Allison and her best friend Carmen had been out in town on a girl’s night out, having the time of their lives. Allison had just gotten a letter accepting her to MIT, and Carmen felt the need to celebrate her girlfriend’s triumph. Following a dinner at a high-rated restaurant, the two had moved down the street to a bar. The girls, along with two other friends from their youth, raised their glasses and poured back several rounds. At one in the morning they made their way slowly home, leaning on each other for support as they reached Allison’s house.
After a night of fun, both girls fell asleep in each other’s arms. They slept in late, passing noon without stirring. It was at approximately 12:42 that it happened.
Reports started coming in that a red “wave” of energy was moving across the country. On the outskirts of town, a wall of red was encroaching with great speed, passing over farms and acreages. As it swept into town, those caught in the energy were immediately affected. Where there had been normal people were now mixes of two or three or more. Some almost appearing unchanged, to some becoming grotesque versions of whoever was mixed in. No one was spared; kids, adults, seniors, animals even were affected. These and crosses in animals and humans and even cases of objects were popping up amongst the population.
Carmen and Allison were just about to wake up when the wave passed over them. Allison had her eyes open less than three seconds, seeing Carmen’s beautiful face next to hers. It was like waking up to sunshine. Except she saw the sunshine get overtaken by a red glow for a mere moment before everything went to black again.
The next time she stirred, she was facing away from Carmen. The alarm clock shone in front of her, the digital display just changing to read 4:28 p.m. She was quite confused, both at how long they had slept and at how she felt. Things were… off, to say the least. She felt heavier, and more sensitive. Like someone, maybe Carmen, was on top of her, but also not really. It concerned her it felt like something was on her but also not at the same time. She tried to move, finding her body didn’t want to really respond.
“Ugh…” came a sound from behind her head. Carmen had stirred, and she breathed heavily down Allison’s neck. Allison moved her head, turning to meet Carmen’s slowly opening eyes. Both exchanged a look of relief, followed by a look of confusion. They noticed just how close they were physically. Their noses were less than two inches from each other, almost to the point of kissing. While Allison enjoyed that thought, she knew with the way she was laying, Carmen should actually be over another foot at least from her face, were they lying side-to-side.
As if Carmen was reading her mind, she frowned deeply, before looking down to the covers over both of them. She tried to move her body to get up, but found she could hardly do it, like half of her wasn’t responding. Allison took her own stab at trying it, yielding the same result. Both tried together, raising up from the bed. The blanket fell away like a curtain pull, revealing what was going on below their heads. And the sight they saw left them speechless.