Stay In Your Homes

It started when the rock appeared in the sky, blotting out the sun. Darkness descended, days of night. A media black-out: TVs didn't work, nor did internet, radios, phones, GPS. We sat and watched and listened anyway. For reassurance. Information. Instructions.

Helicopters wafted ineffectually around it like gnats, and then wheeled away. Soldiers hand-delivered food packages with government messages: Stay In Your Homes.

It must have been two, maybe three days when it happened. I woke in the middle of the night, paralysed, with one of Them leaning over me. The dull bluish skin of its bulbous head looked dead, its eyes shone. I couldn't scream.

I woke later, in the dark, wondering... Had I dreamt it? Had it fried my brain? Wishing I didn't live alone, that I could call someone or leave the flat. I'd always prided myself on being self-reliant. But now, I needed to know I wasn't crazy. Or, even better, that I was crazy, that it didn't happen.

The day they left, the attacks started. All kinds of animals turned on us, as if on some signal. Across the street, a guy was savaged to death by his dog. The woman next door had her legs gnawed off by her poodle and nearly died. In the flat downstairs, a kitten had taken a woman's eye. Cats, birds, horses, cows, tigers, mice, elephants, snakes...

The military evacuated everyone and set up Retreat Bunkers. The girl downstairs cried for her kitten, locked in the bathroom. Her mum looked grim, her eyesocket poorly bandaged with a dishtowel.

A boy tried to smuggle his hamster in. "What harm can it do in its cage?" his dad blustered. They took the creature away. I don't know what for.

We lived in grey, (literally) lifeless bunkers until the town was "reclaimed": ie. sterile.

Now, everyone is armed. Doors won't open, unless they recognise a human face. If there's a spider in your room, it will lay eggs in your ears, or eyes. Whichever bit it can reach that's vulnerable.

I miss colour. I miss sparrows.

We look star-ward, waiting for Them to come back. I half-hope they win.

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Word count: 366

Submitted on 13th January at 00:08AM

* * * Author's Note * * *

Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment to make it easy for me to reciprocate.

The story behind the story: I'm writing a story every day this year. This one makes a 13 day streak. I'll link to the others below.

If you're joining me on this "story every day" adventure, please leave a link in the comments. I'd love to see what you come up with for today. I'll try to come back and edit this to link to your piece at the bottom.

JANUARY MICROFICTIONS

Here are my micro fictions so far this year:

1st: A New Beginning

2nd: The Other Guy

3rd: One Day, I Just Disappeared

4th: The Wages of Sin

5th: Where Am I?

6th: A Visit to Nana's

7th: Honour and Obey

8th - Another Life

9th: A Motherless Child

10th: The Baby

11th: Totzilla

12: The Sickening

Thank you again, and sorry if I bummed you out!