Hey guys
Hey guys! Watched Cloverfield the other day and thought I'd do a fanfic! Apologies if anyone is waiting for my other fanfics to be updated, but some of them will be, soon! I know have a working computer, wa-hey!
Enjoy..
"My name is Robert Hawkins. Approximately seven hours ago, something attacked the city."
Those two lines towards the end of the infamous Central Park video had haunted news stations and radio broadcasts since Operation Hammerdown on May 22nd finally worked. It had been one of the longest and most terrifying tapes; the closest to aptly demonstrated the full horror of the attack. Thousands of people knew who Robert was; he'd been going to leave for Japan, he'd been thrown a surprise leaving party on the night of May 22nd. His closest friends and brother had been taken by Cloverfield, as the monster was now dubbed.
But no-one had ever seen Robert Hawkins in the flesh since the video was recovered. No-one even knew if his body, alive or dead, had been recovered. Officials were not about to give away information about a person to people who weren't immediate family.
A few investigative reporters had tracked the Hawkins family, but even they found it too hard to push the sobbing mother on the end of the phone when they rang the family home. Even if Robert had been found, she'd still lost one son.
Robert Hawkins remained a mystery, despite his video's infamy. The people in it too became well-known names of the attack. Hudd's family opened up a website in his name, inviting people with their own video footage to post it up, trying to remember as many stories as they could.
Most people didn't even know if Lily had survived. Many asked that question in Cloverfield Attack forums but no-one got the answer.
The 'protagonists' of 'The Cloverfield Video' remained lost in real world, but alive in the ether.
"Come here, Bob."
The golden retriever panted heavily, turned to look at where he was being beckoned, and galloped off.
"Good boy, Bob," a young man in a white shirt grinned, ruffling the dog's ears and bracing himself on the sofa as Bob threw his full wait onto him.
"Don't you think it's weird that when I call your name, both you and the dog look up," the young woman to his right sighed, trying to get out of the way of Bob's crushing hug.
"Well what else would you want to call the dog?"
"I don't know, how about a dog's name? Like Rover or Rex or something."
"Now that's just sad."
"Whatever, Rob," Lily said, shaking her head.
Bob pounded after her into the tiny kitchen, his claws scraping on the cheap laminate wood floor.
"Now, what do you want for tea?"
"Ah, don't know. What have we got left?"
"Tinned pasta and tomato sauce, tinned rice with beans, tinned baked beans."
Lily rootled some more, "Oh, and a dog chew."
She gave Bob the last of his dog chews and pulled out the tinned pasta, "Pasta it is."
The earth shuddered underfoot and the pair automatically steadied themselves against the furniture, tensing their bodies against the shakes. The tins rattled in the cupboard. Bob started to wine and crawled tentatively to his basket.
It only lasted for five or so seconds, but both Lily and Rob's hearts were racing hard in their chests.
"Ok," Lily chirped, into the silence, turning on the stove, "Pasta will be ready in a minute."
Rob tucked his legs under him on the sofa and rested his head against the pillows. They'd been living in NY2, Camp 4029 for the past nine months, miles away from the actual New York city, and still his life was being affected by what had happened.
Every day new bodies were being found, new parts of the monster, new videotapes, camera-phones, blurry pictures.
He'd survived Operation Hammerdown along with an impressive 51 others. Beth hadn't. He thought about her every day, but he never allowed himself to turn on the news or log onto the internet and watch Hudd's footage being replayed over and over again, however much he missed her and his old friends.
The doctor told him it might help him get over it. Rob had told him where to go and the doctor had never bought it up again.
Rob had been air lifted to what had become known as NY2; a camp for survivors, a place to help the wounded, a place to collect the dead. He'd laid in bed every day, in his own world, unable to see, hear. Unable to care that the doctors said if he didn't want to get better he never would.
Families had lined the streets on the perimeter fences, holding up banners and material daubed with loved one's names.
'Family Hanson: Where are you Dad?'
