So Beautiful Tonight

"Lucy, get your ass back down here!"

Lucy frowned.

"I think there's like a party or something going on outside," she replied. "Or something's really bright out there at least. I can just see something through the curtains."

Splayed out on the wide couch, Marta didn't have a good angle on the bay windows at this end of the apartment. She wouldn't have cared enough to turn around anyway -- she had something else on her mind.

"Well there's a party going on in here too," said Marta, gently running one hand up the inside of her leg. "Which one are you more interested in?" She kissed Lucy, but laying as she was she couldn't reach higher than her torso.

"What colour is that? It's kind of..."

"It's kind of what?" said Marta as her hand continued its slow climb up Lucy's leg, inching higher and higher up her dark stockings.

Lucy finally pulled her eyes away from the curtain and looked down. Her expression softened, then turned into a smile. There was a glimmer in her eye, and it struck Marta once again just how beautiful she was. She wasn't the curviest person on earth, but she was tall, toned and perky. Her jet black hair was just long enough to get in the way. There was no occasion, but she was wearing a taut blue dress that she knew drove Marta wild. But it was those eyes, those rich deep brown eyes that were the centre of her world right now.

"You're insatiable," Lucy said, then leaned down and positioned herself on top. It wasn't as spacious as the bed, but this would do fine for now.

"Am I?" said Marta, pouting.

"You know my roommates are home, don't you?"

"Ohh are they? Do you think they might want to join in?"

They kissed again, and it soon turned into a lot more. Their breathing became heavier, and their touches became firmer and more insistent. Lucy's body felt so warm pressed against her.

A phone went off, and Marta jerked suddenly in surprise. It was on silent, but the hardwood table transformed the subtle buzz into a major sound.

"Sorry, just ignore that," said Lucy. Marta was happy to. She squeezed Lucy's breast, and flicked her finger back and forth across her nipple. Even through the thin bra it had its desired effect.

"You know, I don't think I tell you enough how much I-"

Another phone buzzed -- Marta's this time. Before she even had time to respond, The phone on the table went off a second time.

"It's the group chat, isn't it?" said Lucy.

"We should really just leave it. It's not like we're ever going to go back there, I..."

Marta's phone suddenly let out a shrill tone. It was ear piercing, the kind of sound you might put in a basket next to "nails on a chalkboard" or "microphone feedback". A fraction of a second later, Lucy's phone joined in.

"Mother of God what is that?" Marta practically shouted.

The devices each beeped four times in irregular intervals as they both scrambled over to pick them up and make them be quiet.

Lucy looked down at the phone.

"Emergency alert," she said.

"Yeah I... wait... what the hell?" said Marta."

She was expecting the screen to say something to the effect of "This is a test of the Presidential Alert System". She'd seen one like that before. But that isn't what it said.

"EMERGENCY ALERT: Shelter in place immediately and await further instructions. Stay away from all doors and windows. Under no circumstances should you look at the night sky. This is not a test."

Marta wasn't sure what to make of it. A pit started forming in her stomach as her mind started grappling with it.

"Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god," said Lucy. Marta put her hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"Ok, I think we need to stay calm. Deep breaths, like you were telling me about, yeah?"

Lucy still muttered a few more oh gods before she started breathing slowly and deliberately. It seemed to be working. Lucy's mother had told her just how bad some of the panic attacks had been when she was a child, but she had it a lot more under control these days.

"What should we do?" she said between breaths.

"The basement, I think we should go to the basement," said Marta.

"Do you think," Lucy began, "Do you think it's the... Koreans or something? A missile?"

"I'm not sure Baby," Marta replied. She grabbed Lucy and started moving towards the kitchen. Lucy didn't resist and trailed behind her, hand in hand.

"Because if we're not supposed to look outside, you know, that's because the flash might blind us, right?"

"Lucy, I said I'm not sure!"

As they walked through the Kitchen doorway, Lucy spotted her roommates entering from the other side.

"Jesus Lucy, are you seeing this?!" said Dave, one arm around his girlfriend Samantha. Marta had never really liked either of them, but Sam and Dave were a package deal with the rental.

Lucy looked like she was still in a state of shock, but eventually managed to reply.

