The Holiday

The Warning

Black. Black everywhere. I'm floating in a void of darkness.
"Run. Don't stop. Don't hide. Just run." a deep voice shouts from all around me.
Then I'm pulled up by an invisible force. I'm going so fast I get a rush like when you fall down the first lift of a roller coaster.
"She is all that matters to you!" The voice yells again.
"Who?" I shout back as I keep rising.
Then my body disintegrates into nothing.
I wake up to find my little sister shaking me, "Alex, wake up!"
"I'm up. I'm up." I mumble as I tear her off my arm.
I glance around the room. My sister is looking at me with the most excited face. I almost want to laugh. I look away to see the black computer desk surrounded with clutter. On top of that was a silver laptop that was still on. Crap. Mom is going to kill me. Mom has what you could call "the green thumb" and will save as much as she can.
Wait. Is it...
I get up out of my bed, leaving the comfort and warmth of my comforter, and take a look out of the window.
Everything is covered in white, and shimmering in the moonlight. There's snow everywhere. I mean everywhere. Even the water in the pool has snow on top of it!
The roomy yard is covered, even the two foot deep sinkholes near the back fence are filled up to where they are level with the rest of the lawn. It's almost beautiful.
I look up. Everybody knows its usually supposed to be cloudy when it snows, but it was a clear night. Only a few little clouds drifted by. The stars seemed to almost dance in the bluish black sky. I could see the gasses that intertwined around them, illuminated by starlight. "How could it have.. Ugk." There's a bang in my mind like a professional boxer just punched my brain.
Something's not right, I think to myself.
My vision blurs for a split second, "What's the time?" I mumble to myself.
The alarm clock is black with bright green numbers. It's twelve o'clock midnight. Christmas morning. Or the morning of The Holiday.
"Happy holiday little sister." I say to Ashley.
She smiles and replies, "Merry Christmas!"
Suddenly my mom hushed her up.
"Ash! Don't say that word. They changed it to The Holiday."
"Who did?" Ash questions.
Mom sits on my bed and replies, "The government. They did it in an effort to help in maintaining world peace."
Oh right.
The world finally was peaceful. All those starving kids you see in this commercials were getting fed. The "Peace in the Middle East" propaganda was finally a reality. Everything was finally at peace and the entire world works to keep it that way.
"Alex," mother calls, "come here and look at this."
"Mom," I protest, "it's literally the middle of the night. I just want to sleep."
"Come here now!"
Like a robot under command, I spring up and stagger into the living room.
I'm to tired for this, I think to myself, what could she possibly want?
I stagger into the living room. Moms dressed in a red a green night gown, and it has the white tufts that line the collar of it.
Over to my left. There's a beautiful tree. A "Holiday" tree. It has presents made of greens, yellows, basically the whole spectrum of colors with silver bows lounging around the base and is covered in ornaments from smooth red glass balls to golden ornaments.
"Look." Mom says, "What is is this?"
She points to a news story. The reporter looks frantic, like she just witnessed a murder.
"We are live here in Chicago and people are just hectic." She says in pure fear, "Chicago is being invaded by huge humanoid creatures. Please stay in your homes!"
I didn't believe her but then I looked into the background and I wanted to throw up. These things are killing humans left and right.
The sky is orange with the glow of flames. The city is the definition of devastation. Flaming houses crumble, the sky scrapers are like candles. They are burning. Then, then unimaginable happens. The Willis Tower collapses. It pancakes as an enormous cloud of dust expands and brightens with the explosion of the towers resources. "Mom, where's dad?" I ask.
"He's at work. He should be home in a half hour," she responds, "why?"
"Oh my god." I say, remembering that my dad works in the Willis tower, "no. I can't be."
"What is it!" She pleads.
"Dad is in the Willis Tower, and it just collapsed!" I whimper.
Ashley cries. Crap, I forgot she was sitting next to me.
"Its okay Ash." I try to comfort, "Come on, go back to bed."
I send her in and close the door.
I refuse to believe dad is gone. I cant even comprehend it.
I'm back at the news. She's pleading with the viewers.
"Don't let them find you! Don't le-"
I watched in agony as she was sliced in half and crushed by a giant figure. I wish I could've gotten a better look at it.
They must've gotten the camera man too because the view falls to the ground.
Click.
Mom turns the television off.
She's speechless. The couch squeaks as she gets up and walks away.
I just sit there. That couldn't have been real. Could it?