The following three days were marked by a tension that no member of the family dared to mention.
Every morning Donald left for his workshop displaying a disinterest that called into question the reliability of the news reports.
Linda was a woman shaped by the realities of life and death through her nursing experience. Yet although she viewed herself as strong her composure began to waver.
During her pauses she would ring home her voice overly stern. Too commanding each time she called to ask about Daniel and Chloe.
As committed Chloe refused to go to school.
She spent the majority of her day sitting near the window staring up at the sky.
Meanwhile, Daniel was caught in the middle of the chaos. He tried to shift his focus from the whole thing by spending time playing video games.
The image of his sisters face repeatedly appeared in his mind.
He frequently caught himself staring at the clock. The hours slipping away seemed like a countdown… almost as if it were the ticking of a time bomb.
On the appointed day all appeared ordinary. No strange occurrences happened. The sun came up at its hour. Individuals continued their routines as if all was well.
By noon Linda had already made three calls.
Donald called once. His tone was curt.
Daniel, ensure that your sister isn't frightening herself much.
The home was quiet except for the refrigerators buzz and the anxious tones of reporters, on the TV. Daniel's thoughts had tuned out every sound.
He was about to pick up a can of soda from the fridge in the kitchen when the microwave clock changed to 2:30 PM.
It did not begin with sound. It started with a feeling.
A powerful profound tremor started beneath the surface. It surged upwards as if a colossal beast were stirring beneath the soil supporting everything, above it.
The floor under Daniel moved sideways making a glass topple from the counter and shatter the crash, on the tiles swiftly overwhelmed by a rumbling noise.
"Daniel!" Chloe shouted from the living area.
He held onto the doorframe as the entire house shook violently. Books tumbled from the shelves. Pictures shook on the walls. A loud creaking snap resounded through the plaster heading his way.
This was no shaking; it seemed as though the earth was splitting open beneath them during a colossal earthquake registering an astonishing 15.8 on the magnitude scale.
From the exterior he listened to the wails of twisting steel and the deafening roar of collapsing structures.
The tremor was so intense it seemed as if the earth was tearing open. Suddenly everything stopped moving. Complete stillness took over.
But the terror was far from over!
Daniel gazed through the window sensing a coldness as the afternoon light began to fade quickly.
It wasn't the sunset. It seemed as if a global switch had been turned on.
The sun... Was slowly disappearing.
Suddenly it disappeared entirely. Substituted by a ring of darkness.
Darkness consumed the world. A vacuum. More absolute, than the night.
It wasn't completely dark. Exactly, at the center of the sky, where the sun should have been
Out of nowhere a fresh luminous item came into view.
A moon was suspended in the sky. It wasn't the silver-white they were accustomed, to; rather it glowed with a crimson-red shade.
This unsettling glow transformed the surroundings into hues of red and black turning their street into something resembling a horror film setting.
Disorder erupted. The momentary silence was broken by the shriek of car alarms the squeal of tires and the jarring clash of metal striking as motorists startled by the power outage collided with one another.
Then the shouting started. It was intense and overwhelming, with fear echoing from around.
"Daniel, whats going on?" Chloe stood beside him trembling uncontrollably her face pale, under the glow.
He gently drew her away, from the window his heart racing wildly within his chest like a bird struggling to escape.
On the TV, the news anchor was no longer her usual composed self.
Her face shone under the studio lights damp with perspiration.
"We… we are receiving information… I simply can't comprehend it " she mourned her voice trembling.
The perspective moved to a shot taken by a news helicopter showing a city street similarly drenched in the red light.
Individuals dashed in every direction their figures projecting stretched and warped silhouettes.
Yet they weren't just running away, from the turmoil; they were fleeing from something more dreadful!
As the camera moved closer the picture grew blurry and unstable.
Unusual shapes began appearing from the corridors and, from glowing fissures that appeared to rip through the atmosphere.
They seemed grotesque. Certain figures took form. Displayed twisted horns protruding from their brows with stretched-out limbs and skin colored like bruised flesh.
Some resembled insects scurrying with a velocity that was genuinely disturbing.
The reporters tone escalated into a shout.
"They are, over!! Oh my God they're murdering people! They are fiends! They are...." The broadcast stopped, turning to static.
Daniel was seized by a overwhelming fear.
This wasn't a natural disaster. It was an invasion.
The sarcastic comments his dad made about survival kits and his own irritation over missing the football game now seemed like echoes, from a time that had long disappeared.
At that moment the sole thing that truly mattered was the trembling girl next, to him.
His mind, previously. Indifferent suddenly turned keen and brimming with urgency.
"Keep away from the windows!" he shouted, his voice sounding odd, to him.
He swiftly led Chloe through the corridor of the house heading toward the door and fastening the deadbolt with a snap.
He hurried around the house in a flurry of motion securing the door and drawing the curtains closed enveloping them in almost complete darkness, a refuge from the crimson horror outside.
He grabbed his phone, his thumb fumbling across the screen.
He typed in his mothers phone number. The phone remained silent.
A recorded voice, soothing stated: "Every line is currently occupied. Kindly attempt your call again soon."
He made another attempt... Once more.. No luck.
With shaking hands he dialed his fathers number. The result remained unchanged. They were cut off. Completely and utterly cut off.
The screams, as one got nearer were interrupted by haunting growls that shook the house's walls.
He listened to a window break, at the neighbor's place accompanied by a succession of moist ripping noises ending in a scream.
They were approaching!
Chloe sobbed loudly her small hands tightly covering her mouth to stifle the sound.
Her big terrified eyes gleamed in the dark.
They couldn't stay in the hallway. They needed to hide. His eyes swept over the area scrutinizing, assessing.
The sofa? Way too predictable. Beneath the beds? The very spot everyone would check first.
His eyes then settled on the wooden wardrobe in his room. It was roomy packed with clothes and blankets his mother insisted on retaining.
A sanctuary of forgotten things.
"Chloe concentrate " he murmured, clutching her shoulders firmly. His tone was gentle. "We need to conceal ourselves. Immediately!"
He basically drew her into his bedroom.
The dreadful sounds were accurate just outside their doorway came a deep consistent thudding, accompanied by a subtle scraping noise, like claws sliding on concrete.
There were no servings!
He pulled the wardrobe door wide the wood creaking in objection. He started shifting heaps of clothes to make room at the rear.
"Enter. Proceed to the very end " he ordered.
Chloe, frozen in terror simply gazed at him. The knocking, on the door intensified into a bang. They had broken in.
"NOW!" Daniel shouted, his voice filled with urgency. The fear, in his tone finally broke her paralysis.
She rushed into the closet sliding into the space. He flung clothes and a musty blanket, over her concealing her completely.
Unexpectedly loud unnatural footsteps thudded heavily across their living room. He slipped into the space dragging the heavy door closed until it was almost shut leaving just a narrow gap.
The darkness inside the wardrobe was absolute, thick with the smell of mothballs and dust.
He felt Chloe's shaking body pressed against his back. He wrapped an arm around her holding her tightly.
At this moment he was able to hear the creatures, within the house. They knocked down furniture their movements marked by clicks and low growls.
They were looking.
He inclined his head downward until his lips were close, to Chloes ear. He felt her quick anxious breaths lightly touching his cheek.
He provided her with the advice that their survival relied upon.
"Do not make a sound."