Irene breathed, blinked, and started laughing. Instructions began filing in over the radio, telling people to exit all vehicles and homes and head towards the nearest convenience store.

Irene complied, all the while giggling so hard that tears streamed down her cheeks. Some others were the mirror of Irene (Probably the bigger AlyenPlanet fans), but most seemed blank and afraid. legs shaking with the ground.

Irene stumbled to the back door of her car and retrieved her dog. The mutt sat still and wary, but melted into Irene's arms with little struggling when she picked him up. She clipped his leash on and made her way over to the sidewalk and towards the 7/11 in the distance.

"Irene! Hey, Irene!"

Irene spun around, scanning the growing crowd for the source of the voice. Her eyes landed on a short, dark skinned boy with thick glasses stumbling towards her, giant bag bouncing on his back.

She sighed, but stopped, waved, and smiled. Irene and Sebastian had been in the same Political Science class last semester, and since then she had avoided all of his advances of friendship over winter break. She payed for it on New Year's day when she found herself apologizing profusely when he showed up at her apartment to make sure she wasn't dead.  

He waded towards her through the growing crowd, grabbing onto her jacket like a needy child once he reached her. His eyes were wide, and Irene almost felt bad to have continued avoiding him in the spring semester.

"Hey, Sebastian..." she answered nervously, attempting to hold onto her dog's leash while dragging herself and Sebastian through the crowd.

"So..." he said, not making eye contact but not loosening his grip on her coat either. "...how's your life going?"

She sighed. Liberal Arts majors. Always so dramatic. It wasn't her fault Sebastian was an annoying idiot whose personality didn't click with hers at all. Right?

The crowd began to push at their backs, a horde of mindless doomsday commuters. As the trudged towards the distant gas station Sebastian stayed silent, but not out of Irene's sight, more afraid of getting lost than her own dog.

They stayed in awkward silence until Irene slammed open the 7/11's door, hitting Sebastian's elbow and pulling forth a meek "Ouch."

The aisles were packed. Families huddle close together, commuters sprinkled about like asteroids in a solar system. Everyone was staying surprisingly calm.

That had been the one complaint Irene had with AlyenPlanet: All the normal people were so patient and submissive, allowing Carmen to save all their butts with no complaint.

But this was the real world, and yet these people weren't complaining. Huh.

Not that Irene was complaining about their lack of complaints. Or whatever. All the easier to take what she needed and strike out on her own. Plus her dog. And probably Sebastian if she knew him at all.

These people were stupid. Lead by their love of AlyenPlanet and determination to follow the plot. Irene wasn't so easily fooled. She slipped between the sliding doors and began edging along the back wall.