I was struck with this idea a while back. The Seven hour War seemed like a nice thing to write about. But not through Barney's eyes. Just through a normal person's eyes. Several locations might be based on places around where I live. So here goes!
Disclaimer: I do not own Valve, (That'd be pretty sweet!) the NHL, the NFL, the NBA, or any other owned things that happen to be mentioned.
Time: 11:57 PM
"Geez, it's almost midnight. I gotta get going!" I told Lenny, the bartender and manager of the pub, "Lenny's Drinkin' Hole". It was a quiet bar, the only times it was really busy was around the Super Bowl or the Stanley Cup or the NBA finals.
Today was a normal, slow day in October. A few people came and went, but the bar was always quiet. And I liked it that way.
"And I guess that means it's closing time." Lenny had been absentmindedly wiping the same glass with an old dishrag while watching the television for the past 15 minutes. He finally put it back on a shelf behind him.
--
As I started to put on my jacket and step out of the bar, the ground started shaking lightly, just barely enough for the tiny bit of beer in my cup to start rippling. The shaking intensified. Glasses fell off of shelves. Lenny hopped over the counter and dove under a table. I did the same. The shaking didn't stop. It got so strong, that several ceiling panels began to fall from the ceiling.
The shaking finally slowed to a standstill.
"Damn earthquakes." Lenny muttered angrily under his breath.
I would have believed it was an earthquake if we weren't a zillion miles from any fault lines. I told this to Lenny.
"Fault lines? What're those?" He asked.
"They create earthquakes. If we don't live near one, we shouldn't get any earthquakes. And we don't live near any."
"Hmm. I dunno what happened, then."
Suddenly, the lights went out. The TV went black. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face.
"What the hell?" I climbed out from under the table, careful not to bump my head on the table.
The lights came back on again. The TV began working again, but it had switched to the local news channel.
The anchor said, "This is a breaking news update. Several cities around the globe have reported major earthquakes, followed by brief power outages and strange extra-terrestrial objects flying through the sky and landing. Many people believe that this is a sign of the apocalypse, and that this is beyond any terrorist's abilities. We, here in America, have suffered the same. Every major city has reported strange objects and power shortages. A rural area in northeastern Oklahoma also reported strange occurences. We do not know the actual cause. The president is also scheduled to speak in approximately five minutes on the recent happenings. For that, we go to our senior White House correspondent, Joseph Niles."
The scene switched to a professional-looking man in a gray suit. Behind him, a podium was visible with the seal of the United States.
"Thanks. I am here in the East Room at the White House, awaiting the president's address to the nation. He is expected to use extreme measures to keep the country safe."
"Safe, my ass. I'm grabbin' a shotgun and looting the mall."
"I think that's pretty stupid." I told him.
"Well, Mr. I-Never-Do-Anything-Wrong, what're you gonna do?"
"Grab a shotgun and hide at home."
"Wimp. Hey, there's the president!" Lenny pointed at the television screen. The president was being escorted to the podium by a few Secret Service members.
The camera focused on the president as he cleared his throat and motioned for his bodyguards to stand aside. "My fellow Americans, this is a time of toil for the entire globe. I believe that this a terrorist's work, not the apocalypse. But, it is necessary to take any precautions against any more attacks occurring on American soil. Therefore, no aircraft of any sort will be able to leave the country as of tomorrow. The same applies for any transportation of any kind. And, with much hesitancy, I am authorizing martial law upon the American people. I recognize that-" The president was cut short by an explosion. The camera spun around to the entrance of the East Room.
The doors had been blown apart by something. Masked soldiers that I had never seen before rushed into the room. Secret Service agents tackled the president to the ground, but the strange soldiers opened fire with strange guns I had never seen before. The Secret Service agents were killed immediately. The president was picked up by a soldier and stabbed in the back of the head with a knife.
"Holy..." I couldn't believe my eyes.
The soldier then approached the camera, raised his gun, and the camera lost its feed.
--
Lenny leaped over the bar counter. He reached for a drawer and threw it open. He then took out a hunting rifle.
"Let the looting begin!" He charged out of the bar, letting loose an uncensored flow of curses.
--
I had no idea what to do. My country's president had been assassinated. A strange new kind of... thing had invaded the Earth. And one of my friends had just abandoned me with a rifle and a fiery passion for looting. Beautiful. I had no idea what to do.
