(8) newbie

He was incredibly young when it happened, so logically almost no memory was retained.

He remembers his mom, and the way she dropped him off at daycare with a tired gaze. She had barely left when the world started to quake and fall out from beneath everyone.

The daycare was only on the distant outskirts of the city, so they weren’t directly in a center that got attacked. Everyone still felt it, though. The terrifying minute where the world stood still and for some reason every single member of their species was frozen in fear.

Something entered their world that hadn’t in a very long time.

Like everything else, the daycare became chaotic once the world span back into action. Parents that hadn’t yet left grabbed their kids and ran, but those children who were left were herded into a back room with the door barricaded shut.

There was something in the air.

The second the roof caved in, he jumped.

Landing in a desert, a kind old man found him. Told him where he was, and how incredibly peculiar it was for a toddler to be wandering the desert during the off season.

The off season, he came to learn, was much more dangerous than it was named.

Six years he lingered on Yerine. Six years he lived on a planet where he felt he didn’t belong.

When he left, of course he didn’t have any understanding of his species’ physiology. He was four, for God’s sake. Yet on Yerine, living with the man who found him, he came to the understanding that he was not the same.

Those who lived on Yerine were thankfully close to humans, all for quirks. Used to the more demanding conditions of the desert, they were able to walk for miles and miles without need for water. They thrived off of sunlight.

He, on the other hand, did not share those traits. He thrived in the dark, and required water much more regularly. He was much stronger than most natives, and seemed mesmerized with space.

The planet Yerine as a whole preferred to stay on the ground, where they thought it was safe and predictable. Very few even had the guts to travel over water.

He found this largely ridiculous, mostly because a majority of their planet was covered in water. “It’s better than the desert,” his argument would go.

It was his 10th birthday when another person fell out of the sky. Her hair shone like gold, and her eyes instantly narrowed when she noticed him staring at her so intently.

She told him to close his mouth or it’d get stuck like that.

Her name was Gloss and to him, she was a goddess.

The one time he called her that, she smacked him with his own shoe.

It was through her that he found out what happened. She was like him, she said. She notified him that their planet was still functional, if a bit deserted. Their species was slowly crawling back to populate it, but millions had yet to be found.

She was with a group that had taken up residence in a North American mountain range, and there were other settlements popping up across the globe.

Six years and it’d taken this long to get society going again.

When he told her that it was such a relief to meet another human after so long, she laughed. She then brashly announced that “Sorry, buddy, but we were never human.”

His entire world stopped once more… or so it seemed. Gloss later informed him that he had just passed out. He did it again, too, when she told him that they were part of a species called the ‘Cattlayans.’

So they were the aliens all along?

He preferred to ignore that stunning turn of events. And the fact that Gloss was a little too blunt for her own good.

Instead, he asked to go home.

Six years later, he breathed his first breath of mountain air. Gloss lead him up to a building that may have been a ski lodge a long time ago, but was now their base of operations. At that moment there were roughly 10 people present, but it still felt incredible.

Then Gloss pushed him into the pool.

It still felt incredible.

(7) death

Marcy was the first. A bullet pierced her neck when nobody was expecting it.

Steven had managed to come back on his own the first ‘trip’ to another dimension, so he didn’t need the ability yet. The outsiders sure as hell had no clue, and even the Cattlayans-- back when they weren’t Cattlayans, just ordinary humans according to the rest of the multiverse-- weren’t aware.

Those watching were ready to scream when her body had hit the floor, but no one expected it to disappear almost instantly.

The girl herself woke up in another universe, confused and with a sore throat. She was alive, miraculously.

She had cheated death.

After that, the rest were quick to follow. They didn’t all go to the same universe, of course not, but they all went through the same experiences.

Steve, stabbed in the chest. Rui, hit by a truck. All equally brutal and fully the fault of those who didn’t know what they were dealing with.

Rex was the only one after them who died before the Change; struck down by another gunshot. He was also the first new Cattlayan to appear in Gordon City (he shocked quite a few people when he appeared on the sidewalk with a torso covered in dried blood).

...Not long after, billions were dead.

Those who died then wouldn’t ever be able to come back.

There were those, however, who were able to assimilate before they died. Those drifted through the void before popping out in the multiverse somewhere. Those who escaped the fate of their home began to realize things they never realized living among their own species. Things like greater senses or athletic capabilities.

There were also new changes solely thanks to the Change. The ability to understand and travel through the multiverse. The newfound and stunning almost-immortality. Those tricks were unlocked with the fear of the event.

