Levin Hussain
The chairs in the barn were slowly taken by figures of varying nationality, gender and age. Various staff members of the television network had guided the guests to their chairs, then I noticed their forms snaking through the seated guests back to their original preposition by the lights and camera equipment. They looked like professionals as they easily slid behind their equipment, blending into the background. I turned to watch Sebastian wander onto the stage, stopping before the wooden lectern where he put his notes. Jacob and Henry stood behind him at either side, their hands behind their backs, trying their hardest to look as natural as possible. Sebastian seemed to shake like a leaf in the wind, his musculature shivering which showed his nervousness to those with a keen enough eye. I stole a glance at Isaac who seemed content with himself. The overhead lights in the room dimmed as the spotlights focused on Sebastian who stiffened as the light hit against his skin, which seemed to glisten. After the calibration of light in the room, an unseen signal had been sent to Sebastian who coughed into his fist before looking out at the crowd ahead of him, the look in his eyes hardening as he began.
"Ahem, welcome everyone to my humble home, I am Sebastian Vassinari and I have asked everyone to gather for one crucial reason, to answer your many questions about the atrocities that occurred on this day two weeks ago. This event has been set-up by Miss Samantha Kollin and her team, so please feel free to record any of this and please wait patiently until we reach you. We have compiled a list so that we will be able to get through everyone seated here today, so that you all will have a chance to ask any question that you may have, but firstly, we will start with Samantha Kollin as it was due to her team that we are able to do this today." All semblance of nervousness had vanished when Sebastian talked, he sounded as natural as one who did this for a living. The older woman stood from her chair, a few of the many cameras turning to focus on her. A member of the network station rushed forward, supplying her with a microphone.
"What exactly happened during the night of the eleventh?" Samantha asked and Sebastian sighed quietly, before blushing as the sigh was picked up by the microphone that stood on the lectern.
"It was the beginning, the beginning of a test or perhaps it's better to call it a trial. A somewhat prologue to the horrors to come. We were all given a piece of paper, it was titled the first trial, on it was a riddle of sorts. Whoever or whatever gave them to us, wanted to test our ability to adapt, to follow a very specific script. All we needed to do, was to do nothing, we just had to simply wait in that first room. However, as some of you may have seen on your tv's that night, many left the safe confines of that room, causing them to die."
"How do you know all of this?" Samantha asked, causing some murmurs to flit across the room in agreement.
"The world around us has changed, we are being forced to participate in sadistic plays, and some of humanity have been given a new-" he rolled his wrist as he thought, "ability. Jacob, if you could."
With Sebastian's prompting, Jacob stepped forward until he stood by Sebastian's side, he raised his palms and a twin jet of amber flame erupted from his hands. The crowd gasped at the sudden bout of flame, some had even screamed. As I had expected, Jacob seemed to enjoy this situation as he caused the fire to change colour. Heat reached out to me, caressing my flesh like a loving mother, but those nearest Jacob looked uncomfortable as sweat seeped down their forehead. Jacob smirked as he willed the flames to shrink, turning the once thick streams into something closer to amber silk. "Others will undoubtedly have powers as sensational as Jacob's. These abilities, only ever seen in movies and games are now no longer fictitious. So if I were to tell you that I know someone who can see the future, would you believe me? Precognition is a much bigger stretch than controlling fire, am I right? Well, I also had my doubts when all this started, I didn't trust them at first, thought that they were mad, but then I found myself in that impossible situation, locked in a room with no apparent way of how I got there. Now tell yourself, what would you believe?" I looked over at the faces of the guests who seemed lost in thought by Sebastian's words. Samantha sat back in her chair, her expression showing that she had a mess of questions wanting an answer. "Next on the list is, Gerald Drew." A different member of staff came forward with a microphone whilst the first member of staff took the one that he had given to Samantha. The figure stood, grasping the microphone tightly as if he was afraid to drop it.
"You said that this is the beginning, what exactly do you mean by that?"
