Chapter 2 - The Crater in the Grass
Jack’s humming abruptly cut off. He frowned, turning his head slowly over his left shoulder to glance up at the sky behind him.
Before his brain could process the dark shape dropping from the clouds, the capsule slammed into the soft earth of the meadow just a hundred meters behind his fishing spot. The impact was violent. A massive geyser of dark soil, dry dust, and gray smoke erupted high into the air, sending a visible shockwave rippling across the tall green grass. The ground beneath Jack’s folding chair lurched hard, knocking his cooler over and sending his tackle box spilling into the mud.
Jolted out of his peaceful state, Jack let out a loud yell, instinctively flinging his expensive carbon-fiber fishing rod into the air as the sheer force of the explosion sent dirt and small pebbles raining down all around him.