Of course, something many of these people also realized was that many of them had a quite beautifully blooming case of PTSD.

Pure death, some learned, only comes from the monsters.

(Marcy and Will had a theory that their species may now also still die from old age, but neither of them are sure how long they were supposed to live now).

Of course, there were certain glitches in the system. Everyone still physically scarred, so no one was very eager to see what effect lava had on their powers.

No one knew what would happen once society was rebuilt, as well. Would overpopulation be bad?

The fact that was an extremely long time away soothed some.

For now, everyone was just concerned with fixing their ‘endangered species’ status.

...’Everyone’ being about 40 people spread out across the globe; those that managed to find their way back home on their own.

Later on, more outposts would grow, more survivors gathering together. The last relics of society. They’d rebuilt things completely some day.

After all, history tended to repeat itself.

---

Sometimes i think i should add ‘cattlayan’ to my laptop’s personal dictionary so it doesn’t try to correct it, and other times im like. naaah.

(6) run

Before...

Steve turned to see Rui standing by the door of the science room, an exceptionally angry look on her face. He braced himself, but tried to look casual.

“What’s up?”

“They’re coming.” She strode forward into the room with the confidence she almost always had, dumping her backpack on one of the lab tables. Her eyes shone with the kind of energy that made Steve nervous.

Not to mention that he had no idea what she was talking about.

“What do you mean?” He hadn’t moved.

Rui huffed, turning to him like he was an idiot (he kind of was). “I mean, the people who did all of this. The ones that sent Michael and Hood to us.”

“So it’s Michael now? When did you two get so close?”

It was probably too late for them to be in the building, anyway. Maybe he could get her to leave with him, diffuse the situation a little bit.

She automatically bristled, appearing to forget what she was going to say before. “Hey, it’s better than calling him Mr. York like he’s my teacher or something. He’s only about 22, maybe.”

Steve frowned. “And also somewhat of a space criminal.”

She really was angry.

Where was everyone else?

She was talking. “But we don’t know that! We don’t know anything about the people who keep coming here or the worlds we keep going to! We know that time passes when we leave, but we don’t know why!”

If he could frown anymore he’d make some kind of world record. “What’s your point?” His headache was getting worse. All he wanted was to go home, take a nap, and finish this damn biology project.

“My point is is that we’re a bunch of idiots abusing power we didn’t know how to handle, and we’re paying the price for it.” Rui was growling, pointing one of her fingers in his face. The setting sun washed over her features and darkened some of them into shadow, adding more effect to her actions.

...Wait.

“You said something earlier about someone coming. What do you-”

There’s a break in the facade, something like fear. “Someone’s been watching us.”

Fear. Definitely fear. Steve drew, eyes widening. He didn’t move to say anything, so Rui continued, waving her hands for emphasis.

“You’ve probably noticed it. You keep bumping into the same group of people no matter what world you’re in, continuously trailed by the same shady van whenever you walk somewhere. Both Michael and Hood have the same story of how they came here, being pursued, lapses of memory, a blackout. What are the odds that that’s coincidence?”

“You think someone’s been following us?” a deep breath.

“Steven, are you even listening to me?”

He’s cautious. What if she’s just overreacting? What if this is some kind of mental issue? “Yes, but-”

There’s a loud crack from down the hallway. Both teens freeze, almost nose to nose. There’s a beat before Steve turns to go out. “What was-”

Another, louder crack. This time, he actually jumps.

“Steve.” Rui isn’t talking quite so loud anymore, grabbing his hand. “Steve, we need to go.”

A third crack. It’s closer. This time, Steven can hear the thump that follows.

“Shit.” He’s regretting not paying attention to Rui the second she walked in, not answering any of the texts she’d sent him earlier. Regretting staying so late.

The two awkwardly shuffle out into the doorway, Rui preventing the boy from walking too far away.

As they look out, everything’s still except for the two men in assault gear creeping towards their room.

Panic. There’s a second longer where all four people stare at each other. Steve is petrified. He whispers, “Oh.”

Rui slams everything back into action. “Outside!” She barks, shoving Steve to the stairwell.

The two men say nothing as they spring in hot pursuit of their targets. One aims his gun, shoots something muffled, and the brick besides the teens shatters a little.

Rui leaps down the steps flights at a time, slowing down just long enough for Steve to get into gear and follow after her.

