For a moment there was silence, before a set of slightly hysterical, gasping laughs rang out in the crowded room.

  “Thank you, thank you, I’m here all week.” Alan deadpanned with a bow. Straightening back up, he grinned as the group’s accumulated stress was released. As the last echoes faded, tears were wiped from eyes, breaths were taken deeply, and attention once more focused back on the glowing patch.

  “I’ve seen you practicing those, but they’ve never done that before.” Arlee remarked, her hand resting on Matt’s shoulder. “Do you know why….?” Her voice trailed off with the unfinished question.

  Matt thought back to the previous evening. Sitting on their bed, weaving the threads back and forth across the small loom. Evening light streaming through the bedroom window….

  He started in realisation. The physical feeling of the light, following his fingers as they wove the threads between each other, the sense of completion as the final lines were secured. His mind went back further to the crushing experience after seeing the peculiar shine across the sky.

  “Holy crap!” He shouted, then winced and lowered his voice. “Sorry everyone, sorry. But think about it. Whatever it was that knocked us out yesterday. I was weaving on my loom. Carry was patching Al up with her first aid kit! Kira was nose deep in the old encyclopaedia. All these things that are now…. connected somehow to us? Somehow? Al, Arlee, what were you doing yesterday when it hit?”

  “Getting patched up mate, you already said.” Alan replied.

  Arlee thought for a moment before responding. “I was just getting ready to head back home, had gathered up my things…”

  “In your bag, that shoulder pack you take everywhere, right?!” Matt asked excitedly. Arlee nodded her agreement. “Where is it now?”

  “Back at home.”

  “We can check it when we get back. Al, what were you holding while you were getting patched up?”

  Alan leaned over and grasped his staff, leaning against the wall. “This mate, and for your next question – yes, same thing. When I came over last night to get you, I met one of those rat things in your front yard and absolutely folded it with one hit. It hit like a sledgehammer and messed that thing up. I think I’m keeping this one!”

  They paused in thought, faces sceptical. However, mutant giant animals were a powerful indicator that natural and logical answers were not going to cut it this time. Alan’s combat encounter could possibly be put down to his natural strength and a lucky swing, but the healing of Matt’s wounds which they had all witnessed the previous night could only have a miraculous – or magical – explanation.

  Matt levered himself up and swung his feet down to the floor. Standing steadily, modesty still protected only by a fluffy towel, he brushed off the automatic concerned supporting hands.

  “I don’t know what is going on, but we’ve all seen this movie. We need to find out as much as we can about what has happened, set ourselves up to be as safe as possible and prepare for the worst. If we get a re-run of last night, we need to be ready.”

  “Damn straight!” Alan replied enthusiastically, while Carry and Arlee looked pensively at each other. Kira had rushed off and back up the stairs. “It’s zombie apocalypse prep time! Action movie pre final big fight getting equipped montage!”

  “Alan! We got lucky last night, but we heard people’s screams! Children, whole families probably! Who woke into a nightmare, and didn’t have weapons, or giant pets to protect them. Their lives ended in pain and terror, and any survivors are going to be emotional and psychological wrecks! This isn’t some game, or adventure!”

  Arlee’s outburst shocked everyone into silence. She rarely raised her voice to anyone, certainly not to her closest friends. Alan had the sense to not protest, holding his hands up in appeasement.

  “I know Arl, I know, I’m sorry. I got carried away. We can get ready and go round the street, see how people are and if anyone needs help.” His enthusiasm had died away at the realisation of how true her words were – they had all heard terrible things in the panic of the previous night.

  Arlee settled back, sitting down into a chair, sinking her head into shaking hands. Matt moved to his wife and took her in his arms; her heaving breaths audible to everyone in the room. Nobody said anything for a few moments, before Carry moved over and laid a comforting hand on Arlee’s head.

  “Maybe it isn’t that bad Arlee. Matt managed to fight one off, other people probably have as well.”

  Nobody dared raise the state that the fight had left Matt in. Other households were unlikely to have a miracle healer on hand. As if realising this, Carry started getting people organised.

  “Alan, go and grab Matt some spare clothes, and one of your old sticks. I’ve got my first aid kit, and Arlee….”

  “Mum can stay here with me.” Kira piped up, stepping into the room, book slung under one arm. “Oli and Lion are upstairs, we can stay with them and be safe, and she can help me see if my book can tell us anything about all this weird shi…. stuff.”

  Matt was torn for a moment, not sure about leaving his wife and daughter by themselves. As if to allay his concerns, two large black shapes gracefully slunk into the kitchen and stationed themselves on either side of Kira, her free hand absent-mindedly scratching Oli’s ear, to his obvious delight. Lion took note of this and gently butted her leg with his head, almost making her stumble. She switched over to pet her other apparent protector, loud purrs now coming from both.

  At the sight of this, Matt nodded. “Good idea, see what you can find out. Give me a call if anything important happens.”

  “Not going to happen Dad – I checked this morning, and the phones are still out. I can’t even switch it on, no power coming through the charger upstairs – nothing.”

