I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white from the pressure. My face paled as I watched the woman continue attacking the once-concerned bystanders. With a surge of adrenaline, I slammed my foot on the gas pedal, running the now-red light. Fumbling for my phone, I dialed Jon's number, my trembling fingers struggling to maintain grip as I navigated the chaotic scene before me.

"Come on, pick up, pick up," I muttered to myself, the seconds dragging on like an eternity as I waited for the call to connect. Fear, desperation, and panic swirled in my mind as the dial tone echoed in my ears, intensifying my panic with each passing moment.

"Please, please," I whispered urgently, barely audible over the pounding of my heart. "I need you to answer." As the call connected, relief flooded through me, but my heart still raced.

"Mars?! Are you okay? Did you get that message?! Where are you?" Jon's voice, a lifeline amidst the chaos, brought a fleeting sense of reassurance.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm almost there," I stammered, adrenaline still coursing through my veins. "Have you seen what's happening? Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah, we're all good man, we've seen the alert. Hurry up and get here! Bea said she has a bunker here, can you believe that?"

I silently contemplated my reply. "A bunker? Are you serious- Wait that's not the point Jon, something is going on and not just with the alert. The people-" Recalling the events, I felt a chill down my spine and disgust start to rise. Clearing my throat, I continued. "I think something is happening to the people in our town and us."

"Martin, what do you mean? You sound freaked out." He asked.

"Have you looked in the mirror?" I could only guess that the same thing had happened to their hair but Jon had yet to notice.

"A mirror? What are you talking abo- WHAT THE FUCK?!"

I hastily distanced my phone, his reply echoing through my ears. Moving my phone back to my lap I was met with the confused muffled chatter of the others.

"Jon, are you there? Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Yeah we're okay, they heard me squeal and came up. What's going on, what happened to our hair? Gannon and Bea have the same white patch, they're as confused as I am."

"I don't know what happened, but that's what I mean. Hair just doesn't spontaneously change color, especially for dozens of people. I think it happened after 4. That's when I noticed mine. But something else isn't.. right."

"Well no shit, there's that and a bunch of asteroids coming at us! Hurry up man!", Jon exclaimed.

"Wouldn't it be meteors?" I heard Gannon questioningly say. There was a moment of silence before he and Jon started to bicker. Jon had changed his end of the call to a facetime, allowing me to see them all sporting a new white strip of hair is various places.

I interrupted their minuscule argument with a loud and stern, "GUYS!" Halting their dispute, the three synchronously replied, "What?"

"I mean it when I say something isn't right. Something is happening. I had to drive around this old man who wouldn't move at a green light, but when I passed he was perfectly still and looking at the sky. It creeped me out so I sped up but I kept seeing others just like him, stuck staring at the sky with white eyes. Everyone that wasn't frozen had gained a white strip or patch in their hair, including us.."

They continued to listen in silence, exchanging glances at each others hair, all of them sporting a white strip of hair in various places.

"Then t-they.." A lumped formed in my throat, I attempted to continue. "They stopped looking up and started to.. attack people, I seen a woman jump on her husband and stand up with.. pieces of him in her mouth. I- I think she killed him, there was so much blood. How is no one reporting about this?! Can you guys check news websites or something?"

They sat in silence before Jon spoke up, "Give us a second."

I was glad they took my words seriously. Jon and the others began to look through their phones. A heavy silence settled over the line as my words sank in. Then, Gannon spoke up, his voice tinged with disbelief. "Are you sure it's not some kind of prank?"

"I wish it were," I replied grimly. "But this feels different. It's like.. like they're not even human anymore."

Gannon's eyes fell on a new video added to Twitter, by one of his old football friends. His face turned pale as he called Jon and Bea over, both standing next to him and watching the video. I could only imagine it was similar to what I had described. Bea put her hands to her mouth, her face wearing a terrified expression. Jon's face looking frightened as he began to frantically search his phone.

Gannon fearfully asked, "It's exactly what he said, what the fuck is going on?" They all sat in silence, each frantically searching on their phones and dialing numbers I could only assume were family. I broke the silence, "I'm here, ending the call now," I stated before hurriedly disconnecting and steering into the lengthy driveway.

