Chapter 55.

Blackout.

Hiru Knight.

Time/Area: August 4th, 2013. Brooklyn, NYC.

9 AM

“Just stop picking on them.” I rubbed my temples, glaring at Tim and John from across the table.

We were in the Brooklyn Buffet, sitting at a huge booth while my mom ordered our food from the front of the restaurant.

I guessed since she had to actually order food, it didn’t make much sense as to why the place was called a buffet, but I loved it anyways.

We were just waiting on Henry…

“Whatever man…” Timmy groaned, playing with a ketchup bottle on the table,

“That kid beat us up!”

I rolled my eyes, but before I could respond, a wave of cheers washed over what sounded like the entire back half of the restaurant, causing me to pause and glance to my left.

The Brooklyn Buffet was very…’Home-like’, and anyone who's been would get what I meant. From random ‘proudly serving’ and ‘Grillin ever since’ signs plastered on walls, to the dark oak floors, to the flat-screen TV displaying an intense game of football; the place was where anyone would imagine being on a Sunday.

Or at least, that was what it felt like.

Everyone had been cheering when one of the football teams had scored a touchdown, but the noise quickly died down as the game kept on progressing.

I looked back at Timmy,

“His name is Damien…” I got back on topic, “and he kicked your butt because he’s a Blackbelt.”

John stepped in,

“Nah Hiru,” He said, “I don’t care if he was little Bruce Lee, the guy’s still just a freshman.”

“A skinny freshman.” Timmy added.

I laughed a little, “How do you explain it then?”

They both looked at each other, leaning back into the cushion of our booth,

“I don’t know...” Tim shrugged, “What if he’s like…one of them, you know?”

I coughed, “One of who?”

John began unrolling one of the four napkins on our table that concealed silverware- despite having no food yet- fiddling with a fork as he looked down at his shoes, “Well…you know…a monster-”

“You guys…” I sighed, interrupting, “How did you come up with that?”

They were right about something being off with Damien…that being his weird, messed-up powers…but a monster?

That was ridiculous.

“Well,” Timmy cleared his throat, “I heard from a source that monsters are actually just aliens dressed up as humans!” He hissed under his breath, his tone of voice implying that this was obviously classified information, “And he looks like a human!”

John and I both ignored Timmy,

“Look, dude,” John sat up, putting the fork down, “All I’m saying is that the city right now has me and my folks pretty spooked, and the last thing I need is some freshman who may or may not be one of the reasons why.”

“So you’ve just skipped steroids and gone straight to monster?” I tried again, another wave of prideful hollers echoing across the buffet as another touchdown was evidently scored.

“Steroids don't explain what us and Henry saw that day,” John shot, “But I don’t care if you don’t believe us Hiru, I’m just hungry.”

I frowned, realizing that continuing a talk about monsters wasn’t the best idea for today. This was supposed to be fun, not some reminder of how crappy life was getting.

“Sorry, guys,” I looked back over to the ordering area across from the bar; my mom was sitting there.

“We can talk about something else-”

“Like where the heck Henry is.” John muttered, pulling out his phone.

Timmy was already on his phone, “Hey guys, do you have any bars?”

“Really, dude,” John elbowed Timmy, “Did you just take a break from us or something?”

“You’re on your phone too!” Timmy defended himself.

“I’m trying to call Henry.” John shot back.

“Well, is it working?” Timmy asked, pointing back at his phone, “Cause I can’t find that article I read that talked about the aliens!”

I squinted at Timmy, not realizing that his ‘source’ was merely the internet,

“Well,” I shrugged, “That’s what you get with Solaris phones…you should switch to Synth.”

John snorted, grinning while glancing at my mom, “A little biased, don’t you think?”

But his smile quickly faded when his call didn’t go through,

“Oh snap, guys,” John coughed, ignoring Timmy’s look of triumph, “Tim’s right, I don’t have any bars either.”

I tilted my head, “you too-?”

“Oh COME ON, IT WAS JUST GETTING GOOD!”

We all glanced at the TV behind us, shocked when all it portrayed was static.

The grumbles of many disappointed customers rang through the restaurant:

“Hey, I think it's still streaming online!”

“Anyone have service…?”

