Awakening

A fight at night, a flash of light, and a dash of horror.

The day has been bland. People going through their usual routines of getting up and going to work in the same monotonous ways they had the day before. Every detail the near exact same all the way down to a light snag in the bag of sugar they put into their coffee. No one paid it much attention; almost no one.

He sat there and just stared off across the dining room of the restaurant. The entire world was worried about the zombie apocalypse, but here he was already feeling apart of one. Two and fro they moved getting the same exact food they ordered the day before. How did he know? Kerry was observant. Perhaps too much so for his own good. Martha, the baker down the street, looked to him and gave a wave.

"It's going to rain today," the jolly tones of the jovial woman attempting to slice through the monotony of his routine. 

Slow turn of his head to look up to her and a forced smile, "I brought my rain jacket this time." 

The woman laughed and headed on out of the restaurant. Words exchanged were an inside joke between the two. A joke they pair told each other every day for the last five years. Kerry remembered the day, but had little recollection of exactly how the joke started out. Only the knowledge that it stemmed from a day when he forgot his raincoat and stepped into of the establishment soaking wet. This only adding to the feeling of deja vu he had been feeling all day. 

Heavy exhale from deep within of pure angst with hands up rubbing gently over his face. Fingers pressed into his eye sockets giving a rub as though hopeful to provide a fix for the feeling he was having. No such luck. The tray picked up and trash taken care of before he walked out of the building. A busy day of work laid before him and Kerry could not afford another instance for being tardy. 

- That Night -

"Yes ma'am," Kerry's voice into the receiver until falling silent to listen to his mother continue on. The woman had been begging for a trip from Kerry and his family for awhile now. There just never seemed to be enough time. "Alright we will. Love you too Mom," words fell from exhausted lips and the phone call ended. 

Kerry almost literally fell down into his chair from a long day at work. Eyes never looked up from the table while grabbing his fork and beginning to more or less just play around in the mash potatoes. The recent thoughts going through his head never left, but were only subdued by work. Kerry worked for a lumber yard in maintenance which kept him busy since things seemed to break down a lot due to neglect from their operators. 

"How was your day," finally his wife broke the silence. Almost a sheepish tone in her voice expecting a nasty retort. Kerry had grown very predictable at this point in his life. 

Only a life of his eyes to his wife. Caitlin had been there for him for just about as long as he could remember. The two were children growing up three houses down from one another and spent every day together. Neither ever expected to get married since Caitlin was a huge tomboy and Kerry had always preached how girls had cooties till fourteen then about how he wanted to play the field since he was fifteen. Despite this both married right out of high school. It wasn't to say no true love had ever not been shared between the two. Kerry and Caitlin's first intimate moment had happened while they were in high school and all the pieces just fell into place. 

Exhale with fork being placed down and cold voice piercing through those lips, "I'll tell you how today went. The god damn same way it always does." Voice now becoming louder, "I wake up. I take my a*s to get breakfast then go to work. Even the old baker makes the same damn joke every morni-."

He was interrupted, "Watch your mouth!" Caitlin bit back at him with her own words. "Elliot doesn't need to hear you speaking that way. What if he goes to school tomorrow and gets in trouble for repeating something his father said!" 

Elliot, the pride and joy of Kerry. The boy was only eight, but he was already just as smart as could be. Skipped ahead a grade with the reading level of a ninth grader. Most parents liked to make snide comments behind Kerry and Caitlin's back about how their son was some freak of nature for being smart. Kerry always laughed it off as 'jealous parents wishing their kids were smart enough to be able to leave this town one day.'

A scoff and Kerry's hand came across the table and knocked the glass clear across the room. The sound of it shatter nearly shut out by his yelling, "Then at least one f*****g thing in this house would change!" 

Caitlin wasn't given time to retort before he stood up and stormed off to the bedroom. Cut of the eyes to the clock reading it at eight o'clock. A bit early for bed, but what else would he be doing tonight? Sitting up late to view Sports Center and hear about the Miami Heat getting another play-off win? Shirt pulled from his body and tossed on the floor then came the pajama bottoms. Slips into bed and before be could even begin his cadence of counting sheep, Kerry was fast asleep. 

His wife and son continued their dinner and before long the trio would all be asleep. Sleep in the town was always peaceful. Sure you had the occasional nightmare, but you never worried about breaking and entering. Most doors remained unlocked and even Kerry's bedroom windows were left up and the ceiling fan used to cool him in his sleep. Nothing in the town open after nine which meant there was no reason for cars to be on the street either. Silence a blanket only sparsely interrupted by the chiming in of crickets or other nightly creatures. 

Then it happened. There was a terrible sound of metal being balled up. Screams of the steel to brick collision then kisses of the licking flames to Kerry's eardrums. The impact alone had been what woke him up and then the rest added to a rage induced stomp through his house to reach the front door. A fling open of the door and head poked out. A vehicle had crashed into a house a block down and the fire flew high into the sky. Much to high for just a burning vehicle. 

Grunt of frustration while grabbing his coat and slipping into it over his bare chest. Neighbors all pouring out of their houses, but luckily Caitlin and Elliot hadn't been woke up just yet. 

"What do you think happened," one man asked. 

"I bet they are from the town over! Those hoodlums always like to street race through here on Thursday nights," an older woman shouted accusingly. 

Kerry didn't speak. He could care less where they came from and only wanted the commotion to end before waking up his son. Getting Elliot back to sleep would prove a choir if he knew of what happened. The boys imagination liked to run wild. Hand went up to cover his mouth while he yawned. Flick of the wrist to bring the face of his watch around and peer at the time. Three o'clock. Just great he thought with a roll of his eyes. Begins to debate on if he should even attempt to go back to sleep or not. Turning back to walk into his house. 

Then it happened. There was a bright flash that radiated from the vehicle. Screams echoing through the night's sky and quickly he turned around. Kerry hadn't peered directly at the anomaly, but he caught sight of those that had. Eyes widened and he just froze. Their bodies blazing. Flames coming from the tops of their heads with light rocking of their limbs until the screams were no more and down they went like lifeless hulks. "What the hell," words barely inched out of his trembling lips. 

Kerry turned to run back towards his house, but there was another flash. This time the light red and he just knew it. This was it. A force in his back threw him into the door of his house and within. The structure around him beginning to tear and rip to shreds from the explosive might of whatever had happened behind him. Kerry's thoughts were with his wife and child, but they didn't last long as the heat was too much. Kerry passed out.