The Culling

We got the call Tuesday afternoon. "Your consultation is tomorrow at Five p.m." a crisp female voice said.
I hung up and looked at my husband. This was it, our turn. Six billion human beings on the planet and they'd gotten to our names. Or maybe our numbers? Our addresses? We didn't really know how the aliens sorted through us all.
"What should I wear?" My husband sat on the couch running his fingers through his unruly curls. He needed a haircut. The past three months had been a bit overwhelming, no time for a trip to the barber.
"I don't think they care about that." I sank down beside him.
"Should we offer them something to drink?"
I choked on a laugh, "Honey they are coming to read our minds and decide if we should live or die, I don't think offering them some tea and finger sandwiches is gonna help."
The next morning was rainy, dreary, and seemed to fit the mood I woke up in. Was this to be my last day on earth? Would I ever get to see the sunshine or feel its warm glow on my face again? Would I ever get to feel what it's like to grow old?
"Don't think about it." My husband whispered as we lay in bed on our backs staring numbly at the celling. "It's too late to do anything we wish we could do. If it is our last day I don't want to fill it thinking about things we might never do."
"Aren't you optimistic and wise."
"No, I heard it on the radio a couple days ago. NPR did a whole series on the best way to spend the day before your consultation, you know, visiting family and friends, staying positive, enjoying the little things like a good cup of coffee or reading your favorite book."
"Sounds just peachy. What do you want to do today?" I asked.
"I am not going to work that's for damn sure."
"I am surprised so many people still are..." I mumbled.
"Normalcy, we all want normalcy."
"Or we are in denial, I like that better." I replied as I slid outta bed, the air felt icy against my naked skin. "The shower sounds nice, wanna take one together?" I winked.
"That sounds like something I want to do."
At exactly Five o'clock they knocked on the door and the dogs went crazy. We hadn't heard any spaceship arrive; it was still a mystery how the aliens got around. They just appeared places. I struggled to wrangle our three small dogs and one lab mix into the bedroom as my husband answered the door.
"Honey, they say to let the dogs stay out." I heard his nervous voice call. I knew it by the way it cracked like a boy going through puberty. I sighed. This was going to just make it worse. How were we going to make a good impression with four barking dogs jumping all over our alien visitors while we scream at them to get down? What a nightmare. Our dogs had never seen aliens before, what if they tried to attack?
I opened the door and winced as four panting dogs scrambled onto the bamboo floor, slipping and sliding down and around the corner to get to our guests as fast as they could. I held my breath and waited but I didn't hear a sound. Oh this was bad. I hurried down the hall and entered the living room expecting a scene of dead canines and very angry aliens. Instead, all four dogs were sitting serenely in a row from largest to smallest in front of the two aliens standing by the door.
"What the hell..." I said before I could catch myself. Great, now they think I have a foul mouth, I thought.
The two aliens were dressed in light blue robes, their strange three fingered hands tucked under long sleeves. Their faces were blank and their tiny black eyes set deep into their faces stared at me unyieldingly calm. "Hi..." I stammered.
"We are here as ambassadors to the planet. As you were informed when we arrived on your planet three months ago, we have been looking after your species for thousands of years. Due to the great war we have been unable to return for much longer than expected. Your species has become invasive to the planet and we must regretfully cull a percentage to rebalance the population. This is a consultation to determine if you will be part of the culling."
"Did you want something to drink?" My husband blurted.
"We only require that you stand still as we obtain a psychic link, if you resist you will be immediately culled. Please come."
I stepped up beside my husband and grabbed his hand. It felt clammy. The aliens each placed a palm on our foreheads; their touch surprisingly warm and soft.
I closed my eyes , feeling my husband squeeze my hand. We drank way to much beer, and I cussed like a sailor. My husband had stolen random office supplies from his old job, only because they'd screwed him over and I once cheated on an exam in college. But we paid our taxes, we were vegetarians, we recycled. Was it good enough?
After a moment the aliens pulled away. One of the dogs whined. I still had my husband's hand tight in my own. "Thank you." The alien in front of me said. "We are done."
"Did you want a drink now?" my husband asked.
"We are leaving. You have not been chosen for the culling."
Just like that! "Holy shit."
My husband elbowed me.
The aliens opened the door and stepped onto the front porch. We followed while our four dogs remained eerily still, sitting in the hallway. We watched as the two aliens walked down the side walk until a gust of wind blew through the yard and they were gone.

Word count: 999