The Workmen

Prologue

Keira woke up to the sound of sirens and screaming. The kind of sounds that linger though the hosts may not. Her first thought once the haze of sleep cleared was of her sister Stele. Keira ignored the stinging chill the metallic floor of her father's office—which she had fallen asleep in yet again—sent through her toes as she took off for her sister's room. An explosion from a nearby building caused the hallway to shake violently. She fell into a mirror hanging beside her, and it crashed to the ground.

"Stele," Keira called out as she pushed off the wall and rushed to her sister's door.

Waves of panic shot through her body when Stele didn't answer. Nothing frightened her more than losing the only person she had left in the world.

Another explosion rattled the hallway, nearly flinging her headfirst into her sister's room. It took a few seconds for the young woman to gain her balance, but the sight that awaited her on the other side of the doorway almost knocked her to her knees.

Empty. The room was empty. Pictures slanted in awkward positions, pieces of plaster and glass sprinkled the floor, but Stele was nowhere. Keira screamed for her sister to answer her louder than she thought herself possible.

More screams and explosions mixed with the terrifying alarm that was bellowing its warning throughout the city. A new fear tightened its grip on her. What if Stele was out in that? Her heart was racing. She barely realized she was heading out the front door. Nothing else seemed to matter. Finding her sister was the most important thing.

The streets were packed with the distraught and injured. Bleeding, horrified, confused faces surrounded her. People pushed and shoved one another. Every so often the wind would get knocked out of her by some frantic passerby. Despite the throng of citizens and the overpowering orchestra of devastation, she yelled her sister's name as loud as she could. Hopefully she wouldn't be too far away for Stele to hear her.

That was when it happened. Every single source of light went out. Someone crashed into her right as darkness swept over the entire city.

Her first instinct was to get up and run, but something heavy was holding her down. The footsteps and voices of fearful people were coming from every direction, making her situation even more dangerous. Desperately wanting to get off the street, she flailed her arms and legs. It seemed the more she squirmed, the harder it became to get free. A man's voice barked at her not to move but to no avail. Keira fought with all her might.

A burst of light hurled through the sky, blinding many as it passed overhead. It zoomed over her and the young man she realized with profound indignation was keeping her from finding her sister.

In a seemingly perfect moment of distraction, she slipped free and bolted for the alleyway a few steps to her right. The man cried out for her to stop, but she would not obey. Even if it killed her, she would find Stele.

The last thing the desperate woman heard as she ran through the darkness was an Earth shattering boom and the sound of sirens, sirens that had come too late for her and her people.