Apocalypse

I huddle against the wall with the rest of the town as we feel the vibrations of the explosions coming from above us. I turn my head toward the crowd around me and feel my heart throb. A tear slips down my face, and I’m astonished to find that my usually composed persona is faltering. How did our safe, little town get into the position of facing the end of humanity?

I was making a peach upside-down cake in the kitchen of my cozy, traditional home. I whipped the egg whites and was continually fretting about the board members I was going to face today. Folding all the ingredients together I imagined the faces of the administrators of our town. I poured the fluffy cake batter onto the layer of peaches layered at the bottom on top of a bed of brown sugar and syrup. I tried to picture what it would be like as they speculated and judged me, wondering if I was suitable for the job of the town’s head secretary. I slipped the cake into the oven and set the timer, reminding myself how precision is key. I walked up the carpeted stairs and entered my bedroom, where everything was organized, to the last pencil on my desk. I went into my closet and pulled out a white collared shirt. I paired it with a black blazer and sleek, black skirt. I tucked the shirt into the skirt and minded that there were no creases visible. I must look presentable in front of the town’s representatives. I brushed back my no-nonsense style brown hair and straightened it. I looked at myself in the mirror and admired my professional appearance. I re-entered the kitchen just in time to hear the timer of the oven go off. As I reached for the cake with my oven mitt enclosed hand, I heard the doorbell ring. I looked at the cake quickly and hastily decided it could use a few more minutes anyway, so I closed the oven and made my way to the front door. I opened the door and realized my oven mitt was still on my hand. I carefully slipped it off and discreetly hid it behind my back. Two people were standing in front of my door and two others could be seen in the large van in the driveway. All of the people were wearing white hazmat suits and I could see that these large white vans were in the fronts of everybody’s houses on the block.

“How can I help you?” I asked in confusion. In response each of the suited people gripped one of my arms. I tried to struggle free, but was soon restrained when a third came to help them. I begged them to tell me what was going on as they stuffed me into their vehicle. Still no response. I looked out the window and saw that my neighbors were being escorted out of their houses as well. 

One person sat on either side of me; one was driving the van; and the third was seated up front, and I could tell they were all watching me in the rear-view mirror based on the way their masks were angled slightly to the left. We pulled out of my driveway and I could see smoke from my oven curling out of the front door. 

They paid no mind to this as they drove toward the center of the town, more specifically, the town hall. It is a large brick building that could probably hold our entire town if we used the balconies, basement, and ground floor. Apparently, that is what they had been thinking too because hundreds of white vans were pulled in front of the building. The people in white were hauling struggling people through the front doors. I saw one person manage to escape, but as he ran down the steps he was shot in the arm with a dart that I only hoped was a tranquilizer, as he crumpled to the ground. One of the people who had taken us there went down the steps to retrieve him. I was ushered through the front doors and shoved into the sea of people crowded into the town hall. I saw one of our captors opening the door to the basement and they began motioning for us to come that way. Scared to do otherwise, I made my way over to the door where they shoved us down the steps into the dark abyss. I searched the wall for a light and my fingers came across one. I flicked the dim light on, revealing an already constricting space filling with people. I could see the members of the board looking around in confusion, and it was only too obvious that they are as in the dark as the rest of us. I was squished against the wall as more and more people flooded down the stairs. After a few minutes, the constant flow of people stopped. Suddenly, all the lights turned off and people were screaming. An affected voice came on over the intercom. It was magnified all throughout the room and echoed through our bodies. 

“You have been brought here to witness the destruction of your world. We are in every city in every country in every continent waiting for the signal. The signal to destroy the world you know. To replace that world with a utopia of unblemished people. Unblemished in the way they live life. Not defiant, but obedient. Not rebellious, but compliant. Something which none of you know. This is a broken world filled with broken people, and we plan on renewing it. Prepare to endure the suffering of saying your goodbyes. The town is going to be destroyed with various methods. Fire, explosions, and other technological methods of destruction. The final objective is destroying you. The town hall will be blown up, just like the rest of the town.”

I heard gasps from the people around me and I felt myself shaking. Within just a few hours, if that, we would all be gone.

So here I am, facing the end of the world. A few minutes after the intercom clicks off, I hear the screaming of people around me and the booms of explosions. I feel the heat of the fires in the town combined with the sweat of the bodies around me. I hear a loud explosion echo through my body, and I feel a rush of heat beyond my ability to explain. Then everything goes silent… and I feel nothing.