"We're heading down into the basement, we think it'll be safest there," she said.

"Wait what? Are you for real?" he said.

"It's Hawaii," said Sam. "I panicked for a second but this is the same thing that happened in Hawaii a couple of years back. Remember? A glitch in the system, a false alarm, that kinda thing."

"Well if it's a false alarm, we can all laugh about it later," said Marta. "Now come on, we need to move right now!"

Marta started guiding Lucy down the staircase. She still followed along behind her, but now she was starting to look tired, sluggish.

"Alright, alright," said Dave, chuckling slightly as he and his girlfriend moved down with them. Samantha closed the door behind them once they were all inside.

The basement was lightly furnished. Once you'd walked in down the wooden steps, there were a couple of rather uncomfortable chairs, mostly without cushions, a small circular table that was occasionally used for board games, and a fridge that predated the millennium. It was predominantly empty space punctuated by the occasional cobweb. The most important thing, however, was that it was below ground level and had no windows.

Lucy's phone buzzed. Then Dave's. Then Marta's. They were all going off -- not another alert, but regular messages. She looked down at her phone -- there were over thirty notifications.

"Everyone must be trying to reach out," said Dave, looking down at his own.

Marta started reading her messages, and knew that something was wrong. It wasn't just her close friends. It was people she hadn't spoken to in years, it was former coworkers, distant family members, it was unknown numbers. She swiped down and zoomed past the list of incoming messages, and they all said the same thing. Exactly the same thing.

"The Sky is so beautiful tonight. You should really have a look."

Her hand trembled. More messages were appearing with every passing second. Then, they suddenly stopped.

The four of them exchanged looks, but nobody knew what to say. Samantha and Dave look nearly so confident anymore. After what felt like an eternity, it was Lucy herself that broke the silence by dropping her phone to the ground.

"I... I don't..." Lucy said, holding her head with both hands. She swayed on the spot, evidently struggling to stay upright.

"Are you alright?" said Dave, ineffectually. Marta swooped in and stopped her from falling. She guided her gently down to the only soft chair in the room.

"Babe, what's wrong?"

"I don't know," she muttered. "I think I just need a minute." She seemed as though she was regaining her composure, and started holding herself up in the chair.

"I think the Network's overloaded or something," muttered Sam. "It says I don't have any signal. That must be why the messages stopped."

"Ok, ok, fuck," said Dave. "Let's think about this."

Marta turned to the others. She didn't want to think about this. She had no idea what was going on, but even as her thoughts skirted along the edges of what was happening she was terrified. She steeled herself and took in a deep breath.

"Alright. This clearly isn't just a false alarm."

"No. I know that. But what the fuck is it? Why would people be sending these messages?"

"What if they're not?" said Samantha. "I mean, it doesn't make any sense, right?"

"So what, someone else is sending it?"

"Yeah," said Dave. "Like if someone had hacked the cellular networks in the area. They could send a fake emergency broadcast, and they could send all these fake messages around to everyone."

Lucy's roommates had annoyed her for a long time. They were rude, they were loud, they always acted like they knew far more than they really did. But for once she was almost grateful to have them here.

"Ok, I guess... I guess that's possible?" said Marta.

She allowed herself to relax slightly. It did seem like a logical explanation. She activated her own phone again and looked at them all. What else could it be? She thought to herself. Her breathing became steadier.

At that moment, she noticed that the signal indicator lit up again.

"I think the network's coming back onl-" she began, interrupted by the same shrill emergency alert tone.

The three of them shouted some variation on "oh fuck!" in unison. Lucy remained silent behind them. As soon as the shock wore off, she read the message.

"EMERGENCY ALERT: An unauthorised message was broadcast earlier today. Please disregard it completely. The Sky is so beautiful tonight. You should really have a look."

They exchanged glances for a few moments in silence. Then, Dave laughed.

"Ok, ok. They are absolutely fucking with us right now."

Samantha joined in a moment later, like it was a private joke between them. Marta tried to laugh too. The problem was, she wasn't so sure.

"That really had me going for a minute, you know?" said Samantha. "Like I was almost ready to fully freak out."

"Whoever's doing this is bold, that's for sure," said Dave. "Alright, I think it's time to head on up."

