Unknown

Sirens sounded in the air halting the town in their tracks. The clouds in the sky rolled sheltering everyone from the sun. Panic didn’t set in right away but the continuous noise made everyone scared and wondering what to do next. What followed was chaos. 

3 months Later.

The street was blanketed by the midnight sky making it hard to see more than 6 feet in front of you. The petite young females eyes frantically moved side to side trying to sweep the space in front of her constantly watching for any movement. The sirens sounded again and she knew she needed to hurry. The heat began from her raising all the way to her ears, her head felt heavy as her hands began to shake, she felt trapped by her anxiety making moving forward impossible. She counted her breathes slowly, tapping her fingers against her upper thigh. Slowly the heat cooled, her head cleared, and her hand relaxed. She had to start moving she could not stay here. 

She dug in her pocket and pulled out the compass in her holding it in front of her. “Keep south.” She repeated in her head. It was the last thing she remembered before she was separated from everyone else. 

She stopped again when she heard the wind stir. “Hold still” she said in her head when she felt the familiar stir in the air. She squeezed her eyes shut ceasing all movements, remaining as still as possible. She almost screamed when she felt a breath on her face. She thought back to wether she remembered to scrub herself with the solution. 

She was probably standing still for about 2 minutes her muscle weakening she was not sure how long she could last without moving.They never stayed around this long before. Max 40 seconds. It was 20 seconds later when the winds around her settled. 

She quickly moved forward increasing her pace. It was hours later when she grew too tired to move. The sky was brightening when she knew she needed to stop. She found a house, opening the door slowly.

“Hello” she whispered 

She searched the house quietly making sure that the house was in fact empty. The basement was the last place she needed to check. The basement was clear except the remnants of two bodies. She blessed them before moving them to the backyard. She worked quickly before the sky was at its brightest. The sirens sounded again as she rushed into the basement and blocking herself into a corner. She drifted to sleep as the noise stopped. 

She didn’t wakeup in the usual manner but instead there was rustling above. It was too late to make it out. She tried to make herself as small as possible hoping they were only in search of food and then moving on. The corner she barricaded herself in was covered with boxes and blankets hoping that was enough to prevent them from finding her. 

Feet quickly descended the stairs when she heard screaming. Something crashed into her barricade revealing her slightly. She saw a guy about her age fighting with one of the unknowns. I pulled out the sword given to me plunging it into the air. 

Silence was present again and her eyes slowly opened. The goo spread across her hand as she looked to the other end of her sword. She could not stay here. The noise would attract more of the unknown and she needed to get out of there. She pulled out the sword concealing it again. Before grabbing her bag and throwing in food. She quickly walked out, but moving with the lights in the sky was dangerous. She wasn’t far from the house when she felt someone grab her placing a hand over her mouth. The person dragged her behind a bush and placed a finger to their lips signaling her to be quiet. She stared at him in annoyance, he was the same guy from the basement. 

Just then she heard the sirens and behind her a large crowd of unknown descended into the house. I heard them searching though the house and I held my breathe. This is the danger of traveling in the day time. The unknowns traveled in packs and it was harder to avoid them. They carried the one I stabbed out. All of them followed out but the last one paused and sniffed the sky. She did not have a chance to scrub herself this morning and she did not know if the guy next to her took any precautions. She quickly slid her emergency bottle out of her pocket poured it over her head and splashed some on the guy next to her. The unknown shifted his head back and forth one last time before continuing. When the sirens ceased and the coast cleared we slowly moved from behind the bushes. 

“What was that?” He asked. 

“What was what?” She responded gathering all of her things 

“The stuff you splashed on me.” He said as he found a rag in his pocket and began wiping himself down. 

“Its a concoction I made. It masks your smell so that the unknown cannot smell us.”

“The unknown!?” He asked with a quizzical look. 

She gestured towards the the direction the unknown moved in.

“The Saps.” He said in a superior tone.

“Whatever.” She gathered her stuff and headed south.

“Hey what’s your name?” He asked following her. “Are you traveling alone? because we can travel together. Where are you heading.”

She halted in her steps causing him to crash into her back. 

“I been alone since the beginning. I am fine alone.”

“It’s safer if we travel together.”

She began to walk again looking for somewhere to hide. The guy continued to follow. 

“In the beginning I was with a group. We were making progress until we were ambushed. Our numbers quickly diminished after the 12th siren. The president foreseen us making great progress but nothing went as planned.”

Annoyance was evident on her face as she continued to travel. She spotted a wooded area ahead and felt that was the best place for cover. 

“Did you have a part in fighting against the Saps? … probably not they moved so fast in retaliation I did complete my mission with my group to infatuate there camp in the west.”

The girl quickly removed the sword from her sheath and held it to his neck. He froze. 

“You probably were shit soldier, because you were a shit student.”

He looked at her with another quizzical look.  

“You know me?” He asked fear leaving his eyes. He was sure she wouldn’t kill someone she knew.

“We been in the same class all our life.” She said before putting her sword away. 

“I don’t remember you.” He said as she began to walk away. “What is your name?”