“The football field.” He gasps. There’s an opening, he can feel it in his very being, which admittedly hadn’t been something he’d told anyone else but that really shouldn’t be the topic at that moment and SHIT THAT’S ANOTHER SHOT.

Rui yells, “I know!” and barrels out the door.

The sun has finally receded behind the mountains in the distance and the feeling of the early fall chill gives Steve the energy to run faster and he can catch up to Rui who’s almost by the edge of the bleachers and he can

go.

The next bullets hit empty air.

(5) nuit

still working through the “so if earth was abandoned for a year which plumbing resources would still work” questions.

dont eVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE “winter heating/insulation issue”

---

Marcy awoke with the strong sense that she had been falling.

It was night. Quiet, too. Didn’t seem like anybody else was up. The porch doors were propped open, allowing thick streams of balmy air and cricket chips to float in. Every once and awhile, a wind swept the tree into a symphony of rustling.

Marcy used her thumb to rub hard the middle of her right palm. The scar there glowed in the moonlight, as did its twin that was located on her left palm.

Twin scars.

Two of too many.

Silently, she rose from the round wicker chair she had collapsed in earlier that night. Morning? She checked her phone. 2 a.m.

Inside, in the black, Marcy could spot Louis, lying sprawled across one of the couches in the living room. Steve was practically draped over the dog, probably getting a face full of smelly fur. Neither of them seemed to stir when Marcy wandered past, heading towards the bathroom.

Only when the door was closed behind her did she turn on the lantern. Flick water in her face. Stare.

My God she looked like shit.

The dream had been standard (all her mistakes, bad experiences in the past, etcetera etcetera) up until the end. Marcy’d been at this nearly two years and dreams of her still made her want to cry.

She exited, wandered upstairs. Rui and Scarlet were there, occupying the bed in the middle of the main room. Both were asleep as well. Marcy made her way further, into the last room at the end of the hallway. Took of her jacket, changed her shirt. Slipped on some shorts.

There was a distinct thump from the front yard.

Marcy froze.

She out her jacket back on. Grabbed a flashlight.

There was a man out there.

“Uh… hi?” The teenage girl blinked, too confused to even turn on the light. Whoever it was didn’t… look threatening. Looked kinda like her old bus driver, to be more accurate. Maybe middle aged? At least Marcy could tell he was Cattlayan, or else she would have been even more unnerved.

“Oh.” The guy apparently wasn’t as confused as Marcy was. He looked around, scratching the back of his head.

Wasn’t he going to say anything else? “Can… can I help you?” People were never her strong suit, before or after the Change. Besides, it was two in the morning. What the hell was he doing here?

“Well, maybe. You’re never going to believe this, but, see, I’m somewhat of a time traveler.” He seemed proud.

Boy howdy, was he about to get a bit of a culture shock.

---

more explanations will probably come in part seven?? or the next part, I'm not really sure.

remember these are one shots and should not be looked at as a linear series of events in any form. if any of these do follow each other's plot i'll probably let you know by calling them something like 7.1 or 7.2, etc etc etc.

(4) hot damn thats a wizard

asdfghjkl haha nah nope goodbye

---

Will was screaming something shrill and fierce. Fueled by pure panic, he screamed loud enough to scare away the bird from nearby trees.

It was horrible.

.......Of course, it was also what Will ALWAYS did. This was completely normal.

He had a somewhat good excuse, as well! He was bait (this time), as he had lost the bet fair and square.

Son of a bitch should never pick paper every single time he plays rock paper scissors.

Regardless, Marcy had a job to do. That involved screaming. And tiny shells with feet.

Maybe if she hadn't inhaled so much caffeine that morning she would be taking this a little more seriously. But at that moment? Nah.

Two shells down, four to go. She was running full sprint, desperately trying to stay away from Will's diversion, sticking to the back streets of the town. The shells she had gathered were wiggling around desperately in the messanger bag she had, as if they had SOMEPLACE better to be.

Who thought giving relics feet was a good idea?

Marcy quickly dropped and home run slid under a wagon, just managing to grab another shell before it jumped into the gutter.

Wait THIS ONE HAD A TONGUE.

"Gross gross gross gross grOH IT LICKED ME GROSS GROSS GROSS-"

How did it ever come to this? They were just on a supply run. They didn't MEAN to insult the storekeeper, and they didn't MEAN to scoff when said shopkeeper told them to apologize to the deities in the center of town. And Will PROBABLY didn't mean to knock that candle over.