As Marta sat there in silence, the niggling doubt buried deep in her reptile brain just wouldn't go away.

"Marta, Lucy, you coming?"

She turned to look at Lucy, who was staring into space.

"I think maybe we'll stay down here for a minute."

The roommates exchanged a look with each other.

"Sure thing. Do you want us to grab something for her?" asked Sam.

"I don't know," said Marta. "She seems lightheaded, I think maybe she needs a lie down for a few minutes. You two go on up."

They did. Marta turned her phone off, and then Lucy's. She didn't want any more of those ear piercing alerts. As the couple unlatched the door to the basement and started to shuffle through to the other side, Lucy stirred slightly. Marta brushed her hand gently along the side of her cheek.

"Lucy, babe, are you ok?"

"Um..." she managed after a few moments.

"Let's get you onto your side." Lucy didn't fight it.

Marta remembered what it felt like to have a sudden blood pressure drop. She'd once had to lie down on the floor of a hospital bathroom for fifteen minutes until enough blood got back up to her brain and she felt alright to move. She wondered if Lucy was feeling something just like that.

"Thank you," she said, and smiled slightly. "You know, I actually feel," she started, then took a deep breath, "quite nice."

"Nice how?"

"Mmm, just nice," she said dreamily. She looked up at Marta. "You're so beautiful tonight."

Marta blushed.

"You're always beautiful," she replied. She leaned down to give her a quick peck, but something caught her eye.

It was that thing in her eye that had caught her attention earlier. That glimmer. It was so much bigger than before. Marta spun around suddenly to see what was casting the reflection.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I... no nothing's wrong. I guess I'm just still a little on edge."

"There's nothing to worry about," said Lucy, becoming more and more animated by the second. "Come here," she said, and pulled Marta back around to face her. Their eyes met, and Marta could barely look away.

What was it about that damn glimmer? It was almost like her eyes were glowing, but she had no idea what colour it was. It wasn't pink or purple, but it reminded her of them. It was so much more intense.

"God, Marta, I feel so fucking hot," Lucy said, breathing raggedly. She pushed their bodies together, eager to pick up where they'd left off earlier.

Marta was so focused on her eyes that she took a moment to process what was happening. Her body reacted long before her mind did, a warm surge running through her, lips responding automatically. She smiled instinctively.

"Well hello there," said Marta. She did have to agree with Lucy -- her body certainly felt hot.

Lucy pushed close to her ear.

"Fuck me. Right now."

"Um, Babe, you were about to pass out two minutes ago, are you sure you're ok?"

Lucy stared at her with an intensity that almost frightened Marta.

"Marta, I love you but if you don't take me right now I'll find someone who will."

Marta was still trying to cope with the emotional whiplash she was going through, but was together enough to stumble over towards the door. She ascended the steps and locked it.

"No, come on, don't do that," whined Lucy.

"You realise I was just joking before, right? I do not want them walking in on us."

"Ugh, just get down here!"

She took her time wandering back over to make a point. Lucy looked like she was going to explode. When Marta drew close enough, Lucy pulled herself to her feet and tackled her onto the rug.

"Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me," she said, awkwardly unbuttoning Marta's jeans and pulling them down.

"Holy shit girl, I'm glad you're feeling better but slow down!"

"... so beautiful tonight..." she muttered under her breath, hands running all over Marta's body, squeezing and grasping to great effect, taking short breaks to start lifting her skirt and pulling her own underwear down. Marta was starting to breathe heavily too. Her nipples could be so sensitive, and if you squeezed them with just the right amount of pressure it drove her wild.

"Yeah, just like that," said Marta.

"Fuck me Marta, fuck me," she urged, hands around her head, holding her close.

"Yeah, you really want it huh?"

"Yes, please, please! I'm so hot, Marta, I need it so bad!"

Marta sent an exploratory hand down beneath the belt line. Lucy was wet, nay, extremely wet. She delighted in how pleasantly warm her girlfriend felt. She slid one finger inside and the reaction from Lucy was immediate and powerful. The feel of her was hard to describe, like there was some tiny current running through her girlfriend's pussy. It was delightful. She added the middle finger and started a rhythm. Lucy gasped and bucked her hips.

