The Master Plan
The farmhands shoved Nathan, Andrew, Michael, and Fox into a cramped cellar room. The door slammed shut behind them, followed by the metallic clank of a lock. Footsteps echoed up the stairs and faded.
“Great. We’re never getting out of here,” Michael muttered.
“Yeah,” Fox said. “Soon as the sheriff shows up, we’re toast.”
“How are we even supposed to explain what we were doing in that room?” Andrew asked.
“Forget that” Nathan said. “Let’s find a way out.”
The boys split up, scanning the room. Nathan and Michael searched one side while Andrew and Fox checked the other. Behind a wooden shelf, Fox spotted something odd—a piece of wood wedged into the brick wall.
“Hey guys, look at this,” Fox called. “I think there’s a hole behind it.”
“Let’s see,” Nathan said. “Michael, help me move the shelf. Fox, Andrew—grab the other side.”
They shifted the shelf aside and pulled the wood free, revealing a narrow tunnel.
“Looks like it runs under the whole house,” Nathan said.
“Maybe it leads out,” Andrew said.
“Alright, Andrew—you go first,” Michael said.
Andrew crawled in, followed by Michael, then Nathan, and finally Fox.
The passage was tight, damp, and thick with cobwebs. After a few minutes, they reached the midpoint beneath the house—and froze.
Voices drifted down from above.
“Soon, my dear,” said the man. “We’ll eliminate the ruler of this pathetic little planet. Reduce it to slag.”
“And then,” the woman purred, “we’ll repopulate it with others from Sirius 5. The humans will be our food.”
She laughed—a sound like cracked glass.
“Be patient,” the man said. “Everything is going according to plan.”
“I want to devour them,” the woman hissed. “To lay my slimy larva in their fleshy carcasses.”
“This is just the beginning,” the man said. “Soon, we’ll expand. We’ll rule the universe.”
“But what about the intruders?” she asked.
“We’ll hand them to the sheriff. No fuss. If someone comes looking, we’ll play innocent.”
“And if no one comes?” she asked.
“What are you suggesting?”
“I want them,” she whispered. “I want to taste their flesh.”
“Patience,” the man said. “Once we conquer this planet, we’ll feast.”
“Oh man,” Andrew whispered. “Did you hear that?”
“We need to stop them,” Michael said.
“Why?” Nathan asked. “Let’s just get out of here.”
“We can’t,” Fox said. “If they take over now, there won’t be a home to go back to.”
“He’s right,” Andrew said. “If we don’t stop them, we might not even exist.”
“Okay,” Nathan said. “But we need help. We can’t do this alone.”
“Who?” Fox asked. “The sheriff won’t believe us.”
“I have an idea,” Michael said. “But you’re not gonna like it.”
“What?” Nathan asked.
“We get help from those three guys chasing us.”
“Are you nuts?” Fox shouted.
“Quiet!” Andrew hissed. “They’ll hear us.”
“Think about it,” Michael said. “We kill two birds with one stone.”
“How?” Nathan asked.
“We convince them to help us stop the aliens. Then we leave.”
“And?” Nathan pressed.
“They don’t have bracelets,” Michael said, grinning. “When they enter the time room, they’ll be trapped in the past.”
Fox nodded. “Not a bad plan.”
“Let’s find a way out and track them down,” Nathan said.
“Who are that man and woman anyway?” Andrew asked.
“Not from this world,” Michael said.
Fox raised a finger. “I wonder what Doctor Who would do in a situation like this.”
The other three groaned and collapsed face-first onto the ground.
“Oh Jesus, not that,” Michael said.
“Fox, we told you—no Doctor Who,” Nathan said.
“Hey, it’s a great show,” Fox replied.
“Anyway,” Michael said, brushing himself off, “we need to get back to that room with the closet. And find those guys.”
The boys pressed deeper into the catacombs beneath the farmhouse, careful not to make a sound.
“Hey, I just thought of something,” Fox whispered.
Andrew groaned. “What now, Fox?”
“What’s stopping them from checking the room to see if we’re still there?”
Andrew’s eyes widened. “Then we better hurry our butts up and get out of here.”
They picked up the pace, winding through the narrow tunnels until they reached a small opening in the wall.
“I wonder what’s in there?” Andrew asked.
“Go find out,” Michael said.
Andrew crawled through, emerging into a dimly lit room. The others followed.
“Where are we?” Michael asked.
“A root cellar,” Fox said. “People used to store vegetables down here. See that door? It leads outside.”
“Andrew, check it,” Nathan said.
Andrew climbed the stairs and peeked through the crack. “We’re outside—side of the house.”
