Irwin Brodie, stared blankly, confused, as the call lights on the telephones continued to flash non-stop.  His desk was a shamble of papers where he had attempted to keep track of the incoming reports but he had given that up.

The entire Havensville police force, small as it may be, was already responding to calls, save for himself and one deputy.  His hands were tied.  What he had first thought to be an elaborate hoax had simply turned into some sort of mass hysteria.  He had disturbing visions of hordes of reporters and crackpots alike descending upon his quiet town in droves and turning it into a media circus because one crazy local claims to have seen little green men or flying saucers.

He had seen it all before.  Quiet towns turned into tourist attractions overnight with store windows filled with little green alien bobble heads or Bed and Breakfasts claiming to be haunted by the spirits of some lost soul with the staff dressed in historical get ups giving guided tours.

Brodie cringed at the image.  He had to do something to put an end to this craziness and he had to do it now.

But what?

Just then the flashing lights on the telephones went dark.  Brodie was caught short, his thoughts put on hold. Then the lights began flashing again, faster now, faster, faster than should be possible.  The lights of the room around him began to follow in unison.  Flashing, out of control, rhythmically, yet.....

Brodie, who had risen, fell back into his chair, dumbstruck and half blinded by the onslaught of the strobe effect.  He shielded his eyes as he stared blankly at something he could not find words to describe.

Then, after several minutes, everything went black.

Brodie, the office, the phones, all darkness.  The humming of the flourescents, the computers, even the tick...tick... of the electric clock on the wall all stopped. 

Brodie sat frozen in his chair surrounded by nothingness.  Cocooned in blackness and dead silence. 

His eyes, still weary from the light show were slow to adjust.  Slow to make out the familiar things around him.

Several minutes passed.  He waited, his mind trying to figure out what had just happened, when it suddenly occurred to him that the generator had not kicked on as it was supposed to do in the event of a power outage.

With the regaining of his faculties, Brodie quickly took stock of his surroundings and, eyes adjusted now, reached for his radio. It took a few seconds, then crackled to life.

"Alvarez," he shouted into the transmitter, "where the hell are you?"

Several seconds passed before the voice of Antonio Alvarez' static laden voice responded.

"I'm outside, sir." came the troubled response.

Brodie tried in vain to sound calm.  "What the hell is going on out there?  The lights in this place just went haywire and I'm sitting here in the dark.  Why the hell isn't that generator kicking on?" he barked.

"I..I..don't know, sir," Alvarez responded.  "I'm trying to get it started right now but..well...there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it.  It just won't work."

"What the hell do you mean it won't work?" Brodie shouted, "It's a goddamn generator for Christ's sake.  It has to work."

There was a protracted silence and then Alvarez' voice came back. 

"Sir, I don't know if you're aware of this but...well..sir..."

"What the hell is it, Alvarez?  Spit it out already," Brodie's frustration was rising.  One thing he couldn't stand was hedging.

"Well,... sir,.... the entire town has gone dark."  Alvarez' voice cracked.  "I know most of the places with generators and they're all dark too."

Brodie shook his head at the nonsense.  There had to be an explanation.  There was no window in his office.  He would have to walk out front to see for himself.

"Alvarez," he called back to his deputy.

Silence.

"Alvarez?"

More silence.

"Alvarez?" This time shouting.

"Sir.., sorry sir..., it's just..." Antonio Alvarez' voice was tense and shaky.  "It's just....  " there was a long pause, an uneasy hesitation in Alvarez' voice.  Then.."there's something out here , sir......"

"Well, what the hell is..." Brodie was cut short.

"I..I..don't ...."

The radio went dead.

"Alvarez?" Brodie called. 

Nothing.

"Alvarez?"

Nothing.

"Tony?"

The radio crackled to life, startling Brodie.  First static and then something....what?...a voice?...But not Tony Alvarez' ...something....not quite human...

Then, dead again.