'Lois LaHaine'
'John Espinosa – Aged 9'
'St Marcus' Children's Home – Alan, Grace, Emma, Tom, Lana, Rosie'
'Danny Ramone – was in St Mary's Hospital – we're here baby'
'Mary Banes – maternity ward General Hospital'
The fence had become clotted with pictures and signs; 'have you seen this person?', places to meet up. A whole city had been displaced, and no-body knew where to start putting back together the pieces.
Eventually the government started to hand out official pieces of paper for the families to sign. Rob had even filled one in. That had kick-started his healing process. He'd watched the families stand desperately outside the fence every morning from his hospital bed, and suddenly realised what if Jason had survived? What if by some miracle he'd missed the crashing tail and had simply plummeted to the water? What if he was trying to find him?
He'd filled it out. Nothing had come of it yet.
But he had found Lily. She'd been housed in an old farmhouse. After filling out the paperwork for her, a match came up. The officer who went to collect her and bring her to him, had said she'd been on her hands in knees in the middle of one of the fields stationed to be filled with homes for the refugees, painting a sign. She'd brought it with her.
'Rob Hawkins, Beth MacIntyre, Hud, I'm wait-"
She'd told him through the tears she was going to write 'I'm waiting for you', but that was when the officer had arrived.
Months later the government let the families into the ruined city; allowing them to stand outside the rubble of various apartment and institution buildings and shout the names of the missing. Every day, fewer were found. He'd wondered about going out there and calling for Jason.
"You Ok?" Lily whispered, as she sat next to him with two trays in her hand.
"Yeah," Rob replied, quickly, "I was just…thinking."
She nodded, and began to tuck into her pasta, although feeling distinctly less hungry.
"What do you want to do tomorrow? We could walk Bob around, get our tin rations. Anything else you want to do?"
"No."
"Oh. Ok."
Another tremor tour through the rickety cabin. Their hands shot out to hold each other, gripping tightly onto each other's arms. After a while it petered away, and they let out the breaths they'd been holding.
They'd been told the tremors were subways caving in; buildings falling, things like that.
Outside the window, an elephant sounded loudly and Bob started to jump up and down, barking wildly.
"We would be housed right next to the zoo enclosure," Lily grumbled, flapping her hand at Bob to shut up.
Not far away the high iron fencing kept in the animals that had survived from Central Park zoo. Next to the plots of land, was an entire enclosure devoted to domestic animals that had been found.
Bob was Jason's dog. After Rob had recovered, he'd gone to collect him when he was told he'd been found. He thanked God he'd ticked the box 'Did the missing own a pet?' and filled out the appropriate breed, name and chip registration number, when he was filled out Jason's paperwork.
"Don't worry. They said they're almost finishing shipping the animals away. I think the elephants are going back to Africa."
"Well good, they frightened Bob and wake us up at two in the morning. What if they escaped? It'd be a lethal rampage," Lily said, disapprovingly. She had feared her and Jason's dog had perished in their apartment building, and now liked to keep him close for comfort.
Rob chuckled a little and balanced a pile of pasta and sauce on his fork, "Can you imagine that? Waking up to a tiger in the kitchen."
"Bats in your ceiling."
"Zebra eating your washing."
The two started to giggle, Rob nearly slopping his food over his front. He inched the tray forward, then his knees seemed to jerk up on their own accord. The tray flew off his knees, rolling under the TV cabinet. Lily's followed.
A moment later, so did they.
"What the hell?!" Lily screamed, reaching for Rob as they huddled behind the coffee table, their cabin raising up into the air in front of them. Rob tilted the coffee table and set it so that the four legs were pinned against the wall they had their backs to, the top acting as a shield as the kitchen started to tilt higher and higher, pots and pans raining down on them, the cupboards flying open and plates smashing. Bob cried and yelped as he skidded down next to them, Rob grabbing him by the collar and tucking him in between them behind the table. The whole cabin began to shake, the lights flicking on and off, the roar of groaning metal so loud Lily couldn't hear herself screaming. The sofa started to slide and she winced, expecting to feel the thump of material shatter their flimsy shelter. It caught itself on a piece of wire and tilted to the right, shunting down into the corner of the room. She clawed at Rob's arm, gripping tightly, burying her face into Bob's coat. After a few terrifying, shaking minutes, the cabin stopped moving. Rob felt blood trickle down his face..
