Two people were staring at one another in silence. Neither expected to meet each other, more so at the emergency exit.

“Jason?” asked the woman.

“Maria,” he replied.

Jason scanned her from top to bottom. Her attire was rather too revealing in his opinion. Perfect for clubbing down in New York trending clubs. Maria sensed his gaze and she too looked at him. In her eyes, he too was dressed to impress.

“On a date?” she asked.

“A family event,” Jason replied.

“That’s new,” she walked over and stood beside Jason against the staircase railing, “I hope you don’t mind.”

Asking permission was a bit too late since she already stood beside him. Jason only gave a slight glanced and continued to drink his cola. He was a bit conflicted at the moment. Seeing this woman after many years felt rather surreal.

Things just get better and better. Why on earth do I have to meet my ex today of all day?

He saw her open palm in his sight.

“Mind if I take a sip?”

He handed over the can.

“Aren’t you a fan of something else,” said Jason.

“I’ve changed,” a simple answer.

“That, I can definitely see,” he gave her another body scan from top to bottom.

Maria’s countenance flushed in beet red. She covered those which needs to be cover with her faux animal fur.

“It’s not what it looks like,” said Maria.

He took back the cola and took another sip.

“So, it’s been like what? Nine years? Ten perhaps?” her expression soften remembering a time in the past.

“More or less,” Jason remained nonchalant. Yet his heartbeat was getting faster by the second.

His heart couldn’t lie. Although he remembered a rather painful memory after seeing her, yet the pleasant sweet memories kept on resurfacing in his mind.

Shit, stop thinking about it, you idiot.

He reprimanded himself.

“So how are you doing? Did your family open a business here in New York?”

“No, I’m here looking for a job at Wall Street,” said Jason.

“Wow, I didn’t expect that. So you’ve been here long?” asked Maria.

“Six months and counting,” he replied.

“Oh, we should meet up sometime,” said Maria.

His heart skipped a beat. He can’t believe how Maria was acting right now.

Isn’t she a bit too relaxed? Considering this our first meeting after the breakup, shouldn’t she be at least bothered by it.

Jason was hoping for some rowdy argument between them but seeing this beautiful ex of his again only made his feeling swayed.

Get it together Jason.

He hated himself, just because of being this weak after seeing her. He was too soft-hearted.

Don’t forget Jason. The thing she did to you.

In an instant, the memory of his breakup resurfaced. He couldn’t help but felt disgusted.

No, not now.

“What about you? An es-… I mean a model? I thought you would be in the police by now,” Jason said.

Acting on his emotion right now would be disastrous. He diverged their conversation to another path as he contained his emotion. Sending those bad memories deep in the recess of his brain.

“Oh, you remember? Now I’m a…” he caught her off guard, she didn’t expect him to remember after those long years. But she couldn’t tell him, not now.

“Uh… Nothing fancy just working in an office,” Maria blurted out whatever she could think of. “Uhm, my office kind of having a party. It’s like a tradition for my company.”

Maria turned her head away scowling at herself for giving out a stupid excuse for wearing such a gaudy stripper like clothes. She didn’t want to look like this, not in front of Jason of all people. She cursed herself for taking that dumb assignment. The door to the emergency exit opened up. Both Jason and Maria glanced at the door.

“Oh, what do we have here,” Gina appeared with a smirk on her face.

She definitely knew something was up after just seeing this man and woman alone in the staircase. Her eyes cast a glance at Jason.

“Sorry to bother your little fun time, but uncle is calling us for a family photo,” said Gina.

Jason found his escape. He walked over to Gina leaving Maria behind. He didn’t even glance at her.

“See you later perhaps?” Maria asked.

She forced herself and took the first step.

“Sure,” said Jason.

---

“You clearly have a type don’t you cousin,” Gina said.

“Put a sock in it,” Jason replied.

“Ouch, no need to get emotional.”

She chuckled seeing Jason brooding.

“Oppa over here,” Eugene called out to Jason.

He stood beside her and the camera flashed away. After a few more candid pictures, the photoshoot ended and the party continued with a little twist of Korean tradition.

“Karaoke time,” shouted the uncle, the birthday man himself.

He stood on stage with a mic on his hand. On his left and right were his brothers and sisters. Singing on stage to the melody of trot, a folk-genre from South Korea. Jason sat at an empty table watching from afar.

“Thank goodness our parents isn’t here,” Gina sat to his side, “I would die out of embarrassment if they sing on stage, FYI their enthusiasm is not normal.”

Jason remained silent with his sight towards the stage. It would be fun if his parents were here. It had been a long time since he last saw them. At least the place they went to didn’t have a crack in the sky.

“Hey, are you still mad I cock block you back there? If you don’t mind I-”

Jason intervened.

“Aren’t you worried about the crack in the sky?”

Gina fell silent. She stroked her chin with those elegant feminine fingers as she pondered.

“Hmm, I’d be stupid if I said I’m not worried. Think of it in this way, you never know what’s going to happen. So better to enjoy things while it last,” said Gina.