  They looked around the room, to see a total absence of any electrical activity. The wall clock, oven lights, speaker – nothing showed the ubiquitous power lights that were ever-present. Carry moved to the oven and tried the hob. The striker was dead, but gas still flowed for the second or so she opened the valve for. Water ran from the sink tap as usual.

  “Everything electrical?” Matt questioned. “Phones, computers, cars. Oh damn, fridges and freezers as well! Food is going to be an issue if the power doesn’t come back.”

  “With the way things are going right now, I don’t know that I’d bank on it ever coming back.” Alan stated. “Seems to be some fairly massive changes going on. I know I was a bit over the top earlier, but we should probably act as if it is one of the post-apocalypse movies. We need to sort out food and water, light, heat, secure the houses. What we have in the fridges and cupboards can probably see us through a week, maybe a bit more, but long term we might need to grow our own. Either that or get used to roast rat.”

  The group made appropriate sounds of disgust at that idea, but at Carry’s urging, started getting ready. Carry and Arlee followed Kira upstairs, speaking quietly together. Alan disappeared and returned with some work clothes for Matt, and a six foot pole of wood, with worn smooth hand grips. He handed over the bundle, and as Matt pulled on the warm clothes, they heard the bed settle upstairs, and the purring start again.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “They’ll be fine mate. The kittens loved Kira as soon as they met, they seem to be even more attached to her now. Maybe now they’re bigger than her, they are treating her as the new kitten!”

  He held up the staff and Matt accepted it gingerly. “I don’t know Al, I’ve seen what these things do to you, and you know how to use them. Allegedly.”

  Alan smirked, but then his face grew serious. “You practice anything and there’s a chance you hurt yourself – you know that better than most, with the number of broken fingers you’ve come back with from kicking strange shaped balls around. But I tell you mate, when that thing came at me last night, I was bloody glad I’d taken those knocks and been ready. At least more than I would have been without all the practice.”

  “We’re not going to ‘Men in Tights’ this shit.” He continued, as they both chuckled at the memory of the gentile and formulaic staff fight in the old movie they’d watched recently. “Use it as a long walking stick, use the end like a spear to keep nasty stuff away and if you have to hit something, treat it like a big sword and don’t hold back. Most people will run away from any sort of weapon, but if there are any more of those big bastard rats out there, they need to be put down hard. Arlee will take me to the cleaners if you get patched up and I let you get bloody again.”

  Matt nodded, not having anything useful to add to the conversation. Last night had been the first serious fight of any kind he had experienced, and he hoped that he wouldn’t have the opportunity to add to that harrowing experience.

  Carry came back downstairs, wrapped up in a thick jacket, with her first aid bag slung over one shoulder. Moving into the kitchen, she returned with a handful of cereal bars and some small bottles of water. Putting most into her bag, she passed a few to the men.

  “Here, get these down you before we head out. I don’t want to do this on a full stomach, but we’ll need some energy. The girls are fine – nose deep in Kira’s book with Oli and Lion curled around them. I don’t envy anything trying to get in here at them.” She smiled bravely, but both men could see the nervousness behind the bravado.

  Matt quickly ran upstairs, slowing down to enter the bedroom and not startle his family’s guardians. Carefully moving around Lion’s form, he gathered Kira and Arlee into a tight hug.

  “We’re not going far, so if anything bad happens, you open the window and yell for us, ok? I don’t think we’ve seen the full extent of whatever this weirdness is, and the rats might not be the worst of it.”

  “We’ll be fine Dad.”

  “Take care my love, don’t take any chances.” Arlee gripped him tightly, as if afraid to let him go. Matt stroked her hair and kissed her brow.

  “No fear there, Arl. I’ve had my fill of dashing heroics.”

  Giving them one last squeeze, Matt rose and picked up Arlee’s house keys from the bedside table, then headed back downstairs. The others were waiting by the front door.

  “I saw one of the kitties briefly out front, so we’re not alone.” Alan said as he unlocked the door. “I’ll go first, Carry behind me, Matt at the back. Keep your eyes open all around and point out anything that moves. We’ll head over the road to yours first, then move around the other houses.”

  They nodded, Alan opened the door, and they moved out.

  The street was still, and the air eerily quiet. The ever-present background noises were missing – traffic from the local roads, shouts and laughter from back gardens, barks from the many neighbourhood dogs. Immediately they could see signs of last night’s fighting – broken windows, splintered doors, even some dislodged roof tiles, leaving gaping holes into house attics. A few properties looked to have come through unscathed – they recognised these as usually standing empty, rental properties without current tenants.

  Moving quietly, they hurried over the road to the Tapper’s house. Alan paused by a large red stain coating the gravel of the front yard.

  “This is where I got one of them. I definitely killed it, and there aren’t any drag marks. What the hell happened to the corpse?”

  “Not important right now Al, let’s do this.” Matt said, fumbling to work the front door key while holding the staff.

  The door opened, and the three stilled, straining their ears for any movement. There was none, and nothing out of place, as if it was any other day returning home.