"Lily? Are you Ok, you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she whispered, shakily, "Rob what's happening? Oh god what's happening?"
She was crying without meaning too, her hand to her face to stop the tears.
"We have to get out of here," she cried, pointing past the coffee table, to the electrics that had been wrenched from their places in the kitchen. They sparked dangerously.
"Ok, come on, we can get to the door."
Rob launched himself away from the coffee table, just managing to catch hold of the corner of the front door frame. He hauled himself up as carefully as he could, cautious not to make the whole cabin tip back again.
Lily staggered after him, holding onto his legs as he lay on the floor, grappling with the handle. The door eventually banged open. All Lily could see was a portion of the sky before Rob grabbed her under the arm and pulled.
"Push off from the wall, come on."
She did as she was told, eventually getting a grip on his arm and pushing past him, balancing precariously in the doorway.
"Oh my god," she cried, shaking her head. Her fingers froze on the door frame, her body trembling.
"Rob, what's happening? It's happening again, oh god, it is, isn't it?"
The field the cabins were stationed on looked like it'd exploded. Turf and soil hung from ceilings and doorways of cabins all as tilted as their own. Some were sinking into the mud, others had been completely flipped.
"Lily. Lily jump, it's Ok. Hurry," Rob groaned, his arms starting to weaken. He couldn't hang on like this anymore. He turned his head, "Bob. Come on, Bob. It's Ok boy, it's Ok. Come on."
Bob whined and ducked his head to the floor, legs shaking.
"Bob, come on, I can't leave you here, come on boy."
Lily crouched in the doorway, watching with wide eyes.
"Come on Bob," she called, gently, "It's Ok. Come on Bob. Good boy, come on."
Bob whined louder.
Rob reached down his foot and planted it against the sofa, now rammed into the corner of the room. He sunk down onto the arm, removing his hands from the doorway. He leant down, grabbed onto Bob's collar, and pulled.
Bob growled with confusion, paws scratching desperately for a purchase on the floor. Rob pulled with all his effort, hoping he wasn't strangling the poor dog, and managed to get him onto the sofa arm next to him. Without stopping he lifted him up, planting his hands at his haunches and pushing upwards.
"Get him Lily!" he grunted, his arms shaking from the strain. She grabbed hold of his collar and pulled upwards, and eventually Bob found his claws against the door frame. He pushed off and jumped down the other side, landing on the grass outside.
"Come on Rob, he's Ok."
She reached down and helped Rob scramble up. They jumped out onto the grass together, automatically grabbing onto Bob's collar.
Rob stood up straight as Lily checked the dog over for injuries, his heart squeezed tightly in his chest.
What the hell was happening?
The entire area was ripped up, the impact of whatever it had been rocking cabins out of their flimsy foundations. Over the heads of the tilted cabins, Manhattan smoked heavily.
What was going on?
He grabbed Lily's and they tentatively wound their way around the ruined cabins. Blood soaked figures dragged themselves from the wreckage, the whites of eyes showing panic and fright.
They found themselves in the centre, the tent where they went to for problems and paper work. The officials there were frantic, their tent having disappeared into the mud with a few other cabins.
"Ladies and gentleman!" one armed soldier yelled out the panicked shouts, "We're getting reports now, Ok?! We will tell you what's going on the minute that we know. For now, please, can you just remain where you are and try to help anyone who needs it! Please, do not panic. I repeat, do not-"
A roaring screech rose in the distance, piercing through the screams. Faces turned to watch the glass shatter in the remaining Manhattan skyscrapers in the distance. The sound was bloodcurdling, long and loud.
Familiar.
Bob whined at their feet, burying his head into Rob's leg. The animals in the now fractured enclosures bleated, roared and cried in panic.
"Oh my god," Lily choked, as something moved amongst the smouldering landscape miles away.
"It really is happening again."