"Tridit... tridit... tridit..." the alarm clock echoed through the bedroom.
"Click." A hand reached out and pressed the button to shut it off. A young man sat up, put on his glasses, and grabbed the clock.
"Ugh... morning already... what time is it... crap, I'm late."
The guy quickly set the clock down and jumped out of bed. He threw on his uniform, rushed out of the room, and headed straight for the bathroom to splash some water on his face and brush his teeth. Then, he sprinted downstairs.
"Hey, Ralph! Eat something first!" a middle-aged woman called out.
"No time, Mom! I gotta go!" Ralph shouted back.
He grabbed his bag, shoved his feet into his shoes, and bolted out of the apartment. Outside, he saw a girl waiting by the gate, checking her watch. When she saw him, she stormed over.
"You're slow. Let's move," the girl said with a pout.
"Sorry, sorry, Monica," Ralph replied.
"Ugh, you always do this. Come on!" Monica grabbed Ralph's hand and pulled him along.
The two of them sprinted toward school. Monica kept a firm grip on Ralph's hand as he struggled to keep up. Since the school was close to their home, they managed to make it inside the gates just in time.
"Huff... huff... we made it," Ralph wheezed.
"Huff... huff... you're pathetic. I shouldn't be late; this is all your fault," Monica snapped.
"Yeah... huff... my bad," Ralph panted.
"Whatever. Let's go." Monica pulled him inside again.
They headed into the building to swap their shoes and walked toward their respective classes. Ralph was in Class 2-1, while Monica was in 2-2. They shared a quick wave before heading inside. Once Ralph entered his classroom:
"Yo, Ralph. Late today, huh?" greeted a buff student sitting in front of Ralph's desk.
"Hey, Tyler. Yeah, I overslept. Stayed up late watching a movie, haha," Ralph replied as he took his seat.
"Oh yeah? What was it? Horror? With Monica?" Tyler asked, curious.
"Um... yeah, a horror flick. About a zombie apocalypse, haha. Monica only made it halfway through before she went home," Ralph answered.
"Man, must be nice having a childhood friend... always together," Tyler sighed.
"It's not that big a deal. Honestly, sometimes it's annoying; she's always clinging to me," Ralph joked.
The bell rang, and students settled into their seats. The teacher arrived, took attendance, and started the lesson. Ralph glanced out the window—he happened to sit right next to it. He spotted Monica on the field in her gym clothes for PE. When she noticed him watching, she gave a cheerful wave. Ralph waved back, then watched as two of her friends called her over to the middle of the field.
Fighting off sleep, Ralph tried to follow the teacher's lecture. Noticing his nodding head, the teacher shot him a sharp look.
"Ralph! Read page 36!" the teacher barked from the front.
"Right!" Ralph jumped.
He flipped his book to page 36 and stood up, reading with a slight stutter since he was still half-asleep. The teacher smiled and shook his head, appreciating Ralph's effort despite the drowsiness.
"That's enough. Try not to sleep in class again. If you want to sleep that badly, bring a mattress tomorrow and do it right," the teacher teased.
"Uh... sorry, sir," Ralph muttered, looking down in embarrassment as his classmates laughed.
Tyler turned around, laughing, and patted Ralph on the shoulder. When the lesson finally ended, it was lunchtime.
"Hey Ralph, let's hit the cafeteria. Let's eat there today," Tyler suggested.
"Wait a sec, Monica usually comes by around now," Ralph said.
"Ugh, so annoying. Always acting like a couple. Think about us single guys for once," Tyler groaned.
"Well, it's your own fault you're single... right, Ralph?" a girl said, standing next to Tyler.
Tyler and Ralph looked up. The girl standing there was strikingly attractive with a tan, wavy blonde hair, and a sharp face.
"Geh... Katie... get lost," Tyler grumbled.
"Hey, you just told Ralph you were jealous because you wanted a childhood friend... well, what do you think is standing right next to you?" Katie asked, resting her elbow on Tyler's broad shoulder.
"You're different. You don't count as that kind of childhood friend," Tyler shot back.
Ralph laughed at their bickering. A moment later, Monica arrived. Since Tyler was pushing for the cafeteria, the four of them headed down together. When they arrived, the place was packed with students crowding around the counter to buy bread.
"Ooh, I want some too!" Katie said, diving into the crowd.
