Humans often lived out their lives with little regard for what was outside their existence, of course they had a few entities that they believed in; God, the devil, Buddha and so forth. But these could very well be fictional entities crafted by the human mind in order to offer comfort in times of distress.
Would a normal thinking human face a challenge head on and risk his or her safety or rather, call on an artificial being to aid him, believing it is all powerful and ever faithful to him or her?
The answer to that question is pretty obvious, seeing as to how the human mind is the strongest defense that exists, strong enough to even shut out its host if endangered. But in reality, humans lived with the conviction that they were not alone in the universe, an itching subconscious whisper that forever hunted them.
That whisper was about to become even more audible in the year 2024!.
******
{09:18 PM, 15/03/2024}
{Nezro POV}
The night was just as quiet as every other I had encountered, and that alone made it perfect for me. It was one of the reasons why I had taken up the night shift and it was worth it.
Everything was perfect; the crescent moon that stood still in space, placed among distant stars all linked together by an invisible thread of the universe, the rousing wind that coursed through every fibre of your being as you scaled through it, the humming and croaking of insects from afar and finally, the absence of people.
My night walk home had always been enjoyable for as long as I could remember, and it often bought me enough time to sink into my thoughts, uninterrupted.
The days grew shorter as the panic of the entire human race heightened. Whether it was global warming, or fear of an impending war or even an actual war, humans were already scared of their extinction and tried very hard to prevent it. I however, had only one opinion as to how humanity was going to solves it's problem, evolution.
Humans needed to evolve past their current state and see existence in a new light. I didn't know for sure what that entailed but I definitely knew it was our only choice.
Shadows of figures floated plast me, their being unregistered in my mind too as I walked past them, silhouettes dancing back and forth.
Fear and comfort both resided in my heart and mind at the time, as I quickened my pace towards the flickering glows that the street lights cast.
The presence of even more life forms now signaled that I had already used up all my time alone.
After a few steps and turns, I reached my apartment, and inasmuch as I would have loved to extend my nightly adventure, I had to sit for the evening news by all means.
It was a pointless habit that had grown on me ever since I was a child. I would always stare at the screen expecting something different, something that would redefine the cause of our existence or as a matter of fact, give it a meaning. But day after day I got nothing, other than the usual trivial display of ignorance and stupidity.
As I pushed on the knob of the door, I heard it creak quietly even though I had expected it to be locked. My roommate had a lot of nasty habits and this one had to be the most awful of them all.
'No sense of security!'
I tried to pave a path through the dirt littered in all directions of our cramped living room, picking up most of them while at it. An obvious frown had occupied my face and it was stretched even more at the sight of an unfriendly face.
"Yo!" A voice from behind the door resounded, vibrant and sickening each and every time I heard it. It was Rukius, my nonchalant roommate.
His blazing red hair always seemed unrealistic every single day I looked at it, finely cut as it glowed from proper care. He couldn't as much as pick up after littering but could spend so much time on his appearance just to impress the ladies. An unreasonable feat no matter how anyone looked at it. His hair wasn't the only thing outstanding about his appearance though, his physique was a different ball game.
Perfect set of shoulders that resonated with his compact build which showed signs of constant work outs and godly after-effects of puberty. He didn't fail to always flex his muscles whenever he got the chance, as if showing off a bundle of cash after you won a own bet.
"You're at it again aren't you, rukius. So you couldn't even clean the house at least?" I inquired, brimming with a growing rage. "Do I always have to seem like a nanny in my own house everytime I get back from work?."
"Well I believe it would be a good fit for you, pfft..." Rukius snickered, covering his mouth before the laughter.
"Fuck you man"
With that comment, my mood had relaxed and I didn't feel like even taking the conversation further. I simply wanted a shower and to watch the news in peace but unfortunately for me it had already started.
'shit'
"Good evening everyone, and welcome to the 10 o'clock news"
The sound of the telecaster rung out from the square frame in the middle of the room, the light from its surface beaming as it illuminated most of its surroundings, revealing a remote and a plastic toy from a fictional show.
I just walked towards the armchair at the opposite end of the room and slumped on it, awfully tired and reeking mildly of cold sweat.
The newscaster was different and It felt weird not hearing the usual accent of the host that always anchored this segment of the news today. The co host was present however but it didn't do much to appease my disappointment.
