Saturday, November 1, 2008

Countdown to the Apocalypse: 17 Days Remaining

I sat in my chair hoping for the best. Thing hasn't been going my way ever since the news on the coming apocalypse. 17 days. As the deadline comes ever so closer, excitement overwhelms. I want it to come, yet part of me wants it to just stay; never approaching. But alas, times moves forward.

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The morning started out with a deafening ringing to my ear. It was a call from a friend. A wake up call. There was supposed to be a briefing that was gonna happen in M-23 at around 10am. I ended the call as I slowly made my way to the bathroom. Signs of fatigue clearly showed as I looked at myself in the mirror. I sluggishly walked back to my room, got changed and headed downstairs.

I headed downstairs, grabbed a few bites and got into my car and left. "Quiet morning," I thought to myself. As luck would have had it, the ever deserted road became infested with loads of brainless morons in a blink of an eye. Ignoring the chaos I pressed on. Leaving the chaos behind, I checked the clock. It clearly showed 10am. "Late," I said to myself. Making matters worse, I was barely even halfway.

I reached my destination around 15 minutes later, parked my car and got out. My surroundings were quiet. Subtle sounds of rustling leaves being blown by the wind can be heard into the distance. I carefully walked across the stone lot, eyes looking around for anything suspicious. After minutes of walking, I found myself staring at a door with the sign M-23. I opened the door and walked into the cold room.

There were five people (not including myself) in the room, sitting and minding their own business.There was a lone female sitting at the front of the room. I knew who she was, a colleague of mine for a good two and the half years. I took my seat behind her. The guy who called me in the morning was seated to my right, also a colleague of a good two and the half years. Thankfully, the briefing hasn't started as there were a few "unforeseen problems" which delayed the briefing a good 30 minutes.

It was noon when the briefing ended. The skies were dark that morning when I left home. But it looked a little brighter. My friends called for a meeting over lunch. Without anything else to do, I agreed. My bowl of noodles was the best thing I had since... Well, I can't remember. Glad too. By the time this is over, I'll be happy to forget the hell I've been through.

The weather was unkind. I took a slow drive home under the hot blazing sun. My fatigue kicked in. Thought of my previous near death experiences flashed past my sight. Pulling myself together, I tried to fight off the fatigue that was slowly consuming my body. I reached home in one piece, thankfully.

I walked up to my room and turned up the air-conditioning. I fell face first on my bed and dozed off to sleep. By the time I had awaken, it was already dark outside. God knows how long I've been out. An hour? Maybe a day? What about a week? I turned on the lights and squinted at the small corner of my PC monitor. It was still the same day. I walked out of my room and into the hallway. Pitch black and pin drop silence. I fumbled in the darkness looking for the light switch.

Time passes by ever so quickly. Soon, it was an hour before midnight. Just as I thought I can turn in for the night, the annoying beep coming from my room told me that there was an incoming message. It was from my female friend and the guy that woke me up in the morning. Apparently they're both having weapon troubles. I told them that firearms just ain't my thing but I'd help them in anyway possible. An hour has passed without any progress. To make matters worse, my line got cut off. Everything was silent once again. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breathes. "They should be fine on their own," I assured myself. However, doubt lingers in my heart. I don't think anyone will be okay. The situation will only change from bad to worse.

I took a look at the clock. It was 10 minutes to 1am. The chilling night air prompted me to go for a hot shower. Again I made my way to the bathroom. I turned on the shower. The hot water had a stinging sensation to my back. I sighed and softly said "16 days to the Apocalypse."

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