The American Monster Invasion Incident

December Seventh, two thousand and ten.

“Logan! Looooogan!” A girl with pretty orange hair waved down the boy with the black jacket and a beanie, with wired headphones in his ears. She quickly jogged toward him, the skirt of her school uniform fluttering in the air.

“Looooogan.” She placed her face right before his, startling him. He quickly pulled the earphones from his ear and cleared his throat.

“You didn’t hear me calling you?” She pouted.

“Sorry,” he chuckled, “My music was pretty loud.”

“Jeez.” She allowed her head to slink before picking it back up, “Don’t you know that’s dangerous? What if a monster had been the one with its eyes on you instead of me?”

“I’m pretty sure I’d notice a monster hawking me down.”

“Ok, smartass, doesn’t change the fact that listening to music that loud is bad for your ears anyway.”

“Yeah, yeah, can we just be on our way?” He stood up with a sigh, “I really don’t feel like going to school today.” He groaned.

“You always whine and complain about school.” A bus approached, coming to a whining stop on the sidewalk before them.

“Come on.” She held out her hand for him to take, only for him to refuse it and walk onto the bus. He immediately headed for the back, settling into the seat closest to the rear window. The girl plopped down beside him, backpack now sat on her lap.

“I can’t wait for winter break.” He remarked.

“You say that for every up-and-coming break. Why do you hate school so much?”

“You wouldn’t understand, Eve.”

“Jeez, you and all this emo crap. Stop being such a downer and enjoy school while you can. Once this year's over, there’ll be no going back.”

“Yeah, I’m counting on it.” He slouched down in his seat, “I’m going to try and get as much sleep as possible.” He yawned, quickly drifting off.

Despite being in the realm of unconsciousness, he could still feel Eve right by his side, and that comforted him.

Some time had passed, and he could feel Eve’s gentle hands shaking his shoulder.

“We’re here, wake up.”

Logan wiped the drool from the corner of his lip and quickly sat up, pulling his backpack over his shoulders.

They hopped off the bus behind a crowd of students, all of them filing into the school's gates.

Eve pressed herself against his arm, taking his hand in hers. They walked past the gates in silence, dancing through the crowd to the music of the clamoring students.

“Hey.” Eve broke their silence.

“Yeah?” Logan responded.

“I love you.” She giggled silently, pulling herself away from him and standing at his front. She picked up his other hand, now holding both of them.

Logan was too stunned to reply, his face burning with nervousness.

“I uh- wow.” He stammered.

“It’s ok if you aren’t ready, for some reason, it just felt right to say.” Tears began to stream down her face uncontrollably.

“Whoa, why am I crying so much?” She wiped her tears, but the more she wiped, the more they came.

“A-are you ok?”

“I’m fine, I think, I wasn’t sad just a second ago.” She continued to wipe her face, “Must be allergies, I’ll uh… I’ll see you during lunch.” She held the sides of his face and pulled him down for a kiss.

“PDA.” Logan chuckled as they separated.

“Shut up, Jerk. Now go to class, and I swear if I find out you skipped again-”

“I know, I know. You’ll kick my ass.”

“I’m glad you know.” She pecked his lips once more and scurried off.

He was always bored in class. His mind would always wander off, and whenever he could, he would stuff his ears with those earphones. He knew everything that was being taught and had no real interest in making friends.

Luckily, they were watching a history movie in class, allowing him to stare longingly outside the classroom window as much as he liked. He stared longingly at the bright blue sky, at the beaming sun, at the floating leaves, and the carefree birds.

To be a bird. Logan always thought to himself.

His attention was suddenly taken away by the sound of sobbing and sniffling. He looked to his side, a confused expression on his face as his gaze fell upon the several students crying their eyes out.

Is the movie that sad?

He looked toward the projector.

Nothing's even going on right now. He looked to the teacher, who was sobbing harder than anyone else.

What is in the air today?

He startled at the sound of something crashing behind him. Two students had broken out into a fight, seemingly out of nowhere.

“I’m going to kill you for looking at Stacy! Did you really think I didn’t see the way you were looking at her the other day?”

“Yeah, I was looking, and looking real hard! A girl like her should get with a real man!”
The other boy decked him in the face, his body going limp and blood flying from his lips and nose. The boy got on top of him and started wailing on him.

“What the hell?” Logan exclaimed, standing from his seat. He looked around the room, yet no one seemed to be paying them any mind. In fact, everyone else had gone hysterical themselves. Others, like the two on the floor, engaged in intense arguments and fights, others bawled their eyes out, whilst others laughed hysterically.

“Mrs. Bernard!” He rushed to her desk, slamming his hands down.

