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With a light breeze from the summer winds dancing with the treetops, laughter and music erupt from the peacefulness of the woods.  Male and female voices are heard mixed with clanking beer bottles and music. A four lawn chairs, three coolers, four tents surround the perimeter of a campfire. On top of one of the coolers a small radio sits, busting out tunes, as the people and the tree tops dance to the rhythm. Suddenly the music is cut short.  These friends are stopped in their tracks as the disc jockey's voice is heard.

                                                                         DJ

"We interrupt your listening pleasure to bring you this late breaking news report. Dr. Johanson at the University of Tennessee, Professor of the Astrology Department has issued the following statement, a comet as large as a SUV is heading towards earth. The projected path of this comet has been determined to pass between our earth and moon. It will not collide with earth. The time of being able to see the comet without a telescope is placed around midnight central standard time. We've been told that there will be no major effects to our planet."

   The disc jockey pauses. A sigh of relief comes across the airwaves as he exhales the breath in which he was holding.

"A report from NASA has also confirmed the comet's projective path. The path most likely will deposit debris of small rocks and softball size chunks of ice into our atmosphere. It will however deposit space debris into our atmosphere. The space debris is nothing more than basketball size chunks of ice and rocks. As they pass through the mesosphere and burn to nothing, the gases created by this process will create a spectacular light show within the troposphere."

   The campers have now pulled their chairs closer to the radio. The DJ continues.

"Scientists at both NASA and the University of the Tennessee are watching this comet closely. For now, both are saying we will be enjoying a fabulous light show. Stay tuned right here to WJWG radio for further Jonas Comet updates. We now return you to your local news program, now in progress."

   As the DJ's voice fades into some country sad song, one of the female campers gets up and turns down the radio.  The campers settle back around the fire.  The female who turned down the radio stops by one of the coolers and opens it.  She passes out drinks from the cooler and everyone sits back and relaxes a little.

Male Camper 1

"I wonder if this was such a good idea.  You know how radiation, viruses, diseases start when something like this happens."

Male Camper 2

"Look Mikey, shut up man. Not everything that happens will start a plague or world destruction. Besides, if Maddy hears you talking that shit, you're going to get your ass kick.  And we both know that that's like watching a blind man fighting his way out of a wet paper bag with his ass on fire."

Mikey

"Come on Dubby, you know damn good in will that all these books, video games, movies and tall tales have some sort of fact to them.  I mean damn dude, what if this light show isn't just a light show?  What if it's a start to an alien invasion or something?"

   Maddy, walking from the cooler hears this coming from Mikey and is instantly pissed. 

Maddy

"DAMN IT DUBBY!! I'm not putting up with this shit tonight. We came out here to have a good time and this crazy bastard aint screwin this up. Shut him up or I'm kicking your ass and then his."

Dubby

"What the hell? I know I talked you into letting him come along, but come on. Cut me some slack."

Female Camper 2

"You tell her Dubby."

Maddy

"Shut up Joanie. This isn't your fight. But I figured you and this Sci-Fi geek would get along. But I was wrong."

Joanie

"I do like Sci-Fi stuff, but I'm no conspiracy nut like he is."

Dubby

"Come on guys; let’s get back to having fun. Mikey shut that shit up or I'm going to kick your ass."

Maddy

"Yeah, that would be a show. A dickhead and an asshole, keep your love lives secret."

   Everyone laughs. Kicked back in their chairs and with the music playing softly in the background, their voices seem to mix together as they break off into separate conversations. As the night drifts above them, Joanie and Maddy seem to reach their limits in drinking and of staying up late. The two girls enter into their tent and crawl into their sleeping bags and fall asleep.

Dubby and Mikey sort of kick back a little more. Dubby turns to Mikey and offers him a drink out of a silver flask.

DUBBY

"Wanna a stiff one?"

Mikey

"Naaa. I think I'll enjoy this better with just a buzz, not drunk."

Dubby shrugs his shoulders and takes a swig.

Dubby

"You know, it would be cool to see that comet before I pass out. "A perfect ending to a good day."

Mikey

"Would be nice, but what if..."

