The apartment door clicked shut behind me, muffling the outside world--though nothing out there had felt real since this morning.
Fired.
Just like that. Two years of staying late, fixing messes that weren't mine, keeping my head down... gone in a five-minute meeting and a shrug. "Budget cuts," they said, like I should've nodded and thanked them.
I dropped my bag by the door and stood there in silence. No job. No backup plan. The hum of the fridge was the only sound in the room, and for some reason, that made it worse.
I wanted to scream. Or maybe sleep for a week. But mostly, I just felt hollow--like the world had quietly shifted under me.
The thought of facing my wife made my stomach twist into knots. I could already imagine the look in her eyes--not disappointment, but that sharp-edged silence she uses when she's furious and doesn't want to explode in front of our daughter.
"She's gonna kill me. She'll definitely kill me."
I muttered it under my breath as I walked down the hallway. The apartment was too quiet. No TV, no clatter from the kitchen, not even my mom humming to herself in the living room.
Where is everyone?
I live with my wife and daughter--well, mostly. Our daughter is probably at university right now. A few months ago, my mom moved in after divorcing my father. It was supposed to be temporary, but after a long talk with my wife, we agreed she could stay.
Normally around this hour, someone should be home.
I called out their names. Nothing. Just silence.
My stomach growled. Figures. Even in a full-blown life crisis, my body was screaming for food. Stress always does this to me--eating became my coping mechanism somewhere between long work hours and skipped workouts. And now? I was huge. Not chubby.
Just... Insane fat.
I wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge, half-hoping to find something that could absorb my feelings. A cold beer and leftover pizza would do. Comfort food for a deeply uncomfortable life.
I popped the cap off the beer, took a long swig, and let the bitterness settle in my chest. I started dialing my wife's number, trying to think of how I'd even start the conversation.
"Hey babe, I got fired. But don't worry--I've got no plan and we're probably screwed."
I sighed. The phone rang. And rang.
I reached up for a snack on the top shelf, my belly getting in the way more than I'd like to admit.
"Hey, hey, now I've got all the time in the world to hit the gym," I muttered with a weak chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.
I grabbed a bag of chips, peeled it open, and sank into the couch. The worn cushions creaked in protest as I settled back and turned on the TV.
I flipped through channels mindlessly until a news broadcast caught my attention--something about a strange incident downtown.
Breaking news screamed across the screen.
[BREAKING]: Large Explosion Rocks Central District!
The video feed jittered slightly, then cut to drone footage, a column of smoke thick and black rising into the sky.
Then I saw it.
My breath caught.
That building--I knew it.
"Wait... that's my workplace."
My fingers scrambled for my phone. I tapped in Jasmine's number. Straight to voicemail. Next, Ravi. Then Mr. Tanaka. Nothing. No one picked up.
I stared at my screen, heart pounding louder with each failed call.
"If I hadn't been fired..."
The words left my mouth before I realized I was thinking them. Two days ago, I thought getting let go was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. Right now? It felt like divine intervention... or something.
Outside, an ambulance screamed past my apartment building, distracting me. I sat there, frozen, the lights flashing red through the blinds. My mouth opened, but no sound came.
"This has to be a joke," I muttered, flipping channels.
It wasn't.
Every station had the same footage. The same horror. Live feeds from across the city--people screaming, running, bleeding. One camera caught a hulking shape in the smoke--impossibly large, green-skinned, dragging something unidentifiable through the rubble.
The next cut showed a field of black creatures attacking civilians.
[BREAKING]: Multiple Areas Affected by Unidentified Incident
The news anchor's face was pale, her voice trembling as she tried to stay composed. "We're now receiving unconfirmed reports of similar disturbances in three more districts--"
She flinched on camera as a distant boom echoed behind her.
My hands were shaking.
"...there are multiple areas affected all over the world," the news anchor said, her voice trembling beneath a brittle calm. Behind her, the newsroom buzzed--phones ringing, people shouting off-camera.
"Eyewitnesses report strange creatures and... unexplainable phenomena," she continued. "There are multiple videos circulating online--unconfirmed footage from Tokyo, Berlin, and Moscow, all showing similar scenes of destruction. The government has declared a national state of emergency. The capital also is under attack."
My stomach dropped.
Unidentified incident? Strange creatures?
This wasn't just my city.
I stared at the screen, frozen in place, cold sweat running down my neck. My mouth felt dry. I'd been glued to the television for the last twenty minutes, but now every word felt like a hammer to the chest.
Sirens wailed outside--closer now. More urgent. This was real. This was everywhere.
"I need to get my daughter."
The thought hit me like a gunshot. She was still at college--across town. I fumbled for my phone, dialing her number with shaking hands.
No signal.
I tried again.
Still nothing.
I called my wife. No answer.
My mom. Straight to voicemail.
"Come on, come on--pick up," I whispered, pacing the living room now. My heart pounded. Every second without an answer made it harder to breathe.
What if the network's down?
What if they're caught in it too?
What if I'm too late?
My eyes drifted back to the TV, where now a shaky cell phone recording showed one of the black creatures--half human, half... something else--crawling across a building wall like an insect. It stopped and looked at the camera. Its head twitched violently, then it screamed--a high-pitched, mechanical wail that made the audio distort before the feed cut out.
I swallowed hard.
My phone suddenly buzzed in my hand. I nearly dropped it.
I looked down--my wife's name flashed across the screen.
"Ruby, are you okay?!" I shouted, my voice cracking with panic.
"Yeah... yeah..." she said, breathless. I could hear screams behind her--Sirens blaring, a chaos that sounded far too close.
My stomach twisted.
"What happened? Where are you?"
"We're almost home!" she cried. "Mom's driving--we're all fine, just shaken up. Where are you?!"
"I--I'm at home," I stammered. "I came early. I'm going to get Stacy. She's not answering. I'll pick her up"
I flung the front door open, bumping into the frame with my stomach. The air outside reeked of smoke and metal. I made it to the driveway just as headlights swung into view.
A familiar car screeched to a stop.
My wife, my mother, my sisters--they all jumped out in a panic. My mom, pale as a sheet, was gripping the steering wheel like she was still driving. My wife ran straight to me, eyes wide with fear.
"Stacy," she gasped, clutching my arm. "Where is she?!"
"I'm going now," I said. "Get inside. Get everyone in the basement. Lock it down windows, doors, all of it."
Without another word, I ran to my car. My hands were shaking as I turned the key.
~~WROOOM~~
The engine roared to life.
I pulled out of the driveway, tires screeching.
I didn't know what I was driving into. But I knew one thing for sure.
My daughter was out there. And I was going to bring her home.
But who knew this is the last quiet before the society crumbles and normal was gone forever.