“I don’t…I can’t watch the game!”

“Is anybody able to get it working?”

I slowly stood up, glancing behind me to view a similar set of situations occurring.

No one’s stuff was working.

“What the heck,”

I turned back towards Timmy, who was staring at the black screen of his phone.

“I was at like…97 percent battery,” he said, “...and my phone just died.”

He rapidly pressed the power button, “Freaking…Solaris.”

I gulped.

“No…” I shook the idea away, “It’s not them…we would’ve heard something.”

I glanced upwards at the lights hanging from the roof; they were all still working.

“See…” I took a deep breath, “It’s fine.”

Just then, our waiter appeared at the table,

“Sorry for the wait guys!” The man said, revealing a tray with drinks on it, “But here are your drinks…food will be out in a minute.”

John stared at the red liquid as the waiter passed each of us a cup,

“Uhhh,” he grabbed his glass, “I thought your mom got us waters…not fruit punch.”

I looked back at the waiter, who looked almost as confused as we were,

“Oh…” he muttered, glancing back towards the kitchen, “I could've sworn I put waters-”

“That’s okay with me!” Timmy interrupted him, taking a large swig of the punch, “I like free stuff!”

I shrugged and gave a sheepish smile to the waiter, who just gave an apologetic one in return before walking off.

Timmy suddenly shivered, “Ew,” he coughed, “That doesn’t taste like punch.”

I rolled my eyes for the second time, “Then don’t drink it, idiot,” I said, getting up to leave the booth, “I’m gonna go talk to my mom for a minute.”

John nodded, setting down his glass without taking a sip, “Okay Hiru,” he said, “And can you ask for some water?!”

-

I maneuvered past the angry customers littering the once peaceful buffet, making my way to the bench by the ordering table.

Parallel to the bench stood a row of windows gazing out into the parking lot.

Outside were active cars…some glitchy billboards…just Brooklyn.

I sat next to my mom, who looked angry as she menacingly tapped at her phone,

She didn’t seem to notice me, so I playfully nudged her,

“Okan,” I coughed, “Are you okay?”

My mom tore her eyes away from the device, moving her long black hair back as she looked up at me,

“Hiru!” she laughed, glancing back at her phone, “Warui, warui, I can’t seem to call in-”

“Yeah, a lot of that’s going around.” I said, motioning towards the rest of the buffet, “But I’m a little surprised it’s happening with you too…”

“Oh,” my mom smiled, just now looking around, “Well, it must be a network issue…Morgan will have to deal with me being late without notice then.”

I just shook my head: my mom barely treated Mr.Synth like her actual boss, since our two families had been friends for so long, but it still felt weird to hear my mom address the guy so casually.

“Well, since you ordered, you wanna come sit?” I asked, once again trying to force away my suspicions as more and more people lost signal connection throughout the restaurant, “The guy brought the wrong drinks, but-”

She laughed, “I’m okay Hiru, you can hang out with your friends without your mother breathing down your neck.”

I just smiled slightly, knowing she knew me too well,

“If you insist.” I muttered.

“So where’s the other one…Henry?” she went on, “I paid for four children…”

I shrugged, “He should be getting here soon…hopefully,” I informed her, glancing behind us at the windows again.

Hopefully.

“You know…Hiru.” My mom got my attention, staring up at me.

I had passed her in height long ago, and she didn’t like that one bit- so holding my gaze for more than five seconds meant that she was pretty serious,

“I heard you talking with your friends…about that boy whose parents passed away?”

I slowly nodded, “Damien-”

“Yes, that one!” Mom smiled, shaking her head, “I heard you defending him for something, and I’d just like to say-”

“Mama-”

“I’m not finished.” She put a hand on my knee, silencing me as she went on,

“I’d just like to say,” she repeated, “I am so proud of you.”

Mom shifted her head towards the roof, looking at the brightly glowing light bulbs, “Your father would be too.”

I frowned, knowing she didn’t like to talk about him.

My father died when I was ten, and she hadn’t really ever been the same since.

I hadn’t ever been the same since.

“Well,” I began to speak, “I-I guess I just know what he and Jason are going through…”

Then I added, “Half of it, anyways.”