"Yes, please, oh goddd..."

Lucy usually took a while to get where she needed to go, but whatever it was about this whole situation had really sent her near the edge. Marta was just giving her a gentle push, and it wasn't five minutes before she'd had her first climax. As she came, Lucy grabbed Marta and held her close, staring deep into her eyes. There was something fascinating about them, something slightly unusual, but whatever it was, it was undeniably beautiful.

They reconfigured a bit and before long, they had their tongues inside each other. Lucy came a second time before Marta had her first. That was around the time that Lucy had stopped making any coherent sense.

"Oh Jesus Christ, it's so hot, it's so hot Marta, it's so beautiful," Lucy said. Marta had no idea what she was talking about anymore. Lucy buried her head again a moment later and she tried to push it to the back of her mind.

In her post coital high, Marta couldn't shake the feeling that as fucking incredible as that had been, there was still something off. She wasn't sure if she was going crazy or just needed to get her eyes checked, but Lucy was somehow getting... brighter? People's eyes didn't just change like that. Was it a trick of the lighting in the basement? It almost hurt to look at her in the eyes. She felt such a strange sensation looking at her, like the subtle glow was warm in and of itself, a feeling not too different from the sun beating down on your face.

She picked up her phone, considering turning it back on to check if the network had regained some semblance of sanity, but instead she almost dropped it when she caught her own reflection. That thing, that colour. It almost looked like there was a tiny glimmer of it in herself.

"What's wrong?" said Lucy, nuzzling her gently.

"I'm not sure," she replied. "I think... um, there's something in my eyes."

Lucy's hand turned Marta's head back towards her.

"There's nothing wrong, love. Your eyes look so beautiful tonight."

A chill ran down Marta's spine as the words left Lucy's lips.

The door handle started turning, but it was still locked. The two women turned to face it. There was a knock.

"Hello?" Marta said, not quite shouting but in a voice designed to carry. "Is everything all fine up there?"

For a moment, there was no answer. Then, the person behind the door started pushing into it, as if they were desperate to get inside. When the door clearly wasn't going to budge, they finally spoke.

"Please open the door, Marta. The Sky is so beautiful tonight. You should really have a look."

It was two voices, in almost perfect unison, muffled by the door.

The panic was starting to return.

"That's not funny you guys," said Marta.

"The sky?" said Lucy, who looked more confused than Marta was. "Oh yes... the Sky. I bet the Sky is so beautiful tonight, Marta."

"Lucy, stop that, you're scaring me," she said, now on her feet and backing away.

"Why are you scared? There's no need." Lucy hadn't followed her. She just stood and stared at her longingly with those eyes, filled with that colour, that enigma. It was so hard to keep looking, but it was somehow even harder to look away. "I don't know what's going on exactly, Marta, but I just... I really think we should go take a look..."

Her eyes are so beautiful tonight, Marta thought. She felt dizzy, but only for a moment, as she quickly regained her focus. Had it always been so warm down here? There was a great thump at the door, then another, then another, as Lucy's roommates started trying to force their way in.

Marta scanned the room, but there was nothing she could bar the door with, not with that staircase in the way. There was simply nothing to leverage against. She ran up and pressed her own body against it, but she was worried that if they did force the door open she'd tumble right down herself.

"The Sky is so beautiful tonight. You should really have a look," they echoed once again.

Marta felt the next few bashes, but the door held, and they went silent. She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or even more terrified.

She turned just in time to catch Lucy, only a few feet away from her face. She almost screamed.

"Get away from me Lucy, I'm warning you!" she said.

Lucy's smile never wavered. Marta felt suddenly weak at the knees. Everything about her was just so radiant, so beautiful. Her eyes were absolutely mesmerising. It took all of her willpower to tear away from the gaze and shut her eyes.

"Marta, it's ok. Nobody's going to hurt you. I know you're scared, but... something wonderful is happening to us. Can't you feel it? It's so beautiful."

She heard the lock moving behind her. Oh no, they found the keys, she thought. She leaned in as hard as she could, just in time to catch them pushing against the door. This time, without the structure of the door holding them at bay, her best effort still allowed them to get more than halfway open. She doubted she could stop them now, even if Lucy was helping her.