  Alan pulled Matt back gently and took the lead, checking the living room, before closing the door and moving through the hallway to the kitchen. Carry followed, Matt bringing up the rear, feeling slightly ashamed that he wasn’t at the front while they cleared his house.

  As the group moved into the kitchen, the scope of last nights struggle became clear. First the shards of glass from the smashed back door, then the jumble of chairs and table, forming a makeshift barricade filling the void. The pools of blood, now dry and crusted, covering much of the floor….

  Matt fell back against the wall sucking in deep breaths, which only brought more of the metallic smell in and sent his mind reeling back to the panic and terror he had felt as he fought the horrific rodent.

  Carry moved quickly to him while Alan carefully moved through the adjoining rooms and upstairs. She took his arm, picked up one of the chairs and guided him down into it, crouching to hold his hands and look into his eyes.

  “Deep breaths Matt, slow and steady. We should have thought about the impact this might have on you. You’re such a gentle soul, I can’t imagine what it must be like thrust into that sort of struggle. Focus on my voice and your breathing.” She rose and ran a glass of water from the sink before returning and kneeling in front of him.

  As Matt sipped the water and got his racing heart back under control, Carry kept talking to him, conversational nothings designed to be a focal point. A few minutes later, Alan returned and moved to look outside the windows.

  “Nothing home, we’re all clear. Why don’t you head upstairs and get dressed in your own stuff, pick up anything that might be useful, maybe Arlee’s bag so we can check that for incredible magical powers?”

  Matt nodded gratefully, squeezing Carry’s hand in thanks, then made his way up the stairs. Just as at their friends’ house, the absence of anything electrical was noticeable – no low buzz from the doorbell speaker, power lights from power sockets, or readout on the old digital clock that Kira kept on her shelves.

  He moved into his and Arlee’s bedroom and got changed, pulling on warm, but comfortable outside gear. Grabbing his backpack, he collected anything that might be useful – a utility tool, gloves, candles and lighter, and a few old t-shirts and towels that were set aside for rags, but would double as makeshift bandages if they were needed.

  He spotted Arlee’s shoulder bag and went to pick it up, but felt a peculiar sensation, like an aversion to touching it. He let his hand fall but then steeled himself and quickly picked it up. The sensation was like a squirming to be released, but without any discernible movement. He stuffed it into his backpack, the feeling leaving him as soon as it left his hand.

  Moving back downstairs, the other two met him by the front door.

  “Had a look out back, we could see where you dragged the thing. No sign of it though, same as the one in front. Maybe others took them away for food, I don’t know.” Alan explained.

  “We’ll figure that out later my love.” Carry said. “Right now, let’s move on and see if we can learn anything else and see if anyone needs help.”

  She turned to Matt. “Are you going to be OK? We’re likely to see some pretty horrible things in some of these houses.”

  He nodded. “I think so Carry, thanks. It hit me - the smell, in that room. But it’s passed now. Let’s get started.”

  They moved out the door into the street, listening intently but once again hearing nothing. Moving to the next house over, where Matt had exchanged some words with the guy after the initial impact, they peered in through the front window. Nothing moved, and there was no reaction when Alan knocked on the door, so they moved on.

  House after house, only silence greeted them, and no-one suggested going in to investigate further. Broken windows with bloody-tipped shards of glass told a story of frenzied attempts to break in. Doors were hanging off hinges, and clearly visible inside some were streaks of blood across the floor, instantly familiar from the horror movie trope of a body being dragged away.

  Swallowing their nausea and taking deep breaths away from the gory reminders, they steeled their nerves, comforted each other silently and moved on. Reaching the end of the cul-de-sac, they were when their knock on the shattered door was answered by a weak cry from the upstairs, followed by a familiar chittering, strangely choked.

  “Help, please help! There’s a monster!”

  Alan quickly used his staff to clear splinters from around the door frame, before entering slowly and checking around..

  “Stay behind us Caz. Matt, keep your stick out in front like a spear to push things back.”

  Moving together up the stairs, they stepped up onto the landing and saw the back end of one of the giant rats, wedged part way through a doorway, struggling weakly. The door was jammed across the chest and neck of the beast, with one paw and the weakly chittering head on the other side. Hearing the movement behind, its struggles intensified, and exhausted sounding shrieks sounded from within the room.

  Matt moved forward, pounding the back of the rat with his staff, but in the close quarters he had no leverage to do much more than bruise it. Alan gripped his shoulder and pulled him back, taking his place and driving his staff down onto the back of the creature. The difference was starkly apparent. Where Matt had caused some pain with his strike, a loud crack of snapping bone reverberated in the room, and the hind quarters of the rat fell limp immediately. The visible front paw scrabbled ineffectually against the door, and they could clearly hear the frantic snapping of its jaws.

  Moving to line up his staff with the rat’s head, Alan took careful aim and swung down through the gap between door and frame. With no opportunity to dodge, the rat’s red eye stared manically as the staff smashed down on top of its skull. With another awful crack, the beast spasmed once, and collapsed to the floor.