The First Day

Chapter Two: Nightfall

by: thejasonresno

9:30 PM

"It's fine, really." Heero asserted quietly as he turned on and handed out the third of their heavy duty flashlights.

Moments ago the power had went out following a chilling news interruption. The group of 19 and 20 year olds had taken it probably better than most, but that wasn't saying much. Quatre was clutching tightly to Trowa's arm. Duo was sitting upright paying close attention to hero. All traces of humor had vanished from the braided pilots visage.

"What happened?" Chang's voice was steady. Heero silently blessed him for that. They needed to be steady in times like this.

"I don't know. Power outage. Practical joke. Something." Heero had crossed the living room to the front door, which he locked, and returned back to the group.

With a grunt Heero sat back down on the couch and turned on his laptop, the one that was always sitting at his feet or within arms reach. The greenish blue glow suddenly filled the semi dark room and illuminated Heero's face.

"What're you doing, Heero?" Relena inquired from next to him. Though the two had gotten substantially closer in the years following the war, Relena was still kept in the dark of her boyfriends goings on. It irked her but she understood his need for privacy.

"Checking something." His reply was short and followed up by the clicking of his keyboard.

Sally, always the steadier of the women, soon spoke up what they all were thinking. "So you think that report was...real? What happened?"

Duo shook his head grimly and almost all of the eyes were on him, at least, for the moment. "I've known it all along." Duo let out a semi dramatic sigh.

The only sound was the humming of the laptop and the clicking that ensued.

"Aliens."

From across the room Wufei let a pillow fly, knocking the American pilot onto the ground, and gaining a small laugh from the tense crowd.

"Laugh now but jus' wait til they've got their devices up your--"

"Internet is down as well." Heero's cool monotone broke over the indignant tirade of his friend.

Hilde shook her head and stood up, stretching. "What's it all mean? A creepy news report, screams, a power outage, and then the Internet is down?" She ran her hands through her black locks, "EMP?"

Duo shook his head again regaining a sober face that spoke of intellect beyond his age, "No babe. Not an EMP. For one—why would those people at the news station scream? And two...the Internet wouldn't shut down because of it." He sniffed, "Somethin' bad is gonna happen guys. My sixth sense can feel it."

Hilde looked down at her boyfriend and saw him in the way that only she could. The lighting from the laptop pooled in just the right spots to show the bags under his eyes. None of the other guys knew about this, maybe Quatre, but the upbeat pilot was often plagued by terrible dreams about the war. Underneath his bubbly exterior was a solemn and devastated man.

Maybe that's why she loved him so much. He was handsome, obviously for all the attention women gave him, and smart. He was also fun and could make her laugh by barely doing anything. He also loved her dearly and would put his life on the line to keep her safe.

She gave a contented sigh, "Anybody want something to drink?"

Duo looked at her with his mouth hanging open, "Are you serious Hilde? You're going to go alone to the kitchen right after I told you about my senses? Nah, I just can't have that."

He hopped lightly to his feet and followed her into the kitchen to grab a few cans of coke for everybody.

Once they turned the corner the real reason Duo followed her became apparent. He grinned at her cheekily and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Receiving Hilde's assent he pushed her lightly against the wall.

"Duo," she breathed between their lips. "We can't...not now..."

But her complaints were only halfhearted and Duo knew this. He also knew that he had her and he just loved to tease. So abruptly he stopped and opened the fridge. The light was out and the temperature was already rising.

Duo sighed, the food probably wouldn't make it through the night. What s shame.

Suddenly Duo felt a light tap on his shoulder. His heart thundered in his chest and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He whipped around to see Hilde pointing quietly at the window across the kitchen and above the sink. She had a slender finger set to her lips in the classic sign of 'stay quiet'.

Duo nodded and looked to the window. He had sensational eye sight and was probably the most accurate at seeing things in the dark of the pilots. But anyone could have seen what he saw. The outline of a body stood silhouetted in the window. A clear image of the man or woman would have been impossible, thanks to the shades.

