but he was too late to slam the breaks. In a split-second decision, he leaped from the bike. Metal met boulder, and his flesh met the coarse ground. His arm skidded on the rough surface, resulting in a deep, bleeding gash.
Leonard's head swam as he struggled to sit up. With trembling fingers, he reached for the wound on his arm, feeling the warm, sticky flow of blood seeping between his fingers. His bike was bent and twisted, clearly beyond repair. That bike was new, and he would need to work overtime on top of his campus duties just to buy another one. After a litany of curses, he fumbled his phone for emergency services.
As Leonard awaited the arrival of emergency services, he removed his clothing and fashioned a makeshift tourniquet to stem the flow of blood from his wounded arm. Though he knew he should remain still and wait for help to arrive, an insatiable curiosity began to gnaw at him.
"What the fuck was the explosion?" He thought. They were in the middle of nowhere, or so he thought. He had heard rumors that the government used to conduct secret atomic bomb tests deep within the desert. Could they have resumed their nuclear activities? He needed to see for himself. This was a better scoop compared to the usual election drama on campus.
Leonard didn't walk that long to arrive at the impact site. Rather than the remnants of a government atomic test, he found himself standing before the crater left by a meteorite strike. A wave of relief washed over him as he realized that he had narrowly avoided potential exposure to dangerous radiation levels. If that show about a nuclear meltdown was right, his tits would be melting out of his chest by now. He approached the jagged remains of the celestial object, steam still wisping from its atmospheric entry. Leonard leaned closer and lit the torch on his phone to see the meteorite better.
That's when he saw it for a split second—a viscous, greenish substance oozing from the meteorite's multiple craters. Before Leonard could react, a tendril shot out, wrapping itself around his bleeding arm with shocking speed. The alien substance seeped into his wound at an alarming rate. He watched in horror as his skin bulged and distorted, the creature forcing its way into his veins. A scream of pain and shock escaped his lips as the invasion spread throughout his body. His vision blurred, and he stumbled backward before collapsing to the ground in a crumpled heap.
Leonard fought against the foreign presence invading his body with every ounce of willpower. He knew that if he let his guard down for even a moment, the alien entity would gain access to his memories, skills, and innermost thoughts. His body convulsed and twisted unnaturally as he engaged in this mental battle. Spasms contorted his spine at sharp angles, and foam bubbled in his mouth. His brown eyes rolled to the back of his head. The struggle died eventually, with one reigning supreme over the other.
Who won?