It was a quiet neighborhood. Two story homes wrapped around the streets, creating a path to the highway. The houses ranged in color: some were brown, some were green, some were tan. Each house had its own unique number, and some even had the added advantage of a welcome mat that screamed welcome to our world on the front porch. Against every house was grasslands, and every time someone would mow a lawn, the aroma of that grass rose up and filled the entire block with the sweet scent of nature.
In that grass, a small mouse was peering through the blades looking towards the street. His goal was a sewer grate that would lead him back to the rest of his brethren. If only he could just run out that far, he’d have the cover of night to save him. No hawks. No cars No humans to drive him out. He had one shot, home free.
In the midst of the grass, a lone rattlesnake slinked its way across the dirt, setting its sights on the unassuming mouse on the edge. The snake was cunning, ruthless, and had no patience for its prey. Only one thing was on its mind: hunger. It slicked its tongue, spitting the familiar hiss into the dead of night. It moved ever so graciously across the rubble and would soon be upon its prey. The mouse was still looking at the street, unsure whether or not it should move.
A tingle. The mouse felt instinct take over when it turned to see the rattler in the grass. Decision time was over. It was time to move. With its paws, the mouse jetted out the lawn and hauled across the street. The snake, anxious for its food, followed behind it. The mouse was close to the sewer, but the mouse was gaining speed. If only I can make it, thought the mouse, I will be safe.
Within seconds of reaching the sewer, the mouse was caught between the snake’s slacked jaw. The mouse reached out to see the last glimmer of hope, but it was too late. There was no escape from the snake’s clutches. The poor mouse screamed as it was crushed beneath the coils of its predator. Once the mouse had been full of life, but now, it was simply fuel for the one higher on the food chain. It squeaked one last time and then...nothing. Not a sound.
The rattler began to feed on its prey.
The street was silent. No one was roaming about, no animal was making a stir. The hum of the lights was the only sound uttered from this block. In the night sky, the Moon emanated its usual brilliant glow.
Inside House 144, James Peruse was counting on the silence to continue for as long as possible. He took cover behind the kitchen stove, clutching his shotgun to his hand while gritting his teeth in fear. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine a quieter time. A safe space. A place where he and his family could be at peace. That day was not today. Next to James was his wife Sarah, gripping his arm with incredible strength. Her breath was warm, steady, and paced as she tried to calm herself down from the adrenaline building inside of her. Inside of her other arm was James and Sarah’s four year old daughter, Nadia. Naive and unassuming, Sarah made sure to cover Nadia’s mouth so as to prevent her from breathing too loud, or worse, scream.
The inside of their kitchen was modern; a luxury that James could afford with his job. Granite countertops with tons of snacks and appliances lying around, waiting to be used as an asset. Sarah loved her countertops. She loved her curtains, appliances, and just about everything else in the kitchen. She particularly loved the man crouching next to her. And now, if she loved him and their daughter, she would grip even tighter on his arm.
Subsiding his fear for a moment, James looked at his wife and child.
--We’re going to make it. We’re going to make it.
Sarah furiously nodded, as if to convince herself more than James. Nadia’s wide brown eyes just stared in bewilderment. What are mommy and daddy saying?
--We’ll sneak out the back. Cut it off from that angle and get to the car.
A loud crash was heard in the kitchen. It came from the living room. James’ brown skin turned pale when he heard footsteps roaming about their house. Sarah brought Nadia closer to her, who was now squirming in her mother’s arms. James slowly pointed his shotgun at the door to the living room. If it was coming this way, it would be met with resistance.
A familiar sound emanated from the living room; a growl then the echo. Rrrrgh-k-k-k-k-k. A shadow crept across the wall. Humanoid, but never human. Sarah’s eyes grew wide with anticipation.
The shadow stopped at the door, lifting up its head as if to scout out the room. More footsteps. The shadow walked. James had his gun ready.
--Stay back!
The shadow became a creature. A large, grotesque being with three pronged claws, hoof like legs, and tentacles shooting out from its back. Its eyes were green and its mouth was slacked open like a snake’s. From its mouth, more tentacles and its tongue. The creature screamed in victory. It had found its prey. It leaped at James and his family, forcing him to shoot it with his gun. The blast knocked it back into the kitchen table, giving the family a moment to run.
--Come on!
--James! It’s getting back up!
The creature regrouped itself and chased the family down the hall. Its sound were shrill and made an impression upon the family, leaving them to wonder how they would ever sleep at night again when this is over. If this is over.