Dubby

"Damn it Mikey, don't fucking start. Damn man. Just chill the fuck out. Drink another beer and just watch the skies."

   Dubby gets up and stumbles over to the cooler and tosses Mikey another beer. He staggers over and plops down in his chair, within a few minutes Dubby passes out. The batteries in the radio die and Mikey relaxes and listens to the sounds of the fire and the woods. Suddenly the comet passes over head and Mikey smiles. The brilliant colors of greens, blues, reds, yellows and oranges danced and mixed throughout the sky. While the light show explores every inch of our sky, Mikey begins to drift off to sleep as the winds music whistles through the tree tops.

   The next morning, the light from the sun shines bright and lights up the campsite. With the woodland animals scurrying around, Dubby reaches over and wakes Mikey. Birds chirping, a light wind whistling through the bushes, Mikey wakes and sits up.

Dubby

"Mikey, you awake?"

Mikey

"Yeah, I need to pee."

   Both Mikey and Dubby get up and walk a little ways outside of the campsite. Mikey picks a spot behind a bush and Dubby picks a spot next to a tree. 

Mikey lets out a howl of shock.

Dubby

"Dude, you alright?"

Mikey

"Yeah, damn bird startled me.  It landed on a branch above me and knocked some dirt on my head."

   They come from their bathroom areas about the same time. As Mikey shakes his head, some of the dust is inhaled by Dubby. Dubby sneezes. Mikey and Dubby begin to walk back to the camp when Mikey grabs his stomach and dry heaves.

Dubby stops as he hears Mikey heaving and turns around.

Dubby

"Damn dude, can't hold your liquid can you?"

   Dubby and Mikey both chuckle a little. Within seconds of taking a step towards the camp site, Mikey violently vomits blood. Dubby shocked at what he is seeing, just stands there stunned.

   Mikey grabs his stomach and falls to his knees. He lurches forward and pukes more blood. As Dubby just stands there, blood begins to exit through Mikey's eyes. Dubby feels some wetness under his eyes. He reaches up and then pulls his hand from his face, blood is on his fingers. Dubby quickly turns to run, but is stopped in his tracks by a powerful numbness in his left leg. Quickly Dubby spins around and finds Mikey lying on the ground. Dubby feels the urge to vomit. Unexpectedly Dubby is slammed to the ground by the violent strength of his urges to vomit. The urge to vomit finally overwhelms Dubby and he begins to puke blood. During the violent vomiting, Dubby managed to wiggle, scoot and claw his way to his friend's side. As the blood flows from his nose, it also commences to drip from his ears. Slowly his skin begins to turn a greenish-gray. Veins on the corner of the eyes start pulsing through the skin on both Dubby and Mikey. Mikey's body twists and turns to where you can hear the ligaments in side his body ripping from the bones. The veins near the corners of the eyes pulsate to where the veins grow to the edges of the ear canal of both its victims.  The hair on their bodies fall out and to the ground. The skin begins to tighten at this time and as it does, the eyes sink deep into the sockets and they turn straight black. The dilation of the pupils expands to the eye looks totally black. A split in the skin above the bridge of the nose opens and elongates to the middle of the victims backs. The wound does not heal fast and refuses to bleed. It scabs over rapidly and becomes a deep, dark almost purplish-red scar. The ears close slowly as a small hard sack of puss expands over the ears opening. Dubby and Mikey both scream in pain.

   Back at the camp, Joanie is the first to come out of the girl's tent. She pulls a pack of cigarettes from her backpack on the ground next to the tent. She walks over and takes a seat in one of the empty chairs next to the burnt out fire.

Joanie

"Peace, quiet and a smoke, just what the doctor ordered."

   Joanie lights her cigarette and sits back and listens to the sounds of small animals, the birds and the wind as they perform their morning symphony. Joanie reaches over and picks up the small personal radio she brought along. She turns it on and places the headphones on her ears. As she bobs her head from side to side, suddenly a hand reaches down and drags her up and out the chair. No scream is heard from Joanie. A large drop of blood splatters on the head rest of the chair as a deafening snap and the sound of tearing flesh is heard. Some sounds of footsteps are heard in the distance.