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Chapter 2: As the Night Screamed
Stan awkwardly shifted beneath his polyester cocoon, fluttering just on the edge of consciousness. Not wanting to be torn from his peaceful slumber just yet, his body produced an almost instinctive groan as he buried his face further into his thick pillow, a sort of signal to the world to leave him be and let him sleep.
The four boys had managed to stay up surprisingly late that night, fueled by their massive intake of sugar and caffeine. Getting to make their own sundaes only allowed them to pile more deliciously sweet toppings onto the already indulgent ice cream. And, of course, being kids, they had taken the whole thing to unhealthy extremes. When they once more returned to their basement hideaway, they were entirely wired, laughing and shouting at their games and playing with whatever random toys they could find hidden all around.
No one was quite sure what time it had been when their overstimulated hyperactivity finally began to wane. They became much more sedentary and reserved, preferring now to simply watch movies and talk quietly to each other, sharing secrets and gossip that they'd never tell anyone else.
Finally they decided to turn in, passing out on random scattered spaces on the basements carpeted floor, each wrapped tightly in their unique, decorated sleeping bags, some with beloved stuffed animals tightly wrapped in the crooks of their arms. Their perfect night had come to a perfect close. All that remained was a long, restful sleep.
That's what they would've hoped for, at least. But as Stan once more writhed and squirmed within his cover, his groans now high pitched whines of frustration, it seemed like that restful slumber was being forcefully taken away from him. Something had woken him up, and now an odd ominous feeling was keeping him from simply returning to sleep.
Now more awake and aware of the situation, Stan exhaled a low growl, weakly lifting his head from the pillow and blinking his sleep-sensitive eyes to see what it was that had disturbed him.
Stan was more than a little surprised to find himself and a large patch of the floor he was seated on was bathed in a eerie, sea-foam green glow. Curious and somewhat alarmed, his tired eyes followed the light to its source. The glow was coming in from the long basement window perched high on the wall. Continuing to study the area, he realized that the light hadn't landed on any of the other sleeping boys, which is why he was the only one currently conscious.
The un-explainable and strikingly colorful light quickly made Stan feel uneasy. In an effort to bring his stress levels down, he decided to wake one of his friends for their opinion on the matter.
Stan crawled on his hands and knees towards the nearest slumbering boy and gently put a hand on top of the sleeping bag cover. "Kyle..?" He whispered sharply. "Kyle! Wake up!"
Just as Stan had done before, Kyle responded to the interruption by groaning and turning away. His iconic green hat, which he had worn to bed as usual, was now sloppily askew, revealing a few of his loose red curls of hair. He half consciously pulled his pillow tightly into his chest and face, hiding himself from the waking world.
But his friend was persistent. "Come on, Kyle!" His whispers had increased in volume and he roughly shook a shoulder beneath the blanket. "Come on! Wake up!"
"Why...?" Kyle whined, finally more conscious, rolling over to face the voice that stirred him but still keeping his tired eyes closed. "What's wrong..?"
"There's some freaky green light shining in through the window." Stan quietly explained. "I have no idea what it is but it woke me up and it isn't going away."
Kyle's eyes opened into thin slits as he stared at Stan in confusion, his still waking mind pondering what he had just said. But as his vision came into focus, it became hard to ignore the ambient green glow that illuminated Stan's perplexed face and the majority of the rest of the room. Kyle lifted his heavy head for a better look at the window, and, sure enough, the strange light was pouring in from somewhere out there. His mind quickly scrambled to decide what could be producing such a glow, but he couldn't think of any plausible cause.
"I... What is that?" Kyle murmured in awe and fatigue.
"Woah, dude. Why is it so bright?"
Stan and Kyle quickly looked up to the couch where the third voice had come from. They hadn't even realized that Kenny had awoken during Stan's attempts to rouse Kyle, but now he sat half draped in blankets with his hood slightly pulled back and stared intently at the strange light. His eyes shifted to meet the other boys' gazes, trying to make certain they were all seeing the same anomaly.
"I don't know..." Stan turned back to the glowing window. "It's so strong. It almost feels like someone just outside is shining a spotlight in here."
As the three boys continued to study the ominous light, wondering what, if anything, they should do about it, they suddenly heard an electronic humming sound quickly approaching from outside. A small metal sphere of some sort approximately the size of a golf ball shot its way through the window with a crack, leaving what almost looked like a bullet hole in the glass. It hovered there for a few seconds, then slowly drifted down closer to the boys on the floor, floating steadily in the air and continuing to produce an audible hum.
The children had immediately frozen when the strange device had entered, completely at a loss about how to react. Now that it was floating so close, Stan could see little divots and patterns on the orb; buttons and slots and tiny lights and sensors. Whatever this machine was, it had been built by an intelligent life form, but seemed extremely inhuman in design.
"What is it?" Kyle finally questioned after it became clear that the sphere wasn't moving from its spot.
