New Hope, New Life, New Earth
Chapter 1
The outside was in absolute chaos. Cars were flying any which way; the drivers, so used to being cooped up in enclosed lanes, were like sheep without a herd to follow, unsure of which direction to take. Brannigan held onto the break lever so hard that the skin beneath the fur on his knuckles turned white. His eyes were flickering between the view outside and the tiny black display screen that was reeling off lines on green data. It had never had to deal with this much information before, and neither had he. An out of control car careered in front of him; he jerked the break lever backwards and the car stopped midair, throwing Brannigan and Valerie back in their seats. There was a discord of terrified cries from the back seat as the kittens were jolted out of their sleep and into the back wall of the car. A frightened tear rolled down Valerie's cheek, but Brannigan was too focused on the skies to notice. They had escaped the spiralling car in front of them but in the same minute, before Brannigan had reclaimed full control of the car, something slammed into the back of them.
"Get us out of here!" screamed Valerie, the sound echoing around the car, resounding pure terror each time. Brannigan turned the car downwards, a fierce, determined expression on his face. He dodged the oncoming cars as best he could, but more often than not they heard the telltale screech of metal on metal. "Slow down!" his wife cried as, finally, he lost the control that he had barely had in the first place. Valerie clambered over the front seat into the main body of the car.
"Sit down," Brannigan shouted over the roar of the engine but instead Valerie curled up behind the curtain, cradling her children.
"I trust you, Thomas," she sobbed.
It seemed like an age before the twisting and turning, falling car ploughed to a stop in the ground. There wasn't much of a crash as Brannigan had managed to gain control of the braking system and slow the vehicle right down. There was a dull thud as the reinforced metal drilled into the soil of New New York's New Central Park. After a moment of silence, Valerie whispered:
"Are we safe?"
"Yes," whispered Brannigan in reply. "We're safe. I'll look after you." He climbed out of his seat and into the back of the car where Valerie was sat, the kittens held tight in her arms. He pulled her into a hug, the kittens snuggled between them. "It's going to be ok. Everything is going to be ok." He didn't believe his own words; he just hoped that they would comfort Valerie. He held her, silent, waiting.
A kitten meowed, breaking the silence. And then Brannigan realised that it had truly been silence. The screams, the cried, the car engines, the crashes and the chaos had stopped. He let go of Valerie and stood up, holding onto the back of the seat in front while he caught his balance. He heard a thud, but ignored it. The car was tipped at a forty five degree angle, the floor sloping sharply down towards the driver's seat and the front of the car. He pressed down on the door release, but it refused to open.
"Must be stuck," he grunted, trying again to no avail and then leaning his full body weight on it.
"The roof," said Valerie quietly.
"Of course. The way the Doctor got in," he said, not looking at her.
"No, Thomas, look at the roof," said Valerie and this time he turned to look at her. Her face was pale and her eyes were fixed on the roof above his head. Slowly he looked up.
"It's just a dent, Valerie. It must have been caused by a collision, or even from cra-" He never finished his sentence because right before his eyes he saw a second dent appear beside the first, corresponding with another loud thud. "On second thoughts," he said, gulping, "someone seems to be trying to get in."
"What do we do?" Valerie asked in a terrified whisper. Brannigan reached up. "Don't!" screeched Valerie.
"Don't what?" he asked, pausing.
"Don't touch it! Thomas, I'm scared." Valerie was close to hysterics.
"It's ok." There was another thud. "It'll be fine." And another.
"Thomas, what's happening?"
"I don't know." A kitten meowed and Valerie rocked it gently.
"Shhh, don't cry..." Thud! "Thomas!" Thud! Brannigan watched as the dents in the roof grew bigger, and the thuds just kept on coming.
"Who's there?" he called out, trying not to let his voice waver. Thud! "Who's out there?"
"Thomas..." Valerie pointed at the sky light, which had been locked shut. It had buckled and around the edges cracks of light were shining through. Thud! The sky light buckled again.
"Who's there?" shouted Brannigan. The thuds stopped. A moment later Valerie spoke.
"Maybe they've gone," she said tentatively.
"Maybe," said Brannigan. "Maybe." Then there was the biggest, loudest thud yet, like a small explosion, deafening them for a moment. The sky light exploded inwardly, spinning into the side of Brannigan's head. His eyes glazed over, his legs buckled and he collapsed across the control panel.
"Oh my gosh!" The voice came from above Valerie's head, outside the car. "I'm so sorry, is he alright?"
"Jessica?" asked Valerie, the fear slipping away like water down the plughole.
"Hey, Auntie val."