"I mean that we should not expect this to stop at just the one, I mean that thing that happened two weeks ago was called the first trial, as if it is warning us that something is coming, and it is. The world will change, physical manifestations of buildings not that dissimilar to our own will just appear, and from them, horrors."
"I can't believe that you are all just believing this man!" A new figure said, his voice easily carrying throughout the room, even without the aid of a microphone. He stood as he spoke, his white shirt seemed to strain against his bulging muscles. His face was covered in rough skin, seemingly coarse enough to cut one's hand on. I recognised him immediately, Matthew Friedrich, a talented MMA fighter. Part of me wanted to rush over, get his autograph, but something within me held me back. It confused me that he was here, he seemed out of place amongst the journalists and government officials.
"If you find my words to be untruthful, then please feel free to explain what you think had happened two weeks ago," Sebastian challenged and Matthew's face flickered with surprise before it clouded over with fury, his scowling expression not making Sebastian tense in the slightest.
"I doesn't matter what I think-"
"Oh really, then why did you interrupt?"
"I interrupted because you are saying all of these crazy things without having any proof to back them. Your friend there could be using some sort of trick to do that thing with fire."
"I won't need to."
"What?" Matthew stated before the ground beneath violently shook, sending him crashing into the row in front of him. I grabbed the nearest wall, holding onto anything in order to keep myself on my feet. Sebastian had grabbed the lectern in front of him and the guests were clinging onto each other, some of them screamed "EARTHQUAKE!" Isaac stepped into my peripherals, standing as casually as he normally did, as if the ground for him was still. Dust rained from above, loose splinters of wood shaking free. The equipment buzzed with feedback as cables rattled with the shaking. After a few moments, the shaking stopped and the surroundings were filled with the ringing of phones.
"I think it might be best to answer those calls, as they are my proof.
Fiona LeBlaunche
I stood, wiping my jeans and shirt with the back of my hand. The shaking had stopped and a quick look at the room made me sigh with relief, nothing had fallen, nothing had broken.
"Thank god," I said aloud before the sound of sirens broke the silence that had settled in during the aftermath of the earthquake. I made my way to the window, gasping at the sight before me. The Eiffel Tower lay on its side, the crash resulting in a massive cloud of smoke and dirt to float in the surrounding air. People screamed over the sound of distant sirens, and I found my eyes focusing on an impossibility.
"Are you ok?" Louis said, placing a loving hand on my shoulder and snapping my attention away from the carnage outside.
"I, I think so, but look," I pointed at the massive cloud of smoke. Louis gasped, removing his hand from my shoulder and placing it against the glass.
"What the hell is that?" He asked, following my finger to the building which had taken the Eiffel Tower's place. The building was enormous, it stood proud amidst the metal debris and haze of dust and dirt. Large white pillars supported the marble building and it looked like something taken straight from Rome. Flashes of red and blue reflected off of nearby windows as the police, medics and firefighters raced towards the destruction, their vehicles engulfed by the dust. I don't know what it was, but as I looked outwards at the smoke, I could only feel longing. I turned to Louis, embracing him, feeling guilt at the emotion that I felt.
"Please, just hold me," I muttered and he did, though his gaze never left the chaos outside.
Ashlea Drury
Everything hurt as I crawled through the rubble. Blood trickled down from various wounds, creating a snail trail of ruby behind me. I could feel something within me, a churning of energy, that sensations kept me from stopping. Loose rubble raked at my skin as I crawled towards the light that tore its way through the large hole that had opened in the side of the building. I heard moans and gasps of pain as others lay trapped under slabs of cement from the open ceiling above. Those able enough, tried to pry themselves free, a vain effort judging from the grunts of effort and swearing that shortly followed. I could feel a smile creep onto my face as commanding voices could be heard over the crying, instructing those to look for us. We were saved. An outline appeared in the hole, backlit by the amber sunlight. He rushed forwards, helping me to my feet, he smelled of body spray, the overpowering scent making me forget the smell of dust and smoke. His strong arms guided me over the uneven floor and to safety. As I felt sunlight on my skin once again, I looked behind me seeing a new building standing proud amidst the destruction of the white house.