---
11:58 pm ..
Buzz... buzz...
"Hmm... Hello.." mumbled Kyle, his voice groggy with sleep. He hesitated to fully wake up, afraid that his precious remnants of sleep would slip away if he did. Exhausted from work, he yearned to remain in the comfort of his bed.
The person on the other side of the phone seemed to disagree.
They fired off a rapid barrage of words that barely registered with the half-asleep Kyle.
Now it seems like I can't keep myself attached to the bed, he thought.
"Hold on a moment" he said, after that he
Carefully shifted his wife aside, mindful not to disturb her as she lay sleep on the other side of the bed.
He reluctantly sat up and put on his earphones, Afraid that the voice on the phone is too loud.
"What did you say happened... I couldn't hear you properly?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.
The voice on the other end of the phone trembled with nervousness and worry. "Kyle, you need to see this... I can't... I can't understand what I'm seeing..." The caller's voice quivered as if they had glimpsed the end of the world as we know it.
Kyle's heart raced as he listened, the fog of sleep dissipating with each word. "Tell me what's going on," he urged, a sense of foreboding settling over him.
"I don't know how to explain it... It's like the whole world has changed overnight. You have to come and see for yourself, I don't know how to explainit." the caller replied, the urgency in their voice palpable.
With a sense of unease gnawing at him, Kyle quickly dressed and prepared to leave, his mind racing with questions and fears.
His wife stirred from her sleep as he reached for the door. "Honey, where are you going?" she asked, her voice thick with drowsiness.
Kyle turned back to her, his expression softening. "Something's happened at the research center. I need to take a look. Don't worry, I'll be back in the morning. I'll even cook breakfast for the kids." he reassured her, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead before heading out into the night.
He made his way to his car, which was parked on the pavement in front of the house next to his wife's, and climbed in. The engine roared to life as he started the car, his hands trembling slightly with anticipation and anxiety.
As he drove off into the night, a feeling of apprehension settled over him.
"Here we go again," he muttered as he navigated the familiar streets leading to the Oakwood research center. It wasn't the first time he had been called in the middle of the night in the last couple of days. Most of his time was consumed by the research center, where they had encountered numerous anomalies in their studies. Despite their efforts, they had been unable to understand the cause. Their research focused on gravitons and the building blocks of atoms.
As he passed through the gate's security and entered the research center's parking lot, his mind was still wondering the mysteries awaiting him inside.
---
Back Home.
12:09 am..
As the clock struck 12:09 am, mere minutes after Kyle's departure, his wife stirred from her slumber. Groggy-eyed and disoriented, she glanced at the space beside her, a lingering warmth betraying her husband's recent presence.
With a soft sigh, she pushed back the covers and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Padding softly across the room, she peeked into each of her children's rooms, her heart swelling with maternal affection at the sight of their peaceful slumber.
Satisfied that they were safe and sound, she went to the kitchen, the cool linoleum floor sending a shiver up her spine.
She decided to brew a cup of chamomile tea, hoping it would help calm her nerves in the wake of John's mysterious departure.
Settling at the kitchen table with her tea, she gazed out the window at the darkened sky. The absence of the usual signs of dawn only added to the eerie atmosphere, a stark reminder of the world's unsettling transformation.
As the clock approached 4:28 am, the darkness outside seemed to deepen, casting long, ominous shadows across the quiet neighborhood. The only illumination came from the soft glow of streetlights, their feeble light barely piercing the thick blanket of night that enveloped the world.
In the dimly lit living room, Sarah startled awake at the sound of the ringing telephone. With a sense of foreboding, she stumbled across the room and lifted the receiver to her ear, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Stay at home," Kyle's voice echoed through the line, tinged with urgency and fear. "Don't send the kids to school today."
A shiver ran down her spine at his words, the gravity of the situation sinking in. What could be so dire that Kyle would instruct her to keep their children home, even in the dead of night?
"Darling, what's going on?" she demanded, her voice trembling with anxiety and uncertainty.
"I can't explain now," he replied, his voice strained but filled with love and concern. "But I promise you, I'll come for you. Just stay put and keep the kids close. I won't let anything happen to you."
Despite the reassurance in his words, Sarah couldn't shake the sense of unease that settled in the pit of her stomach. But she trusted him with all her heart, and she knew that he would do whatever it took to keep them safe.
With a heavy heart, Sarah gazed at her sleeping children, their rooms separated by a hallway. She longed to hold them close, to shield them from whatever darkness threatened to encroach upon their world.
Moving quietly so as not to disturb their peaceful sleep, Sarah made her way to each room in turn, pausing by their beds to offer a silent prayer for their safety. Though they were in different rooms, the bond of motherhood bridged the distance between them, filling her with a sense of protective resolve.
With a whispered promise to watch over them, Sarah returned to the living room, where she could keep a vigilant eye on the front door and the darkened streets beyond. As she settled into the armchair by the window, she drew a blanket around her shoulders, seeking solace in the quiet solitude of the night.
---
4 hours ago...
Somewhere in the Britannia
[Oakwood research centre]
....