The sky split open, bleeding light across the world. For a moment, there was only awe.
Then, came the confusion.
For thirty seconds, the world held its breath. People stood still on sidewalks, heads tilted skyward, waiting for explanation. Waiting for someone to tell them what they'd just witnessed. The light was gone, but something had changed in the air itself.
Then the first scream cut through the silence.
People staggered in the streets, clutching their heads, pointing at things no one else could see. A businessman in a pristine suit pressed himself against a building wall, eyes wide with terror, watching something that wasn't there. A child tugged at her mother's dress, whimpering about "the lady with no face" standing right beside them.
At first, they were just glimpses. Peripheral shadows that vanished when you turned to look directly. A flicker of movement behind a parked car. Something pale drifting past a second-story window.
