It was cold out.

Especially up here on the roof of the petrol station, and the sight before her did not help. Tara hugged her hands around her chest and clenched her muscles. It did nothing about the chill she was feeling, only serving to rip the seam along the elbows of her top. Her scowl at the sight did warm her blood a little, but that lasted only a second before her attention fell down on the road again.

The tarmac was buried beneath a sea of people, cars and possessions. It was a mess, a traffic jam all moving in one direction. Out. Away. Running.

I get home, and in less than twenty-four hours everything goes to shit.

Whatever happened at the docks earlier had paled in relation to what happened to the sky above. Everyone had seen the night sky. Everyone had seen the monster that lurked there. To say that people had not taken in well was an understatement. Kinmore was so... loud now. Occasional screams of terror still rang out. A steady hum of whimpering had yet to cease.

Worryingly, the people packed on the road below were some of the more organised and composed. The less said about the crowd down at the church the better.

Still, the procession out of the town irked her. She’d risked her life to bring a similar convoy home days before. Now these people fled out of fear, like the sky wouldn’t open up somewhere down the road or in the city. Madness.

She shivered.

It wasn’t the weather or the temperature that made her bones feel cold. Neither of those really affected her these days. The monster had been...

But she wouldn’t run. Whatever that was, running wouldn’t help. It would need to be fought, and Tara was a fighter.

With a frustrated scoff, she turned and hopped off the roof. Mum and Dad had probably tired themselves out with their fussing by now. It would be safe to return home.

—

“Is it true?”

Collin rubbed his brow tiredly. It was a gesture he normally had to hold back, but in this small office with just himself and Teddy there was little point in doing so. Two men holding this city together by grasping fraying threads. In here was the only place they could act truthfully. His soldiers looked to him for guidance, and the people looked to both of them.

“Who knows. The runaways all seem to think so, and–” he slapped the letter on the desk “–the ‘official’ communication matches that, though it is hastily put together, and their council seems unsure of themselves. Not too odd of an action if there is some basis.”

“Still.” Teddy let his head loll back until the councilman was staring blankly at the ceiling. “Giant space monsters? I mean, none of this has been exactly normal, but... really?”

“What reason could they have? All other communication has been sensible.”

Teddy made a pained noise. “Mass hysteria? Drugs in the water supply? A mirage?”

They fell into silence. Collin adjusted his uniform as they considered.

“I think we are in a world where the unbelievable is becoming the norm,” He said eventually. It would be too fortunate for the answer to this problem to be simple. There was also a certain... relief in having their adversity revealed. Giant space alien or not, If they could see it, they could fight it.

“Of course it is.” Teddy groaned. “Brian’s heart is going to give out for this one, I know it.” He sat back up. “We need to hold that election, before we are forced to.”

Collin rubbed his brow again. It wasn’t the first time they’d held this conversation. “You know the difficulties with that. The killer is still out there.”

Teddy’s face darkened. The politician rarely let his features seem so cold. “Any update on that?”

“The teams believe they are closing in. The Kinmore team’s experience seems to have helped.”

“Good. Good. That is a horror I will be glad to close the door on and bury,” Teddy said, glowering at the wall.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Then his features eased back into tiredness. “The usual then? Dampen the rumours, welcome the new people, platitudes and reassurances?”

Collin nodded.

Teddy gave him a commiserating smile. “I guess we better get to it then.”

—

The meeting went on for far too long, to the point where they weren’t talking about Kinmore. Everyone was reluctant to go back out there, to answer all the questions as best they could, to leave the reassurance of each other’s company.

When the door finally closed on the last of them, Aisling buried her head on her desk. It had been... a day to remember in the worst way.

“Phew. I thought they’d never leave.”

Aisling closed her eyes and counted to ten. “And why didn’t you leave with them Rosa? This is my office as far as I remember.”

