Racing Hearts, Sweaty Palms, and Other Symptoms of Alien Invasion

[Pandamonium]

Mica

Mica Methian (My-ka, Meth-I-an)
Male, 27. Army Sargent.

Bright displays of lights and laughter faded into blackness, when the rumbling had started.

The large, tanned mass rolled in his cot as his whole world was literally being jolted, and while the lump had never considered himself a heavy sleeper, it took the might and the strength of the screaming voices to make his eyes flicker open. And as soon as they were and he came to his senses, his nerves felt like they were lit on fire. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and he rolled out of bed, landing on the floor with a thump.
The rough landing on the cold, dirty ground was just enough to make him concentrate on the screams of terror. Feminine and masculine, high and low voices, all chorusing-

"Bombers! It's Them!"

"Get the Machines running!"

"No, just get out of here!"

The screams did nothing to make the man want to get up from the ground. He shut his eyes with a grunt, running a hand hard through his hair to grip it and come to terms with reality and knowing it was not okay. His training told him this was not okay, and he needed to get his weak bum out of here before he was either slapped with a drill, or killed by whatever was bombing them.

Finally, he opened his eyes once more, then realizing his own sleeping quarters were more alive than he was even in the dark hour. People rushing out of bed in barely their sleeping garments, another bouncing around on one foot to sleep a boot on, others grabbing their precious items and shoving them in a bag or their pants as they rushed out. Mica swearing lowly under his breath as someone nearly stomped on him, blinking down at him and telling him to get up in a tight, ferocious, yet fear-ladened voice. And he did, slowly sliding onto his knees, slipping his boots on and tucking the laces in. He tilted his head to glance around him again to see the others, but something else entirely caught his eyes. An explosion of light as it hit the ground, a ring of chaos having a ripple effect, like dropping a stone in the water. Except this ring was lifting up boxes, vehicles, people and flinging them around. "Oh lordy may," he hissed, his reflective eyes shining the light right back like a cat in the dark would. He was already scrambling to his feet and rushing off, only one word was echoing in his head. A name. Reed. Where was that little chef? His heart pounding in anticipation of bad events and of worry, needing to find him, the man he had been entrusted with watching over and taking responsibility for since he brought him in.

He rushed through the dark hallways, the sporadic blinking of lightblubs being the only thing that allowed the others to see, but he didn't even need it. What he did need to do though, was to get through this rushed crowd of army men and untrained civilians as he pushed to get to the kitchen. However, at a quick glance, one caught his eye. "MacDonald," he commanded, needing his attention as he laid his arm on his shoulder, swinging him around with his momentum. "To the kitchen," he could only offer in explanation.

He pushed through the swinging doors, moving to the side for Adam to get in and squaring his legs as he glanced around. And he was hopeful for that, because another strike happened, and not far from the feel of it, as it shook the building and its very foundations. "Reed!" He called.

 

[Wopster]

Adam

I changed the picture as this one is better and younger.
Adam MacDonald
Male,18,Army private and Olympic archer

The young, stubborn teen rolled over in his bed as the world around him ended. He had always been a heavy sleeper but still it took his bunk mate to shake and slap him for 5 minutes until he was awake. As soon as he realised what was happening he jumped out of bed, put on his shoes, grabbed his backpack, bow and quiver and made for the kitchens. As he ran he heard people from the army shouting

"It's the bombs. Get the machines ready".

And he heard just normal survivors and civilians shouting

"Go go go. Get out of here".

The shouting, the people running everywhere. It didn't scare him. He had been used to bombings lately. Although they were always miles in the distance. This attack was on them. But then again nothing really scared him. Being a werewolf means you tend not to get scared by much.

As he made his way to the kitchens he saw everyone running out, the rush of people made him have to turn and walk the opposite way. It was then when a Sargent stopped him and commanded him to follow. Adam ran in after him and as he shouted for his friend he looked for food and water. Surprisingly since people had just ran out of here, in there panic they left a lot of food. He grabbed as much as his bag could hold and looked at his Sargent and shouted "your friend is gone. The world has gone to shit. Now follow me to a car or die here. We haven't got all fucking day".

