The Manaverse

Granite City Grocer

Granite City

Kyle laid back on the lawn chair allocated to him, watching the countdown tick away slowly. It currently read nineteen hours and some change. He had slept for an hour after washing up and making sure his pets hadn't been hurt too badly. Neither of them had any new wounds, to his relief. It was more of a hassle cleaning the monster's blood off of Lily's face.

Now, the squirmy feline was curled up on his chest and Gunther was asleep on a register mat next to him. The two wouldn't let anyone get too close to him and Kyle was okay with that.

A word floated around his head amongst the doomsday imaginings he'd been besieged with since the start of this whole mess. Loyalty.

His boss, the person he'd held the most loyalty for, did not reciprocate the same. No matter what people expected, to Kyle, loyalty was earned, not freely given. When it was earned, it was hard to break. The only way to lose it so easily was to not show any in return.

Just from how things were going, Kyle doubted the trucking companies would be delivering anything to Granite city any time soon. It's smack dab in the middle of the desert. At least, it was supposed to be a desert. Now it was more like a plain, full of grasses and arid soil. That didn't change the fact that nobody farmed for hundreds of miles. He doubted his job would still be here even if the store did reopen.

Once it was clear Linda wouldn't change her stance, still saying he was useless, Kyle started looking at the store for what it was. A death trap. All it would take was one hard hit from those scorpions on the side door or the roof hatch and everyone in here would die when the monsters swarmed.

That's why Kyle wasn't sleeping now. He tried, rolling and tossing. But fear and paranoia rocked him.

It didn't help that everyone else was still awake, being six pm. Regular people would be wide awake for hours yet. They were speaking quietly or crying in the corner. Their noises kept getting to him. Yet, he couldn't blame them for having regular sleeping schedules.

Another thought bothered him. It was clear to Kyle that all hope had died in this group. He couldn't remain in this kind of environment and stay fully sane. At least, not for long.

Kyle decided it was time to leave. He got up and went onto the sales floor. He had a delivery bag that he could attach to Gunther with a harness he knew the store carried on the pet aisle. He was going shopping first.

He picked out some packaged goods that would store well and could be eaten on the go. When he was selecting canned cat food, he heard a cat growl when he reached for the fish-flavored variety. He looked down and saw Lily watching him. He moved his hand as if to pick up the turkey kind instead and she meowed approvingly. He chuckled and loaded up on that kind.

He always considered his pets to be smart. What owner didn't? Only, he felt like they were smarter than before. Lily was more vocal and opinionated than she had been since he saved her from the shelter a couple years ago.

There was also something in their eyes he never noticed before. It was a light and depth that was new. It was understanding and curiosity. Maybe he was just imagining it as part of this whole "magic is here now" thing, or maybe he just never saw it before because he hadn't looked.

Kyle turned and walked to another aisle when he caught a glimpse of the backroom door where everyone was hiding out. He decided to at least warn the people here but he wouldn't stay and die with them. He also doubted they would leave. He felt he had to say something though.

Kyle stepped into the backroom. When he started speaking, everyone went quiet.

"This place isn't safe."

Everyone instantly panicked. No surprise really.

"What's this all about, Mr. Jaxon? This place is securely locked up." Linda said angrily as if the comment was an attack on her personally. Her voice quieted everyone else.

"Some of those things are stronger than your doors, or smarter than your locks. From what little I've seen, all it will take is one breach in any door or wall and everyone here will die."

Kyle looked at each person in turn while he spoke, ending with Dan. He continued, speaking loudly to stop anyone from trying to talk back or panic further.

"I recommend leaving here before it gets dark and finding something better. Take the supplies you need and go. Or don't. I don't care. But don't think this place is any kind of fortress. Just having worked here for a decade and I was able to find a way in. I'm leaving before you all learn the hard way that one of those monsters will eventually find one too."

Then he left, the group murmuring to one another and Linda yelling at his back.

Once he was sure he had everything he could need and everything was packed up, Kyle woke Gunther up and they slipped out the hatch on the roof and locked it behind them. He might regret leaving that supply of food behind, but he was not staying where he wasn't wanted.

