{10:03 pm, 14/05/2024}
*****
I had just finished taking a bath and was about to settle down to eat when the sound of the reporter filled the room, so clearly that I almost turned to see if there was a hidden tv in our bedroom.
Rukius had turned up the volume of the TV and by the time I walked in I could already see the reason why. The reporter definitely seemed agitated as he read the news, and it was quite vivid as to why he and everyone else on the other end of the TV would panic.
"We come to you live from city central, were there appears to be some kind of creatures proceeding out of the exotic gate, which has been dormant for over a month now. My God!!, This is like nothing I've ever seen before. Everyone in the proximity have been asked to evacuate immediately, and we can also see government officials who seem to be approaching the scene. Oh, it seems they are trying to cut us off, hey don't touch that, hey!....."
BZZZZTTTT
The sound of the footage being turned off couldn't help to drown the sound of the reporter's voice replaying in my head. I took a few steps backwards and sat on the only available sofa. My thoughts were everywhere, and I try matching the pace of my breathing so I didn't have a panic attack or worse.
I just sat there trying to gather my thoughts while disapproving the authenticity of what I had just watched. Rukius sat on the floor, legs sprawled wide open with a puzzled look on his face like he had seen the ghost of a dead relative.
'This can't be real right?'
It had to be some kind of nationwide prank because if it wasn't then that would explain the fact that we had just made contact with a paranormal race just like the articles I had read told us about.
The government had done a good job shutting the mouth of the press and keeping the information regarding the likelihood of this appearance a secret.
It had trended however a few weeks back, when a brazen journalist shared expo and pictures of the meeting which he had happened to sneak a shot at.
I felt a great rush that moved through every part of my body in the form of a cold chill. My eyes stretching wide, something forming at the back of my throat keeping me from swallowing hard.
I didn't even notice that I was grinning so happily until I caught the confused stare of Rukius and touched my face to confirm that I had been smiling all the while. I must have looked like a psychopath to him, because how could I even be smiling at a time like this.
But deep within me I felt something well up and i just couldn't contain it, the thought of humanity progressing into a new phase of our evolution.
What could possibly be more exciting than that!.
*****
After we ate I went into the room and closed the door after making sure that Rukius was already immersed in his device, before proceeding to replay the footage from the evening news of a month ago again.
A few people had posted it online and most people were already commenting, disapproving what they had seen on live TV even though it would be impossible to fake that kind of stuff. I went on to research the exotic gate the details regarding the anomalies that came out through the exotic gate and stumbled upon a live feed of one of the very few scientists that had examined it when it appeared.
Although certain exclusive information were completely held back due to confidentiality, he was still able to give a detailed summary of what the gate was and what it entailed.
"Humanity is well enough about to face an existential crisis that may very much terminate our existence.
Those mindless creatures that came out through the wormhole are if a very different genetic makeup than any species in earth, this may all enough be the end for us if we fail to establish a method of communication with whatever those are...."
Those were her final statements before she exited the feed and I couldn't help but still ponder the possibility of all this being a big hoax.
The power went out after a while and came back on almost immediately, it had happened like that just before the broadcast and I didn't find it strange in the slightest due to the fact that the anomaly might have been causing the electromagnetic fluctuations we had been experiencing nationwide.
I peered outside through the window, to see most of our neighbors arguing about the current crisis, possibly shaken by the series of events that had unfolded.
By this time, I could already guess what the government's response would be for the rest of the week.
A possible curfew and series of meetings where they would assure the citizens that there was nothing to be scared about and that everything was under control, until it wasn't. I couldn't care less about how the government would react and I was simply overjoyed that a simple benefit would come from this situation, work free days.
Hopefully.
As I laid to rest, various conspiracies pertaining to life besides ours that I had read about a few years back began to play back in my mind. At the time, I had paid only a little attention to those articles and labelled most of them as scandalous.
I was so submerged in my thoughts, that I didn't even notice Rukius standing over me in an ambiguous fashion. I was taken aback by shock of the scary stare he had cast on his face, almost to the extent that I had almost let out an exclamation.
"What was with that look earlier?" Rukius asked
"Huh,..... What look?" I responded, pretending to have no knowledge of what he was talking about.
I felt like a hypocrite, acting like I had no memories of the events that took place just a while ago, or maybe it was the fact that I didn't want to have this particular conversation.
"Don't try to act dumb, I saw you smiling" He retorted, moving closer to me
'shit, here it comes!'
"Are you by any chance..." He paused, stopping in his tracks also.
Several possible lies were warping my thoughts and I was finding it hard to pick a specific and convincing option.
Was I supposed to say I found the accent of the reporter amusing??, Or that I had thought about something funny at the moment?.
'why am I even so concerned about what Rukius would think?'
'i should probably just tell him that I had caug-'
"... an alien imposter"
"Huh!"
"Huh?"
There was a minute of abrupt silence, as I slowly sunk into the depth of unfettered humiliation. For the very first time since my stay with this magnificent blockhead, I had seemed to forget that he was merely sane enough to go through every day than to even put in too much thought into what actually happened.
"You're so fucking dumb!" I muttered with my palm shielding my face in humiliation.
"What was that now?!" He yelled, walking backwards.
"If I was an alien imposter like you said, and I had to kill the former Nezro just to reach you. Why would I bother to go through all the stress of cleaning and cooking before carrying out my mission??" I inquired, staring him dead in the eyes.
'And why would I even target you?'
" Well I don't know... Maybe so you'd seem less suspicious." He stuttered, trying very hard to come up with the right words to justify his suspicion.
"True, but then again wouldn't executing you be my top priority even though I would have to do it covertly! "
"And by the way, do you actually deem yourself a threat to some alien specie?Pfft..... Pfft.... " I let out a laugh, reeling in delight at the face of his mixed reaction.
"It's not funny, I could be an alien too, sent from another planet that had the potential to wipe out your kind" He defended, trying to regain whatever was left of his self esteem.
" My kind??..... Pfft... Hahahahaha" I continued, this time with my hands sprawled in the bed.
At this point, it was all too funny for me to process and I just laid back, laughing all the way. I could see that he was visibly angry and his hapazard stride back to the living room could confirm that he had lost in his own argument.
I felt relieved also, because I too did not know what had come over me during the broadcast and I wasn't sure how to explain it to Rukius. I walked towards the living room, obviously for a taunt.
"You should probably get yourself checked though, I could have poisoned the food too". I finished laughing all the way back to the room for some rest.