After passing the swinging metal gate that was open, I quickly got out and pushed it closed, locking it. Getting back in my car, I moved both the food and my backpack into the passenger seat and drove towards the others who were already outside waiting. Jon was sitting on the top of his car, using an app on his phone to control a drone. I had always called him weird for storing it in his trunk but it seemed extremely useful in this situation. It also had a camera built in, they would get confirmation soon enough.

After parking the car and walking to the hood, I sat the bags of food on my car hood as they encircled me. They began to bombard me with questions, Bea going first, "Do you think this happening everywhere? I tried calling my grandma but she hasn't responded, do you think she-"

Bea's question was cut off by Jon whistling, motioning them to come closer as he came down from the car . He began to show his phone to Gannon and Bea, both huddling around him to get a clear view. Jon began to swipe his finger over the video feed, rewinding it to an aerial view of The Archives, showing solar panels on the roof of the building.

"You have solar panels?" Gannon questioned.

"Yeah, my grandpa put them in a couple years ago before he passed away, I didn't really think much about them then." Bea answered,

Jon stated, "Now isn't the time to be in awe of solar panels, watch this." Our attention was drawn to the aerial video, it started moving in the direction of the driveway, a short second later it showed my car nearing the entrance. It followed the street I used to get here but as he got into the main part of town, there were people running frantically, bodies littered among the street, lying in pools of blood, their guts scattered across the street. There was motion in the corner of the screen as a police car raced forward, crashing into a light pole. Jon had zoomed in and it showed the police officer buckled up, trapped by the airbag and the crushed engine. It was a middle aged man, his neck bloodied and his white eyes looking around erratically, trying to pinpoint the noise of the car horn. I looked up to see the grim expressions of the others, all looking lost in thought at the gruesome scene unfolding before them. Jon's hands trembled as he paused the video. A wave of revulsion washed over Bea, causing her stomach to churn and bile to rise in her throat. With a strangled cry, she stumbled backward, doubling over as she emptied the contents of her stomach onto the ground.

"What do we do now? W- What about our families?" She questioned between breaths.

There was a minute of silence as we all tried to accept the horrific sights and unthinkable reality that had fell upon us. Jon and I exchanged saddened glances.

"What's happening, Mars? Do you think our parents are okay?" Jon's voice was urgent, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of danger.

"I don't know," I replied, my voice shaking with uncertainty. "There's something seriously wrong with those people out there. They're not acting like.. people. I'm sure our families are worried and are headed somewhere safe. They must've gotten the same message, but right now we need to focus on staying safe."

Bea stepped forward, wiping her mouth, "We need to get to the bunker." She stated, her voice taut with urgency. "We have no idea how long we have until those people outside discover us, not to mention a damn meteor shower is gonna hit in who fucken knows!"

It was strange to see her once perky and optimistic attitude change. She continued, "I never thought it'd have any use but my grandfather built a bunker under the library. He was quite paranoid and make all kinds of preparations for a disaster like this."

Jon spoke up, "He was prepared for people going crazy like they have rabies on steroids?"

Gannon nodded in agreement. "She isn't joking, I seen the entrance. I think we should gather anything we need from our cars and hurry inside." he proposed, maintaining a composed tone amidst the surrounding chaos.

"Are you serious? You just casually have a bunker here?" I asked in disbelief.

"Mars. We need to hurry. You can be amazed later." Her tone was serious and unwavering.

I nodded and we hurriedly raided our cars for our valuables. Without another word we hurried towards the library entrance. Bea led the way, her footsteps echoing on the gravel. As we reached the door, she pushed it open, and headed towards the basement. Bea swiftly led us down a flight of stairs to the basement, where she paused in front of a large rug near an old desk.

"Here it is," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "The entrance to a bunker I never thought would be used."

With trembling hands, Bea lifted the edge of the rug, revealing a flat hatch underneath. Without hesitation, she pulled it open, revealing a narrow hole with a ladder leading down into darkness. We all stared into the darkness, knowing it was our only hope to survive our impending dangers.

I remarked, "I can't believe you actually have a bunker."

"We need to hurry," she said, her voice urgent. "We can try to get ahold of police or anyone else we need after we're safe."

We exchanged brief glances at each other, all having witnessed unexpected disturbing events, worries weighing heavy on each of our minds. Just as Bea was about to take the first step, a deafening boom echoed through the sky, we went silent and were frozen with fear. Then another. Dozens of thunderous booms echoed in succession. I looked over to see the others, wearing horrified expressions on their faces.

It was here.