Pilot 02 bent over, set the cans lightly onto the ground, and rolled up his pajamas pant legs. Around his ankle a pistol was clipped. He withdrew it and then nodded for Hilde to return to the other room. "Get Heero." He mouthed.

She nodded, never letting her eyes leave the shape. Hilde backed slowly out of the room, nudging th e frame of the door quietly. She was rewarded with a light bump. But it was enough. The shape twitched.

Duo cursed to himself quietly and his pulse quickened. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know why he dreaded this person standing on their lawn. Who was it? Should he shoot? Should he wait?

The boisterous pilot had been out of action too long. He should have decided long ago what to do. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and he felt it go numb in fear. He turned slightly and saw it was Yuy. Duo sighed in relief and nodded towards the figure, thanking God that Heero was here to make the decision.

"How long?" Heero barely breathed the words. His Prussian eyes were piercing the dark underneath his chocolate locks.

"Not sure." Duo responded slowly getting his act together.

"You ok Maxwell?" Heero's tone had softened. He was worried and it was odd for him to show that.

"I'm fine. What should we do?"

"Has it moved?"

Duo shook his head, his braid batting around his back.

"Then the only thing we can do."

Heero strode quietly towards the window. "If something happens-"

Duo nodded. Pull the trigger.

Heero gave a small smile that just barely tugged the corner of his lips and grabbed hold of the curtains. The figure still hadn't moved since Hilde made that small sound.

Duo was vaguely aware of the eyes of the others, behind him in the other room, but could discern nothing but the pounding of his heart in his chest. And it all happened in an instant. An instant Duo will never forget. An instant that made their lives take a left turn.

Heero, gripping a blocky flashlight in his right hand, flung the shades open and shone the light at the figure. In that same moment he fluidly leaped backwards to clear a shot for Duo.

Duo gave a wordless cry as he saw the figure outside of the window come revealed in the pale light.

To call it human would be generous but to not would be a lie. The man, or thing, stood about 6'1 and a buck sixty. Duo recognized him as Tim Saan, one of the local car dealership owners.

But this wasn't the Tim that he knew. His face was twisted into a horrible thing. His lips were curled into a snarl of fear or fury and his skin appeared to have paled and turned a light shade of green. A chunk of flesh in his cheek was entirely missing, but no longer bleeding.

'Tim' turned and revealed his frontal profile to Duo. His shirt was ripped to shreds and barely hanging by his narrow shoulders. The middle of his chest was torn half asunder by what had to have been a bears claw and teeth.

It attempted to jump through the window and Duo froze. His finger on the trigger, heart hammering, and sweat issuing from his forehead. He froze.

Like a glass bowl breaking on the floor the air exploded into a loud bang as a gunshot issued from behind Duo. Duo's hands went to his ears and watched as the creatures chest exploded. It flew backwards and disappeared from view.

Duo and Heero whirled around and saw Quatre holding a pistol out. His hands were shaking and he was panting lightly. He dropped his gun and fell to his knees.

"What have I done?" His cry of dismay pierced the silence that ensued the gunshot.

As only a soldier would know: Detached fighting with an enemy hidden behind a mobile suit is vastly different than the killing of one man. On foot.

Heero, surprisingly, was first to offer the downed Winner help. Extending his hand Yuy pulled Quatre to his feet and looked him with his sternest of stares. "You did the right thing."

"How do you know?" Quatre, always emotional, spat the words.

From outside a moan surfaced.

"What the hell?" Duo, of course, was first to find his tongue. "It can't be alive. Not after that shot. No."

The braided pilot shook his head and turned to the group with his mouth slightly ajar, "Right?"

Silence followed until Wufei stepped forward, "Cmon Duo. Let's go check it out."

END CHAPTER TWO

So I made this one shorter than the last one for a bunch of reasons. But. Check it out and if you are reading...why not leave a review?