...Or the shells. Or the basket of offerings.

...On second thought, maybe he deserved the role of bait.

But hey, even if the first part was Will's fault, neither of them knew that the literal lifeforce of every citizen in the town was literally tied to the relics. The relics with feet. The incredible CLAM-LIKE relics.

Two more freakish relics in the bag later, there was a VERY nearby explosion, and suddenly Will was sprinting around the corner and screeching "GET OUT OF MY WAY!" and something with a ghostly cloak was levitating quickly after him and the thing created a fireball out of thin air and was throwing it at HER and what was Will throwing at her fACE--?

Marcy screamed as the clam hit her in the nose. Will was still screaming. The ("FRICKING GHOST WIZARD," Will helpfully suggested) thing began to scream when all of the clams were collected in the same vicinity. There was a collective panic when all the villagers zapped back into sight.

Marcy was still screaming, lying on the ground from where she had ducked to avoid the fireball.

She didn't think she'd feel very compelled to return here anytime soon.

---

i regret everything i have ever done goodbye 

(3) void

There was something in the sky.

Of enormous size, it somehow managed to blot out everything visible from his position by the bus stop. To his right, Artie gasped and gripped his hand suddenly.

Something felt very, very wrong.

Traffic had stopped. Everything was still. There was a very apparent lack of sound, like something had grabbed it all away.

Then it was back in a roar.

It’s alive?

“Will!!” Artie was screaming, tugging at his arm. Around him, people were scattering, reacting like this was the end of the world.

Was it?

Someone bumped into him suddenly, nearly knocking him down.

Run run run run run.

He took her hand, and the most grateful look Will had ever seen crossed over his friend’s face. They took off down a side street, full sprint.

He hadn’t run this fast since middle school health evaluations.

This time he had incentive.

Danger danger danger-- watch her!

There was a boom, and the ground shook. When the two made it to the next street over, all they saw was just more pandemonium. No one knew what to do. This was rush hour mixed with blind panic, like someone had just spontaneously decided to drop a nuke in the city center.

“We need to get underground, I think.” He was finally able to find words. Without acknowledging each other, the pair began to push among the panicking civilians, trying to make it to the bank across the street.

It was a hollow plan, but nothing seemed to be making sense at that moment. Somewhere along the way, both of them had ditched their backpacks.

The sky was still dark, and yet there was definitely something people were able to make out. An outline, of sorts. It moved, drifted whichever way it pleased. A massive, dark pool of a monster, and for some reason Will was more scared of it than he’d been of anything else in his entire life.

For some reason, this thing felt familiar.

GET AWAY!!!

There were people blindly running, but there were also those who couldn’t think clearly enough to do anything; those few instead choosing to mindlessly stand in the streets like they were already dead.

Another unprecedented thought: Whatever is in the sky will surely kill him.

Get where it can’t go.

Keep moving forward. Go go go.

More distant explosions. Everyone was screaming. Cars were already abandoned. The people were thinning out, and yet Will wasn’t sure where they were going.

Something dark thrust itself into the street before them. He jerked, suddenly grabbing Artie around the waist and pulling her back before either of them could crash into it.

….Was it a leg?

Leg. Monster? Go go go go go run.

But a shade had descended upon them.

Whatever was in the sky was coming down.

Where were all the people?

They were frozen, struck still.

Death!!!!

Unused eyes slid into tune. Features of the darkness came into place. A giant gaping maw was before them.

Artie whispered something in horror. Will didn’t hear her.

Something in him snapped, and he was gone.

Silence.

Everything was dark. Void. He must have been eaten, by whatever it was. Must’ve died. He was part of the missing now, wasn’t he?

At least… he thought so.

There’s a lack of terror. Everything is calm. He’s… OK?

He’s OK.

When he later came to (which could have been five minutes or five years, in his mind), drifting into a crack in the void and ending up on a beach on a planet he’d later call Jiruno, Will was eventually found by a few fishermen out working late.

He looked foreign to them, and they looked foreign to him, so in all due regards both should have been loudly panicking.

All Will could think about instead was a girl with auburn hair and a permanently determined face.

(The fishermen, on the other hand, were simply a little too tired to care whether or not some person on the beach had a weird facial bump).

---

I reeeally hope there aren’t any typos in this one. I’m literally shaking from cold, lmao

also in regards to the "weird facial bump" -- the fishermen don't have solid noses like most humanoids. Instead it's kinda like Voldemort's nose from the HP movies???