“So how do we get back in?” Michael asked.
Nathan frowned. “That’s going to be tough.”
“We could use Fox as bait,” Andrew joked.
“WHAT?!” Fox yelped.
“Just kidding,” Andrew smirked.
“Wait,” Fox said. “When I climbed out onto the roof earlier, I saw a trellis leading down. We could climb up.”
“And the window should still be open,” Nathan added. “I never closed it.”
They opened the cellar door and crept toward the front of the house. At the trellis, each boy climbed silently up to the window.
But they were too late.
The owners had discovered the empty room. With their hired hands, they began searching the property.
As Fox climbed, one of the farmhands spotted him—mistaking his ascent for a descent.
“He’s climbing down!” the man shouted.
Fox scrambled faster, pulling himself through the window.
“They saw me!” he gasped.
“Quick—to the closet!” Michael shouted.
The boys dashed inside. Fox slammed the door just as the owners entered the room.
“NOW WE GOT YOU!” they roared, flinging the closet door open.
Inside: only coats and boxes.
No boys.
Back in the white hallways of the inter-dimensional hub, the boys wandered for what felt like an hour, searching for the three men who had once chased them.
Finally, they found them—Frank, Winston, and Bob—slumped against a wall, panting.
“Hey, bank robbers!” Nathan called.
The men looked up, exhausted.
“Look, kid,” Frank said. “We’re done chasing you. Just tell us how to get out of here.”
“We’ll help,” Nathan said. “But we need your help first.”
“With what?” Winston asked.
“There are aliens in the past,” Andrew said. “They’re planning to take over the planet.”
Bob threw up his hands. “So what? Just show us the way out!”
“Listen,” Fox said, voice steady. “If you don’t help us, there won’t be a world to go back to. These aliens plan to turn everyone into food. By the time we leave, Earth as you know it will be gone.”
Nathan stepped forward. “Help us stop them, and we’ll show you how to get out. Plus—we won’t say a word about the bank job.”
Frank, Winston, and Bob huddled together, whispering. After a tense minute, they nodded.
“Alright,” Frank said. “We’re in.”
The boys led them back to the 1868 room. Moonlight spilled through the closed window, casting pale shadows. A young boy lay asleep in the brass bed, his brownish-blond hair tousled, his nightgown wrinkled.
Nathan raised a finger to his lips. Silence.
“You sure this is the place?” Bob whispered.
“Yeah,” Michael began, but Fox poked him sharply.
“Where are these aliens, mate?” Winston asked.
“Downstairs,” Nathan said.
The group crept into the hallway. Screams echoed from the kitchen.
They rushed in—and froze.
A hired hand lay convulsing on the table. Two massive brown slugs loomed over him, their eyestalks twitching.
“Hey, Slug!” Bob shouted.
The creatures turned slowly.
“I think we’ve got something you’re looking for,” he said, as the men grabbed the boys and dragged them forward. Frank seized Fox, who snatched a container off the counter.
“You scum,” Michael spat.
“Well done, humans,” one slug slurred. “What do you want in return?”
“To serve you,” Winston said.
“Yeah, and not end up like that guy,” Bob added, pointing to the corpse.
“He failed us,” the slug hissed. “Don’t make the same mistake.”
Then—Frank let go of Fox.
Fox hurled the container’s contents at the slugs.
Smoke erupted.
“What have you done, you pesky child?” one slug shrieked.
“Used your greatest weakness,” Fox said. “Common household salt.”
The slugs screamed, melting into puddles of goop.
Just then, the sheriff arrived.
“What in blazes is going on?” he asked. “What’s that mess? And where are Mr. and Mrs. Peterson?”
Nathan turned to the three men. “You better explain. He won’t believe us.”
As Frank, Winston, and Bob began their story, the boys slipped upstairs. The child still slept peacefully.
“Is he dead?” Nathan asked.
“Don’t know,” Michael said.
Andrew checked the other room. The boy’s parents were gone—reduced to slug slime.
“They’re dead,” Andrew said quietly.
“Never mind,” Nathan said. “Into the closet. Now.”
Footsteps approached.
Frank, Bob, and Winston entered the room. Empty.
They opened the closet.
Inside: coats. Boxes. No hallway.
The boy stirred, blinking up at them. “What’s going on?”
The three men stood there, stunned.
The boys’ plan had worked.
Frank, Winston, and Bob were trapped in 1868.
Down in the inter-dimensional hub, Nathan, Andrew, Michael, and Fox walked the long white hallway, searching for the control room.
“What if they get out?” Andrew asked.
“They can’t,” Fox said. “Not without a bracelet.”
