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“Open the news! OPEN THE NEWS!” shouted our neighbor in the early afternoon.

We were very curious about what was going to happen. We all sat down before the television. I played the news.

They dressed the president in a formal suit, and he was giving a speech. We could not catch on to his words. I increased the volume.

“I REPEAT, THIS IS A NATIONAL EMERGENCY. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR HOUSE UNTIL WE SAY SO! WE ARE TRYING OUR BEST TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE AS SOON AS WE CAN! TILL THEN, STAY SAFE AND BEWARE!”

We were as dumbfounded as if someone stabbed us with a knife. No one spoke a single word until I accidentally dropped the remote.

'This is a joke, right?" James asked, nervously trying to smile.

“It’s not April the 1st, James,” Sia replied with a straight face.

“Even if it were a joke, why would they involve the president?” I asked them. No reply.

It was dead silence. No one uttered a single word.

I got up and went towards the window to see what was going on. The sight that I witnessed became an unforgettable memory.

“Guys, see this.” The both of them came closer to the window and stood by my side. They didn’t utter a single word, nor did they move a finger. We were as silent as the dead bodies.

My phone rang, breaking the silence.

“Mom?” I answered.

“STAY RIGHT THERE! WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU! UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE ARE YOU ALLOWED TO GO OUT OF THE HOU-”

“Mom? MOM?” The phone went black. I dropped on my knees. I stared at it for a few minutes until I realized what was happening around me.

I stood on my feet and stared at the window, the reality sinking deep.

What I saw was the most horrifying and disgusting thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

Weird organisms were everywhere. Some were slimy, and the others were quite muscular. Some had their eyes above their head while the others had an extra pair of hands. And they were everywhere, along with them was blood. Deep red blood; just spilled everywhere. The people were screaming, just running away to wherever they could find a safe place. Then a fire broke out on the road. And one giant foot stepped on a tiny vehicle, crushing it to pieces. It was complete chaos. And just like that, the world changed forever.

I looked sideways to confirm that they saw the same things as I. I hoped I was not dreaming it. And just for a split second, I thought I saw tears in Sia’s eyes.

I tried to approach her, but then, out of nowhere, James fell on the floor. “This cannot be real… My mom and my dad are still out. It is not real. It is, it is just a joke.”

And then, unexpectedly, Sia grabbed his collar and gave him a slap across his face.

“PEOPLE ARE DYING OUT THERE, JAMES! THEY ARE DYING! AND IF YOU CANNOT ACCEPT THAT, YOU WOULD NOT SURVIVE FOR LONG! THIS IS NO JOKE, JAMES! IT IS HAPPENING FOR REAL!”

She let go of his collar and lay down. She put her hands on her eyes, tears trickling down her face.

James, who still was not sure what was going on, grabbed a glass from the table and took a sip.

“Look, this must be just a phase. The army, the government will help us.”

Sia stifled a laugh. “Did you not hear him, Rose? It is a national emergency. It is all on us now.”

It took us three entire days to come out of the shock. In those three days, no one spoke a single word. No one offered any help and nor did anyone mention a single thing about what was going on outside. We ate and slept whenever we felt like it. It was a complete mess.

I came out of my room for a change. I saw Sia sitting on the couch. She had tied her hair up in a bun, with little brown streaks escaping the band, and it drained her fierce black eyes of energy. She wore her pajamas, the same ones she wore two days ago.

She just sat there, with her hands curled around a glass of water, deep in thought.

I took a seat beside her, hoping to keep her company.

“It’s crazy,” She started as if waiting for me to come. “Just yesterday I went to the supermarket. Everything was so normal. Various people were there, with their families. I cannot believe it, Rose. And also, just two days earlier, Mrs. Jones had a baby, right?”

I nodded.

Sia stood up and went near the window, taking her mug with her.

I grabbed her hand. “Don’t. You do not want to see that.”

She smirked. “Find James. I haven’t seen him in a while.”

I sighed and let go of her hand. Just when I was about to get up, James walked in.

He wore a grey hoodie, which I am pretty sure was supposed to be white. He kept his head down, eyes all red and messy hair. When he looked up, his eyes seem colorless, drained of all the enthusiasm he once had. 

“I cannot call anyone.” He mumbled.

I patted on the seat beside me, offering him a place to sit. Sia brought another mug of warm water for him and sat on her corner seat.

I saw our reflection on the television that was right in front of us. I saw myself, a short, dark-haired girl, who was just as confused as everyone else was. And I saw Sia, the tough girl who would always protect me from bullies, would be my backbone in every situation. But now, scared. And James was timid of us all. It broke me; it did. To see the people I care about being so downhearted. 

“I don’t know what to do,” James spoke in such a low voice that it was hard for even us to hear.

“No one does,” I whispered back to him.

“So are we supposed to- “

Someone rapped on our door.

 It felt as if the time stopped. Clocks stopped ticking. As if someone put a knife on our necks. We were as startled as anyone could ever imagine.

I came out of the shock early and advanced closer to the door. I got up and took a step forward.

“Isss anyone in there?” Came a hissing sound from outside the door.

I stopped breathing. 

“Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in- “ 

“Shh.” Sia signaled James. They both got up and started walking forward.

“Let’s not do that. Whatever that is, will go away if we stay silent.” I spoke to both of them.

“What if it’s someone in need?” Sia patted me on the back.

"Do not be so naive, Sia. You know what is going out there." I said.

“Don’t worry. I won’t open the door. We will look through the peephole. Okay?” She asked for my confirmation. 

I nodded, and we moved forward.

 Someone rapped again, but this time, harder. 

We took a few steps back and marched forward again. I came closer to the peephole and looked outside.