The perky blond had feigned sleep towards the end of the meeting, a childish gesture that Aisling despised especially for its effectiveness, but also for how the recreational centre’s owner’s people had not batted an eyelid. She would never have gotten away with that kind of behaviour with her council.

“And go out to face that?” Rosa asked, whipping her hand around if the swatting sound was any indication. “I think I’ll slip out in a minute or two when the initial fervour dies down.”

Aisling just groaned, wishing she could do the same. She luxuriated in the cold wood of her desk and the pressure against her skull for a second before pushing herself up. Christ, for all that she needed less sleep these days, there was always enough to make her feel tired.

“What do we do? I mean, what the actual fuck was that? What do we even do about this?” The question was blurted out involuntarily. It wasn’t like her counterpart in Kinmore had any answers or information she didn’t have herself.

“We keep going. Living as best we can. Helping each other.” Rosa answered. It was an oddly serious answer from the often juvenile woman, spoken in the same tone of voice. “It’s all we can do.”

Aisling met her eyes and for a moment they just watched each other.

Then the moment passed.

“Well, I guess I need to get up then.” Aisling stood, moving towards where her armour rested against the wall.

Rosa perked up. “Good. I’ll go out the back.”

Aisling couldn’t fight back the scowl that appeared on her face. Rosa was back to normal already it seemed.

Rosa opened the door to leave, but before passing through it, she tapped Aisling on the shoulder. “I’ve a bottle or two of wine and rum stashed away. Find me if you need a break.”

Then she was gone and Aisling was left to face the crowds alone.

“God I hate her.”

—

Louise’s apartment was on the north-west side of town, and Heinz knew the way well at this point. When he arrived it was a surprise to find the door ajar and stacks of boxes and bags on the street outside.

He carefully navigated through the piles up to the door and knocked. “Hello? Louise?”

Had she been robbed while they were gone?

A muffled shout came from inside the house. “Come in.”

Cautiously he did just that, stepping around more random possessions clustered about. He’d only gotten a few steps into the house when a grunt from the kitchen made him turn.

Shane gave him a look before returning his attention to the mug in his hand. The burly fisherman didn’t care to explain anything else, but it at least reassured Heinz that Louise wasn’t being robbed.

“In here Heinz.”

Once more he followed the voice further in. It wasn’t a large apartment, and Louise was in the room two doors down from the kitchen. She was surrounded by an even more unorderly mess of clothes and equipment.

“Everything alright?” He asked gingerly. The entire town had turned a little crazy after the events at the docks. Was this just another sign of that?

“Mmhmm,” Louise hummed, a sense of energy and life about her that was concerning. “Just packing. What can I help you with?”

“Packing?”

She slowed, placing some kind of jacket down and turned to regard him. “Yes.”

The knowledge of for what hung between them for a moment. It was time, wasn’t it? It also explained Shane’s presence in the kitchen. They’d made a bargain. Louise brought his family home, and he would help her do the same.

“When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow.” Louise regarded him closely, but she asked no questions and said no more.

Heinz shifted, feeling the bones in his shoulders as he settled himself. “To Dublin?”

She nodded.

“You have room for one more?”

Louise stilled, going unearthly still. “Do you know what you’re doing?”

Heinz gritted his teeth and nodded.

She didn’t wait a second. “Then yes. Yes I do. We leave first thing. A list of equipment I think we’ll need is on the table.”

They watched each other, her searching him for a weakness, and him wondering if he was making a mistake following her.

Heinz nodded and turned to leave.

“Why?” It was quiet, as if she was afraid to ask.

He turned back. “The sky, what else? I... I don’t know what that was. I’m- I don’t know what to do. How can I... can we...” He gulped and took a breath. “All I know is that whatever that was, it’s our problem. All of us, and staying in Kinmore isn’t going to help.”

Louise gave a short jerky nod and he left.

In the kitchen Shane glowered at him for a moment before nodding and passing him a sheet of paper. There was planning to do.