Winds of Change

"Here. The report on the presidential controversy." Bret lazily slapped the file onto the table with a yawn.

William, the editorial chief of The Incidents, a niche news magazine that covers controversial topics slapped his hand on top of the folder, before nodding.

"Good. Take a break and have a good rest for the week. Prepare your bags, you have a travelling assignment." William tut-tuted playfully.

Bret yawned again. "We can discuss about the matter when my brief holiday is over." He said as he walked out of the office.

Returning to his tiny apartment, Bret cupped some water and smothered his face wet as he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror.

His face was a little pale. He had developed a slight stubble and his hair looked unkempt. Then he remembered the messy rooms he had left behind and that he had forgotten to carry out the garbage. Ugh... Divorce was a difficult process.

Shrugging, Bret jumped into the couch, and put over the thick and warm blanket, before turning on the tv. News, entertainment, animated channels, x rated channels...., nothing really seemed to interest him. Eventually, he fiddled with the tv remote to return to a news channel he had skipped over.

Before long, Bret had fallen fast asleep on the couch. The half opened cup of instant ramen stood quietly on the small square table beside the couch. It had now turned cold.

The quietness was eerie and simply calm. The night was rather warm, and a scented candle flickered gently in Bret's drawing room. However, the next moment, the sound of a huge explosion shattered through the calm night, instantly waking Bret awake.

"What in the world?" Bret groaned as he struggled wake up from his cozy couch. The intense sound of a bomb caused his ears to ring with tinnitus amd the terrible smell of burning humans spread through the air.

Bret stumbled his way to the only window in the drawing room. The glass had cracked from the violent impact of the explosion. The air outside was colored a heavy yellowish red and covered in terrifying smoke that threatened to choke everyone.

Bret looked out, still dazed, to see a number of people in black leather uniforms patrolling the sky. They were flying in the air. One was shooting terrifying red lasers out of their eyes, another seemed to be the cause of the explosions. With each snap of the fingers, a powerful explosion would erupt in some area of the city's streets.

There were hundreds of similar individuals that could only be called superhumans, who were wreaking havoc. But why?...

Bret didn't have time to think. Without realizing it, his back had turned wet from sweat. He rushed towards his smartphone which had been lying on the desk. He picked it up to find over twenty missed calls, but he ignored them when he realized that they were all from his colleagues at work.

Bret scrolled through the contact list and found the number he would never dare to call in normal times. Especially not after the divorce

His ex-wife. He needed to know that she and his two kids were fine.

However, when he tried calling his ex, the number reverted to dial tone.

"Shit!" He exclaimed as he tried the number again and again, to no avail. He was almost about to fling his phone away in anger, but stopped. Instead, Bret called William, who had managed to send him a good dozen missed calls. The line connected.

"Bret, are.... buzzz... are you okay?" William asked through a heavily distorted cellphone network.

"I am alright, for now! What the heck's going on?" Bret retorted.

"War. We are under war my friend. Find a safe place to hide. None.... buzz... none of us ordinary folks are safe." William replied. Yet, before Bret could ask any further, the line disconnected.

"Damn! What does he mean? How can a war strike over night? Am I dreaming or did I really see people using bizarre abilities in the sky?" Bret lost his footing, but he halted and took in an extremely deep breath.

Bret walked towards the television, which had been muted but still running. It seemed to be running the same message by the scandalous president he had written about earlier.

"My dear citizens, our country... no all countries of the world are now under attack. We are at war with individuals who seem to be able to use unscientific abilities. I request everyone to find a safe shelter and hide."

Listening to the broadcast caused a sinking feeling to rise with Bret. He once again tried calling his ex wife but couldn't connect at all.

Bret grit his teeth and rushed out of his apartment wearing his usual brown long coat. The fire alarm seemed to be blaring in the building and the sprinklers were spouting water everywhere. Bret didn't seem to care that his top coat seemed to be getting drenched. He quickly dashed out of the building, as he saw instead that everyone seemed to be boarding themselves in.

Walking out of the apartment complex, Bret rushed towards his car, only to find that his car wouldn't work at all. He wasn't able to start his vehicle. It was as if the battery had run dry.

"What the fuck!" He yelled, and slammed the steering wheel of his aged prius in frustration, when he saw that there were others in their cars trying and failing to start them without any success either.

He had a bad inkling in his heart. "Could those assholes have drained the batteries of every car in the city?" He wondered. Immediately, he rushed out of the car and ran towards the nearest underground subway link.

For the first time, Bret cursed that he was lucky his city had a subway. The closest link was about a five minute walk from his apartment, yet that once brief walk had turned into the challenge of a life time.

The city had turned into a warzone. Explosions were everywhere and Bret saw thousands more arrive to the city in a flying boat made of wood, that just appeared from a vortex in the sky. The scene dumbfounded him, but he could not, did not halt to observe these shocking sights.

On the deck of the wooden boat floating in the air, were thousands of humans in archaic clothing, holding scimitars and chanting in a language Bret had never heard of. He had finally arrived at the metro underpass, a flight of stairs leading to the underground.

He rushed down to the bottom, only to find that he wasn't the only one who had thought of using the subway system. The platform was packed with people who seemed to be in panic.