Jim Weary had just taken the road out of town when his cell phone rang. Annoyed, he turned his radio down and grabbed the device from the cup holder. "Hello?"677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1WdLqkvRTS
"Jimmy, where are you?" It was his mother. When Jim's father died she had suffered a mental breakdown and was now prone to depression if he didn't visit her often in Gambier, Washington.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY2mky8ChmA
"I'm on my way there, mom. I just left Seattle."677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfW9Kf8yHvl
"... How long until you get here?"677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUzZIoqr0bF
"It's about five hours away. If you have any problems, all you have to do is call Elaine. Her number should be next to the phone."677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7wAsrwX2K
Jim's mother started to reply, but he interrupted her. "Listen, mom, I have to go." He had just noticed two military Humvees blocking both lanes of the road. Several soldiers were standing near them, holding assault rifles. Jim slowed to a stop and got out of his car.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡevH6O0ek2D
A soldier approached him. "Sir, you need to turn back. All roads leading to and from Seattle are closed for the time being."677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIoFydNCq8
"What the hell is going on?"677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKjhF2FHs8
"Hey, man, I'm just following orders. You need to turn back."677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pvoyiqFve
"well, I'm just trying to get to Gam-"677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGarOH5524
"Get back in your vehicle and drive away before we have a problem."677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxLVbHwy6a
Jim cursed and angrily got back in his car. He checked the clock on his phone: 10:16 am. After calling his mother back and attempting to explain the situation to her, he started his car and drove back the way he had come. Jim figured he had earned some time away from his crazy mother anyways.
Jim spent the rest of the day in his apartment, watching TV and browsing the internet on his laptop. At about 9:30 pm, during the middle of his marathon of the "Predator" movies, his stomach decided to remind him of his foolish decision to skip lunch. Automatically he got up and went to his kitchen, but the mere thought of eating another ham sandwich made him feel sick. Jim decided he needed real food.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoFzTNR5nA
He resolved to try out a retro diner that had caught his eye the other day: Donovan's Diner. It was one of those homely, locally-owned restaurants that always seemed to have the best food. It was only a few blocks away, so he decided to walk.
-Donovan's Diner-677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAvCP4mfdm
A girl with red hair tied back in a ponytail was behind the counter staring blankly off into the distance. When she heard Jim enter she looked up with a fake smile plastered on her face and recited the well-rehearsed line "Hi, I'm Jenny! Welcome to Donovan's Diner. What can I get for you today?"677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUnapsZkZG
Jim rubbed his eyes wearily and said, "Just get me the special."677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqw2mohCyxt
"One special coming up!"677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9MUL5t7pC
Jim sat down at the booth and wondered whether he should have actually looked at what the special was. He looked around the diner which was fairly empty, only six people including himself and Jenny, who had left to the kitchen to prepare his special.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzmvFpqBWd
A business man wearing a suit was sitting by himself in the corner talking on his phone with a worried look on his face, nervously holding a suitcase.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5RXFOW3M7h
Two cops were enjoying their dinner a few tables away from Jim. The first cop was a tall man, probably in his late forties, with short blonde hair that was slightly receding. The other was a much younger man with a gaunt complexion and brown hair. Joking and laughing, they were the only sources of noise in the restaurant.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxOP0RxO1lO
The last was a woman who looked to be in her early thirties. She had an eclectic sense of fashion and wore half-moon spectacles. She was typing furiously on her laptop as she finished her forth cup of coffee.