"Well she's new" Rukius pointed out, chewing annoyingly as he stared at the TV in front of him.
I stared at him and the bowl in his hands, filled to the brim with the popcorn I had just brought back with me. Hearing even Rukius ,who didn't pay attention to the news everyday, notice her absence helped to wash away the fact that I was a news freak for no valid reason.
'Who eats popcorn while they watch the news'
I shook my head,then got up to head to the bathroom, obviously disinterested in the rest of the news but immediately stopped right on my tracks when the next words that flowed from the mouth of the co host reached my ears.
"Hold on grace, we are currently getting some disturbing information about an event happening at Orion central at the moment, Dennis over to you" His quivering but audible voice carried.
"Thank you curt, we go live from city central here in Orion where what seems to be a large wormhole has just suddenly appeared out of thin air, causing obvious unrest to our citizens who are in a haste to evacuate the scene. Although the origin of this anomaly is yet unknown we seem to be-.... a-....ver-"
ZZZZZZZ
The sound of the reporter's voice disappeared almost instantly and the TV was in static. Even though I had turned to the screen the minute the report came on, I couldn't decipher what was going on. Just before the words that hung on my throat could even escape, a very menacing aura perforated the entirety of the room, until all that could be heard was the sound of a voice.
"Greetings..... Humans" The condescending tone of the anomaly rang, lifting the distress in the room.
I felt goosebumps climb through half of my entire body as I shaked vigorously in fear, almost falling face forward to the ground. It was like it was present in the room and the ominous feeling that I felt from it's voice was so much to bear that I almost let out a quiet shriek.
I wasn't the only one visibly taunted by the unknown entity, as the fact that Rukius was on his knees was proof enough.
"Oh, what a delicate situation you all have found yourselves. However, I happen to have a possible way out for you all. But before that, why don't I introduce myself.
You may all call me 'THE ADMINISTRATOR' and as to who or what I am, I'd rather you not disturb yourselves with those details. I will be meeting with your leaders in a few days to discuss the 'way out' so till then, I bid you farewell"
Immediately his voice faded completely, I felt the tightness in my chest disappear as if it was never there. It was one thing after another this night and I couldn't even try to wrap my mind around what was going on.
'What the fuck is going on in Orion right now'
That wad the thought that ran through my mind and probably the rest of the majority of everyone who had seen the news just now. This was next level compared to anything that I had ever faced and my heart wouldn't stop pounding that I almost felt like it was going to burst.
'Well this is new.... '
"What the hell was that just now. Are the aliens finally here?" Rukius yelled, prancing through the room in agitation.
"Stop being dramatic right now Rukius" I retorted calmly, reanimating my expression to match my words
Even though I had said those words, I knew for sure that whatever was happening right now was definitely alien to us and extremely weird. I was surprisingly calm however, almost like as if I had expected something like that to happen. Slowly I could feel the fear in my heart morph into something new. Something I hadn't felt in a long while.
Excitement.
I gripped my chest, trying very hard to stop my heart from racing but still yet it pestered. How I wanted to just escape into the night, far away to where the anomaly was spotted.
'But what if this was all a prank?' I thought, bewildered that it had not crossed my mind earlier.
Although the suggestion didn't sound plausible, it didn't change the fact that it was entirely possible.
"Hey Nezro, do you hear that" Rukius barked, scaling the armchair in front of him in one leap as he rushed to the door. I walked towards the open door and peered outside, catching a glimpse of the helicopter that hovered above us. The distant humming of its massive fan blades sucked up all the sounds around us as it elevated even higher and higher.
"There's more" A neighbor's voice pointed out, shuddering as more of the metallic birds followed in procession.
The fact that the government had acted this fast and deployed this amount of manpower was a testament that the events of the evening had actually happened.
This was the beginning of something big, something that would rewrite the historical records and make them look bleak, an event that would send ripples throughout the entirety of our planet, books will be written, articles would be published and leaflets would be posted.
I knew this because I could feel it.
It was all a blur, like an unexpected magic trick or genie wish grant. To think that a moment ago I was half contemplating and chastising out current situation and now, like in a work of fiction, had been thrown into a dynamic situation all seemed to build a strange tension in my heart, almost so palpable that I could taste and quantify it.
Humanity was about to either reach a new stage of its evolution or face extinction, and the only question that I pondered on while shutting away the noise and sounds all around me was...
"What role do I play from now on?!!"