When the Clock Strikes Midnight

Chapter 2 - A New World

Five bodies lay unmoving on dust lathered ground, the steady thrum of synchronised breathing being the only disturbance to the air. One of the bodies shifted among the stillness.

"What-" he mumbled dazedly, pulling his legs in as he shifted into an upright position. He glanced around at his unconscious friends that lay sprawled out around him and tried his hardest to push down the building panic.

"Fuck- Tayah, hey! Wake up!"

He shook the unconscious girl beside him, and his heart stuttered painfully when she didn't respond. Dust like residue lay thick in the air, drastically reducing visibility and making it difficult to breathe. He pushed a stray strand of hair off her face before looking around at the rest of his friends. For a brief moment he feared they might never wake up.

"Jesus fucking christ-" mumbled Eammon, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Oh thank god- bruh I have never been so happy to hear your voice," Lachlan blurted out, cringing at the way his voice echoed.

"What the fuck happened..." the newly awakened boy asked, spine cracking violently as he sat up and stretched. Jagged pebbles and debris pinched at his skin as tangy air filled his lungs, and he shifted uncomfortably on the ground.

The world around them felt wrong, off, like they were looking at it through the reflection of a slightly distorted fun house mirror. It was darker, colder, lonelier. Complete and uninterrupted silence surrounded them as opposed to the shuddering gale of wind that howled through the night only minutes earlier. The air had never felt so still.

One of the girls stirred before opening her eyes, blinking dazedly a few times.

"Eammon..." she slurred.

"Right here. You okay?"

Mila didn't answer, instead coughing against the polluted air that forced its way down her throat. A seemingly incurable pounding throbbed against her skull like a pendulum bouncing against the walls of a clock, and her gut felt heavier than an anvil. She too felt the wrongness that befouled the atmosphere.
  An insufferable amount of questions flittered through her mind as she glanced around at her surroundings, and trilled ringing filled her ears in substitute of the silence. Every breath left a bitter aftertaste on her tongue. She closed her eyes as disconcerting nausea swirled around her stomach.

The spotlight shifted once again as the girl against Lachlan groaned quietly, inhaling deeply as she blinked a few times in comprehension. An uneasy feeling settled heavily in her chest as she halfheartedly pushed herself into a sitting position, however the comforting sensation of Lachlan placing an arm around her outweighed it.

"I don't... Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah I'm okay," he answered softly, "you?"

"Oh yeah we're fine too by the way," Eammon interjected, "you know- just in case you were wondering."

He was met with an unamused glare from Tayah as the vague rumble of thunder echoed in the distance, disturbing the otherwise utterly silent night. A reverberating shudder shook the trees as debris bounced through the air, sending clouds of dust directly into everyone's faces. Tayah had been about to retort before she was cut off by a suddenly alert Mila.

"Guys... Jess is gone."

"The fuck you mean she's gone?" Eammon retorted, glancing around in search of confirmation. Mila was right- she was nowhere to be seen.

An ominous echo bounced around the group as everyone scuffled to their feet with haste, brushing off dirt that had clung to their clothes and surveying the immediate area. Physically, nothing looked different. The house sat unchanged behind them, not even a crack in the bricks was out of place, and Mila's car sat unscathed in the port.

The only true distinguishable difference was the world itself. It was darker, colder, silent. Despite having the presence of each other, they all felt an unexplainable loneliness that sank their guts and left an ache in their chests. Everything felt so incredibly wrong. It was like going home and having had someone move everything inside three inches to the left.

"Where could she have gone?" Lachlan began, "And why would she leave us all just on the ground like that? What if something had happened?"

"I think something already did." Tayah responded. A solemn silence lingered between them.

"Don't start with that depressed crap. Let's just find Jess and figure out what the fuck is happening." Eammon interrupted, shattering the moment, "Also, I think I know a good place to start."

He gestured towards the house as if it was the most obvious thing- which, granted, it probably was- and displayed a self satisfied smile as he witnessed the light bulbs go off. The moment was short lived however as a sharp jolt of pain assaulted his arm, catching him off guard enough that his knees weakened briefly and a sharp exhale escaped his chest. Thunder shook the ground as flashes of white danced around his vision, and he was vaguely aware of a hand grasping his arm as incomprehensible voices prattled in the background.

"I'm fine," he choked out, standing straight in an effort to back his words, "get inside ."

The three of them exchanged dubious glances as they ensured their too tall friend didn't take a swan dive into the concrete, and Lachlan hesitantly let go of Eammon's arm. He immediately charged towards the front door- ignoring the way his head spun at the sudden movement- but was brought to a stand still when the wood wouldn't budge.

"Why is this locked?" He growled impatiently, "Who the fuck locked the door?"

"Calm down," Mila replied, "spare key, remember?"

All eyes watched on in anticipation as she lifted the ceramic figure, and an air of disappointment surrounded the group at the empty ground that greeted her. 

"Fuck."

"Spare key my fucking ass." he spat, "That's it. I'm breaking a window."

Mila stood up abruptly, "Don't you fucking dare! My dad will actually kill me."

The boy in question ignored his significantly shorter friend, instead bringing up a fist and slamming it into a window directly to the left of the door. Instead of the dramatic shattering that he had expected, not even a mark was left on the glass. It was like he had hit a concrete wall, and by god had it felt like it. He clenched his jaw against the staggering pain and looked back at his equally confused friends.

"Holy shit..." murmured Tayah, "Is that like, supposed to happen?"

"No," Eammon answered through gritted teeth, "No it is not. I'm gonna try a different window."

"Eammon please stop trying to break my house-"

Again, he ignored her, moving towards one of the windows on the right. An unnerving chill caressed the back of his neck, and a slight hesitation flickered across his face.

He threw his first forward, flinching as the glass shattered against the force and rained down onto the ground below. Heavy globs of blood oozed out of several cuts scattered around his hand, drops splattering rhythmically against the ground. He kicked in the blinds which clattered to the ground.

"Ladies first," Eammon snarked, gesturing to Lachlan.

"Wow, I'm literally shaking and crying right now," he responded mockingly.

Glass crunched under his shoes as he stepped through the window frame, and a slight breeze brushed against his skin. He turned back to the window, except it wasn't there. Instead he found himself staring at a blank wall in a room that felt far too familiar.