But, as if an answer to my dilemma, my cell phone rang. It startled me, as I had gotten used to the peaceful silence of the bar. I snatched my phone out of my pocket and answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Robert, where are you? Are you okay?" It was my wife. She was, no doubt, scared to death.
"Honey, I'm fine. How are the kids?"
"They're sleeping. I'm about to wake them up, though."
"Don't. I'm coming home now. We'll discuss this when I get home."
"Get here quickly!"
"Don't worry. I'll-" Suddenly, the window to the bar was blown apart. The door was knocked down. Three men ran in, grabbing as many bottles of alcohol as they possibly could.
One grabbed my phone right out of my hands. I tried to grab for it, but he whipped a handgun out of his belt and pointed it at me. "Don't move!" He snarled. He smashed one of the beer bottles on the ground after shooting my cell phone. He then pulled out a cigarette lighter and bent down to ignite the alcohol.
He grinned and flicked the switch. The flame, as weak as it looked, seemed to tease me.
If I didn't react soon, I would be killed. So, I had no other choice than to kick the man in the face. He screamed in pain as he fell backwards. His handgun and his lighter flew out of his hands. I dove for the gun and grabbed it off of the floor just in time. Another man had dove for it as well.
My oldest son decided to join the Army, and after a year, he came home, took me to a shooting range, and taught me to use a gun. Looks like those lessons were about to pay off. I cocked the gun and fired at the ceiling once. That got all of the men's attention.
"Look, you guys. I don't want to have to use this, but if you keep looting, I will. Drop your guns and kick them away."
The two armed men refused. They both pointed their handguns at me. Two on one was never fair!
But then, I noticed something. The two men hadn't bothered to watch where they stepped. They were standing in a pool of beer.
"Okay. Before you kill me, can I share a bit of trivia?"
"What?"
"Did you know that alcohol is very flammable?"
"Huh?"
"Let me demonstrate." I smiled and fired at the alcohol.
--
I stepped out from Lenny's Drinkin' Hole. I had lit the two men on fire and shot the other one. I didn't want to arrive home with a handgun, but I didn't want to be shot on the way there. I decided to toss it away once I got home.
As soon as I realized what was happening on the street, I almost fainted. Shops were on fire. People with guns were running around. A group of about ten was trying to overturn a police car.
They were successful, after trying a few time. A dead cop fell out of the car window as the car began to tilt.
The whole street was a mess. Papers were strewn everywhere, and a few other dead police officers littered the street.
I couldn't believe my eyes. Sure, I was horrified of the "aliens", or whatever things they were, but this was, at the moment, even worse!
Two men saw me. They charged at me with knives. I really didn't want to kill them, but I had no choice... I raised the gun. Both men stopped in their tracks, turned tail and ran off.
That was easier than I thought! I began running to my car, parked a half mile down the street, trying not to threaten anyone else. But a few men cornered me, pointing 12 gauge shotguns at my head.
"Drop the weapon!" They demanded. In all of the action, I hardly realized that they were police officers. I gladly dropped my gun and kicked it away. Satisfied, the police ran off. They shot a man that was applying a choke hold on a bystander. He crumpled to the ground.
Martial law had already been taken into effect. Police ran all over the street. I needed to get home, and fast, My wife was probably terrified by now.
I ran to pick up my handgun, then ran to my car, which had two broken windows. Glass was all over my seat. I quickly swept the glass onto the floor of the car. I hopped in and slammed the door. The remaining glass in the window fell out. I grabbed my keys out of my pocket and quickly tried to shove the key into the ignition. I fumbled with it for a few seconds, but it finally slid in.
I turned the key. Since my car was handed down to me by my mother, it took some doing before it finally roared to life. I pressed the gas and drove away from the scene.
Air rushed through my windows. I didn't want to be easily noticed, so I took surface streets, avoiding the freeway.
--
I finally pulled into my street. I quickly turned onto my driveway and leaped out of the car. I threw the handgun into a flower bed and ran to the door. I couldn't believe what I saw.
--
The door had been blown apart. Pieces of wood lay all over the entry hallway. On the wall was a large bloodstain. I gasped, my heart pounding in my throat. I ran back to the flower bed, grabbed the gun, and ran back inside. I first ran to the kid's room.
One of my two sons lay on the floor. His head had been severed, it looked like he had been beat with something. The entire room was trashed. His pillow was stained with blood, and it had been ripped to shreds. I couldn't believe what was happening. I fell to my knees and screamed.