 

[dreamthief]

Reed Sakai::25::Cook

The earth shook; pots and pans rattled off their hooks and hit the floor only causing more noise to the commotion around him. Men and women barked orders though hardly anyone listened. It was the civilians that panicked and ran every which way while the military's higher ranking officers attempted to escort them to safety. A gun shot went off in the hallway and people screamed in response. Within minutes the mess hall was clear and Reed was left alone staring into darkness. Carefully he opened the pantry door and peeked outside. It was a mess, one he was glad he wouldn't have to clean as much as he enjoyed the alone time.


Carefully he crawled out of the pantry and took one last look around. Humans were frightening when they were panicked and seemed the most impulsive when they weren't trained. He was grateful for the military personal around him though now it was time to go. Getting up from his position on the floor he took his white apron off and set it aside before walking to another pantry. Pulling out a bag he slung it over his shoulder and walked towards the back metal doors. Pushing them open he stepped outside and to a camouflaged van. It was used for transportation of foods to the base and was stocked with room in the back for people to get in. Like everywhere on this base guns were hidden in places only military personal knew.


The ground shook again and the sound of rumbling was a defining sound around him. Reed. He stopped as he heard his name and a sigh escaped his lips. The man made it; he actually had trusted him enough to come to the kitchen instead of the underground bunkers. Moving the door open and pressing a green button along the wall Reed looked towards the source of the voice, "Mica!" he called and when the man saw him he tip his head with a smile in his usual greeting and ushered both men to the vehicle. The garage door opened slowly revealing more and more of the chaos outside. As the two men got in he went around the front opened the hood and adjusted something before closing it and getting in the car himself. The ground only stopped rumbling for a moment before a low noise began to sound around them.


It started off low but the sound only grew as the car started. Pressing on the gas Reed accelerated the car making the vehicle go from zero to eighty in seconds and it only escalated from there. Behind them as the cloud of dust they pushed up faded people could be seen struggling with their vehicles, none of them starting. Glancing back at the rearview Reed frowned slightly. When the pedal was all the way down and he couldn't push down anymore he switched gears, anything to make the car go faster. The sound was now deafening it drowned out the sound of the engine.​

 

[Pandamonium]

Mica rested his hand against a metal cabinet to keep himself balanced, narrowing his bright blue eyes as he scanned the area for the dark haired weirdo. In his search, he heard the ever so brave, the never fearless boy and his rather emotionless voice, making him smirk as the lights flickered. "Calm down, army boy. I'm looking for this man and I am rather looking forward to living. If you're not so peachy-keen on the idea, you can go ahead with the others," He'd reply, rather nonchalant. However, as he turned away his smirk would fade and his face would become rather masked. He wouldn't give up on Reed, because then he'd be giving up on himself and his hope. He blinked as he saw a lone army jacket on one of the coat hooks that hung from the wall, in between the greasy stove and the white board full of directions and erased meal ideas. It'd peek his interest, before he heard the higher voice of the asian, and then his dark haired head bobbing up. Of course the sight would immediately make him grin widely, taking off grabbing the camouflage jacket on his way, used to its weight already. "Also, MacDonald," he'd call as he looked behind, curious if the man were following, and seeing him he'd shoot back a smile. "i'm not so sure you noticed, but the world's been rather shitty for the last few years." And then he raced after Reed through the short hallway.