--Sarah, come on! We can get through the back door. Take Nadia and circle around to the car. I’ll hold it off.
--James, no! I’m not losing you!
--Just do it!
Just as he was about to close the door, the creature’s claws lunged forward and grabbed James. He dropped the shotgun when the creature’s icy cold fingers dug into his arms and back. Sarah looked in horror as she saw her husband trapped.
--Sarah, just go!
Sarah didn’t listen. She dropped Nadia on the ground, reached for the shotgun, aimed it at the creature and pulled the trigger. Perfect shot. The now beheaded creature fell to the floor. James sped away from it, praying that it wasn’t alive anymore. On the floor, green blood started seeping from the creature’s neck and body. James desperately tried to wipe that same green blood off of his body. Sarah handed him the shotgun and picked up Nadia, who was stunned.
--Holy shit.
--It’s starting. This is exactly what they were talking about.
--How far does it go?
James looked at the creature with disgust. At one time, he had known this man. Billy Russell, a former Lieutenant of the U.S. Army. Billy was James’ commanding officer during his first tour in the military. He helped him developed a lot of the technology that the military used. Billy was a true friend, a hero, and a man that James would have given his life for. Now Billy was nothing but a pile of blood and entrails on his floor. James grimaced.
--It goes very far.
--James, I hear them. It’s the military. We gotta go.
James looked out the front window to see light shining in the house. He could hear them. Tanks, soldiers, planes. Everything. The street wasn’t so silent anymore. But that wasn’t all he heard. The familiar sound. Rrgh-k-k-k-k-k!!! They were already there.
--James, we’ve gotta move!
Sarah grabbed James’ arm and rushed them out of there. The family kept close together, running around the house while seeing the carnage that was happening. Tanks and trucks of soldiers spilled out into the street, busting into houses and asking whether or not they were human. Don’t you look at me! Don’t you fucking look at me! I will kill you if you turn right now! Alright, scan them. Make sure they’re one of us. If they aren’t, waste ‘em.
James poured Sarah and Nadia into the car. A family vehicle, Sarah’s idea. He desperately tried to start it. The battery was cutting in and out.
--Come on, come on! Not now!
Ignition. James sighed in relief as he hauled the car out the garage and into the open warzone. The military had begun a full assault of their neighborhood, doing whatever they could to save the bystanders. It didn’t matter though, because the bystanders on the streets began to turn. Their bodies changed, their skin ripped and tore apart as they grew the claws, the tentacles and the legs. These were friends, neighbors. People who James trusted and knew, now nothing more than freaks of nature. Together, they joined in the assault of the military officers and starting a full scale war.
James drove the car around the trucks and tanks in order to get out. Officers tried to stop him but were caught by the creatures that were attacking them. Sarah held Nadia close and tight, covering her eyes from seeing all this unfold.
--It’s gonna be okay, sweetie. It’s gonna be okay.
As they drove, James and Sarah couldn’t believe what they saw. Buildings were burning, the streets were blood-filled, power-lines were down, and bodies began to pile up and stink. And next to those bodies, more creatures, eating the human flesh they just carved. James almost puked. Sarah had to turn away. This was always bound to happen, James thought. When he heard the President’s speech about how the country was at war, he thought that meant a return to active duty. Instead, a coworker named Miguel Contreras had come over to tell James the truth. That there was life beyond us and that they had infiltrated every world order. James had seen this coming. He suspected something was wrong. What James didn’t see coming was his mentor Billy showing up at the door, greeting him like always, and then proceeding to transform and tear apart Miguel Contreras with his bare hands like an animal. No, James didn’t see that coming at all.
Nadia, even behind her mother’s hand, could see glimpses of the wreckage and destruction that had been wrought. In just 24 hours, her world that she knew for only a few years had been turned upside down. Her family had just moved to the neighborhood, and she had barely made any new friends. She liked making friends, and she liked playing outside. All that was gone now. Silently, she weeped under her mom’s hand as Sarah looked down at her daughter telling her to shush, everything will be okay.
They drove to the edge of the city, where the highway was located. James put one hand
on the wheel and one hand on the shotgun. It was a straight shot to the highway, but there was a large forested area before them. Just one more push of the car past the foliage and they could get out the city. James, with a fierce look in his eye, slammed his foot on the gas. Sarah held on tightly to Nadia, who was now bawling. With all his might, James yelled as he pushed through trees, bushes, and forest animals while trying to get to the highway. He didn’t care that the car was getting messed up. He had one goal on his mind: survival.