“I…” Mom stuttered a bit, wiping her face before straightening her posture, “I suppose you do.”

She dropped her hands, “But life does go on, Hiru,” she made eye-contact with me once more, “Don’t ever forget that.”

I just nodded, “I-”

Bang!

Me and mom both jumped as something hit the window behind us, swiveling our heads to see a man pressed up against the glass.

He looked like he was in his late forties, fear evident in his eyes as he cupped his hands in front of his mouth.

I started to speak, “What the-”

His lips began moving, clearly screaming something while the window separating us made it sound like jumbled noise.

But it didn’t take much to understand what two words he kept repeating.

“GET.”

I glanced at my mom, then up at the roof.

ZTZTZTT.

The lights were flickering now…

“OUT.”

I grabbed my mom’s shoulder as a shadow loomed behind the man’s figure, consuming all sunlight bleeding into the restaurant as I opened my mouth,

“Mom!” I yelled, “We need to-!”

SMAASH!

—---------------------------------

“HIRU, OKIRO, HIRU!”

My eyes shot open, sitting up while coughing out drops of blood.

“What..”

My ears were ringing, the sounds of screams and explosions both far away and so very close at the same time.

Everything was bright, like a million spotlights were being flashed on and off my eyes every second.

I heard my mom,

“Okiro!” She cried out, her face suddenly materializing in front of me as she seized my shoulders, “Hiru!?”

“What’s…happening-oh.”

I stopped as my eyes adjusted and my ears stopped ringing, now getting a good look at what remained of the Brooklyn Buffet.

We had been blasted backwards onto the wood of the restaurant, tar from the roof raining down on my hair as I looked forwards.

The entire window side, plus the bar was just…gone, in its place nothing but open air, chunks of debris, and two...legs.

They were just lying there…directly where the window used to-

“No…” I realized, my eyes widening as I remembered the man that had been standing there, “No no no.”

“Mom-”

“Hiru!” Mom shook me once more, “We have to go!!!”

“R-righ-agh!!” I was cut off when I tried to stand up, nearly falling over before my mom caught me.

I leaned downwards against her shoulder, feeling pain ripple through my ankle like gunshots as I instinctively placed my good foot forwards,

“M-my ankle-”

“It’s broken, just lean on me, okay?!” Mom shouted.

It was hard to hear her over the…noise.

Was that really all screams?

Mom turned us both around to face the seating area, my stomach performing somersaults as I witnessed the rows and rows of people sprawled across the floor.

The same people that were just watching football a second ago…

Dead.

“M-mom, where's Timmy and John!?” I asked, “A-and what happened?”

We walked over to a fire escape exit, allowing me to lean against the wall rather than my mom as she took a step back.

She didn’t look good…

Her hair was a mess, covered in dust like mine, and she had various cuts and bruises lining her exposed arms.

“Mom…”

“I’m not sure where they are, Hiru,” She coughed, “B-but this thing…i-it tore through here in less than a second, I-”

“Thing?!” I said, another explosion shaking the ground violently as more clouds of dust rained from the ceiling, “L-like a monster?”

“Yes…” she replied, nodding slightly, “They’re all outside…it’s terrible, Hiru- we have to leave-”

“Mrs.Knight!”

“Hiru!”

We both turned back towards the seating area, watching as Tim and John ran towards us.

“Yo, what the heck was that?!” Timmy asked, “I was just going pee-”

“Monsters. H-here.” I explained, not really up to relaying the information I was still trying to process.

John gulped, “Monsters…” he muttered, “O-oh no, I-I have to get to my parents-”

“We all need to g-get to Synth Industries.” Mom said, interrupting our collective panic,

“I’m sure that place is safe-”

“H-how do you even know th-that?!” Timmy was suddenly breathing heavily, sweat forming on his neck, “A-and what happened to your leg, Hiru…and w-where did the monsters even come from…ha…th-this is just a joke-?!”

John put a hand on Timmy’s shoulder,

“Dude, calm the heck down!” he ordered, “You’re freaking out…just chill, okay-”

“How can I be CALM?!” Timmy stumbled back, doubling over as vomit poured from his mouth.

John cursed as me and my mom inched closer to the door.

