You are inexplicable. | ONC 2021

iii. - CALLING.

Hours later, you're jerked awake by a shrill alarm. You find yourself sprawled on Kai's bed. With a cold shudder, you recall that its owner is dead—died in that very bed a short time ago.

On the bedside table, the screen of a phone is alight—the noise was a ringtone, not an alarm clock. You pick it up; a text message on its screen reads: Agent 23, you have been activated.

A sudden pounding at the downstairs entrance jolts the phone from your fingers.

You rush down the creaky steps and gaze out the peephole. Standing behind the door is a woman, her mane of black hair sharp against her olive skin. One of her wide green eyes bores into you as she leans forward, trying to see inside. She looks frantic and paranoid, glancing over alternating shoulders as she waits.

This woman could be anyone. And regardless of her identity, she expects Kai, not you.

Yet something, perhaps a pang of sympathy, prompts you to open the door. You step aside as she thrusts herself through the threshold, staring wildly around the apartment.

"Good, they haven't come yet. Kai, you need to come with me, now."

She has not looked directly at you yet, preoccupied with checking around the corners into the kitchen and bathroom. With trepidation, you wonder how she'll react when she notices an intruder is standing right in front of her.

Then she meets your eyes. The edges of her lips curl upward, her round cheeks pronounced by deep smile lines. "I'm glad you're okay. We really need you, Kai. Come on, get going!"

She grabs your hand and tugs you out the door into the cobbled streets, now wet with rain. Overhead, the sky is stained a nauseous green, and a vast metallic object hovers amongst the clouds.

___________

It became apparent that I didn't have the motivation this month to grind out a lot of words (on top of college classes). However, this small part puts me above 2k, so I'm posting it and submitting the story in the ONC. Then I can decide in March if I happen to want to continue (I don't expect to, at least not within the parameters of the contest). But I truly appreciate all the support and encouraging comments.