Girard Middle School. 2014.
Bells rang across the school as children and adults ran around in panic.
The teachers and staff tried to herd the students into buses to take them to safety, but many of the children were too far gone in their panic to even notice what the adults were saying.
Cate Randa ran out and guided her students into the nearest bus while also throwing in her own bag, looking at her girlfriend, who was also guiding the children in.
Meanwhile, the roars of jets in the skies and the distant roars of an unimaginable monster rangout in the distance.
"Where is this one headed?"
Dani did not even look at her girlfriend as she guided another group of students onto the bus.
"North through the golden gate. Get in, get in. Leave those cycles."
Dani guided every child nearby, coercing them to leave behind their cycles and other such things, even throwing out their bags should there be a need, so that more children could fit in.
"Dani? Where are you going?"
Dani walked quickly to the nearby group of children who huddled together, refusing to move forward.
"I am staying here at Girard's until the parents come pick these kids up."
"Dani! That's-"
"I know. Cate."
Dani smiled wryly, knowing exactly what her girlfriend was going to say.
However, there was no way she was going to leave these kids alone.
"There are old bunkers beneath the school, remnants of the Cold War times. The school keeps supplies in there these days, since these bunkers are beneath the cafeteria. We should be fine for a few days."
Cate hugged Dani tightly.
"Stay safe."
"Same to you."
Cate reluctantly got on the bus as it drove off, watching as Dani guided the kids who refused to leave without their parents back into the school building.
As the bus kept moving through the streets, Cate saw the utter chaos that took the normally peaceful city as people panicked and did what people did best.
Cate made sure that the children looked away and ducked underneath their seats so that they would not have to see the worst of humanity on full display as desperation and fear drove the people outside to commit the worst of atrocities.
Soon, the bus arrived at the Golden Gate Bridge, ready to make it out of the city.
Then, disaster struck.
Just as the bus was about to pass through, the monster that had attacked the city made its appearance.
Its colossal axe-shaped head housed four forward-facing eyes, and its maw was filled with teeth meant to chew through everything.
It let out a strange screech as its claws grabbed the bridge, throwing everything around.
The children, Cate, and the driver screamed in fear as the bus was tossed around as if it were a toy.
However, Cate regained her wits when she realized that all of their lives were in imminent danger.
She ran to the driver, who was slumped over the steering wheel.
"Are you okay-"
Her words stopped as she witnessed his fate.
His skull split open after impacting the steering wheel at some point.
She could see his brain through the crack in the skull.
Bile rose to her throat, but she suppressed her reflex and turned around to the kids, seeing several of them crying and screaming as they, too, were severely injured.
Thinking quickly, she ran to the back of the bus and opened up the emergency door.
"Quick! Through here!! Go!"
Those children who were still coherent enough to follow her instructions quickly ran out. As for those who were too catatonic or injured, Cate wasted no time grabbing them and throwing them out of the bus bodily.
They might gain more injuries, but they would at least be alive.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
Just as she threw one of the kids out, leave only four more kids to go. One boy and three girls, all of them in various states of injury, the bridge suddenly heaved and buckled, throwing her out of the bus.
The screams of the children filled her ears as she watched helplessly while the bus was tossed into the waters below, along with a large section of the bridge that collapsed.
All the while, the monster moved on unimpeded, not even registering the gunfire from the ground troops, missile strikes from the jets, and the cannon fire from the ships in the waters below.
Just before she passed out, Cate heard another terrifying roar. One that made even the monster pause while the entire city went silent.
SKREEEEEOOOOOOOOO
The last sight that Cate saw was a neon blue glow radiating out of the waters nearby and two glowing blue eyes staring hatefully at the monster that had upended her life.
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"Contact! We have another bogey!"
Luna Pentecost cursed under her breath as she maneuvered her jet past the reaching claws of the giant monster that just killed hundreds of people on the Golden Gate Bridge.
The same monster that now stood stock still after that strange roar rattled everyone in the vicinity.
Turning to the source, Luna spotted a blue, glowing fin-like structure protruding from the water surface, moving at extreme speeds towards the monster.
"I have visual. Preparing to engage-"
"Negative. Bandit-2. Hold position and concentrate fire on the target."
The unfamiliar voice that was definitely not the squadron leader made Luna pause before her tone became icy.
"Negative. We will lose more civilians if the second unknown makes landfall. And I don't take orders from you."
"For now, you do. This is Admiral William Stenz. Bandit-actual. Your squadron is ordered to hold position and engage target-1 and assist the new arrival."
"Assist!?"
Luna practically screeched into her mic. Yet, she did as she was told anyway, trusting that her current rank superior had the good of humanity at his heart.
Because if he did not, she would not hesitate to go rogue then and there.
Unfortunately, she would not make it to the end of the fight as she would be caught between a fight between giants and end up dying.
Yet, in her last moments, she would be satisfied to know that her superiors were not wrong in their choice.
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Trespasser: (click for image)
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Author Notes:
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