They were almost to the highway when a large rock derailed their car’s path, knocking the car over and over until it landed hard in the middle of a creek. They were only a few feet from the highway. James and Sarah were both knocked out, Nadia crying in their arms.
--Daddy?! Mommy!!
Groggy from the crash, James woke up to see himself surrounded by military officers, all in full tactical gear. Get up! Put your hands over your head! I mean it!
Sarah slowly got up, aiming to put her hands in the air. She shot a quick look at the shotgun, which was lodged in the car’s front seat. James couldn’t get it in time to defend himself. He put his hands up as well.
--Listen to me! I’m a military technician, I am one of you! I’m not one of them! You have to believe me! Let them go! Please let my family go!
The officers raised their guns, locked and on target. Nadia curled up next to her mother. She was frightened. These used to be men Daddy looked up to. Now they were going to kill them. One of the soldiers called in the situation, and James could hear the transmission. Yes sir. We don’t want to take any chances. All of them? There’s a little girl -- yes sir. Alright men, do it.
James’ eyes grew wide as the next few moments went by fairly quick. Sarah...as soon as she heard the message, she raced towards the car, grabbed the shotgun and fired. One of the officers fell back, and the other men opened fire. James reached out to save her...but it was too late. He took a bullet in the shoulder and leg, while Nadia was crouching on the ground, covering her ears and crying out to Mommy. Sarah fell on her knees and then to the side, reaching out for James to comfort her in her final moments. He grabbed her hand, tears in his eyes and knowing that her final act was to save her family. She feigned a smile, telling James I love you.
She was gone. James cried out in despair, and Nadia did the same. The officers didn’t care. They surrounded James and Nadia, guns cocked and ready to fire. Nadia crawled to her father and clutched his hand and Sarah’s. James looked at Nadia.
--Close your eyes, sweetheart, just close your eyes.
The commanding officer gave the final word. On my mark, gentlemen...ready, aim --
[SKIP CUTSCENE]
Dustin Miles leaned back in his saucer chair, holding his controller in his hands. He had played this game so many times he already knew what was about to happen. But every time, it still gave him chills no matter what. He sighed, relieved that the drama was over.
Dustin was never really much for drama. He didn’t have the capacity to be able to handle others’ problems or even his own. One word to describe him was simple. And as so, he liked his life to be baseline. He didn’t try as hard in school, even though he got to college. He didn’t try so hard in friendships, so he always hung around the same friends. He didn’t even try that hard in relationships, and only had a couple of girlfriends. Their main complaints? He’s boring. He’s average. He doesn’t do much except play that stupid game.
And what a game it was. Conquest III. The Game of the Year champion and Dustin’s all time favorite video game. If there was anything Dustin tried to put more effort in, it was Conquest. The game was an open-world third-person science fiction piece, with the player trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic alien invasion. But the cool thing was this, they were never called aliens: only Visitors. Dustin loved explaining it to people, because he loved to see the looks on their faces. If it was a fellow gamer, they would be elated. A family member, slightly interested. A potential girlfriend, disgusted. It was the same reaction every time, and Dustin loved it.
Dustin reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He had 2 missed calls that he hardly noticed as his phone was on vibrate. The caller was the same both times: Collin Munroe. Collin was Dustin’s best friend, if that is an apt description. The two had known each other since second grade, and were family friends, elementary school friends, middle school friends, and high school friends. Now, they were college friends and roommates. He redialed and pressed the phone to his ear. The phone rung for two seconds, almost prompting Dustin to hang up and keep playing the game. But another voice sounded on the other end: “Hello”?
“Collin, hey, it’s me. You called?”
“Yeah, man, I called like twice. Where were you?”
“Playing Conquest. What’s up?”
“There’s a party that Sigma Phi is putting up tonight. You know what that means. Beer, babes, and the best time of our lives!”
Dustin winced. Anytime Collin wanted to go to a party, he knew that he wouldn’t come home until at least two in the morning. And Dustin did not need that kind of craziness right now. “I don’t know, man. I gotta study for Hatcher’s class tomorrow.”
Collin scoffed, “Were you studying before?”
Dustin grinned. “What do you think?”
“My point exactly! Come on, Dustin. I won’t even stay that long and it’s just right around the corner from campus. Come on! Please?”
“Alright,” Dustin sighed, “I’ll go with you. But I’m coming back at midnight. And if you get back in the room, don’t wake up Nate.”
“Nate’s going to be up for hours, dude. He’s always on his computer typing God knows what. But alright! I’ll see you at the party! 8’ o clock.”
“8 o’ clock. Then I’m coming back at twelve.”