The Migration - Volume II

Emily Hendricks gazed anxiously through her apartment window at the growing swarm below. It was the middle of the night, but no one was sleeping with the unrelenting noise outside. Her neighborhood had already evacuated days ago, but Emily had stubbornly refused to leave her home. Now she was starting to regret that choice.

It had all started about two weeks ago with small flocks of birds congregating on rooftops and trees. Residents complained about the constant chirping and mess. Pest control was called in but could find no humane way to disperse the ever-multiplying gatherings.

Soon there were hundreds, then thousands of birds crowding every ledge and power line. That's when the government scientists arrived to investigate the bizarre phenomenon. 

Their stern warning was broadcast on every channel – get out immediately. But foolishly, Emily had stayed.

Now the sky itself was darkened by an endless stream of wings fluttering northward over the city. It was like a scene from a horror movie. The eerie migration just kept growing in size and intensity.

Emily wished she had left when she'd had the chance. But it was too late now with the swarm surrounding her building. She would just have to wait it out and hope the birds eventually moved on.

Emily tried distracting herself by watching TV but even the 24-hour news channels had stopped broadcasting now. The power had become intermittent as the mass of birds disrupted lines and choked substations. She stared miserably at the documentary on seabird mating habits that had been repeating in a loop for hours.

"Residents are advised to stay indoors until the migratory event passes," droned the narrator for the hundredth time. "Close all doors, windows and vents to prevent entry. Avoid direct contact with birds at all costs." Like I need reminding, thought Emily grimly.

Around 4am, the power went out completely. Emily rummaged through her closets for candles and matches by the dim moonlight coming through the windows. The air was becoming foul and oxygen-depleted in her tightly sealed apartment, but she didn't dare open a window for fresh air. Better to suffocate than risk letting those creatures in.

Emily jumped at a sudden loud thump against the glass. She peered out to see several plump seabirds colliding into her windows, their vacant eyes glowing yellow in the darkness. Their slimy bodies slid down the glass leaving trails of guano.

More thumps followed as the frenzied flock battered the windows trying to get inside. Cracks appeared in the glass. Terrified, Emily dragged over her sofa and armchair, piling them against the windows for protection. It wouldn't hold for long.

As morning approached, Emily’s candles burned low, and she struggled to stay awake. Lack of oxygen was making her lethargic. She glanced at the photo of her husband she kept by her bed. "Oh Mark,” she sighed, “You tried to make me leave too." A tear rolled down her cheek at the thought that she might never see him again.

Just then, a tremendous shattering of glass jolted her senses. She spun around to see birds pouring into her living room through the broken windows. They flapped chaotically, smashing into walls and furniture. The shrieking, flailing swarm quickly filled every room.

Emily stumbled to the front door, gasping for breath. She flung it open, but the hallway was already impassable, churning with feathered bodies. There was no escape.

The frenzied flock buffeted Emily from all sides as she collapsed to the floor. Jagged talons slashed her skin as they fought to get through. Sharp beaks jabbed viciously at her eyes. Emily wailed in pain and terror, drawing her last precious breaths. She lost consciousness as the writhing mass overwhelmed her.

Only a few short days later, the migratory swarm had passed on as mysteriously as it arrived. When rescue crews finally reached Emily's apartment, they were shocked to find her body buried under mounds of bird carcasses. Visitors also returned to find their homes ransacked and covered in excrement.

The government warned of deadly diseases from the unprecedented avian event. Much of the city was designated a disaster zone. But questions lingered about the bizarre animal behavior that no expert could explain.

Weeks later, Emily's grief-stricken husband Mark returned to survey the ruins of their home. Sifting sorrowfully through the decaying piles of feathered corpses, he found Emily's abandoned wedding ring glinting up at him. As Mark mourned his beloved wife, he couldn't help but wonder – would leaving when they had the chance have prevented this tragic end? Or had Emily's fate been sealed from the moment the birds arrived? 

"The Migration" by Oscar Mendieta Bravo