After giving them all a quick lesson in weapon handling, Michael instructed everyone to block off all doors and windows. As everything was sealed and barricaded, night fell, and an uneasy silence settled over the room, the weight of the unknown bearing down on everyone.
Some of the patrons are checking out of the windows constantly, their eyes darting from one shadow to the next, searching for any sign of movement in the darkness beyond the glass. Their anxious breath mists the cold windowpanes.
Others are pacing, their footsteps echoing through the room like a metronome, a rhythmic manifestation of their escalating unease. Each step seems to carve a deeper groove into the worn floor.
Alistair is just sitting at a table as he stares at the rifle in front of him. His gaze is fixed, unblinking and his knuckles are white from gripping the edge of the table to stop his hands from shaking. His eyes dart nervously around the room, avoiding the gaze of the other patrons.
The lights go out, plunging the room into darkness. In the sudden blackness, Alistair's fingers fumble for the rifle, his breath catching in his throat as he clings to the only source of security within reach.
Sebastian pulls out a lighter, the feeble flames attempting to ward off the darkness. He swears under his breath and heads behind the counter to grab a couple of torches. Switching them on they light up the room better than his lighter but still leaving eerie shadows in the furthest corners of the diner. Everyone gathers by the only source of light.
"It begins," Michael says simply, his eyes briefly meeting Grace's to ensure she is alright before turning to the old soldier.
"Do you have roof access?" Michael inquires, his voice steady despite the tension that fills the room.
"In the back" Sebastian answers, gesturing behind him to the door into the kitchen. As Sebastian spoke, Michael's gaze flickers to the door.
Grace shifts uneasily, her eyes darting between the two men as she grapples with her own fears. Jeep holds her around the shoulders reassuringly as he also stands next to Charlie who is sitting on one of the chairs, cradling the squeaking baby in her arms.
"Show me," Michael demands, his tone firm as he strides purposefully around the worn counter as he points to Isaac and Dimitri. "You two, come with us." Sebastian, sensing the urgency in Michael's voice, swiftly reaches for the second torch, Sebastian leads Michael towards a door to the back room. The four of them head into the kitchen leaving Jeep and Gary with Charlie, Alex, Grace and Alistair.
Sebastian leads them up the stairs to the roof where they take positions and look out into the dark.
As the desolate road stretches into the distance, beams of light from a car's headlights break through the night where the moon is the only other source of light, the car drives quickly down the empty road.
With a faint crunch of gravel under its tires, the car eases into the almost vacant parking lot. The driver steers the vehicle into a haphazard position, straddling two parking bays, he doesn't bother switching off the engine before exiting from the driver's seat, he moves with almost mechanical stiffness, each motion accompanied by the cracking of joints.
As the driver steps out of the vehicle, Isaac, his voice edged with a mix of curiosity and bravado, interjects, "who the fuck is this?" His words are punctuated by a wry, disbelieving laugh that rings out in the stillness of the night. In response to Isaac's question, Michael, his gaze lingering on the mysterious figure, gives a sidelong glance, a silent warning.
At Isaac's voice the driver's head snapped abruptly to look up at them accompanied by the crack of bones. His black eyed gaze found the group atop the roof and just as with Mrs Johnson his skin is covered in black veins. The ghoulish figure's jaw elongates unnaturally, emitting a bone-chilling scream that pierced the night air. Isaac recoiled in shock, his earlier bravado giving way to unadulterated horror.
Without hesitation, Michael calls out for them to shoot as he opens fire. They quickly begin to unload bullets into their target as he jumps inhumanly high towards them. Multiple bullets hit him but it's Sebastian's shotgun that sends him flying backwards just like with Mrs Johnson. The now dead body of the driver thuds back to the ground.
"Who the fuck are these freaks?!" Isaac shouts as he looks at Michael, wanting an explanation. But there's no time for an explanation, the distant glow of more headlights emerges on the horizon.
"Keep firing!" Michael commands with unwavering determination as the convoy of vehicles comes into range. Bullets pierce metal and glass, killing and wounding the occupants and causing some cars to swerve off the road while others collide with a sickening crunch, some of them flip.
Despite the barrage of gunfire some cars make it to the carpark, their occupants exit their vehicles and walk towards the diner. Some of the crashed vehicles have survivors crawling out and making their way towards the diner, no urgency, just walking despite all the gunfire that is tearing through them.
"Don't let them near the windows!" Michael shouts urgently, his eyes scanning the approaching figures with a grim determination.
