The images on the tvs start moving along, from screen to screen, as if trying to draw them somewhere.
They start flashing in ways that aren't entirely coherent. Like the action is reflexive.
It's definitely all Josh. Josh, making a home movie at a friend's house. Josh at some kind of awards ceremony.
Josh standing with some other staff at the station, watching a news broadcast being filmed in the studio, one occasionally flipping to footage captured online in a stream.
The reporter says, "These impacts are reportedly taking place across the world." Her face goes pale white as she listens to her earpiece. "I'm sorry, I've just gotten word that the Capitol building is now gone. And so is the White House. It's unknown if the president was in residence."
The people standing around the screens with Josh all look horrified and the 18-year-old holds a hand over his mouth, shaking. Then he pulls out his cell phone and start dialing frantically. It rings and goes to voicemail.
"Mom, where are you? Please pick up. I don't know what to do. I'm going to go home." Another call comes in and he picks up.
A woman's voice can be heard.
"Ma, are you okay?"
"I'm okay! Where are you?"
"I'm at the TV station. Mom isn't picking up!"
"She just might not have her phone with her. Don't worry about that right now. Josh, honey, I want you to run. Just run to the edge of town and into the woods. Go up to the fence near the Motts' farm. They're not going to bomb a random forest or random fields. Once I get out of the city, I'll come find you there."
"Okay. Okay."
"Go!"
"Okay. I love you."
"I love you too, baby, Don't be scared. It's going to be okay."
He hangs up his phone and wipes at his eyes.
"There has been no presidential response yet, and - and I...I need to call my husband." The reporter gets up from her desk and runs off set. The screens in the studio in the memory all flip to a "technical difficulties" screen.
And then the world suddenly shreds apart, straining like reality itself is screaming. One of the other staff members shoves past Josh. His phone is knocked out of his hand. Silvery stuff starts to surge through the hall towards the teenager in a wave.
The screens that were showing the memory blip to the same "technical difficulties" screen.
There's a door at the end of the hallway with a red light above it warning that whoever's inside is recording.
no subject
They start flashing in ways that aren't entirely coherent. Like the action is reflexive.
It's definitely all Josh. Josh, making a home movie at a friend's house. Josh at some kind of awards ceremony.
Josh standing with some other staff at the station, watching a news broadcast being filmed in the studio, one occasionally flipping to footage captured online in a stream.
The reporter says, "These impacts are reportedly taking place across the world." Her face goes pale white as she listens to her earpiece. "I'm sorry, I've just gotten word that the Capitol building is now gone. And so is the White House. It's unknown if the president was in residence."
The people standing around the screens with Josh all look horrified and the 18-year-old holds a hand over his mouth, shaking. Then he pulls out his cell phone and start dialing frantically. It rings and goes to voicemail.
"Mom, where are you? Please pick up. I don't know what to do. I'm going to go home." Another call comes in and he picks up.
A woman's voice can be heard.
"Ma, are you okay?"
"I'm okay! Where are you?"
"I'm at the TV station. Mom isn't picking up!"
"She just might not have her phone with her. Don't worry about that right now. Josh, honey, I want you to run. Just run to the edge of town and into the woods. Go up to the fence near the Motts' farm. They're not going to bomb a random forest or random fields. Once I get out of the city, I'll come find you there."
"Okay. Okay."
"Go!"
"Okay. I love you."
"I love you too, baby, Don't be scared. It's going to be okay."
He hangs up his phone and wipes at his eyes.
"There has been no presidential response yet, and - and I...I need to call my husband." The reporter gets up from her desk and runs off set. The screens in the studio in the memory all flip to a "technical difficulties" screen.
And then the world suddenly shreds apart, straining like reality itself is screaming. One of the other staff members shoves past Josh. His phone is knocked out of his hand. Silvery stuff starts to surge through the hall towards the teenager in a wave.
The screens that were showing the memory blip to the same "technical difficulties" screen.
There's a door at the end of the hallway with a red light above it warning that whoever's inside is recording.