C1 The End of the World!

December 21st, 2012, in Depridge.

"Phew! Finally made it to the top."

A slightly chubby tall boy stood atop Boxgueuil Peaks, catching his breath deeply.

"Willett, what got into you to decide to climb a mountain at this time? You must have overeaten and now you're just feeling bloated. Plus, you had to drag me into this. I've got nothing but disdain for you..."

From behind the tall boy, the bushes rustled as a shorter boy emerged, equally out of breath. He was sitting on a roadside stone bench, fiddling with his phone and grumbling disdainfully.

Willett chuckled and responded, "You don't know anything, kid. Today's the end of the world, as predicted by the Mayans. Did you forget that Hollywood blockbuster from four years ago? There was a flood, so it's safer to be up high..."

The short boy cracked a naive smile at this and mumbled under his breath, "The flood's reached Tibet, and here you are climbing Boxgueuil Peaks... what's the point?"

But considering his years of friendship with Willett, he wouldn't dare say that to his face. His buddy had shown him, through actions, that the pen is no match for the gun. While violence might not teach truth, it could certainly teach him, the bearer of that truth, a lesson.

Willett was a Depridge native who, from a young age, firmly believed he possessed the ability to see ghosts, claiming to have encountered countless spirits as a child. He had graduated over two years ago and had held various jobs, but his work pattern was sporadic at best. Now, he had quit his job and was at home, spending his days watching supernatural thrillers—a classic homebody. If he hadn't been so convinced of the 2012 end-of-world prophecy, he wouldn't have dragged his best friend Luvern up the mountain at the crack of dawn.

As the two friends rested, a sprinkle of starlight suddenly swept across the sky. Willett, with his keen eyesight, quickly nudged his friend, exclaiming, "Luvern, look, a meteor shower! So many shooting stars!"

Luvern set aside his phone, looked up, and was awestruck by the myriad of meteors slicing through the sky. "Wow, this is my first time seeing a meteor shower. It's beautiful. But why is there a meteor shower this early? The weather forecast didn't mention it, and how can we see it so clearly in broad daylight?"

Willett suddenly exclaimed, "Shit, something's not right! Why is the meteor getting lower and lower?"

At that moment, the meteor shower plummeted towards the city under their horrified stares. Soon after, a series of loud booms echoed through the air, filling the entire city with smoke and fire. Even from the Boxgueuil Peaks, the sounds of explosions and blaring car alarms could be heard.

Willett and Luvern were so terrified that they collapsed to the ground, at a loss for words. They could only stare in stunned silence at the sky, now a canvas of red flames and billowing smoke.

December 21st, 8:25 AM. The apocalypse had arrived.

The brothers watched in horror as the city below was engulfed in a sea of fire. It took a long time for them to regain their composure. Willett, despite his claims of believing in the apocalypse, had only heard rumors. Now, witnessing it firsthand, he was as blank-minded as Luvern. Eventually, he snapped out of it and frantically tried to call his uncle in the city, only to find, as in every horror movie cliché, that there was no cell signal.

Seeing his friend still in shock, Willett urged him, "Snap out of it! Let's get down the mountain fast. We'll bike back and check on our family. The phone's dead, and I'm freaking out. Damn, you can't trust movies. They promised a flood, and we get a meteor shower instead. They couldn't be more wrong..."

Luvern, jolted back to reality, quickly stood up and followed Willett, who was still grumbling, as they hurried down the mountain.

Before long, the two reached the base of the mountain, gasping for breath. Without pausing to rest, they hopped onto their electric bikes and sped off towards home.

The journey back to the city was a scene of utter chaos, with no semblance of traffic control. Accidents, traffic jams, arguments, and brawls were rampant, painting a vivid picture of humanity's disarray. Luckily, their electric bikes allowed them to weave through the tightest gaps in the traffic. After a tense thirty minutes, they safely made it to the city.

The city was in even greater disarray than when they had returned, with the police and local military forces already deployed. The darker aspects of humanity seemed to grow more sinister as the end of the world loomed, with robbery and brawls rampant. Yet, they seemed to forget that the formidable government troops were still present. The police stations and local garrisons, spared by the meteorite, quickly dispatched riot control teams. Armed with high-pressure water cannons, they methodically cleared and subdued the tumultuous streets, which gradually returned to calm.

After entering the city, Willett and Luvern went their separate ways; Luvern headed home, while Willett had intended to visit his uncle. However, with traffic restrictions in place, he had no choice but to steer clear of the riot squads and cycle towards his own residence.

Willett's home was adjacent to Martyrs Park in Raicson. Originally a modest two-story dwelling, his parents had parlayed a small business venture into enough profit to tear down the old structure and erect a five-story building complete with a rooftop terrace. Willett resided on the top floor, and the lower levels were typically rented out. But with recent renovations, only his family occupied the building. His parents had recently won a travel deal and gleefully set off to Inyilona for a romantic getaway, leaving their son to house-sit. His routine involved waking up to instant noodles or takeout, and whiling away boredom with horror films and games, content in his solitude. Upon his return, he locked the front door, whipped up a bowl of noodles, and took a shower. When he tried to go online, he found the broadband connection severed, likely another casualty of the meteorite. Annoyed by the noise outside, he shut the window, finding solace in the newfound silence.

Bored, he played a downloaded horror movie, "Zombieland," on his computer. He ate his bland noodles while watching scenes he'd seen countless times before. After finishing his meal, Willett lay in bed, easing the fatigue from a day of hiking and running around. He pondered the day's events and attempted another phone call, but to no avail. Talking to himself, he said, "At least it was just a meteorite. I wonder how many people perished? Sigh, you can't fault society for bad luck. Amitabha, I'll pray for them. Things seem to be settling down outside. Hopefully, by tomorrow, the internet will be back, and I'll be able to find out what really happened..."

He rolled over and soon fell into a deep slumber, the chilling screams from the movie serving as a disturbing lullaby.

In his dreams, Willett could still faintly make out the screams from the film, leading to a series of bizarre nightmares. One moment, he was Superman; the next, he found himself pursued by a horde of zombies from the movie; and then he was wielding a heavy machine gun with unlimited ammunition from Resident Evil, mowing down the undead. These varied and outlandish dreams kept his rest fitful until the movie concluded and silence enveloped him, allowing him to finally sink into a deep sleep.

But after some time, he was jolted awake by the sound of an actor's scream from the movie, prompting him to curse in frustration, "Damn this movie!"

Too exhausted to rise and switch off the film, he simply pulled the blanket over his head, and quiet returned once more. Overwhelmed by fatigue, it wasn't long before his soft snores could be heard from beneath the covers.

Unbeknownst to him, the apocalypse was only just beginning.