smirkingatyou

We're just students, but we had heard the stories. Some of the older people had seen it happen. They would speak of it in whispers, as if the whispers could stop it from happening again. Someone heard.

I don't know how it happened. I didn't see it, myself, only the results. Perhaps it's for the best. We are trained to handle the event, not question the cause. Speculation leads to loss of focus. Loss of focus leads to disaster. However, we had to know. We're only human. After the first wave, we began to put the stories together. The training teaches us to filter information, separating the implausible from the plausible. The following is the best explanation we could find.

Somewhere nearby, there is a cave with a rock blocking the entrance. The rock is there for a reason; it protects us. Someone moved the rock. The noise came first. Like the sound of bagpipes in a whirlwind, it cut the air. In the deafening roar, the ground began to shake. They were coming. Heralded by the din of quivering earth and twisted air, a legion of pregnant women rampaged into the world. Brandishing over-night bags and bits of paper advertising missed prenatal check-ups, they descended on the hospital.

We didn't pray for victory, only survival. Broken and confused, we took everyone that came. Gradually, we made headway. The day ended in a stalemate, but we were not beaten. Toughened by struggle, we held our heads high, never publically acknowledging that tomorrow, there would be more.