Nothing Left

Marshall was walking away from the car, away from Kim, when the ground shakes. It knocks him off balance and sends him tumbling face first into the pavement. He puts out his arms to catch his fall and hears his right wrist crack with the impact. Blinding pain shoots up his elbow and he cradles it protectively against his body as he turns over onto his back. The ground rumbles again and suddenly there's a sound like thunder. He curls up in pain, his head instantly aching from the sheer intensity of the sound. He looks up and is horrified to see the sky split open. He thinks it's like a bad time traveling movie as he watches the tear grow bigger, a blinding light bleeding out of the wound in space. This can't be real his mind keeps telling him. He wonders if he's dreaming or tripping or unconscious, he can't be seeing what his eyes are telling him he is. From where he lays it appears as if people, no creatures of some kind, are dropping out of the sky. The fall is nearly three stories but the things land swiftly like cats and then bound off on two legs into the darkness.

They look human when they stand up but from where he lays he can see that their eyes glow and glint in the dark. He wants to run, every bone in his body is screaming that this is a nightmare and that he needs to run. He's paralyzed with fear, afraid to draw attention to himself. He watches in horror as some of the things start to crowd around the car. Kim. Kim is inside there, all alone. He gets to his feet, ex-wife or no, he still loves her and the need to do something is battling hard against his fear.

The things swarm the car. He watches as some of them smash the window and drag the driver out onto the pavement. He's screaming bloody murder. Marshall hears gunshots and remembers her handgun, hopes she can fight the things off. Arms suddenly grab him from behind and he finds himself desperately fighting for his life.

***

Curtis and Hailie reach the entrance of the store just as they hear gunshots. The doors are all automatic and because of the loss of power none of them will open. Curtis goes searching for something to break them with; he finally manages to break a part of a clothing rack. The door seems to be made of some kind of unbreakable plexi-glass and doesn't budge under the blows raining down on it. The sound of more gunshots can be heard outside. Curtis's blood runs cold at the sound of screaming.

Hailie stares up at him, eyes round and huge, she says what they both know; "That's mommy."

Curtis pounds against the door some more, angry and scared. It's Hailie who discovers the emergency lever that forces the doors open. Curtis holds her body protectively in his arms and slips carefully outside. His eyes have adjusted to the darkness and he can see the figures swarming the car, the driver's body lain out on the ground. There's a separate crowd of forms strangely dressed in bright colors standing around a fallen body. One of them steps back and throws something into the air, he can't tell what it is and before he has a chance to wonder the night sky is lit up with an explosion. The fireball is huge and bright, hug hig his eyes and making him fall backwards.