With Lily trailing at his heels and Gunther leading the way, the small group meandered up the street, careful to watch for any monsters. With very careful timing and extreme luck, they made it up the street and to Diggy's house without having to run, hide, or fight. They did have to wait for a few minutes as a herd of strange deer creatures crossed the road. The only other reason they had to stop was for the animals to relieve themselves.

Diggy lived with his parents still. Kyle didn't blame him as they had the main house and a pool house. Diggy had the entire pool house to himself. In exchange for yard work, helping his mom when she asked, and paying his share of the utilities, Diggy was allowed to remain living there despite not going to medical school as his parents wanted.

Kyle looked through the fence as the group made their way around to the front door. The door to the bunker was located in the pool and was only accessible when the water was drained completely. Past seeing the pool empty, Kyle didn't see anything else in the yard.

When he reached the door, Kyle pressed the buzzer, knowing it reached through the entire house and the bunker alike. He just hoped it still worked. To his relief, he could make out the buzzing sound from the door.

"Jut, man, you're here," Diggy said as he opened the front door about twenty minutes later. Kyle was glad and surprised he hadn't seen a monster crawl by.

"I'm so glad you're alive, Digs," Kyle said as the pair did their secret handshake.

"Well, we were in the middle of the earthquake drill when the monsters appeared. It was easy enough to close everything up and enact the plan." Diggy explained, opening the door wide enough for Kyle to enter.

"I've had to rethink a lot of my positions on things over the last day, and that was one. Good thing you were made to do these drills all the time, right?" Kyle said, slipping in with both Gunther and Lily following.

"For sure. I had the same thought. What are you doing here?" Diggy asked, stroking Gunther's head.

"My apartment complex wasn't very safe, so we fled. I was hoping to crash with you guys until the timer thing ended and we knew more of what is going on." Kyle said.

"That's quick thinking. Unfortunately, I have to ask as it isn't my bunker. I'll go pop back in now." Diggy said, turning and heading out the back door.

Diggy didn't return. Kyle anxiously watched the timer tick down for nearly thirty more minutes. Finally, a speaker box next to the back door crackled.

"Sorry man. Mom said no." Diggy's voice came over the box.

Carefully pushing the button, Kyle responded, unable to keep the disappointment from his tone. "I see. Did she say why?"

"The usual bullshit. If it weren't for you I'd be a doctor, you've brought your cat, and she doesn't feel safe having the door opened so many times."

"Oh, come on, Digs. You have a damn bunker big enough to house more people and I have my own supplies." Kyle said, rolling his eyes.

"I know, man. I know. But she wouldn't budge and she said if I pushed, I would have to leave with you."

"That's harsh. I guess I'll figure something out. Thanks for asking, though, bud." Kyle said sadly.

"Plan Delta, bro. I know it's not the bunker but you looked like you could use some sleep."

"Thanks, Diggy." Relief flooded through Kyle.

"I'll poke my head in tomorrow morning." Then the speaker went quiet.

Kyle led Gunther and Lily out to the pool house, being sure to lock everything behind himself the same way it was.

Diggy and Kyle had always sneaked over to one another's houses growing up. Whether it was to go on a midnight adventure to the dirt fields or to cause some mischief, they both knew ways to break into and out of each other's rooms. Plan Delta was Diggy's way of saying his bedroom window was open and he could pop in that way.

Doing just that, Kyle made his way into the guest room Diggy had out there. He had crashed there multiple times after they had drank too much and he needed to crash.

Kyle got into the bed, Lily curling up next to him. Gunther laid down on the floor, watching the door.

The sound of the night filled Kyle's ears. The usual crickets and peaceful air were broken only by the occasional monster sound. Despite the changes, it wasn't much different from normal. The car horns and traffic sounds were replaced by growls, howls, and screams. That's all.

He didn't know what time it was when he fell asleep, only that he had been watching the numbers tick down when he did.