“Don’t worry,” Nathan said. “I think we’ve seen the last of them.”
The boys walked on—deeper into the maze, deeper into the unknown.
“Great. We’re never getting out of here,” Michael muttered.
“Yeah,” Fox said. “Soon as the sheriff shows up, we’re toast.”
“How are we even supposed to explain what we were doing in that room?” Andrew asked.
“Forget that” Nathan said. “Let’s find a way out.”
The boys split up, scanning the room. Nathan and Michael searched one side while Andrew and Fox checked the other. Behind a wooden shelf, Fox spotted something odd—a piece of wood wedged into the brick wall.
“Hey guys, look at this,” Fox called. “I think there’s a hole behind it.”
“Let’s see,” Nathan said. “Michael, help me move the shelf. Fox, Andrew—grab the other side.”
They shifted the shelf aside and pulled the wood free, revealing a narrow tunnel.
“Looks like it runs under the whole house,” Nathan said.
“Maybe it leads out,” Andrew said.
“Alright, Andrew—you go first,” Michael said.
Andrew crawled in, followed by Michael, then Nathan, and finally Fox.
The passage was tight, damp, and thick with cobwebs. After a few minutes, they reached the midpoint beneath the house—and froze.
Voices drifted down from above.
“Soon, my dear,” said the man. “We’ll eliminate the ruler of this pathetic little planet. Reduce it to slag.”
“And then,” the woman purred, “we’ll repopulate it with others from Sirius 5. The humans will be our food.”
She laughed—a sound like cracked glass.
“Be patient,” the man said. “Everything is going according to plan.”
“I want to devour them,” the woman hissed. “To lay my slimy larva in their fleshy carcasses.”
“This is just the beginning,” the man said. “Soon, we’ll expand. We’ll rule the universe.”
“But what about the intruders?” she asked.
“We’ll hand them to the sheriff. No fuss. If someone comes looking, we’ll play innocent.”
“And if no one comes?” she asked.
“What are you suggesting?”
“I want them,” she whispered. “I want to taste their flesh.”
“Patience,” the man said. “Once we conquer this planet, we’ll feast.”
“Oh man,” Andrew whispered. “Did you hear that?”
“We need to stop them,” Michael said.
“Why?” Nathan asked. “Let’s just get out of here.”
“We can’t,” Fox said. “If they take over now, there won’t be a home to go back to.”
“He’s right,” Andrew said. “If we don’t stop them, we might not even exist.”
“Okay,” Nathan said. “But we need help. We can’t do this alone.”
“Who?” Fox asked. “The sheriff won’t believe us.”
“I have an idea,” Michael said. “But you’re not gonna like it.”
“What?” Nathan asked.
“We get help from those three guys chasing us.”
“Are you nuts?” Fox shouted.
“Quiet!” Andrew hissed. “They’ll hear us.”
“Think about it,” Michael said. “We kill two birds with one stone.”
“How?” Nathan asked.
“We convince them to help us stop the aliens. Then we leave.”
“And?” Nathan pressed.
“They don’t have bracelets,” Michael said, grinning. “When they enter the time room, they’ll be trapped in the past.”
Fox nodded. “Not a bad plan.”
“Let’s find a way out and track them down,” Nathan said.
“Who are that man and woman anyway?” Andrew asked.
“Not from this world,” Michael said.
Fox raised a finger. “I wonder what Doctor Who would do in a situation like this.”
The other three groaned and collapsed face-first onto the ground.
“Oh Jesus, not that,” Michael said.
“Fox, we told you—no Doctor Who,” Nathan said.
“Hey, it’s a great show,” Fox replied.
“Anyway,” Michael said, brushing himself off, “we need to get back to that room with the closet. And find those guys.”
The boys pressed deeper into the catacombs beneath the farmhouse, careful not to make a sound.
“Hey, I just thought of something,” Fox whispered.
Andrew groaned. “What now, Fox?”
“What’s stopping them from checking the room to see if we’re still there?”
Andrew’s eyes widened. “Then we better hurry our butts up and get out of here.”
They picked up the pace, winding through the narrow tunnels until they reached a small opening in the wall.
“I wonder what’s in there?” Andrew asked.
“Go find out,” Michael said.
Andrew crawled through, emerging into a dimly lit room. The others followed.
“Where are we?” Michael asked.
“A root cellar,” Fox said. “People used to store vegetables down here. See that door? It leads outside.”
“Andrew, check it,” Nathan said.
Andrew climbed the stairs and peeked through the crack. “We’re outside—side of the house.”
“So how do we get back in?” Michael asked.
Nathan frowned. “That’s going to be tough.”
“We could use Fox as bait,” Andrew joked.