“Don’t you see what’s happening?”

She lifted her head from her desk, tears and snot all over her face.

“My husband is probably cheating on me.” She remarked.

“What?”

A sudden boom shook the ground beneath them. Everyone fell to the floor, and the hysteria stopped for just a moment.

Red bled through the windows, and Logan quickly stood, peering outside.

The sky and everything surrounding them had been taken over by a deep, blood red. There were no more birds, and the leaves were stripped from every tree as the wind grew more intense.

The hysteria resumed. The laughing, the crying, the raging, and it wouldn’t end.

“Are we in a distortion?” Logan looked around at the students behind him, then reapproached the teacher's desk.

He lifted her head with his finger, her tears and snot now replaced with blood.

“Yes, the only way… Is to kill him.” She stood abruptly with a shriek, her body contorting, the flesh on her body swirling and changing in color. She grew until her back was bulging through the ceiling, causing the roof to spill dust and debris. Her hair grew even longer, and her nails turned to sharp knives.

He looked around the room, realizing that every student had started undergoing similar transformations.

Blood poured from their mouths, their eyes, and even their ears, and then they started to change.

“Aegis shield!” He shouted, a shield made of pure gold appearing on his arm. He blocked the teacher's oncoming attack before rushing for the door. He slammed himself through, only to find that the halls had been overcome with much more chaos.

Blood, monsters, terror. It was everywhere.

He jumped as two kids beside him tumbled through a window together, both their bodies bloody from whatever battle they’d been in.

“Eve.” He muttered.

He turned down the hall, sprinting as fast as he could and ducking between every monster in his way. He stopped suddenly, the ceiling before him crumbling, two battered monsters crashing through and throwing deadly attacks at one another.

His breathing became heavy, his eyes darting around and constantly scanning his surroundings.

“Logan!” A familiar, fearful voice called to him. Across the hall, and behind the two battling monsters, was Eve.

“Eve! Get outside, now!” She only nodded in response, disappearing behind the corner of the hall.

He turned around, only to be met with a towering beast, its head touching the ceiling.

It swatted at him with its large and meaty hands, only for Logan to roll beneath its slimy legs. He sprinted down the hall to put some distance between himself and the beasts, shield held out in front of him.

“Please don’t hurt, please don’t hurt, please don’t hurt!” He sprang forward, propelling his body through the window. His stomach dropped, and for a second, time slowed.

The sky was much redder, and the wind so powerful that it violently shook his clothes.

He stumbled on the ground, letting out a huff of relieved air.

“Eve!” The second he turned back, he felt something wrap itself around him.
“What’s happening, Logan? I’m scared.” She held him tightly.

“I’m scared too, but we need to go. I think we’re inside a distortion.”

“Ok.”

They rushed through the streets, only to realize that the sky was red for as far as they could see, and that more chaos awaited them.

“What is going on?” Logan muttered.

The two hid behind a parked car. Logan felt his body jerk forward as Eve crashed into him again, her arms wrapping around him from behind.

“Eve?”

“You’re such an amazing guy, Logan.” She began to sniffle, “I love you so much.”

“Eve-”

Her grip tightened around him.

“But I see the way other girls look at you, like they want you for themselves. I can’t imagine what would happen to me if you left for another girl. That’s why I need to make sure no one can have you.” She began to sob even louder.

“Eve, you need to stop crying!” He struggled through her tightening grip.

“I can’t let anyone else have you.” Her voice was deeply distorted, and her grip was now so tight he could hardly breathe.

“E-E” He attempted to free himself, but he couldn’t. He could feel his legs lift from the ground, further and further. Her sharp nails dug into his sides, shredding through his clothes and drawing blood.

“Eve! You’re hurting me!” He continued to struggle, his legs dangling.

“I heard from some girls at school that guys like it when you kiss their neck.” Her voice was so distorted and deep, Logan believed there was no way the woman holding him was the Eve he knew.

He felt something sharp dig into his neck, a loud shout escaping his lips.

He finally managed to free one of his arms, pointing his hand upward, a golden beam blasting from his fingertip.

The creature let out a loud yelp, dropping Logan to the ground.

He managed to catch himself, crawling forward, and holding his neck. He looked back at the creature, his heart dropping to his stomach.

She was tall and lanky, her body a deep gray, her fingernails turned to sharp claws. Her hair and outfit, however, remained the same, a stark reminder that this creature was, in fact, Eve.

The pain in his neck was much more silent than the feeling of dread that wrapped itself around his heart.

Black ichor poured from an open wound where the creature's eye once was. It shrieked in pain, thrashing around. With his heart thudding out of his chest, Logan stood, sprinting away from what used to be Eve.