**

Seeing the old, camouflaged glimmer of the foodmobile, relief and an unimaginable state of joy filled the blond's lungs and he let out such a long sigh as he slipped the odd smelling jacket on over his stained wifebeater, the chain around his neck jingling with the movement as the charms clashed together.
Brushing sweat beads from his eyebrow with his thumb, he looked to the smaller man, Adam, gesturing to the van with a nod of his head. "Common MacDonald," he'd say patting the boy's shoulder to get him steered toward the van's door, himself gripping onto the top of the car doorway in the back and closing it behind him.
"Step on it," he'd try to call to Reed, though he'd barely get seated himself before the truck roared off with the gurgling protests of the engine. Nearly being rolled over, Mica chuckled loudly, filled with adrenaline and too much relief for the moment. He'd open his eyes, seeing the gruff adam with his bags amongst the bags and boxes of canned goods and vegetables, his face looking rather dark to Mica as the cans clinked dangerously. "Resourceful," he'd say with an approving grin, nodding to the bags. "The more, the merrier," he'd say, his voice sounding rather dark compared to his other peppy tones, casting a glance to the other foodstuffs. It'd make him think of another thing though, and he' carefully push some things aside as he crawled up towards the cab of the van, sliding the door to see the seats, Reed, the dash board, the the utter chaos outside. "You know, I have to thank everything that is dear and holy to me for the fact that I have you," he'd say, clapping a hand gently on the man's shoulder, before a sight would catch his eye. The vehicles they pasted, angry and anguish as cars stalled and the hope leaving their bodies, too many rushing past them as they speed on. It would raise questions in his mind, but there was a lot else to attend to. "We may still live," he'd say, slipping into the front seat, scanning the dashboard and under it, using his hands to feel around the glove box and under, feeling for a button or any oddity, before under his own seat. Just as he thought he felt something, a bright light caught the corner of his eye and he glanced over for it, his eyes widening as his pupils dilated with the sudden spark, a call about to erupt from his throat before there was a a rattling and the whole van lifted off the ground, the world turning and suddenly the dirt seemed much closer before it all went black.​

 

[Wopster]

Adam looked at Mica and then to his friend Reed and said " The others are a bunch of idiots. And you have a point there". He smirked as he grabbed a first aid kit and ran after the two men. This guy Reed was a cook so at least they would have some decent, properly cooked food wherever they end up.

He followed the two men to a vanand smiled. They would at least have a bit of warmth, a roof and a bit of comfortablity in this van, along with some food. He jumped into the back and had a just enough time to close the door before the van roared of. He sat down and sighed "well at least we have some room, food and a roof". He looked at Mica and said "well I always keep my bow on me. And when the bombs went of my first thought was food and water. Your right. We may live". He was about to as the chef Reed what he had done to the van before they had set of when he saw a bright light, felt the van go into the air and then everything went black.

 

[dreamthief]

At the clap on the shoulder Reed leaned forward, and offered a small smile towards his friend before looking back out to the dessert. He had learned not to take things so literal. When he came here it had taken him a while to become used the new customs. He had learned long ago what was okay and what wasn't and most of it was from either watching or Mica's own teachings. Though the drills had become custom to them during his life at the base, it seemed more chaotic now than ever. Sure, they constantly went over what do to but now it was as if all those practices flew out the window.


Maybe they would make it to those hills or at least far enough- His thought were cut off when he saw Mica starting to dig under the passenger seat. Before he could open his mouth to warn the man a flash of blinding light caught him in the rearview mirror. The ground rumbled and the piercing sound from before stopped only for another loud defining sound to start up. It started out small but slowly it expanded catching dust and anything in its wake and throwing it out like a mad tidal wave. It looked like a mushroom cloud in the old movie Mica had shown him though this one was green and headed towards them. Moving a hand out towards the passenger seat he jerked Mica upright so the man wasn't hunched over and pressed him to the back of his seat just as the van flipped and the world began to spin. Closing his eyes Reed calmed just as everything went dark.





By the time he had come to again he was upside down and staring at darkness. It took him a moment to realize what happened and where he was then another few seconds to discover which was up. Allowing gravity to take over he undid his belt from around him and fell towards the top of the van which now was the bottom. His limbs move to cover his head quickly just as he landed with a thump. Not wasting another moment he got up from his position though in the process his hand touched something warm and wet, "Mica," he murmured allowing his mind to wander.


Moving his hand along the bottom of the van he searched for something and when he finally found it he switched it on. A small yellow light lit up the tiny space enough for him to see his friend crumpled against his seat. His head, the blood was coming from his head and from his arm. Moving his hand to both wounds he pressed down on them lightly. The arm wound, though deep, didn't look to serious and the head wound he couldn't be too sure about, not when the man was upside down. It was then that he remembered the other man, the younger one. A recruit.


