If anyone had told Jasmine that she would have been able to doze off on a tree while most of the people she knew had disappeared, she wouldn't have thought it possible. Yet, that was what she did, exhausted by the day's events.
In her whole life, she had never done more running around, fighting, or even thinking, and it drained her of all energy, putting her into a deep slumber. It didn't even matter that her position was rather uncomfortable, hugging a tree. She could always fall asleep anywhere, and slumbering on the tree was proof of that.
Her dreams were as hectic as real life had become. There was a lot of running, losing one's way, and being faced with beings that varied from evil humans, ghouls, and aliens to her zombified family members.
The terror was roaming freely throughout her body as she didn't have her conscious mind present to reel it in. It felt like being stuck in a dark inky pool, unable to get out. She was being pulled deeper in every time she tried to get out.
"Daddy, what's that?" A small voice shrieked, suddenly cutting through the darkness of Jasmine's nightmares.
Her eyes popped open in fear, but she couldn't immediately see what had spooked the girl. It was clear from her tone that something did scare her, but Jasmine couldn't see anything in the dim light of dawn.
"It's nothing, just an airplane," Asher said, sounding unsure even to Jasmine's sleepy mind.
"Daddy! It's falling down! Will it fall down on us?" Ariyana shrieked, curling up to her father's side, eyes fixed on the object.
Only following the child's terrified gaze did Jasmine manage to see what she was looking at, and one thing was for sure, it was not a plane. Furthermore, it did seem to be falling down. However, after looking at it for a while, Jasmine realized it was more like a fast descent. The technology was more advanced than the one they were familiar with, which was why it looked like it was crashing.
"No, no, it's very far away. It just looks like it's nearby," Asher said soothingly, stroking the little girl's hair while his son held on firmly to his other hand.
"Yes, of course, it's probably just a game the pilot is playing, trying to prove how fast he can land the plane. I don't think it's falling down at all," Jasmine said her kindly.
"Really?" Ariyana asked, her huge blue eyes fixed on Jasmine so intently that she wasn't sure she could keep up the lie.
Instead of answering, she just nodded her head too enthusiastically, something that the children she read to always found funny. A small smile also appeared on the girl's face, but she still seemed hesitant.
Jasmine knew how she felt because Jasmine was alarmed as well. The thing descending didn't look like anything that she had ever seen. She even dared think that it looked quite a lot like a UFO. However, whatever was going on, they needed to stay calm.
Unsure whether she was doing it for the benefit of the children or to calm her nerves, Jasmine suddenly straightened up and started softly singing. It was just loud enough for those she shared her tree to hear but not loud enough to be discovered.
Without consciously choosing the song, Jasmine realized she was singing You Can Fly from Peter Pan. Finding it fitting enough looking at the flying object, she continued. The children seemed confused at first, but soon, they joined in. Even Isaac, who was far too serious for a child, did so.
Her song morphed from that one to another fun Disney song. Soon, the children had forgotten all about their fear and the strange object streaking across the sky. They continued with the songs, lost in the melody, not even noticing that Jasmine was no longer singing.
As for her, she shifted closer to Asher, worry increasing exponentially.
"What was that?" she whispered.
"I am not sure. Quite a few were descending in the last hour or so, but I can't figure out what those things are," Asher said, stroking his chin in thought. "They seem far more advanced than any flying objects I have seen and appear to be heading for the city."
"Could they be like a second wave or something?" Jasmine asked, remembering all the alien invasion books and movies she had seen involuntarily.
She was still not ready to admit that she thought it was the extraterrestrials. However, the scenario reminded her of those situations so much that she could no longer ignore them.
"What do you mean?" Asher asked like every person who lacked imagination would have.
"In all the invasions I've seen, there are always more waves than one to an invasion. The first wave is usually to get the easy pickings, so to say, the second one does a better job of clearing out all the humans. Finally, the third one is the complete annihilation of the human race," Jasmine said.
Asher looked at her for a long second before a smile engulfed his face. It was as if no matter how bad a situation was, he could see something worth a smile or a laugh.
"And you have seen many invasions, have you?" Asher asked teasingly, unable to control himself.
After all, as a rational, practical guy with two children, he couldn't afford to take this type of talk seriously. Movies were movies, but real life couldn't be anything like that, could it?
"I'll have you know that many things written in science fiction novels become real," Jasmine said, looking at him fiercely. "World's first successful open-water submarine was inspired by Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. The defibrillator was inspired by the idea from Mary Shelly's Frankenstein that you can use electric current to restart the body or heart in this case. Who can say that it's not possible for some of their ideas about the future, aliens, or something similar to be true?"
During her impassioned speech, Asher looked at her as if she was a rare specimen, he had seen for the first time in his life. Even when she blushed from head to toe, he didn't stop staring at her in wonder.
"What?" Jasmine asked when the silence that stretched between them became unbearable.
"Nothing, I am just impressed by how passionate you feel about the subject," Asher said, a mysterious smile making another sudden appearance. "I am sorry if it sounded like I was mocking you. Humor is my way of dealing with stress. But I do agree with you that an invasion is a possibility."
Jasmine stared at him in shock. She wasn't even sure that she agreed with herself. Her mouth just ran wild because it was one of her favorite topics for debate. Yet, here he was, agreeing with her that there was a possibility that her crazy assumption was correct. It was quite a strange feeling to have someone agree with you and not tell you that you are naive or idealistic.
What she also liked was that Asher had apologized and explained himself when she thought that all he wanted to do was provoke her for some unknown reason. She was always bad at following or understanding social cues or behaviors, especially with strangers. So, knowing point-blank what to expect helped her a lot to adjust to the situation.
"It's fine. I deal with stress by singing," Jasmine said, feeling like she should reciprocate because Asher chose to share something about himself that he didn't have to.
"I can see that," Asher said, smiling at his children, who were still singing their favorite songs in a low voice. "Thank you for this. I wasn't sure how to calm them down."
"Sure," Jasmine said, feeling uncomfortable as people rarely thanked her for anything.
"Jasmine, what are we going to do now?" Isaac asked, having shifted to her side while the other two children were still lost in their own world.
Isaac was an old soul they couldn't trick into singing along for too long.
"I think that we should move even farther away from the city, find some safe place before we do anything," Asher said, looking at his children with worry.
"I might know a place," Jasmine said. "What do you think? Should we find a safe place first?"
The question was directed at Isaac, and by how his eyes brightened up, it was clear that he appreciated being included in the adult's conversation.
Soon, they were off to a place that Jasmine thought was safe enough.
Hope blossoming.
Fear raising and falling.