"Lucy, get your ass back down here!"
Lucy frowned.
"I think there's like a party or something going on outside," she replied. "Or something's really bright out there at least. I can
just
see something through the curtains."
Splayed out on the wide couch, Marta didn't have a good angle on the bay windows at this end of the apartment. She wouldn't have cared enough to turn around anyway -- she had something else on her mind.
"Well there's a party going on in here too," said Marta, gently running one hand up the inside of her leg. "Which one are you more interested in?" She kissed Lucy, but laying as she was she couldn't reach higher than her torso.
"What colour is that? It's kind of..."
"It's kind of what?" said Marta as her hand continued its slow climb up Lucy's leg, inching higher and higher up her dark stockings.
Lucy finally pulled her eyes away from the curtain and looked down. Her expression softened, then turned into a smile. There was a glimmer in her eye, and it struck Marta once again just how beautiful she was. She wasn't the curviest person on earth, but she was tall, toned and perky. Her jet black hair was
just
long enough to get in the way. There was no occasion, but she was wearing a taut blue dress that she knew drove Marta wild. But it was those eyes, those rich deep brown eyes that were the centre of her world right now.
"You're insatiable," Lucy said, then leaned down and positioned herself on top. It wasn't as spacious as the bed, but this would do fine for now.
"Am I?" said Marta, pouting.
"You know my roommates are home, don't you?"
"Ohh are they? Do you think they might want to join in?"
They kissed again, and it soon turned into a lot more. Their breathing became heavier, and their touches became firmer and more insistent. Lucy's body felt so warm pressed against her.
A phone went off, and Marta jerked suddenly in surprise. It was on silent, but the hardwood table transformed the subtle buzz into a major sound.
"Sorry, just ignore that," said Lucy. Marta was happy to. She squeezed Lucy's breast, and flicked her finger back and forth across her nipple. Even through the thin bra it had its desired effect.
"You know, I don't think I tell you enough how much I-"
Another phone buzzed -- Marta's this time. Before she even had time to respond, The phone on the table went off a second time.
"It's the group chat, isn't it?" said Lucy.
"We should really just leave it. It's not like we're ever going to go back there, I..."
Marta's phone suddenly let out a shrill tone. It was ear piercing, the kind of sound you might put in a basket next to "nails on a chalkboard" or "microphone feedback". A fraction of a second later, Lucy's phone joined in.
"Mother of God what
is
that?" Marta practically shouted.
The devices each beeped four times in irregular intervals as they both scrambled over to pick them up and make them be quiet.
Lucy looked down at the phone.
"Emergency alert," she said.
"Yeah I... wait... what the hell?" said Marta."
She was expecting the screen to say something to the effect of "This is a test of the Presidential Alert System". She'd seen one like that before. But that isn't what it said.
"EMERGENCY ALERT: Shelter in place immediately and await further instructions. Stay away from all doors and windows. Under no circumstances should you look at the night sky. This is not a test."
Marta wasn't sure what to make of it. A pit started forming in her stomach as her mind started grappling with it.
"Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god," said Lucy. Marta put her hand on Lucy's shoulder.
"Ok, I think we need to stay calm. Deep breaths, like you were telling me about, yeah?"
Lucy still muttered a few more
oh gods
before she started breathing slowly and deliberately. It seemed to be working. Lucy's mother had told her just how bad some of the panic attacks had been when she was a child, but she had it a lot more under control these days.
"What should we do?" she said between breaths.
"The basement, I think we should go to the basement," said Marta.
"Do you think," Lucy began, "Do you think it's the... Koreans or something? A missile?"
"I'm not sure Baby," Marta replied. She grabbed Lucy and started moving towards the kitchen. Lucy didn't resist and trailed behind her, hand in hand.
"Because if we're not supposed to look outside, you know, that's because the flash might blind us, right?"
"Lucy, I said I'm not sure!"
As they walked through the Kitchen doorway, Lucy spotted her roommates entering from the other side.
"Jesus Lucy, are you seeing this?!" said Dave, one arm around his girlfriend Samantha. Marta had never really liked either of them, but Sam and Dave were a package deal with the rental.
Lucy looked like she was still in a state of shock, but eventually managed to reply.
"We're heading down into the basement, we think it'll be safest there," she said.
"Wait what? Are you for real?" he said.
"It's Hawaii," said Sam. "I panicked for a second but this is the same thing that happened in Hawaii a couple of years back. Remember? A glitch in the system, a false alarm, that kinda thing."
"Well if it's a false alarm, we can all laugh about it later," said Marta. "Now come on, we need to move right now!"
Marta started guiding Lucy down the staircase. She still followed along behind her, but now she was starting to look tired, sluggish.
"Alright, alright," said Dave, chuckling slightly as he and his girlfriend moved down with them. Samantha closed the door behind them once they were all inside.
The basement was lightly furnished. Once you'd walked in down the wooden steps, there were a couple of rather uncomfortable chairs, mostly without cushions, a small circular table that was occasionally used for board games, and a fridge that predated the millennium. It was predominantly empty space punctuated by the occasional cobweb. The most important thing, however, was that it was below ground level and had no windows.
Lucy's phone buzzed. Then Dave's. Then Marta's. They were all going off -- not another alert, but regular messages. She looked down at her phone -- there were over thirty notifications.
"Everyone must be trying to reach out," said Dave, looking down at his own.
Marta started reading her messages, and knew that something was wrong. It wasn't just her close friends. It was people she hadn't spoken to in years, it was former coworkers, distant family members, it was unknown numbers. She swiped down and zoomed past the list of incoming messages, and they all said the same thing.
Exactly
the same thing.
"
The Sky is so beautiful tonight. You should really have a look.
"
Her hand trembled. More messages were appearing with every passing second. Then, they suddenly stopped.
The four of them exchanged looks, but nobody knew what to say. Samantha and Dave look nearly so confident anymore. After what felt like an eternity, it was Lucy herself that broke the silence by dropping her phone to the ground.
"I... I don't..." Lucy said, holding her head with both hands. She swayed on the spot, evidently struggling to stay upright.
"Are you alright?" said Dave, ineffectually. Marta swooped in and stopped her from falling. She guided her gently down to the only soft chair in the room.
"Babe, what's wrong?"
"I don't know," she muttered. "I think I just need a minute." She seemed as though she was regaining her composure, and started holding herself up in the chair.