The next thing he knew, Kyle was running again. This time, hordes of monsters were after him and he was alone. He watched as everyone he'd ever known got eaten as he dodged around them, buying himself time to escape. Just as a monster jumped on him, the floor broke and he fell into darkness. This was followed by him waking up with a start, still in Diggy's guestroom. He checked the timer.

10:53:04

The countdown timer had gone down by nearly eight hours. Kyle didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

Gunther was sitting, staring at him, and whining softly. When Kyle sat up, the Rottweiler did a few circles and then clawed at the door gently.

"Shit, Gun. You could have woken me up if it's that bad." Kyle said as he went with Gunther to let the dog out of the pool house. Lily followed Gunther out the door quickly.

It was funny and frightening to watch them. Both animals acted paranoid, sniffing and searching for monsters. They took turns relieving themselves with each watching over the other when it was their turn. Then they returned together. Kyle chuckled as he let them back in.

Kyle used his tablet to kill some time, worried it would short out but wanting to see if there were news reports he could watch.

Everywhere he searched was worse than his nightmare from earlier.

Whole cities were destroyed. The military of not only his country but those from around the world had either been wiped out by incredibly large and strong monsters or were retreating into safety to save their soldiers. Food was already becoming a concern in a lot of areas as refrigeration was going out. Sheer chaos was everywhere and it was only getting worse. All in only fifteen hours.

Kyle was about to put up the tablet when he decided to click into his favorite live-streaming app. He would normally watch his favorite gamers play "Prime", the massively multiplayer online role-playing game he and Diggy played together. Maybe someone was playing, despite the chaos.

Today, however, there was only one live channel. It was the Wynters twins. A pair of twin sister e-girls that most people believed were more about shaking their asses for money than gaming. He had originally agreed, especially seeing how they dressed and acted in their content. Thirst traps.

Cassie had become super jealous when saw Kyle had watched a handful of their videos and clips. It caused a fight that lasted days. He really one clicked into their content for the information on the game. She just wouldn't see the other, mixed gender video mixed in. He felt she was being unreasonable. It wasn't like he had followed them religiously or anything like that. It wasn't the straw that broke the camel's back. It was just one problem of many.

After their break up, Kyle had gone back and watched all of the twins' content, spicy or not, and found the sisters to be quite intelligent and great gamers. Their scores demolished his every time. It did seem like most of their revenue had to come from their adult content, however.

He found that it didn't bother him as much as he thought it did. He considered it a real job and it had to be harder than his own. Everyone had to work somehow. Why judge someone's choice of job? It didn't hurt that they were beautiful.

Truth be told, if he were a woman, he might have considered doing the same. Hell, if this monster wave system thing ended quickly, he might just do it anyway. He would need a new source of income.

An overly cheerful voice came from the speakers.

"I hope you are all safe," Elizabeth said, wearing a blonde wig and a low-cut top.

"Thanks for asking, guys," Annabeth said, mirroring her sister with a dark wig and equally low-cut top. They were not sharing a camera for this broadcast. They usually only used split screen if they were in different locations.

"We are currently safe..." Elizabeth said

"...and even if we are far apart from one another..." Annabeth continued.

"We're here for you." They finished in unison.

"Unfortunately, we do not believe we can go live again after this with how our devices keep frying," Elizabeth said sadly.

"That's why we will stay online and remain live for as long as we can," Annabeth said with a twinkle in her eye that had to be a special effect of her broadcasting system.

"To be a light for all of you." Elizabeth chimed in, her mood magically happier. Then, breaking their twin game, she continued. "We know it's scary out there. But please, open your doors to strangers. Pull in the lost. We need to come together." Elizabeth looked into the camera pleadingly.

Annabeth took over, her voice thick with sincerity. "We can't afford to fight one another in a time like this. We've already lost too many of our loved ones. We beg you, please do what you can to help at least one other person. If everyone does, we might just make it through this, together."

"I guess I owe Cassie a thank you," Kyle said, watching the twin's broadcast for a while longer. He was surprised at how much better it made him feel. He knew they weren't speaking directly to him, but they made him feel like they were; even if they were only putting on a show. After being turned away and disregarded by the people he knew, it gave him a small bit of hope. He wasn't really alone.