“WHAT?!” Fox yelped.
“Just kidding,” Andrew smirked.
“Wait,” Fox said. “When I climbed out onto the roof earlier, I saw a trellis leading down. We could climb up.”
“And the window should still be open,” Nathan added. “I never closed it.”
They opened the cellar door and crept toward the front of the house. At the trellis, each boy climbed silently up to the window.
But they were too late.
The owners had discovered the empty room. With their hired hands, they began searching the property.
As Fox climbed, one of the farmhands spotted him—mistaking his ascent for a descent.
“He’s climbing down!” the man shouted.
Fox scrambled faster, pulling himself through the window.
“They saw me!” he gasped.
“Quick—to the closet!” Michael shouted.
The boys dashed inside. Fox slammed the door just as the owners entered the room.
“NOW WE GOT YOU!” they roared, flinging the closet door open.
Inside: only coats and boxes.
No boys.
Back in the white hallways of the inter-dimensional hub, the boys wandered for what felt like an hour, searching for the three men who had once chased them.
Finally, they found them—Frank, Winston, and Bob—slumped against a wall, panting.
“Hey, bank robbers!” Nathan called.
The men looked up, exhausted.
“Look, kid,” Frank said. “We’re done chasing you. Just tell us how to get out of here.”
“We’ll help,” Nathan said. “But we need your help first.”
“With what?” Winston asked.
“There are aliens in the past,” Andrew said. “They’re planning to take over the planet.”
Bob threw up his hands. “So what? Just show us the way out!”
“Listen,” Fox said, voice steady. “If you don’t help us, there won’t be a world to go back to. These aliens plan to turn everyone into food. By the time we leave, Earth as you know it will be gone.”
Nathan stepped forward. “Help us stop them, and we’ll show you how to get out. Plus—we won’t say a word about the bank job.”
Frank, Winston, and Bob huddled together, whispering. After a tense minute, they nodded.
“Alright,” Frank said. “We’re in.”
The boys led them back to the 1868 room. Moonlight spilled through the closed window, casting pale shadows. A young boy lay asleep in the brass bed, his brownish-blond hair tousled, his nightgown wrinkled.
Nathan raised a finger to his lips. Silence.
“You sure this is the place?” Bob whispered.
“Yeah,” Michael began, but Fox poked him sharply.
“Where are these aliens, mate?” Winston asked.
“Downstairs,” Nathan said.
The group crept into the hallway. Screams echoed from the kitchen.
They rushed in—and froze.
A hired hand lay convulsing on the table. Two massive brown slugs loomed over him, their eyestalks twitching.
“Hey, Slug!” Bob shouted.
The creatures turned slowly.
“I think we’ve got something you’re looking for,” he said, as the men grabbed the boys and dragged them forward. Frank seized Fox, who snatched a container off the counter.
“You scum,” Michael spat.
“Well done, humans,” one slug slurred. “What do you want in return?”
“To serve you,” Winston said.
“Yeah, and not end up like that guy,” Bob added, pointing to the corpse.
“He failed us,” the slug hissed. “Don’t make the same mistake.”
Then—Frank let go of Fox.
Fox hurled the container’s contents at the slugs.
Smoke erupted.
“What have you done, you pesky child?” one slug shrieked.
“Used your greatest weakness,” Fox said. “Common household salt.”
The slugs screamed, melting into puddles of goop.
Just then, the sheriff arrived.
“What in blazes is going on?” he asked. “What’s that mess? And where are Mr. and Mrs. Peterson?”
Nathan turned to the three men. “You better explain. He won’t believe us.”
As Frank, Winston, and Bob began their story, the boys slipped upstairs. The child still slept peacefully.
“Is he dead?” Nathan asked.
“Don’t know,” Michael said.
Andrew checked the other room. The boy’s parents were gone—reduced to slug slime.
“They’re dead,” Andrew said quietly.
“Never mind,” Nathan said. “Into the closet. Now.”
Footsteps approached.
Frank, Bob, and Winston entered the room. Empty.
They opened the closet.
Inside: coats. Boxes. No hallway.
The boy stirred, blinking up at them. “What’s going on?”
The three men stood there, stunned.
The boys’ plan had worked.
Frank, Winston, and Bob were trapped in 1868.
Down in the inter-dimensional hub, Nathan, Andrew, Michael, and Fox walked the long white hallway, searching for the control room.
“What if they get out?” Andrew asked.
“They can’t,” Fox said. “Not without a bracelet.”
“Don’t worry,” Nathan said. “I think we’ve seen the last of them.”
The boys walked on—deeper into the maze, deeper into the unknown.