Was I hearing things…or did Tim’s voice just-

“We all have to leave, Timmy,” Mom stepped in again, “John, grab Tim, my car is in the parking lot-”

“RAAAAAAAGH!”

A deep, guttural, and disgusting roar echoed from somewhere outside, sending shivers down each of our spines as Tim suddenly stood straight up.

Mom was grabbing the door handle, preparing to carry most of my weight again before Tim spoke,

“G-guys…” Tim said, his voice garbled as if he was speaking underwater, “I..I’m nervous.”

John was reaching for his arm, but stopped at his sudden change of attitude.

I glanced down at the vomit stained wood floors, realizing that it was not vomit upon my second analysis.

It was blood.

Lots…and lots….of blood.

John noticed too, reeling at the sight of red seeping into the floor boards and drenching his shoes, “Timmy, buddy…” John started, “Come on…come on let’s get you-”

BAM!

“JOHN!” I cried.

Mom screamed as Timmy’s hand suddenly lurched forwards, all of his fingers snapping back as his entire hand went through John’s chest.

In an instant, the whole back wall and fire escape door was smothered in blood.

John’s blood.

A desperate tear left my eye as I struggled to understand how and why this was happening,

“TIMMY WHAT THE H-”

“IIIIIIM SCAAARRREGHED!” Tim cried out, light bulbs shattering above us as Timmy’s body began to shift in size.

John’s nearly limp form was still halfway through Tim’s arm, his head falling back to face us as the light in his brown eyes began to fade,

“H-hiru?” He whispered, blood falling from his lips to join the buckets beneath us, “H-help m..me…”

Then he went still.

“GO. NOW!”

My mom pulled me out of my trance as she pushed open the fire escape doors, practically dragging me outside as I tried to keep up with her.

“DDDOON’T ARRRAAAG LEAVE mE!”

We pushed through the parking lot, ignoring the deep bogs of smoke rising from every skyscraper in sight and trying not to see the mountains of bodies lining the sidewalks and streets.

More monsterish yells sounded all around us, police sirens whaling in the background to add to the symphony of death and carnage plaguing Brooklyn.

Once active cars had been flipped upside down, electronic billboards now displaying nothing but static or ‘Emergency Alerts’ while explosion after explosion rocked the asphalt.

I could see the tears on my mom’s face as she led me to where her car still miraculously stood, fumbling for the keys in her pocket as we reached the vehicle.

“Mom…J-john-”

“I know, I know, it’ll be f-fine.” She lied, pressing the unlock button on the key.

Nothing happened.

“Wh-what’s happening-” My mom was interrupted by another bloodcurdling scream from behind us, both of us spinning around to see…Timmy?!

Well…it wasn’t Timmy anymore…it couldn’t be…

Instead, a creature that was at least ten feet tall stood at the fire escape to the Brooklyn Buffet, its eyes and body surrounded with a bronze electric light as its mouth hung open to reveal razor-sharp teeth.

Its skin was burned to the point where everything was the color of charcoal, exposed veins and muscle bulging from tears in its form as its legs dragged forwards towards us like an ogre.

“WAAAAAAIT RAAAARGH!”

“Th-the car…mom.” I muttered, fear threatening to freeze every joint in my body.

The monster bent downwards, uprooting and lifting up a bench with one arm as if it was a child’s toy.

Mom stopped trying to use the electric lock, instead finding the keyhole to plug the car keys into.

“STtOP!”

WOOOSH!

“MOVE, MOM!” I yelled, throwing us both down onto the concrete as the car’s door and hood was replaced with a seven foot long bench, sparks flying from the vehicle as another scream escaped my mom’s lips.

The creature increased its sluggish pace, now having cut off any means of escape as a twisted grin settled onto its mouth.

“STAAAY.”

It was going to be here any second…and I couldn’t run with my ankle like this,

“M-mom!” I hissed, fighting back pain as I tried to stand up again, “J-just run…I-I’m just slowing you down-”

“Hiru…” She stopped me, somehow able to smile as the ten foot murderer barrelled towards us like a charging ram,

“You…are an amazing son.”

She turned to face the creature, “D-don’t forget what I said earlier...” she ordered, taking a deep breath as she looked to the left.

