My body flinched before I heard the familiar sound of the emergency alert system. My phone buzzing and vibrating echoed throughout the house, and I scrambled to turn it off, but I couldn’t seem to clear the notification or silence the alarm. I finally dismissed the notification only for it scare me about 15 seconds later when it went off again, this time the message playing out loud from my phone with a loud monotonous tone.
SERVICE DISRUPTION. AS PART OF THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM. THIS IS NOT A TEST. REPEAT. THIS IS NOT A TEST. SERVICE DISRUPTION SERVICE DISRUPTION SERVICE RESIDENTS ADVISED TO SHELTER IN PLACE. DO NOT OPEN YOUR DOORS IT IS VITAL THAT YOU DO NOT LET THEM IN EVEN IF THEY CLAIM TO BE SOMEONE YOU KNOW.
WE REPEAT DO NOT LET THEM IN DO NOT LET THEM IN DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT LET THEM IN LET THEM IN LET THEM IN LET IT IN LET IT IN LET IT I-
SERVICE DISRUPTION SERVICE DISRUPTION SERVICE DISRUPTION THIS NOT A TEST
I froze as the robotic voice ended and the blaring of the emergency alert continued. Finally, I came back to consciousness when the message started to repeat, but this time the voice sounded more frantic as I tried to mute it or dismiss the notification.
SERVICE DISPUTION THIS BROADCAST SERVICE DISRUPTION SERVICE DISRUPTION SHELTER IN PLACE
My head was beginning to hurt from clenching my jaw so tight and my eyes darting everywhere. The lights were flickering in the kitchen, but I attributed it to the storm outside, rain lighting pelting the windows and roof. I shifted as I looked down the hall to the front door, and the power shut off, cutting off my sight. Clutching the small flashlight I had in my pocket, I continued to watch the front door until my phone buzzed for the third time, the robotic voice coming back more frantic and disoriented.
IF THERE IS A KNOCK ON YOUR DOOR
I clicked every button I could on my phone to get the noise to stop, but even as the notification disappeared, the voice was still talking.
IT IS VITAL THAT YOU LET THEM IN
I froze. That wasn’t the same voice message that had played the first time. It was warning people not to let anyone in, no matter what.
SERVICE DISRUPTION SERVICE DISRUPTION
I shoved my phone under the pile of blankets next to me, the voice covered but the words and voice still pierced through the silence easily.
IT IS VITAL THAT YOU LET ME IN
“Let me in? Is there only one person or being out there?” At this point I didn’t want anything to do with my phone and I debated smashing it, but that was my only way of outside communication with my parents, who were with my aunt and uncle a town over. I had begged them to come back when we had first been receiving the emergency alerts, but they were dismissive, saying they were safer staying where they were with the storm coming. I took the phone out as it was still repeating the message and shoved it under the couch cushions and under the blankets, the voice almost muffled now.
SERVICE DISRUPTION SERVICE DISRUPTION
I shivered forcefully and clasped the tiny flashlight in my pocket, afraid to use it now thinking that it would give my position away if there were something out there. Surely the government and military would be prepared for something like this, right? Everyone always says in those monster movies that the military would never let something catastrophic happen, and with America’s “shoot first, ask later” mentality, I was never afraid of this happening in real life.
A soft knock came from the front door, and I sucked my breath in and felt paralyzed. I didn’t dare to move or use sudden movements in case whoever or whatever was out there could see in from the frosted glass. It couldn’t be my parents, could it? No, they would have a key and would have told me if they left. The knock came again, three times softly. I heard the robotic voice from my phone from just below me.
LET THEM IN LET THEM IN LET THEM IN
It was frantic again, pausing after every three times, just like the knocking. My muscles were hurting from wanting to shiver and not move at the same time, and I debated if it were safer to stay where I was in the living room or attempt to move to a less hidden part of the house. The knocking and the voice were clouding my judgement and I was panicking that if I didn’t choose quickly, something else would choose for me.
Centimeter by centimeter I slid down the couch, waiting about two minutes each time to slink closer to the floor. The voice from my phone was not reassuring as it had switch to a different message.
IT IS VITAL YOU LET THEM IN LET THEM IN LET THEM IN WE INTERRUPT
Finally, my knees had reached the floor and my back was arched against the couch. I wasn’t sure if I was out of view of the front door, but I slid to the floor with a thump. I laid my head down on the rug, and positioned myself to look as I were alive incase whatever was outside was looking in. My phone continued to speak from inside the couch and I could hear it more clearly with my ear to the ground.
SERVICE DISRUPTION SERVICE DISRUPTION SERVICE DISRUPTION
I finally took a breath and slowly turned my head toward the door to see a shadow in the glass and I jerked my head back to the floor, hoping it hadn’t seen my movement. My phone start speaking faster and faster
LET IT IN LET IT IN LET IN LET IT IN LET IT IN IT IS VITAL TO LET IT IN LET IT IS IMPERATIVE TO LET IT I-
Then it was quiet. I squeezed my eyes shut and held my breath for as long as I could. The rain was still slowly falling outside, and something flashed against my eyes in a bright pattern. I peeked open my right eyelid to see red, white and blue flashing, the familiar presence of police suddenly flooding across the living room. I didn’t move, still on the floor as a police officer’s presence did not comfort me. It could be news about my parents, moving to a shelter, or…what if it wasn’t even the police at all?
My phone being quiet did not help my anxiety as a loud knocking came through the door, along with a deep voice.
“Police, is anyone in there? We need everyone present to evacuate the city.” The knocking persisted along with the voice. Was it the police all along that was outside my door? Did they know that I was on the floor, or did they assume that someone was still here? I laid still, paralyzed by what to do as the knocking continued. My phone was being disturbingly quiet. “Police, open up!” The knocking became more forceful, and the doorknob rattled. Were police normally this aggressive when evacuating the city? The knocking was hard enough that I sure that the door would be broken down any minute, but then a scream let out, causing me to flinch and look up against my better judgement. There were dark outlines the glass door, but one was abnormally larger than a human’s shadow, and seem to be in line with the pounding.
“LET ME IN LET ME IN! PLEASE! THEY’RE COMING!” My eyes were glued to the front door as the hinges were being pushed to the limit with the force from outside, and the shadow completely covered any of the siren’s lights coming from outside. “You must let me inside, please! LET ME IN!” The voice outside was desperate, shrill and dry from the screaming as the pounding got faster.
Suddenly a horrible squelching noise replaced the knocking along with a thud. I still couldn’t see out the window until rain started to hit the glass and mix in with what was a liquid on the glass. I couldn’t let out a gasp as I realized it was thick mixing with the rainwater, completely covering the door but slowing melting away as it continued to rain. I stifled a sob as I realized I could have let in that police person and saved their life. But what was outside that he was screaming about?
Another knock came at the door. Soft this time, the red and white lights still flashing through the breaks of blood on the glass. The sound of the rain against the house softened as the knocking continued. The lights flickered back on but still seemed to be on the verge of fizzling out again.
My phone began to buzz again, the emergency alert sound coinciding with the knocking at the door.
SERVICE DISRUPTION. AS PART OF THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM. THIS IS NOT A TEST. CLASSIFIED HAS BEEN CONTAINED. WE INTERRUPT WE INTERRUPT WE INTERRUPT UNLOCK ALL DOORS. IF THERE IS A KNOCK AT YOUR DOOR IT IS VITAL THAT YOU LET THEM IN LET THEM IN LET THEM IN LET THEM IN LET THEM IN