"It looks like... a camera? A sensor, maybe?" Stan cautiously leaned in for a better view but was somewhat held at bay by the unsettling hum of its hovering.
Just then, the orb produced three short beeps, each accompanied by a little flashing blue light at the objects core. Two panels, one on either side of the sphere, slid open, and long fan-like blades emerged from within. Once the protrusions had locked into place, the orb suddenly blasted an electronic squeal at a pitch and volume higher than the boys ever thought possible. At the same time, the fan like blades began to spin at an incredible speed, making the screeching device appear more like a floating buzz saw.
Stan, Kenny, and Kyle immediately threw their hands over their ears, the insanely high pitched sound feeling like a drill through their skulls. It was so painful, yet so piercing that it was virtually inescapable.
Cartman shot awake with a terrified scream, also trying in vain to protect his aching ears. "What!? Who!?" He shrieked, almost inaudible beneath the orbs unbearable volume. "What the hell is going on!? What is that!?"
"Make it stop!" Kenny pleaded, attempting to tighten the hood around his head to drown out the screech.
The device, still emitting the excruciating noise, began to move forward, floating towards the boys, the blades still spinning at top speed. Stan, who was closest to the orb, clumsily bolted to his feet, hands never straying from the sides of his head.
"Go!" He ordered. "Run!"
Stan didn't have to tell them twice. The four boys took off towards the stairs, almost tripping over their own feet as they ascended to the main floor at light speed. They all four shouted for Cartman's mother, pleading for an adult to save them from this madness. The basement door slammed open, and the kids set their sites on the next set of stairs.
Much to their horror, getting to the second floor was no longer an option. Floating just above the first step with menacing whirling blades gleaming in the low light was a second metal sphere identical to the first, screaming the same earsplitting tone, acting as a barrier.
The boys ground themselves to a halt, not about to risk trying to bypass the saw like device. But with the stairs blocked off, they were at a loss as to what to do; where to run. It seemed Cartman's mother was completely inaccessible now. They frantically wondered how she could manage to sleep through the deafening squealing, nevermind their own terrified screams. But they weren't able to think about it for long. The orb above the stairs began slowly approaching, and the one from before was creeping ever closer behind them. Needing to find a new escape, the four boys sprinted towards the front door.
The entrance to the green house exploded open, and the panicked kids spilled out into the night, blindly running as far as possible from their attackers. As they flew down the cement path, they noticed they hadn't been the only victims. From the houses all around them, kids came screaming out their front doors and into the street, several of the bladed spheres visible following slowly behind. The children had begun to flock together in clumps in the middle of the road, huddling close in terror, with that shrill electronic tone screaming all around them. The boys recognized many of the children. One small boy in particular caught Kyle's eye.
"Ike!" Kyle shrieked, his older-brother instincts taking hold at the sight of his sibling in such pain and fear. A new jolt of energy surged through him, and he sprinted even faster towards the scared little boy crying out in the street.
Ike's tear stained eyes snapped up immediately at the familiar voice. "Kyle!" He sobbed pathetically, barely having enough time to raise his arms before his older brother tackled him in a protective embrace. Ike wailed and cried into Kyle's chest, nearly failing to hear the older boy's attempts to comfort him beneath the continued screams of the strange machines making their ways out of the nearby houses.
Stan, Cartman, and Kenny were not far behind.
"They're everywhere!" Stan panted as he joined the group in the street. "What are we gonna do!?"
Clyde, one of the other children standing terrified in the road, suddenly thrust a finger towards the night sky. "Look!" He shrieked, pointing to the heavens.
The other kids followed the gesture to the huge, unidentifiable space craft now looming overhead. The heavily armed and astoundingly complex vehicle was roughly triangular in shape, with tightly curved wings on either side. Several spot lights lined the ships perimeter, each one shining a blinding green light into a nearby home. An open panel on its underbelly allowed a steady stream of the mysterious spherical devices both in and out of its interior.
Cartman's brow lowered at the realization of the extraterrestrial explanation behind this strange attack. The boys, especially Cartman, had had their lives interrupted by alien invasion more times than they'd like to admit too. Knowing that it was once again to blame for their problems made the ill tempered boy's fear turn to anger.
"Oh god." He furiously growled, making sure to speak loud enough to be heard. "What do THESE guys want?"
By now, a full ring of the deafening machines had completely encircled the cluster of children, their high speed blades ensuring that not a one would dare attempt an escape. As the kids pressed themselves closer together, the ear splitting squeals lowered to a more reasonable volume, allowing them to hear the new sound that came from overhead.
The ominous ship hanging in the night sky emitted a chorus of metallic creaks and groans as two long barreled cannons beneath each wing slowly twisted and turned until they pointed directly at the horrified children below. With a deep and intimidating hum, the inside of the barrels began to glow in a neon green, charging it's attack.
Kyle clung tightly to his little brother. Kenny breathed a defeated expletive.
That's when the cannons fired.