Hey guys, its me again. So I've been working on this story for awhile and was pretty nervous about putting it out, but now that I've worked on it more and developed it, I finally decided I could bring it here and unleash it upon you guys.
(And to those who are waiting on my Happily Ever After fic, HAVE NO FEAR, I am working on that as well. I have the next chapter done but I want to at least finish one more before I post them.)
Aaaanyways, I started this awhile ago, but I lost my flash-drive that I had all my stuff on and basically had to start from scratch here (and yes, I also had the other chapter for my other story there, sorry!)
I'm going to stop rambling soon, I promise, but first! I must tell you this jumps around a lot from past to present, so as to explain how it all started. HOPE YOU LIKE!
His heart was pounding in his ears, panic jumbling up his mind as he ran. He couldn't stop. They would catch him. He didn't know how close they were, or whether he had lost them or not, but he was too terrified to turn his head to see. All he could do was run. Or they would catch him.
-o-o-o-o-o-
It all happened within a matter of days. No one really knows what happened, there were rumors that it was caused by the sun though. A solar flare probably. Not that it really matters what caused it, because one day, everything just stopped.
Matthew had woken up that day at the usual time. Alfred's alarm would go off without ever rousing the sleeping teen. Unfortunately Matthew was a light sleeper, and his body had become so accustomed to the practice of going and turning off the obnoxious beeping that even without the clock he would still promptly wake up at 6:30 AM every morning. This morning was no exception.
The blonde sat up in his small, comfortable bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and yawning. His back ached from working all day yesterday, and he really wished he could just sleep in for once. Even with this thought, he got up anyways, pulling the sheets away from his legs and placing his feet on the floor. Trying to pat down his bedhead, he made his way down the hallway and towards his brother's room.
Alfred was laying, as usual, in the oddest way. His head was hanging slightly off the mattress, his arms splayed out, while his left foot had found it way on top of his side table, where the clock typically sat. Matthew sighed, so much for that poor piece of junk, its probably broken now... he lightly shook his head as he walked into the kitchen, planning to make pancakes like he usually did. It was the only real way to wake up the boy in the other room.
The light was just beginning to shine in through the windows, the sky outside a warming grey tone, soon to change to pink. Getting up early in the morning isn't all that bad, he smiled at the growing brightness outside for a second, finding peace in the tranquil morning glow. Turning to the sink to wash his hands, he turned the knob for hot water. The faucet spouted liquid for a few seconds, then slowed, with just a few droplets falling now.
"What in the world?" Matthew wondered, opening the cabinet doors below the sink to make sure the pipes were open. Giving a frustrated huff, he hurried down to the bathroom in the hallway, twisting the knobs of the small sink to come to the same result. He tried the bathtub next, then tried flushing the toilet. When no water refilled the bowl, he grew irritated, and slightly panicked. He paid the bills not even two weeks ago, what could be wrong?
"Maybe I should give the company a call, sort this out..." But as soon as he picked up the phone he was met with silence. No dial tone. He dropped the phone back on the receiver, staring at nothing with a vacant expression.
Going back into the kitchen, he decided the he could calm his mind and work things out while he made pancakes, and then talk with Alfred once he woke up. The plan put him at ease a bit, until he opened the refrigerator door.
The absence of cold was the first thing that alerted him something was wrong. Lukewarm air rolled out of the fridge, and with it the second thing. It smelled like something had soured, and with closer inspection he noticed the leftovers in the Tupperware now had a waxy look to them along with any other open food.
Slowly he closed the door and just stood, staring. After what seemed like an hour, he turned and silently strode into Alfred's room and, without a word, grabbed his leg a flipped him out of bed.
"Holy sh-" Alfred woke with a start, his hair and shirt bedraggled, "Mattie? What the fruck? Why did you do that?" Still sitting on the floor, he rubbed the back of his head.
"Alfred"
"Yes?"
"Something isn't right."
"Well obviously," The older blonde rolled his eyes "or I wouldn't have had such a rude awakening. You still didn't tell me why you d-"
"Nothing's working." Matthew just stared at his brother, his face absent of any emotion.
"What?"
"The water, the electricity, the phone, nothing is working."
Alfred looked at his brother like he had lost his marbles. This was too much to take in this early in the morning. Without a word, he grabbed the blanket off his bed and pulled it around himself as he lay on the ground, turning to face the wall.
"I'm gong back to sleep..." he mumbled, already dozing off.
"Alfred! I'm serious!" Matthew whined, breaking out of his previous state of shock due to the slight irritation sparked by his brother.
"Fine fine! I'll get up!" He huffed, rolling back over to investigate his brothers findings.
-o-o-o-o-o-
He turned another corner, ducking into a dark alley, slipping in a small puddle of water but catching himself with his hands and propelling forward all in one motion, staying upright through sheer force of will. He could hear the shouts from his pursuers, unnervingly close, and he pushed harder, so hard that he might collapse at any second. But he couldn't let himself be caught, not after Alfred had sacrificed himself for Matthews sake, creating a diversion so that his only brother could get away.
Tears sprang into Matthews eyes, the memory rocking him to his very core. Why did Alfred always have to be the hero? Why couldn't he think about himself for once? And the fact that he was still being chased meant that his brother's plan had failed. He either got away or got caught, and if he got caught...well he had no idea what would happen, but he knew that it wouldn't be pleasant, they might...
He didn't finish the thought. He suddenly found himself at a dead end, the path ending with a solid brick wall more than 15 feet high and he could hear footfalls echoing down the alley fast approaching.
-o-o-o-o-o-
The streets were empty for the most part. There were no cars out on the road at least, but there were people here and there, wandering aimlessly or just standing around. It was overcast today, and the darkness painted everything in a grey tone. A few doors down, the two could hear a grinding noise as their neighbor attempted to start their car. Alfred walked over to see if he could be of any help, and gave Matthew an opportunity to talk to the other man.
"It's not starting?" Alfred asked "Lemme give you a hand," he said, gesturing for the man to pop open the hood.
"Oh," he was startled by their sudden appearance, but complied with Alfred's request, reaching down to lift the small handle. "I just can't seem to figure out what's wrong with it, everything seemed fine to me earlier, but it just won't start up." Running a hand through his hair he sighed.
"How long has it been like this?" Matthew inquired, wondering if the same had happened to him, Joe, if he remembered correctly.
"I don't know, I woke up to go to work but I couldn't get the car to start. I tried calling the office to tell them I'd be late but the phones are dead."
"Hmm," Alfred sounded. He was looking intently at the vehicle parts, every now and then ducking in close to the engine to get a better view. He was a fanatic about engines, first inspired by the magnificence of world war fliers, his knowledge expanding far beyond so that cars were now child's play to him. "I can't seem to find anything wrong at the moment, so its not an easy fix kind of thing." He frowned, still inspecting the engine.
"Do you think its happening to everyone? Because our power and phones were out as well." Matthew asked.
"Water too." His brother added.
"Hmm, I didn't notice anything going on with the power, but then again I was already running late and was only really focused on getting out of there." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Alfred sighed as he brought the hood back down. "Maybe we should walk into town Mattie, see what's going on and how much of the city is affected."
"Okay, but lets grab a bite to eat first, I have a feeling that its going to be a long trip..."
And there ya go! First chapter yo. I'll try and have the second one up by next week, but no promises~ I have chapter 3 4 and 5 written, but not chapter 2. (yeah, I know, I'm getting ahead of myself) But I will get to working on it! Reviews make me type faster! Inspiration to the max!
(It'll do a bit more of the jumping around n the next chapter, but after that it should just settle into the present. I have a friend who hates it when I do that lol
Thanks for reading~