Looking away from Mica he looked to the back of the van seeing food cans he had stored away scattered everywhere. One or two busted open for there was tomato sauce against the walls. It was better the vehicle smell and be smeared in sauce then blood. His eyes finally landed on the other man, a heap in the darkness.

 

[Pandamonium]

As the darkness finally started to move and swirl
in a nauseating pace infront of his eyes, he slowly started to come to. A deep, gargling groan resounded through the darkness, making him jerk at the shock. He slowly started to calm though, relaxing his muscles, and it took him several moments to realized that the groan had slipped from his own lips. He coughed slightly from the dust and dirt that raised, feeling how dry and swollen his tongue was as he ran it against the rough edges of his teeth. The earth did not hold mercy for us. He started to shake his head slowly, but the emotion just make him gasp in pain and close his eyelids even tighter than before. It almost felt like the force of getting hit by a bullet train (but of course not as catastrophic of damage). He lifted a limp-ish, tingly arm to run through his short blonde hair, only to find a skin-prickling feeling of thick wetness and a bit of clumped hair, and still a hint of warmth. He shivered, especially as his fingers lightly found the scrap, and just relaxed his muscles, letting his arm going back to pointing down at the ground below him. What even happened?

Quick glimpses of memories raced through his mind, ones of bright lights and shouting, of Reed talking and of the boy, Adam and his stoic face. And then there was the spinning earth as they seemed to do a nose dive straight into it. He immediately regretted asking himself that question, because just even the memories brought on a new wave of pain- however they also brought up a new energy, one of fear. "Reed?" he'd ask with a hoarse voice. He'd slowly pry open his eyelid, which felt like lifting two tons. He glanced around in the darkness, squinting as a small bright light shown in his face, making weird shapes dance across his eyes. He felt around with his hands, finding the seat belt that kept him suspending, and following it to its source and pressing hard on the button with what little strength he had at the moment. It took a few tries, but he got it un-jammed and gripped onto it for dear life as he started to fall, able to land at a weird angle at his side against the weird, not-so-soft material of the car roof. "Hey-," he'd start to call out, but then everything rushed up to meet him, meaning more of the little dinner he had had sometime in the day or days before. and it wasn't much better coming up than when it went down. And now it was everywhere, as the smell of bile start to fill the air. He groaned again, but more in disgust as he raised a forearm to wipe as his mouth, shifting his body away from the mess and tilting his head to look around in the dark shadows of the car. "Reed, Adam?" He'd say, just taking in the shape of the man's behind as he checked on the back. As he waited for the man's response, his eyes slowly and lazily slid around their small space, trying to figure a way out and shifted again. He made his way over to the window by crawling with his elbows, raising his arm to pull awkwardly at the car door, trying to get it open, and thankfully it made a click. Taking in a deep breath, he used his energy to heave the door open, making it swing out and come to a bouncing stop. Fresh-ish air flowed in, along with sand, and you guessed it, even more dirt. At least it took away some of the bile smell, but nearly seemed worse as the smells of smoke came in.​

 

[Wopster]

As a stream of light started to slip into the back of the van, and the steel of puke came to much he finally started to wake up. His whole body ached, he was lying on his back, flat against a hard piece of metal. He was covered in something, he wasn't quite sure but he guessed it was blood and food. He opened his eyes to pretty much darkness. In what little light he had he could see there was a lot of damage to the van. He tried to get up but instead roared in pain and laid back down against, by the looks of it, was the van roof. Then there was a noise, some grunting and then a load of light came in and he could see a bit more.

His bags were underneath him, breaking a bit of his fall. The food and drink that wasn't in the van seems to break it of its containers and spill everywhere. He looked down at him self and saw he was bleeding from under his shirt and left trouser leg. He manged to prop him self up in a seating position against the wall of the van and called out "Reed? Mica?" He saw a shape where the light was coming from and started to crawl his way over. He saw Mica first, by the looks of it he was the one who broke the door, and then heard something to the other side and saw Reed. "Hey fellas. Looks like we jynxed ourselves eh? Now how about we get the fuck out of this van, asses the damage and then decide what to do".