Fear the New Year

  Intense anticipation surged as the days inched closer to December 31, 1999. Families gathered in living rooms across the globe, and friends crowded the streets, laughing as the planned-on crackle of fireworks and the soft whoosh of champagne corks mingled. But in a small, dimly lit town, far removed from the revelry, a thick veil of dread settled like a heavy mist, refusing to dissipate.

Evelyn sat hunched over her computer, blue light illuminating her anxious face as she typed away for hours. Her husband James crept beside her with immense cups of coffee as he slumped in the computer next to her and typed away to the same clacking rhythm as hers. They had dedicated countless hours to ensuring that the Y2K bug—the threatening specter of compromised technology would meet its match with them. Yet despite her meticulous programming and testing, doubt still fester in their mind. James stretched out once again, suddenly standing beside her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, the warmth of his touch contrasting with her frigid fears. "It’s all going to be fine, Evie. Just look forward to a brighter future!" he assured, his voice smooth yet feeble against the overwhelming tide of her anxiety.

He pulled her up as they waltzed over to the large window that framed the outside world like a dark canvas. The clock struck midnight on December 21, 1999, and a symphony of honking horns and mingling chatter echoed outside. There were one or two flickers of light before everything stopped. Their power flickered ominously, casting shadows that seemed to squirm and dance along the walls of every building outside their halls, slithering over every inch of their canvas. James pulled Evelyn away from the window, their heart pounding as they pushed through the front door into a world of darkness.

They blindly ran down the metal staircase of the raggedy apartment complex as their footsteps clank loudly behind them, drowning slowly in the sea of screams as they approached the streets. Chaos unfolded before their eyes—muffled shouts and flickering headlights slicing through the eerie blackness. The cold air pierced their skin as they entered the stormy night, deep into the confusion that swirled in frantic whispers of the community around them. The small splatters of water ceased as the town's water supply sputtered to a halt, and the comforting hum of technology transformed into a haunting static melody.

The darkness seemed to deepen in the following nine days, the darkness that surrounded the town like a vicious, hungry predator. The golden beacon of society darkened as grocery stores were ransacked, neighbors watched each other skeptically, and desperation festered into rage. Evelyn’s heart ached as friends turned on one another, their expressions twisted in fear and mistrust. The world had unraveled; what was once a close-knit community was now a cauldron bubbling with paranoia. They hid from one another, from their once close-knit community away from their small town, in a secluded cabin tucked in the cold outskirts of the shadowy forest of the once peaceful village.

One cold night, a clamorous crash broke the silence. Startled, Evelyn and James darted outside, bats and ax in hand, weapons ready to defend themselves against anything they might confront; they found Mr. Thomson—once an amiable and warm neighbor—standing over the splintered remains of the front door, eyes wide and wild. "They’re coming for us! They are almost here!" he howled, his voice a sharp blade cutting through the chaos that still ran far away in the town. Panic resonated within the small cabin, within the few people they had decided to assit, as a sea of agitated faces echoed his fears.

“Stay close together,” Evelyn instructed everyone as she signaled James to follow, trying to keep her voice steady. But as they retreated into the home, the chilling reality of their situation enveloped them. News reports flickered in and out on the nearby radio, announcing the start of the new year, the new millennium, and power restoration after a few days of an enormous countrywide blackout and the breakdowns in local systems. The town’s residents spiraled further into fear and distrust. The outside shadows were soon forgotten as the cabin began to feel more like a nightmare than a haven.

The once vibrant community became a crucible of raw emotions as people gathered their faces, taunting with anxiety and anger. The announcement that power was being restored in neighboring cities sent uproar, and Evelyn stood at the center of it all—the resident programmer became a pariah in her town. "What are you hiding!? What did you do, Evelyn!?" the panic in their voices echoed like a deathly screech.

She did her best to maintain her composure, desperately defending herself and her husband. She kept trying to speak, but her reason quickly evaporated as the chaos closed in on her. The crowd swelled forward, their voices merging into a howl of culpability and apprehension. Chairs flew, fists rose, and shouts echoed loudly as friends transformed into hostile wraiths, driven mad by the news.

The night turned into a spiral of distress and rage, forcing Evelyn and James to barricade themselves in a room at the back of the cabin. The walls felt like they closed in on them as the atmosphere was heavy with suffocating phobia. Outside the doors, their neighborhood descended into a primordial struggle for survival, resonating with shattered glass and desperate cries thumping loudly at their door. The technology they once admired, the truth they once had faced, had turned into a traitor.

"Open up, Evie! Come out and face your doing!" The once charming voice of her friends and families had turned into a distant echo of mistrust and poison. James' face drained of color as he shook his head, barricading the door with more furniture as they left the room empty, enclosing themselves in emptiness. "We can’t let them in!" But Evelyn felt her resolve wavering, guilt tearing at her conscience as she glanced toward the door.

The furious knocks grew louder, merging into a symphony mirrored the chaos of society she faced when she first left her office on December 21, 1999. Caving to the pressure, she stepped forward, trying to move the barricade James had worked so hard to build, her hand hovering over the doorknob. Fear and regret loomed like clouds behind her. She knew that the moment she opened that door, everything they treasured would be shattered; she could ask for James to be spared and take the fall herself.

The glass from the window behind them broke as the mob flooded into their room, their faces, once filled with warmth, contorted into masks of fury. Evelyn and James exchanged a silent farewell as they were tangled in the rising chaos. The darkness was around them like an endless abyss, and the truth crept into her bones: She had been deceived and brought them here based on fears rather than truth.

Screams erupted, drowning out reason while a clamor of anguish enveloped her senses. Nothing was left but the growing silence of a world devolving into delirium. That vibrant spark of humanity she once saw had been extinguished, leaving behind an empty shell hollowed out by fear, a fear she had created. The landscape was barren; there was no hope, just an eternal shadow as she was surrounded by those she once called home. Just before her eyes closed, she heard deep laughter from the radio as if mocking her fate and those she left behind as Y2K was beginning.