Hλlf Life Fλnfiction - The Seven Hour Wλr (unfinished)

2000 - Chapter One

2000 - Chapter One

The year is 2000, the last year of the twentieth century and the last year humans will ever know as "normal". For on a sunny San Francisco day, Mary would spend her last hour witnessing the tearing of Earth's fabric in time... 

"Mike I told you to clean your bowl, could you for once just listen to me..." She was a tired mother, one recently divorced and stressed woman trying her best to keep their small lifestyle under wrap. Her husband had the life, and instead she had been blessed with an ugly government Bay-house near the airport; sure it had stunning views, but a great vantage point is not what she needed. 
"Fine! At least let me watch my fucking show mom!" Mary's eyes widened, she didn't have the time to tolerate another man like her husband.
"Watch your language mister! I mean it..." She watched as he slumped awkwardly into the couch and continued to watch KGO's morning news, she continued to dry the glasses; the news anchors debated a plane crash of the coast of Alaska. Then the rumbling began...

"Honey...?" Mary waited for her 14 year old son to reply as the counter started to shake, the kitchen began tinkering and jarring as the glass fell on the floor; smashing into fragments.
"Mom..." Mike watched as the Television began to shake, the anchors looked towards the camera in horror as their newsbench fell back on them, then  the television was replaced with white noise and a background that made your mind go numb. 
"Mike don't move!" Mary yelled as she looked out the window, supporting herself against the bench; along the highway cars could be seen spiralling out of control, the Golden Gate Bridge swayed slightly as the sound of screaming could be heard from neighbouring households. 

"Mom! There's a light, a goddamn... Arghh!" Mary fell backwards as a strong beam of blue and white hit her eyes; the sky cracking apart as the house was thrown violently backwards, Mike himself was scrambling away into the corner of the room; a high pitched whine could be heard and then there was silence... Mary stood up slowly, avoiding the numerous broken plates, glasses and cups scattered across the kitchen floor; everything went dead quiet as she glanced through the window, staring out across the calm waters, ships, cars and people stood eerily still; all watching. In the sky clouds swirled outwards in a menacing spiral; but where did they come from? A moment ago the sky was a clear aqua shade, and now dark flat swirly wisps of cloud had... appeared? 

"W-Was that an earthquake?" Mary didn't answer and then, only thirty seconds or so after it had ended the ground shook again; the sky was ripped open, clouds revealing another place; in the sky. Was it heaven? Mary asked herself, unsure of what to think; considering this was a bad dream, a very real bad dream; but the shaking and terror in her son's voice made it seem all to real. 
"Mom, we gotta go before..." Another beam of light, not as bright as the first but with more shape; moved downwards from the hole; hitting the Trans-America Pyramid split down the center as Mary cupped her hands over her mouth in devastation. Another large sonic boom and the echoing of broken glass was heard as the tower's pinnacle fell; the building collapsing, Mary pushed Mike down as the window exploded sending fragments of glass across the room. She stood quickly, looking on in fear as the strange blue tower spun around; numerous skyscraper's collapsed as a cargo ship sounded it's foghorn in warning, but it was too late, the tornado stood in the same part constantly turning as dust rose from the city's center, plumes of smoke began their ascent to the East. Mary chose to run...

"Mike we gotta go, get in the car..." Mary picked up her cellphone and quickly jabbed at the buttons, she knew she had to call Mike's father, even if they hated each other...
"I'm sorry, this neighbourhood's cellphone code is out of order, we seem to be experiencing tech..." Mary swore as she shut the phone, Mike stood in the corner of the room, looking pale. 
"Mike I said we gotta go! Get your bag now!" Mary pushed her son up the stairs as she gathered food and drink for a journey she was willing to take, out the window people could be seen running; not knowing what to be scared of; the highway was abandoned as people left their cars; Mary was perplexed as to why they were leaving their vehicles until a huge wave of blue could be seen erupting from across the bay; at first Mary thought it was a tsunami, but it was much worse...
"Mike get down!" She landed again on her knees as the blue energy wall slammed through her house, she watched as the radio burst with electricity; then shortening, the Television cracked and exploded as energy fizzled from inside it; she screamed as a large roar could be heard overhead, a whine of an engine... of a jet engine. 

"Mom!" Mike screamed as the Boeing 7-forty-7 spiraled out of the sky, clipping the house three roads down from their's; the engine exploding as the nose made contact with the highway's overpass, sending bodies and cars, construction material and wires flying through the air; landing heavily in the San Francisco Bay, a large wave of water spreading outwards. She heard Mike's sobs and quickly stood, lopsided as she began to shake. The kitchen was a mess, and now her hands and knees were bleeding from the bits of sharp crockery. 
"Mikey... it's gonna be okay..." Mary tried her best to sound like she wasn't worried, but never before has she feared for her life more than now; she could still hear the screams of her neighbours and an intense heat with the smell of jet fuel spreading through the air. Mary grabbed the bags and ran, with Mike trailing behind her; people could be seen running in all directions, she watched as loitering started; pulling on Mike's hand she ran along the street, people were seen furiously starting cars but to no avail as the wave of blue energy had an affect on the surrounding electronics.