The Martians wanted to destroy everything. On Monday, they could kill all the people in London. Millions of people ran away from the city. They walked on many different roads. They went north, east, and south.
If you were in a balloon (a large bag of air that flies in the sky), you could see the roads. The roads looked black because there were many people. Every person was very afraid. This was the largest group of people in history.
It was a stampede (when many people run in a wild way because they are afraid). There was no order and no plan. Six million people had no food and no weapons. It was the end of the world for humans.
The balloonist could see the empty streets and houses. In the south, the view was dark. The Martians used a poison (something that can kill you) gas. This was the Black Smoke (a dangerous black gas from Martian tubes). It spread across the ground like ink on paper.
The Martians moved across the hills. They spread the smoke and then they used steam to wash it away. They took control of the land. They did not want to kill everyone. They wanted to make the people afraid.
The Martians destroyed the power and the trains. They were in no hurry. Many people stayed in their houses on Monday morning. But many of these people died. The Black Smoke killed them in their homes.
There were many boats on the river in London. People offered a lot of money to escape on these boats. Some people tried to swim to the ships. But the sailors pushed them away and the people drowned.
At one o’clock, the Black Smoke appeared near the bridge. The people became very wild. They fought each other to get on the boats. Some people even climbed down from the bridges.
An hour later, a Martian arrived at the river. The Martian walked through the water. There were no more people there. There were only broken pieces of boats in the water.
The sixth Martian star fell at Wimbledon. The Author’s Brother was in a field with the two women. He saw a green flash in the sky. On Tuesday, they moved toward the sea. They wanted to leave England.
The Martians now controlled all of London. The people were very hungry. They began to steal food from farms. Farmers used guns to protect their animals and their crops.
The Author’s Brother heard some news. Half of the government was in Birmingham. The army was preparing big bombs. Also, some trains started to move again in the north.
There was a sign in a town. It said there was flour and bread for the people. But the Author’s Brother did not stop. He wanted to reach the sea. That night, the seventh star fell from the sky.
On Wednesday, the three people reached Chelmsford. They were very tired and hungry. Some local men took their pony. The men gave them nothing for it. They only gave a promise of food later.
The Author’s Brother did not wait for food. He wanted to go to the coast immediately. By midday, they reached a town called Tillingham. The town was very quiet and empty.
Suddenly, they saw the sea. There were many, many ships in the water. Sailors brought their ships here to save the people. There were fishing boats and big steam ships.
Two miles out in the sea, there was an ironclad (a strong warship made of metal). Its name was the Thunder Child. It was a ram (a ship that hits other ships to break them). It was the only warship near the beach.
At the sight of the sea, Mrs. Elphinstone became very afraid. She never left England before. She did not want to go to a foreign country. She wanted to go back to her home in Stanmore.
The Author’s Brother and Miss Elphinstone helped her. They went down to the beach. The Author’s Brother talked to some men on a boat. He paid thirty-six pounds for the three of them.
They went onto the ship at two o’clock. There was some food on the boat, but it was very expensive. They ate a meal together on a seat. The boat was very crowded with people.
The ship stayed near the coast until five o’clock. Then they heard the sound of guns in the south. The Thunder Child fired a small gun and moved its flags. Black smoke came out of its chimneys.
The people on the boat watched the sea. Far away, they saw three more warships. But the Author’s Brother looked at the guns in the south. He saw a cloud of smoke there.
The little boat moved away from the coast. Then a Martian appeared in the distance. It was very tall. It walked through the water toward the ships. The people on the boat were very afraid.
The Martian was higher than the trees. It walked with long steps. Then two more Martians appeared. They walked into the deep water. They wanted to stop the ships.
The little boat moved as fast as possible. The Author’s Brother looked at the other ships. They were all trying to escape. Suddenly, the boat moved quickly and he fell down.
He stood up and saw a huge metal shape. It was a large ship moving very fast. It moved through the water like a knife. It threw big waves of water at their boat.
This ship was the Thunder Child. It was a brave warship. It was going to fight the Martians. It wanted to save the people on the other ships.
The Author’s Brother saw the three Martians. They stood together in the deep water. They looked at the Thunder Child. Perhaps they were surprised by this giant metal ship.
The Thunder Child did not fire its guns. It moved at full speed toward the Martians. This was a smart plan. The Martians did not know what to do.
The first Martian used a tube. It shot a canister of Black Smoke at the ship. The smoke hit the side of the ship and fell into the water. The Thunder Child drove through the smoke.
Then the Martian used the Heat-Ray (a dangerous beam of fire). A big cloud of steam rose from the water. The Heat-Ray hit the side of the ship. It was like a hot rod through paper.
Fire came out of the steam. But the Thunder Child did not stop. It hit the Martian. The Martian fell into the water and died. A large wave of water and steam went high into the air.
The captain and the passengers cheered loudly. But then they saw the ship again. It was still moving. There was fire in the middle of the ship, but it was still alive.
The ship moved toward the second Martian. It was very close when the Heat-Ray hit it. There was a loud explosion and a bright flash. The ship broke into many pieces.
But the broken ship was still moving fast. The burning metal hit the second Martian. That Martian also fell and died. The Author’s Brother shouted with excitement.
“Two!” the captain yelled. All the people on the ships cheered. The noise was very loud. They were happy because the ship destroyed two Martians.
A thick cloud of steam stayed on the water. It hid the third Martian and the coast. The little boat moved further into the sea. Soon, they could not see the Thunder Child or the Martians.
The warships in the distance moved toward the coast. The sun began to go down. The sky was red and then it became dark. The Author’s Brother watched the west.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of guns again. He saw dark shadows moving in the sunset. But he could not see them clearly. A lot of smoke covered the sun.
The sun disappeared and the stars appeared. It was now dark. Suddenly, the captain pointed at the sky. The Author’s Brother looked up.
Something flew into the sky very fast. It was flat, broad, and very large. It moved in a big curve and then it disappeared into the night. As it flew, it brought darkness to the land.