Meanwhile, inside the diner Charlie is trying to keep baby Alex calm, despite the noise outside he's only squeaking and fidgeting and not actually crying. She shushes him gently, holding him close as she looks at Jeep. "What's going on out there?" She whispers.
Suddenly a window shatters as someone jumps through it, Charlie and Alistair gasp in fright. Jeep quickly gets his weapon ready and looks at Gary, despite looking worried the trucker is ready with his weapon.
From Jeeps side Alex gets dragged away, she shouts for Jeep and he quickly runs after her, grabbing her and Alex before they're dragged through the window. Gary quickly rushed over and also grabs Charlie and a moment later so does Grace. Charlie tries to hand Alex to Grace but Grace is grabbed by the hair and almost pulled out of the window, to stop herself she holds onto the side of the booth and the table. Jeep calls for Alistair who's cowering under a table, his eyes closed and hands over his ears.
Suddenly the hand that has gripped Grace by the hair is cut off, Grace turns to see Michael holding his knife in one hand and aiming a pistol with his other, he shoots and Charlie is dragged back into the diner by Jeep and Gary.
"They're leaving!" Isaac shouts from the roof.
Grace quickly starts to help Charlie up who was lying on top of Jeep as he hugs her, thankful that she's okay. Alex has started to cry now and she's trying to shush him while crying in relief. Jeep holds Charlie close, thankful that her and Alex hadn't been taken from him.
Grace turns to Michael who is looking at her with an expression that's a mix of concern but warning. "I told you not to do anything brave."
Sebastian comes back into the main room, followed by Isaac and Dimitri. He notices Charlie crying in Jeeps arms and Alistair still cowering under the table. Sebastian grabs him and drags him to his feet as Alistair protests. "Pull yourself together." He growls. "I always knew you were a coward." He lets him go roughly and turns to Michael.
"I don't know what the hell is going on here, but you had better give us some answers." Sebastian almost shouts at him as he strides forward but stops a couple of metres in front of him. Michael looks around the room at everyone's gaze fixed on him, even Alistair meekly raises his eyes from looking at the floor to look at him. Michael thinks for a moment and nods.
"This is an extermination." He starts to explain as he looks at everyone. "The people outside are vessels, they're possessed." His eyes fall on Alistair as he mumbles something indecipherable.
"Possessed?" Jeep asks, giving Michael a confused look. "Demons?"
"No," He shakes his head a single time. "Not demons. Angels."
"Now hold on a minute." Dimitri pipes up. "Angels?" He laughs slightly, shaking his head. "You're crazy... Since when do angels possess people and go around killing people, I don't go to church as often as I should but angels... I don't know what you've been smoking, but angels are the good guys..."
"The truth, I'm afraid is never that simple" Michael replies simply.
"Bullshit. I'm no priest but I'll be dammed if you think we're gonna' fall for this." Isaac says with his usual I-know-better attitude.
"Wait a minute. How do you know all this?" Jeep asks, a hint of trust in his eyes.
"Because until last night I was on their side." Michael replies looking directly at Jeep.
"Their side? So... What... You're an angel?" Isaac scoffs. "Well, I'm the fucking Queen of England."
Dimitri starts praying and Michael gives him a look "That won't help you, God has gone."
"So you're saying you're 'thee' Archangel Michael? Does that mean... You're here to protect us?" Charlie asks through a sob.
"I'm here to protect her." Michael looks at Grace as he speaks. "But each one of you that survives means that humanity have a chance to survive."
"What?" Grace is surprised and looks around at everyone now looking at her. "Why me? I'm just a paramedic."
"Because your child is the only hope humanity has of surviving. Either your child lives of mankind dies." Michael replies bluntly.
"And we're supposed to... What? Hold down the fort until the baby is born? I don't know if you've noticed but we're not exactly in a fort... How long until your baby is due anyway?" Isaac shouts his mouth off again.
"...A Month" Grace replies quietly as she looks down and holds her bump.
"A month?! How are we supposed to survive here for a month?" He asks, almost aggressively.
"We won't have to." Michael points out and Grace looks up at him in shock. "I don't care about your beliefs, or lack of. And neither do the possessed outside. They just want the child dead. This first attack was testing our strength. Next, they will test our weaknesses" He looks at Alistair and he looks away. "So we can sit around and go over every little detail, or we can work together to save humanity."
Sebastian looks over to his children, Jeep and Grace, he may not believe much of what Michael has just said but he will do anything to protect his remaining family. He's lost one child tonight, he won't lose another.
