Decoding Earth

Chapter two

"Have you heard about the light?" Luna asks as we walk home from school.

"Yes and it's fake. Stop talking about it" I lied. I saw it myself so I know it's not fake, I just don't want to reinforce these thoughts in her head.

"Your sure about that?" She asks, looking up at me.

"I'm sure" I don't make eye contact. I hate lying to her like this, we never lie to each other. Since she's younger than me, she normally believes me.

I turn the key in the door and use the side of my arm to push it open.

'Hi, how are you both today?" My father says, walking towards the door.

"Were okay dad" I say, putting my bag down "I take it you've heard the news"

He laughs a little "yes, its all anyones talking about. and no I don't believe it" He answers my question before I can even ask it.

"I have to go check on mum but I'll be back in time for dinner" I say, opening the front door. As I'm walking, I immediately hear a low, repetitive rumbling vibration. My initial thought is that its music from one of the houses, but it hurts. My ear throbs every time the noise repeats, I'm nauseous, dizzy. I feel myself going in and out of consciousness. It's louder now, more intense and I find myself on the floor, gritting my teeth with my eyes shut. My nails are digging into the concrete, almost like I'm holding on. All of a sudden it stops. I look around quickly, trying to process where I am. I'm incredibly nauseous, knowing this, I force myself to get onto my feet so I can get somewhere safe. I manage three steps before I keel over and vomit onto the pavement. I sit back against a metal railing, the world is spinning around me so I try to focus on a single point. Slowly I drift back into consciousness. Am I getting sick? Or is this something everyone just experienced. Regardless, I step up to my feet and continue to walk to my mothers house, I need to get there quickly, she'll need help.

I fumble around for my keys and struggle to open the door. I can hear her crying helplessly from upstairs. I run as fast as I can, blocking out any discomfort I am in. I run into the bathroom and pull to a sudden jolt as I see her sat with her back against the wall crying so much she's almost wailing. 

"Stella!" She attempts to shout but it comes out as a squeak

"Mum what's happened?" I ask as more of a rhetorical question as I already know the answer.

"I'm dying, I'm hearing things and I'm dizzy" She says in a croaking voice, I imagine its from how much she's been screaming and crying. I know she's not dying. She's always had delusional thoughts ever since she was diagnosed. I also know because I just experienced the same thing.

"No, mum listen please" I say holding her upright with my arm. "The exact same thing just happened to me, your not ill, I promise"

"What? What just happened to you?" She asks sounding more alert.

"I mean hearing that low rumbling noise and almost passing out" I say "theres not something wrong with you I promise. I can imagine every person around us just experienced the same thing" I say in a reassuring way but it only reminds me of Luna and Dad.

"B-but why? What was the noise?" She looks worried as she asks this. To be truly honest, I have no idea, but I can't let her know this.

"I heard It was a minor earthquake a few miles away from us, the vibrations shook the ground and made some people feel nauseous" I lie, I'm proud I came up with that on the spot but I also hate the fact I'm lying to her. I realise one thing though, she obviously hasn't heard the news yet, otherwise that would be the first conclusion she would have jumped to. This is good, that she doesn't know. It needs to stay that way. 

...

"Dad do you need any help making that?" I say, watching the bacon sizzle.

"No I'm okay, go and see Luna" He glances over at her, she's wrapped in a blanket in front of the television. I walk over to her and put my arm around her shoulder.

"You okay?" I say.

"I'm still not feeling right" She croaked. I wrap her more up in her blanket and kiss her on the head. I pull my phone out from my pocket and check the news. All the articles say the same thing; there was a vibrational frequency that caused illness amongst most people, but similar to the light, no audio file picked it up. I don't know what to think anymore, surely aliens aren't real, someone would have to prove that to me.