What an idiotic way of thinking, thought Jason. It was best for him to never speak such words directly at Gina.

“Shouldn’t you at least stay away far from potential danger,” he tried to convince her.

“Ugh, can’t you stop worrying about stupid stuff like that. The scientist on the tv said it’s just an amazing anomaly. Nothing is going to happen,” Gina was getting annoyed.

But as if fate playing a prank on her words. Something happened.

BOOM

“Did you hear that?” asked Jason.

“Hear what? Them, singing out of tune are loud and clear,” Gina didn’t hear what Jason just heard.

“Oppa,” Eugune soft voice called out to Jason who wasn’t that far from one another.

She stood there in front of the glass wall staring at the nightlife of New York City. But she was far from being at awe. Jason glanced at Eugene and he too saw something. He stood and his legs dragged his body to the glass wall. Standing beside Eugene, he saw what she saw.

“Is that where the explosion came from?” asked Jason.

Eugene nodded as she too heard it and saw what happened just now. Bright flames like a match light seen from afar but Jason knew that a big raging flame was on the street of New York. Black smoke arose blending in with the night sky. He knew something big just happened. An explosion couldn’t have happened out of anywhere. He could feel his heartbeat wilder than ever. Even more so from meeting Maria.

Please don’t, please not because of that.

He prayed it wasn’t because of that thing in the sky. His eyes traced towards the direction of Central Park and his eyes turned wide apart. Eugene noticed the shock look on Jason’s face. But she was more surprised seeing both of Jason’s hand.

“Oppa, why are you trembling? Are you okay?” Eugene asked.

“Eh?” he looked down and noticed his hands couldn’t stop shaking.

He tried to forget those memories but his body remembered the trauma, inflicted on him. He clenched both of his hands intending to stop the tremors. Jason glanced once more at the sky above Central Park.

They are here.

“Eugene, we need to get out of here. Do you have a car?” asked Jason.

“Eh, what? Why?” she was flustered by Jason’s request.

“What’s going on here?” Gina joined the troubling duo.

Jason ignored her and grabbed on both of Eugene’s shoulder.

“Eugene this is important, do you have a car?” asked Jason.

She nodded, nervous by the sudden change of behavior by Jason.

“Go get your parents and your siblings to the car, where did you park it?” asked Jason.

“At the underground second level, it’s right in front of the elevator,” Eugene said.

“Stop scaring the kid Jason. Why are you being like this?” Gina butted in seeing how ridiculous Jason was acting.

“Hi guys, what’s going on?” another person came with a plate of nachos in his hand.

It was Paul, who was still speaking in Korean. He kept on blabbering about nonsense from the outdated music to the food not suiting his taste. Gina was talking about something but her voice was being muted by the ears of Jason. He was getting anxious by the second, these people are not trying to understand him even a little bit. Little by little his anxiousness was transforming into anger. Then the lid pop opened.

“Shut up!” Jason shouted.

“All of you shut up and listen to me!” his voice rang in the air. Those who were closest paid attention to him.

While the elder members of the family were singing their lungs out at the stage as they were drowned by the music.

“We need to get out of here,” he paused, “or else we’re going to f*cking die,” said Jason.

Most were confused but Gina had to ask.

“Jason, don’t-” her words cut halfway as Paul chimed in.

“Hey, is that a bird?”

He pointed and all eyes were on the thing gliding through the sky. Jason couldn’t believe it. Something was heading towards them.

“Everybody duck,” he shouted and grabbed on to Eugene who was closest to him. He threw himself on to the floor along with Eugene.

“Kyaaa,” Eugene screamed.

Then a loud high pitch screech reverberated in the air.

KAWWW

The glass wall started to crack and the massive creature flew towards them. Everyone was frightened in their shoes. Not daring to even move. Some already ran away while those closest could only watch. Paul ran away but tripped and fell. Gina stood there frozen in place as a big shadow approached the building. A trickle of fluid trailed down her thigh pooling below her. Seconds before the massive creature collided with the hotel building, it made a swift turn.

Swissh...

The powerful air draft from the creature’s flight brushed over the crack glass wall and then it shattered. The glass wall broke and the whole crowd in the event hall fell into disarray. Eugene’s head was under the body of Jason still confused over what just happened. She thought Jason was going to do something to her but now she knew that it was for her sake. The weight on her head was lifted as she noticed Jason standing up.

“Oppa, what happened?” she asked.

Slowly she raised her head seeing the aftermath of what just happened. The whole event hall was in chaos with the tables and chairs flipped over and a whole lot of mess spread on the floor. The thought of her parents and sibling came to Eugene.

“Oppa, I-” she wanted to ask Jason for help.

But she fell silent as she traced her sight to whatever Jason was looking at. The creature with the massive wings struck down the roof of the building opposite the hotel. It wreaked havoc over the roof building as the cry of the people rang in the air.

“Oppa, what is that?” unconsciously she stood close to Jason and grabbed on to his arm.

He answered her question.

“Something not good.”