There was a long street there that eventually turned onto the subway station…did she plan for us to get there somehow?

I squinted at her, “M-mom,” I was choking up on tears, yet I had no idea what they were for yet, “What…what are you doin-”

“HEY!” My mom waved her hands at the monster, running straight to the left while causing the abomination to skid to a stop,

“OVER HERE!”

I slowly shook my head, all the tears falling now as I realized what she was doing.

“Mom!” I cried out as she kept running.

She wasn’t going to outrun that thing…

“MOM!”

I kept screaming her name as she ran, shaking my head rapidly as it gained on her,

“DON’T MOM, STOP, IT’S NOT GOING TO WORK JUST-”

I cursed loudly, falling back against my mom’s broken car as I witnessed the creature catch up to her.

They were both by a lamp post fifty yards away, my mother’s neck in its huge arm as it raised her towards the sky like a trophy.

She wasn’t even trying to fight it…

“HEY!!! HEY I’M TALKING TO YOU!” I shouted, knowing it was useless as I could barely bring myself to watch, “PUT HER DOWN! PUT HER DOWN RIGHT NOW!”

My voice broke, “Just…stop,” I was panting, “…please.”

I saw my mom, and somehow I knew she was looking straight at me.

I saw her smile.

“No…mom.”

I saw the tears roll down her face.

“Just…stop…why…”

Then I saw her neck break.

Snap!

Her entire head shifted 180 degrees backwards, a geyser of blood shooting into the air from the base of her throat before the monster tossed aside her body like a doll.

My head followed my mother’s corpse as it smashed against the hood of a vehicle, joining some other dead bodies beside a Dumpster.

The monster turned back to face me, resuming its charge as if nothing had happened.

As if my mom hadn’t just died.

As if her bones hadn’t just snapped in front of me…

It was going to be here soon.

I stared blankly at the creature, simple tears rolling down my face as I subconsciously gave up.

There was no point…to any of this.

“HIIIIRUUU ARRRRRGH!”

“Put her down…” I muttered absently, no longer in control of my words as the scene played over and over and over again in my mind,

“I said…put her down.”

Ten yards…

“Please…”

Five yards…

“RRRAAAAAG-”

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEEEEEEEP!

CRRAAAAASH!

Suddenly, like lightning, a truck slammed into the creature’s legs, sending its entire form reeling back into the Brooklyn Buffet as it smashed through what remained of the building’s brick walls, bringing down wave after wave of rock and stone on the parking lot as if the building itself had just fallen on top of the monster.

Clouds of debris drizzled about the area, smashed and flickering headlights beaming through the smoke as I heard a car door open.

I was broken out of my trance as I was given time to question what just happened, struggling to see despite the shining lights as the silhouette of a guy came into view.

I could still hear the rumbling of the creature beneath the literal wall that had just crushed it, not sounding even close to dead as the dust began to settle.

“W-who-”

“Hey, Hiru!”

The figure came into view, something a little more significant than relief flooding every part of my system as a familiar hand reached down towards me.

I felt a different kind of tear stain my face as I took Henry More’s hand.

Henry…

His wild grin was flashing shamelessly as he lifted me up, dollar tree shades covering his eyes as he supported most of my weight,

“Sorry I’m late,” Henry said, walking with me towards his truck, “I had to make a pit stop.”

I just nodded, still incapable of speaking as I still mouthed the words,

“Let her go.”

“Stop.”

Endlessly.

“Hiru?” Henry stopped as we reached the doors,

“I-I’m here, buddy,” He nervously lost his smile as he witnessed my expression,

“We have to go….obviously.” He added.

Henry gulped when I didn’t say anything, “S-so where are the guys?” he asked.

I thought of John’s lifeless brown eyes…staring into mine.

Hiru…Help me.

His last words.

I then thought of Tim…ripping my Mother’s head back…

“A-and where’s your mom?” Henry slowly spoke, and I had a feeling he was starting to understand as my hands absently began to shake.

“Hiru,” he said again.

I didn’t say anything.

“H-hiru…” Henry stuttered, gripping my shoulders as his voice cracked,

“I…I asked,” he started, “Where…is everyone?”