Alert!

POV: Darren

Darren sat alone at the small dining table in his apartment, his leg bouncing anxiously. Aiden and Ava were in their room, oblivious to the gnawing tension that had been brewing all day. He couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was coming.

The sky outside had a strange hue, a mix of deep purple and gray, though the forecast hadn't called for anything unusual. He hadn't heard from Kaycee in a few hours, which was odd, but he figured she was busy. Still, his gut told him that whatever was going on, it was far bigger than anything they'd encountered before.

A familiar, soft chime suddenly rang in his mind—EDS.

"Darren," EDS's voice spoke, clear and urgent.

Darren straightened, his pulse quickening. "What is it? What's happening?"

"Something unprecedented. A great disaster is approaching. I sensed a disturbance last night, but I did not realize it was going to be something of this magnitude. Hiraeth, a continent from a world far from here, is going to enter Earth's atmosphere through the Rift. Its arrival will unleash devastation across the planet."

Darren blinked, trying to process what he was hearing. 

"Its arrival will disrupt the Earth's natural balance. Catastrophic tidal waves, massive earthquakes, and powerful storms will follow. Coastal cities will be hit first. Millions of lives are at immediate risk."

Darren's stomach dropped. He stood abruptly, knocking his chair back. "How much time do we have?"

"Hours at best," EDS said, his voice tight with the urgency of the situation. 

"Jesus save us," Darren muttered under his breath, his mind racing. "We need to warn people! The coastal cities need to evacuate now!"

"I am already preparing a global broadcast," EDS replied. "Every device connected to a network will receive the warning within moments. But understand, not everyone will heed the message. Some will panic, and some will be too late."

"Send it," Darren said, his voice firm, trying to focus despite the rising panic in his chest. "Send it to every device in the world."

"Done," EDS replied. "The warning is being sent now. Emergency systems are being overridden, and global networks are transmitting the message."

Darren's phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket. A bright red warning flashed across the screen, and his heart sank.

**EARTH DEFENSE SYSTEM ALERT!!! URGENT: EVACUATE COASTAL CITIES IMMEDIATELY. CATACLYSMIC WAVES AND NATURAL DISASTERS IMMINENT. FLEE TO HIGHER GROUND. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.**

He stared at the message for a moment, knowing that the world was already changing. The waves were coming. Millions of people had only hours—if that.

He looked out the window. The Ozarks, high and inland, were safe. For now. But out there, in places like Los Angeles, Miami, Tokyo—entire cities would be swallowed by the ocean. People's lives were already on the line, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Darren ran a hand through his hair, adrenaline coursing through him. "We're safe, but...God, the rest of the world…"

Darren clenched his fists, frustration bubbling up. "How many people do you think will make it?"

"I cannot predict that," EDS said softly. "But every moment counts now."

Aiden and Ava's laughter drifted from their room, unaware of the global catastrophe about to unfold. Darren swallowed hard. They were safe for the moment, but he couldn't shake the guilt creeping in. The world was about to suffer beyond imagining, and he was one of the few who knew.

"We'll be ready for the aftermath," Darren said quietly. "We have to be."

He prayed it would be enough.

"EDS, what exactly is Hiraeth? How can an entire continent come through the Rift?" Darren asked aloud.

"I do not believe this has ever happened before, but from what I'm picking up, they have a great many people with powerful abilities assisting in the effort," EDS replied.

"But why would they even do that? Don't they know the damage they're going to cause?"

"It is a move of desperation," EDS said. "I don't have all the details, but it seems the people of Hiraeth are fleeing from the Nightmares."

Images of the monsters he'd fought downtown, of Kaycee lying unconscious on the street, flashed through his mind. "The Nightmares? Those bastards again?" Fury seeped from Darren's pores as his thoughts spun out of control. 

"They are a major threat, and to more than just Earth," EDS said calmly.

Darren opened his contacts list on his phone and called Kaycee. The phone rang twice before she picked up.

"Darren. What's going on? Did you get that alert from EDS too?" Kaycee's voice came through the line, edged with anxiety.

"Yeah, I did. A freaking continent is going to enter our atmosphere in a few horus! This is going to be bad, Kaycee, really bad," Darren replied.

Another pause. Then Kaycee's voice, a little sharper now. "What do you want to do?"

"I need you to come over," Darren said, pacing the small living room of his apartment. He glanced at the open door leading to the twins' room. They were chatting and watching some TV, blissfully unaware of the chaos about to envelop the world. 

"On my way."

The call ended, and Darren stood in the sudden silence of his apartment. He felt the weight of it, pressing in on him from all sides. Something about this felt different than the breaches they'd faced before. It felt... bigger. More dangerous.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Darren opened it to find Kaycee standing on the other side, her face set with quiet determination.

She stepped inside, glancing at the TV as she dropped her bag on the floor. 

They stood in silence for a moment, the enormity of what was about to happen sinking in. At the same time, they stepped into each other's arms, both seeking to comfort the other. Darren finally broke the quiet. "I just had to see you, to know you were safe. We need to be ready for whatever comes next. If this is connected to the breaches, then we've got to assume it's going to get worse."

Kaycee looked at him, her eyes hardening. "What do we do?"

Darren took a deep breath, pushing aside the creeping dread. "First, we wait. We keep an eye on the news, see if anything starts happening closer to us. But if things start going south here too, we'll have to be ready to protect Aiden and Ava."

"They don't know yet, do they?"

Darren shook his head. "I wanted to wait until it was necessary. But if things keep escalating, I won't have a choice."

Kaycee nodded, her jaw set. "We'll keep them safe, Darren. No matter what happens."

He gave her a small, grateful smile. He knew Kaycee meant it. She always had his back, and he had hers. But this—this felt like a battle they weren't ready for.

They spent the next few hours watching the news, keeping tabs on the panic spreading across the planet and the chaotic evacuation efforts. Eventually, the TV blared louder than before. The screen cut to a live shot of New York City—what was left of it. The camera zoomed in on the Statue of Liberty, barely visible in the distance, half-submerged in water.

"We're getting reports that the water levels are rising," the reporter's voice trembled, barely keeping it together. "It's... it's like nothing we've ever seen before. Entire neighborhoods have been swept away. The city is unrecognizable."

Darren stared at the screen, his heart pounding. "Kaycee," he said quietly, "this is only the beginning."