“Corticia” she said stepping into the woods 

“Ramifiseal.” He said smiling

“I know” she said not even looking in his direction 

“How is it you know my name but I didn’t know yours.” 

“Because I am more observant about those around me, and you and your comrades are self-centered. If it did not have to do with you it did not matter.”

He was quiet for a while but not long enough.

“Fair enough” he said. 

Ramifiseal continued to speak and followed closely behind her. 

“Do you ever cease. Why are you following me!” She spoke and turned her head in his direction at the wrong time. She tripped over a root and almost face planted when Ramifiseal caught her.

“I’m sorry I have not seen one of us in several weeks. I’ll try harder.”

Corticia felt guilty and just quietly continued deeper into the woods. Once she found a clearing she pulled out her tent and set up a spot to sleep throughout the day. 

“Is it safe to sleep.”

“They don’t typically come into the woods. They typically fear the woods because it is hard to see.”

Corticia shared a meal with Ramifiseal before setting up the bed and going to sleep. It was dark yet not complete darkness when she jolted awake. 

“Conceal the torch you idiot.” She extinguished the light and quickly looked around. 

She sensed the stir in the wind before the sirens blared. 

“RUN!!”

It was too late to try to hide and the unknown were surrounding them with the sonic machinery. They did not get far before they were trapped. A sharp strike knocked Corticia out. 

She awakened in a room chained to the wall by special equipment. Next to her was Ramifiseal unconscious. 

“Your awake, what is your name?” A man in fatigue stepped in front of her.

Corticia spoke in her native language. Someone took a rod and jammed it into her side electrocuting her. 

“We know you speak our language.” He said 

“My name will do you no good. We have evolved already.”

“What does that mean?” One of the people in a lab coat spoke up. 

“We know you use the sirens to try to subdue us. Our ears have developed a membrane to protect us from the waves.” Said Corticia.

“Your name?!” The man in fatigue spoke with authority jabbing the rod into her side electrocuting her again. 

“I am Corticia, product of Safilia and Carnicoli. I have trained from young to fight and and subdue you unknown.” Her voice amplified echoing multiple tones at once.

Ten tentacles emerged from Corticia’s back as she injected one of them into Ramifiseal. At that moment several soldiers stormed into the area, sirens blaring at a high frequency.

“I was produced to quickly evolve and learn the ways of your planet. Gaia or as you call it Earth closely resemblances our planet Messier E”, said Corticia.

They began to electrocute her at the same time in attempts to subdue her. It was as if Corticia was absorbing all of the electricity and converting it into energy as she pumped blue light into Ramifiseal.

Corticia called out “Ramifiseal product of Calipscious and Raxzenail, learn through me and reign in the new planet together.”

Ramifiseal awakened and his eyes shown white. His hands morphed into sharp blades as he sliced through the restraints holding him. He fell to the floor before his hands extended stabbing multiple men at once. 

“We have been hacked. I don’t know how but she is tapped into our system.” One of the females in a lap coat shouted as they vigorously typed on the screen trying to figure out what was going on.

“There she injected herself into the base.” One of the soldiers noticed a tentacle stabbed into the base of the floor surging with blue light. 

They immediately tried to stop her but Ramifiseal’s hand extended in their direction stabbing the soldiers.

“This was a trap.” Stated the man in charge. 

“General Marcus. I knew of this hidden base in the south and I knew how guarded this area is. I knew if I got too close you could not pass up the chance to study how the few Essiers left survived.” We need this base with the perfect longitude and latitude coordinate to receive the rest of us.”

A shot was fired in the back of Corticia’s head making her slump in her restraints. Ramifiseal ran to her side, cutting her down. 

“Corticia!” Ramifiseal screamed. 

“It seems the new bullets work.” Said the soldier.  

He heard the gun being reloaded but didn’t move as he looked at the last of his kind he had seen in weeks. The sound of the gun rang in the air but nothing ever hit him. 

Everyone looked in bewilderment. Why had he not fallen. Thats when they noticed one of Corticia’s tentacles blocking the path of the bullet. 

Cortica spoke to the unknowns, “The Essier’s evolution exceeds that of your kind. The skies were darkened when we first arrived because we can see better in the dark. The nights pitch black, were easier to travel because you could not travel without extreme difficulty. Our smell was rancid to you so I created ash and fat from the woods inhabitants to mask our smell. Our pores absorb quickly making just a spritz of the mixture enough. The moment I was exposed to your system I adapted to the bullet knowing the science behind it.”

Corticia’s tentacles pulled back and stabbed forward into the remaining people in the room. 

Corticia and Ramifiseal returned back to the form of the planet. 

“Corticia you always were in the back of the class. You stayed to yourself. I did not know you were created by Safilia and Carnicoli. Your frater is also famous for his previous concurring of other planets. You have not disappointed your predecessors.” He looked at her with admiration.

“Our work is not done we must clear the camp for Essier’s landing.”

Both Corticia and Ramifiseal rid the base of the unknowns before sending out the signal and waiting for the arrival of their people.