"Wait—I forgot my wallet. Stay here, I'll be right back!" Tyler yelled as he sprinted back to class.
With their friends busy, Ralph and Monica sat down with their lunchboxes.
"Here's your lunch," Monica said, handing a lunchbox to Ralph.
"Thanks, Monica," Ralph said, taking it.
"Clang!" The sound of shattering glass echoed nearby. Ralph turned and saw a girl had dropped a glass after being bumped by another student. The boy immediately bowed and apologized, helping her pick up the shards. Suddenly, the boy cried out. In his rush to help, he had sliced his hand on the glass. Ralph watched the whole thing play out but didn't think much of it and opened his lunchbox.
"Whoa... cheeseburger, sausage, and fries today," Ralph said.
"Hehe, your favorites, right?" Monica replied.
"Thanks, Monica," Ralph said.
"Please, I do this all the time. Just eat up before class starts," she said.
"Blaar!" A massive crack of thunder echoed outside. A light drizzle began to fall, quickly turning into a downpour. Black clouds swallowed the sun, plunging the world into darkness.
"Wait, why is it raining? The forecast said clear skies... I didn't bring an umbrella," Monica sighed.
"Me neither. Hopefully, it doesn't last long."
Soon, Tyler and Katie returned and joined them, the four of them chatting happily. Suddenly:
"Hey, look! What is that?!" a student screamed.
Ralph, Monica, Tyler, and Katie stood up and rushed to the window along with everyone else. They saw black clouds swirling in the sky, forming a massive circle. The sky split open like a gateway in the center of the vortex. Lightning arched wildly, and a violent wind began to howl.
"What's happening?" Ralph asked.
"It looks like the end of the world," Monica whispered.
"Please don't say stuff like that," Tyler muttered.
"Hey, look! Something's coming through!" Katie shouted.
A colossal sphere made of polished black metal emerged from the center of the portal. Lightning struck the metal orb repeatedly, creating a terrifying spectacle. The students watched in awe and wonder; none of them had ever seen anything like it. Many pulled out their smartphones to record the event. The rain grew heavier, the thunder louder. Arcs of electricity danced across the black orb. Several helicopters flew toward the sphere but kept their distance, wary of the lightning strikes. They were mostly news crews, hovering and observing from a safe range.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Tyler said.
"I thought it was just me," Ralph added.
"What even is that thing?" Katie asked.
"No idea," Monica replied.
More helicopters arrived. TV screens in the background showed live news coverage of the giant metal sphere entering through some kind of portal in the sky.
"Look, it's opening!" a student shouted excitedly.
The giant sphere shifted. A tentacle-like limb emerged, reaching toward a nearby helicopter. At the tip of the tentacle was a globe containing what looked like a camera lens. A military helicopter hovered directly in front of the unmoving tentacle. Suddenly, a beam of laser light shot from the tip—"Blaaar!"—and the helicopter vanished in a massive explosion.
Ralph, Monica, Tyler, and Katie gasped in horror. Suddenly, countless hatches opened on the sides of the giant black orb.
Billions of cables, small and large, emerged like swarming tentacles and spread in every direction. Every helicopter near the sphere was blown apart. Some were assimilated, turning into living machines with red, camera-like eyes. The passengers were dragged out, snatched by tentacles, and assimilated into half-human, half-machine horrors. The overwhelming number of cables spread across the city, snatching people and turning them into terrifying cyborgs. Ralph and his friends backed away from the window.
The cables reached the school, crashing through the windows and grabbing students. Scream after scream filled the air. Ralph and the others bolted out of the cafeteria, dodging the cables that were already snaking through the halls. In front of them, a male student trying to escape was caught by a cable that pierced his waist. His body began to convulse violently. His eyes bulged and popped out, his mouth foamed, and his skin began to melt away. Metal fibers erupted from inside him, replacing his flesh. The eyes that had popped out were replaced by red camera lenses. Once the process was finished, the cable let him go.
The student, now a half-machine horror, turned and looked directly at Ralph and the others.
"Graaaah!"
Like a zombie, the student lunged at them. Ralph and the others managed to dodge, but a girl behind them wasn't so lucky. She was caught and immediately torn apart by the transformed student.
"We have to run! Fast!" Ralph shouted, grabbing Monica's arm.
They kept running. Ralph looked around; the students who had been caught earlier were beginning to rise, reborn as nightmare machines.