Gabriel whispered, "Scott, buddy, I'm going to program these pods to take us back home. Now, come here."

Gabriel led Scott to the control board and said, "when we fire one of these off, the pod will eject immediately and then sail into space for about fifteen minutes. After that, it will triangulate toward earth and create a wormhole that will drop us off near the moon. Once there, it will teleport you to earth. You will be transported right outside your house, so, don't be scared. Okay?"

Scott nodded.

Gabriel continued, "If I tell you to push that button, this purple one right here, you push it. It will eject a pod into space and then do nothing. It'll float around in space forever. Understand?"

Scott nodded.

Gabriel programmed pod ten, and pod nine to return to earth. The loud bangs returned, and Gabriel fidgeted as he watched the demon rip itself into the hangar. He trembled and looked at Scott.

Gabreil shouted, "hide! Hide! Now!" Scott knelt down behind the control panel, and the demon didn't notice him. Gabriel ran into the tenth pod and shouted, "purple! Purple!" Scott realized what was happening. Gabriel was baiting the demon away from him.

Gabriel climbed into the pod, and the demon followed. The pod door shut, and crimson began to splatter against the glass. Gabriel pressed his face against the glass and screamed purple. Purple! Purple!

Scott stood up and looked over the control panel. He stared at the purple button and looked at his father. Tears erupted from his eyes as he realized Gabriel was right all along. He pushed the purple button, and the pod ejected from the ship. As it sailed into the infinite void, Gabriel was reduced to no more than shreds and liquid.

Scott stood, mortified by what he saw.

He dropped to his knees and cried, "dad!" He ran his fingers through his hair and screamed at the empty space before him. He wept into his palms until there was nothing, and all that remained was the dull hum of the ship. Scott stood up and pushed the buttons Gabriel instructed him to. He stepped into the pod beside Gabriel's, and closed the lid.

The pod itself was the size of a car and had three places to sit. No controls, levers, or buttons. Once the lid had been closed, it ejected from the ship and sailed into empty space. Scott looked up and noticed the pinpoints of light from high above and below and all around him. Galaxies and nebulae took shape, and the raw beauty of outer space distracted him from the horrors he had just witnessed.

Scott looked in all directions and felt relief as he watched the alien spacecraft move farther away from where he was. The hulking structure resembled an ominous silver metal monstrosity that would soon be swallowed by the void of space. He felt a pull and saw a blue and white vortex open before him, and at the other end was Earth. He sailed through the wormhole and arrived beside the moon.

As he sat, his body began to tingle, and then pain. Absolute, unbearable pain as his atoms were disassembled and beamed down to earth.

Scott couldn't remember breathing again, only that he just did. He couldn't remember feeling any pain as he was put back together. The brief second between then and now was void of time. Much like waking up after a dreamless sleep, he didn't know when the nightmare ended, and reality began. All he knew was the cool touch of grass was on his cheek. The birds sang, and he was wet.

He opened his eyes and looked forward. The world around him was bathed in a gray fog, and he could hear someone walking around about forty feet away.

Scott said, "mom." His throat hurt. Everything hurt. He spread his arms through the grass and reached in the direction of the sounds. Scott bellowed, "mom!" He winced in agony, but he was relieved to hear his mother gasp.

"Scott!" She dropped a tin pail and ran toward the direction of her son and surveyed the yard. He was just out of her field of vision. Scott pulled himself forward and heaved on the ground. Carol heard his struggles and discovered him at the edge of the cornfield. She ran to his side and scooped him up into her lap.

She brushed her hand against his face and began to cry. She said, "you're okay. You're okay! I saw them take you and your dad."

Scott shook his head, and said "no. No, mom. Just me." Carol pressed a hard line between her lips and fought the tears about to come. She knew what Scott meant and allowed her husband's story to end there. She held onto him, and he quivered as he gazed into the gray sky above.

Carol cradled his head into her arms and stroked his hair.

She whispered, "it's okay Scott. We'll get through this somehow. Someway. I'm just glad you're back, and if you never want to talk about this, I understand. I love you, and I am glad you're home."

Scott leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He saw nothing, but that's okay, because he knew that this was real. It was all real. 

https://youtu.be/ZoltmTANsk4