~ Miller Residence ~
"It's pretty..." Mia murmured, her eyes sparkling as she watched the meteor shower through the telescope.
Her father had set up a small viewing platform on their balcony so she could get a better view of the night sky. The family took turns looking through the telescope, each of them marveling at the rare celestial spectacle unfolding above them.
After a while, Mia climbed down from the platform.
"Look! Look!"
She pointed excitedly toward the sky.
The meteor shower had grown brighter and more frequent. Streaks of light now crossed the darkness in rapid succession, illuminating the sky with brilliant flashes.
"It's so beautiful..." Mia whispered.
For a moment, everything felt peaceful.
Almost too peaceful.
---
~ At the Park ~
Meanwhile, the meteor-shower viewing event at S-City Park was in full swing.
The mayor stood near the viewing deck, quietly observing the festivities with a satisfied expression. The event had attracted a large crowd, and everyone seemed captivated by the spectacle overhead.
People took pictures, recorded videos, and excitedly pointed toward the sky as meteor after meteor streaked across the darkness.
Near the stage, Katie was busy livestreaming the event beside their food stall.
"Look at that, guys! Isn't it amazing?" she exclaimed into her phone. "If you're here at the park, don't forget to stop by our stall after watching the meteor shower! We've got plenty of snacks waiting for you!"
"Stop livestreaming and help out!" Brent called, tugging at her sleeve. "We've got a lot of customers!"
Katie glanced at the growing line and laughed.
"Okay, okay!"
She turned back toward her phone.
"Bye, guys! It's time for me to work. Don't forget to come by our stall, y'all!"
She ended the livestream and quickly joined her friends.
For the moment, everything seemed perfect.
People laughed.
Children played.
Families gathered beneath the stars.
No one noticed the strange glow slowly intensifying in the sky.
---
~ S-City Hospital ~
"What's with the long faces, everyone?"
Liam stepped into the nurses' station and found three of his fellow nurses staring gloomily at their desks.
"Sigh..."
Trish rested her chin on her hand.
"The meteor shower is so beautiful, yet here we are, stuck in the hospital on duty."
The others nodded in agreement.
Liam chuckled.
"Come on, cheer up. You don't have to leave the hospital to see it."
The nurses looked at him skeptically.
"What do you mean?"
"Look out the window," Liam said.
They stared at him for a moment, convinced he was joking.
Eventually, however, curiosity got the better of them.
The three nurses hurried toward the nearest window.
Their eyes widened.
"Whoa..."
"You can actually see it from here!"
Above the city, the meteor shower painted the night sky with brilliant trails of light.
Liam smiled and shook his head as he watched them marvel at the view.
"See? I told you."
Leaving them at the window, Liam headed toward the medicine storage room to prepare the medications scheduled for their patients.
He had barely begun gathering the supplies when—
BEEEEEP! BEEEEEP! BEEEEEP!
The hospital alarm suddenly blared.
Liam froze.
A voice immediately echoed through the hospital speakers.
"Code Red! Code Red! Fire reported at the west end of the hospital grounds!"
"What?"
Liam hurried toward the door.
Then—
BOOM!
A tremendous impact shook the entire building.
The shelves rattled violently.
Several medicine bottles toppled to the floor and shattered.
Liam stumbled, grabbing the edge of a shelf to steady himself.
"What the—?!"
Outside, alarms and screams erupted almost simultaneously.
A meteorite had crashed near the western end of the hospital grounds, triggering a massive fire and sending shockwaves through the surrounding area.
Before Liam could make it out of the storage room, another violent tremor shook the building.
His head struck the doorframe.
His vision blurred.
"Not... again..."
His knees gave way.
Liam collapsed unconscious beside the door.
---
~ S-City Park ~
The peaceful atmosphere at the park shattered in an instant.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted near the stage.
A meteorite slammed into the ground.
The impact sent debris flying and threw several people off their feet.
"AHHH!"
"RUN!"
"GET OUT OF HERE!"
Panic spread through the crowd.
People scrambled in every direction as more blazing objects streaked across the sky.
Then—
BOOM!
Another meteor crashed somewhere in the distance.
BOOM!
Then another.
The entire city seemed to be under attack from the falling celestial debris.
"Call an ambulance! Hurry!"
Cindy dropped to her knees beside Mike and Katie, both of whom lay unconscious.
She carefully pulled Katie into her lap before looking desperately toward Brent.
"The emergency line isn't going through!"
"Then forget the call!" Brent shouted. "We'll carry them ourselves!"
He quickly crouched beside Mike and pulled him onto his back.
Cindy nodded.
She carefully lifted Katie onto her back, struggling to keep her balanced.
"Let's go!"
Together, they hurried away from the park, desperately trying to reach the hospital.
Around them, the once-lively park had descended into chaos.
People ran through the streets.
Some screamed for their loved ones.
Others desperately searched for missing family members.
Smoke began rising into the night sky as fires spread throughout the city.
Near the playground, a young boy stood alone beneath the dome.
"Mom...?"
His small voice trembled.
He looked around frantically.
"Mommy... where are you?"
There was no answer.
Tears began streaming down his cheeks.
Then his legs suddenly gave out.
He collapsed onto the ground.
---
~ Miller Residence ~
Across the city, Mr. Miller had been watching the meteor shower from his balcony with his wife and daughter.
Suddenly—
Both of them collapsed.
"Sarah!"
"Mia!"
Mr. Miller rushed forward and caught them before they hit the floor.
"What happened?!"
He looked around in panic.
Outside, sirens echoed through the streets.
Smoke was beginning to spread across the city, darkening the once-beautiful night sky.
With no idea what else to do, Mr. Miller carried his wife and daughter inside and carefully laid them on their beds.
He hurried around the house, closing every window to keep the smoke from entering.
Then he turned on the dehumidifier and rushed back to them.
"Please... wake up."
Neither of them responded.
His hands trembled as he grabbed his phone.
He tried calling emergency services.
Nothing.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
The emergency lines were overwhelmed.
Desperate, Mr. Miller opened the internet and began searching for first-aid instructions.
"Come on... there has to be something I can do."
His eyes darted between his unconscious wife and daughter.
Only minutes ago, the meteor shower had seemed beautiful.
Now, the glowing streaks across the sky looked like harbingers of something far more terrifying.
For the first time that night, Mr. Miller realized—
The stars weren't falling.
They were coming down.