"Jeep, get the boards from the storeroom, we should block up that window before they come back and make sure everything is secure." Sebastian says firmly but with a soft look in his eyes as he looks at his children. He turns his gaze to Michael who nods.
"We need someone on the roof at all times, we should take watches in pairs. Sebastian, you and I will take the first watch. Everyone else make sure the diner is secure." Michael instructs. Sebastian, after a look at Grace and Jeep, makes his way to the roof, Jeep, after a lingering look at Charlie, quickly follows after him to start getting the boards. Michael looks at Grace for a moment before making his way to the roof with Sebastian.
Part 3
After they've boarded up the broken window, they reinforce the rest of the windows and the door with some of the other spare boards and planks from pallets they had in the back. Then all they could do is wait for the next wave to arrive, the waiting making everyone's nerves even more on edge.
Grace sits perched on a weathered stool at the counter, her eyes fixed on an old radio. With furrowed brows, she adjusts the antenna, tilting it this way and that, hoping to catch a signal. Her fingertips dance over the dial, searching for a lifeline in the sea of static.
In the corner, Alistair's frantic mumbling fills the air, a disconcerting backdrop to Grace's determined efforts. She steals a wary glance in his direction, concern etched on her features as she registers the signs of his unravelling mind. The hairs on the back of her neck seem to stand on end as a on unsettling feeling runs down her spine, she looks around the room and notices the three truckers looking at her and talking amongst themselves, as she looks at them they look away.
She reluctantly looks away as Michael and Sebastian come back, it must be the end of their watch. Suddenly Grace hears a voice cut through static on the radio, getting everyone's attention and she turns back to it, turning the volume up.
"-There is no homeland security-" The male voice crackles through the fluctuating signal. Grace's efforts to clear up the static intensify as she strains to hear the ominous message. Sensing the urgency, everyone in the diner draws closer, their eyes fixed on the radio.
"-no military response-" The voice continues, the gravity of the situation sinking in with each word. Sebastian, the weight of the revelation heavy on his shoulders, sets his shotgun down on the counter and places a comforting hand on Grace's shoulder as they listen intently.
"We're on our own-" The voice declares, the stark reality of their predicament hanging in the air like a heavy shroud. The sense of isolation and vulnerability grips the small group, their anxiety mounting with each passing moment.
"If you can hear my voice, we are getting the first good news since this... Apocalypse began more than 12 hours ago." The voice offers a glimmer of hope amid the chaos.
"We have formed a militia in the outskirts of Las Vegas and begun to engage those affected," the voice continues. The mention of organized action brings a flicker of determination to the eyes of those gathered in the diner.
"I'm getting unconfirmed reports of other militias gathering around San Diego and in Idaho. As of an hour ago, the death toll has increased more than 500%, meaning the number of casualties has reached the tens of thousands." The grim reality of the situation weighs heavily on the group, a sombre reminder of the magnitude of the situation.
"If we want to have a shot at surviving this thing, we have to stand together," the voice implores, resonating with unwavering resolve even in the face of overwhelming despair.
"This is Edward Riesen, calling anyone who can hear this message. May God give us the strength to survive. And have mercy for those who are already lost."
The signal ends and Alistair perks up. "Vegas? There's survivors in Vegas. We can go home?" He says almost excited.
"No, they're still out there, we cannot leave yet. I won't risk being on the move until the baby is born." Michael says simply.
"We don't need your permission" Isaac says defiantly, drawing Michael's gaze. Sebastian eyes up his shotgun on the counter.
"See, me, Gary and Dimitri ain't going to just sit around and wait for those things to get us. We're leavin." Isaac looks to Dimitri and nods.
Dimitri grabs Grace, dragging her off her stool and in response Sebastian reaches for his shotgun but Isaac, anticipating what he was going to do, shoots the old soldier. He falls to the floor holding his wound. "Dad!" Grace shouts as she tries to get free of Dimitri's grip, desperate to get to her father. "Let go of me!" she shouts.
Everyone raises their weapons at the three truckers, Alistair ducking out of view. Dimitri keeps his pistol aimed at Grace as he holds her tightly, cowering behind her almost. "Shut the fuck up!" He shouts at her.
"Gary, get the door." Isaac says simply as they move over to the entrance, Gary starts pulling at the barricaded door to loosen the planks.
Michael glares at Isaac as he slowly walks to the edge of the counter. "That's far enough." Isaac warns, aiming his pistol at Michael. "You didn't think we believed your bullshit about being an angel did you?" he scoffs.
