The leaf

"The Leaf" by Robert F. Young is a science fiction story that dives into a world where a boy's peaceful memory of an autumn hunt clashes with a horrifying present. The story contrasts the peace of nature with the terror of alien hunters, all beginning with a memory of a simpler time hunting squirrels, a memory soon shattered by a cataclysmic event that destroys the cities. As the boy flees into the woods, trying to outrun the aliens threatening humanity, the story shows the boy's fight for survival against terrible odds, seeking shelter in the only place he knows, the woods. It's a suspenseful look at how humanity reacts when faced with the unknown and the instinct to survive.