Jim stared out the window at the dark, empty street, wondering what he was doing with his life.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPkaepCmvt
Finally, Jenny came to his table carrying the soup he had apparently ordered.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKNyhpwhXb
"Enjoy!"677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaBTF3pE6i
As Jenny left to take care of the other customers, Jim stared sadly at his soup, watching the chunks of unknown origin float around in the murky liquid. "Here you go, Kathy," she said with a smile to the woman frantically typing on the laptop. Before she could resupply Kathy's coffee addiction, however, what sounded like a large explosion sounded off in the distance. The clientele all looked up, alarmed. Even the two cops had stopped their banter to look out the window into the dark night, with only a few street lamps revealing portions of the street outside.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxALWKjHHiP
Another explosion, this one closer, made the ground rumble beneath their feet.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7nxDJrVch
Jenny looked over her shoulder at the kitchen and called "Uh, Dad..."677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SNW0QOmRE
The two cops had already risen, their hands quickly resting on the holsters attached to their belts.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhOyJISoiH
An older man wearing an apron and a hair net came out of the kitchen and said with a heavy Irish accent, "What's going on out here?"677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIepcCeIjnk
More explosions could be heard now, their thunderous (i Boom)s echoing across the city, most far away, but some were too close for comfort.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsCtdUWXvh
"Uh, I'm going to have to call you back," said the business man before slipping his phone into his pocket.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN08WDASGsK
Suddenly, the street before them burst as if it had been hit with a missile, sending dust and rubble in all directions. In the aftermath, sitting in a small crater, lay a metal container the size of a car. There were no markings on it, but it was covered in small panels.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHouQS63MW
The group stood in silence, watching the metal pod. Nothing happened.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0dw78EJOa
When nothing continued to happen, the blonde cop said "I'm gonna check it out." and walked towards the door. The other cop reached out for him and said, "No, wait, James!", but the man just waved him off.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOr7eOKFIm
"Wait here Oliver, I'll be right back."677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5IOaj6MwrY
Nobody else objected, and the group continued to watch in stunned silence as James entered the street. As if on cue, the panels on the capsule erupted, sending them scattering throughout the street. James took a few steps back in surprise and took out his flashlight. Using the rays of light they could see the now-open pod more clearly, but it was still too dark to see inside.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjbCkGKf2J9
Jim then noticed a black goo poring out of the holes in the pod. It was unlike any liquid he had ever seen; it seemed to be made of separate strands of liquid, with each strand moving independently. James said something, but it was indistinguishable through the thick glass windows of the diner. Instantly, a single strand of the liquid separated from the stream of goo that was spreading across the dark street. Moving like a snake made of black water, it crawled towards James who had begun to back up towards the diner. James was a few feet away from the door, when all of a sudden the black enigma lept through the air and onto James' face with so much force that he was knocked onto his back.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhflmGe9cbE
The cop's scream changed to a gurgling sound as the goo forced its way down his throat and into his nostrils. His body was writhing on the ground in pain, limbs flying in every direction. Slowly, James began to stand up, shaking profusely, until one final massive spasm twisted his head 180 degrees, and he fell to the ground, dead.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfTaif28ap
The sound of two gunshots in the distance broke the group out of their trance. The man in the apron, who Jim assumed must be the "Donovan" that owned the diner, quickly locked the front door and began drawing the shades over the windows. Oliver was still struggling against the business man, who had been holding the young police officer back from going outside to help his partner.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Hfn8i31MB
"You'll get yourself killed!" shouted the business man.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡux1510zc0g
"James!" was Oliver's only reply.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpSG83aBr6
"I'm going to call for help!" Jenny ran to the phone next to the counter. "... the phone lines must be out!"677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmHWbWkjpa
"They must have been hit by one of those things falling from the sky." Jim checked his cell phone. "That's weird, I don't have any reception..."677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KlkneOE0v
Oliver finally calmed down enough for the business man to check his phone. "I'm out too."677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh505jZ16qd
Oliver tried his radio. "All I'm getting is static."677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVraGcaPtq9
"Something must be blocking the signals," said Jim, having no idea what he was talking about.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1Q2aa8iUu
The eatery's owner grabbed a rag and wiped his face with it. "Bugger it all. Now what do we do?"677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KA5ZoLIIo
"I vote we stay here until help arrives," said Jenny, matter-of-factly.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOo6kLt8KHZ
Kathy cleared her throat. "Uh, I don't mean to interrupt, but I think you should all see this." She had raised the shades on the windows to peek outside, and now she slowly stood aside. Just outside the window James stood staring at them and snarling. Jim could see the burning embers of primal fury in the man's eyes as he glared daggers at the group.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4uRNpaV4FF
"B-but... y-you're dead!" stuttered Oliver, his face turning a sickly pale.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkcE1yTi9EY
James opened his mouth wide and let out a feral shriek that made Jim's blood run cold. The inside of James' mouth was covered in the black liquid, and it poured out onto his front. Streaks of the stuff ran down his arms.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OhFDIvwqh
"Oh my god..." muttered Donovan.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATSQ3wOcjl
The creature raised its fists, still making the horrible shrieking noise, and began beating the window with such force that it began to crack.
