Young Writers Society

5


Oddly, I do not feel a thing. No crash, no significant boom, just the eerie silence that surrounds us.
“What on Earth just happened?” Brea asks loudly.
“The end of it,” Lucifer replies with another smile making its way across his mouth.
“End of what?” I ask, not wanting to believe what he’s telling me, for the truth, I fear, is just too awful.
“The world,” he says simply, shrugging.
“Yeah right,” I say.
“You can choose whether or not to believe me, pet. Although, if I were you I wouldn’t want to wander above the surface for a few weeks. You see, I have to prepare some things for you.” He says with a grin as he walks into the shadows where undoubtedly, he will blend in, disappear, always keeping an eye on us. An eye on me.


+++


The night is long and restless for me, I cannot stop wondering whether or not Lucifer was telling the truth about what had happened. I mean, the world couldn’t have ended. I would have heard something that would have signaled the end of everything. Still, he could be telling the truth, and maybe, just to be safe, I should probably stay down here for a few more weeks.


+++


The morning passes in complete silence. Without knowing, or even wanting to; Brea and I have been bound together by a dreadfully terrible secret. No one must know. We certainly don’t want to be the first ones to discover the fate of the billions of innocent souls up above. Breakfast in the mess hall is filled with emotionless expressions and no words between Brea and I. I can tell that we are both thinking the same thing: is it really the end? Is everybody up above dead? If so, what’s going to happen to us?

The day passes by in slow motion, I just want to scream. To let everybody know that we may be the only people alive on Earth. It sickens me that everyone goes about their days as if nothing has happened. As if no one in fact, had died. I couldn’t go to training in the arena that day. I just couldn’t.
Instead, I stayed cooped up all day. I didn’t want to talk to Brea, I didn’t want to decapitate fake enemies and most of all, I didn’t want to run into that madman, Lucifer. What if he caused the world to somehow end? Did he know it would happen? Did he orchestrate the whole thing? I couldn’t tell from what little information I knew. Maybe, just maybe the world didn’t end. Maybe he’s just manipulating us so that we may stay here as a vital part to whatever sick plan he’s conjured up. I probably sound as paranoid as a maniac right now.
It is then that it hits me. If the world really did just end, then what had happened to my family? I would like to think that they knew what would happen and had found some miraculous way to avoid the inevitable, but I know that it wouldn’t be the fact. If it did happen they were probably all asleep in their beds, unknowing. Not expecting anything but another day of school or work. Just another day. It brings tears to my eyes to think about it, so I try to occupy myself by thinking of fantastic stories and possibilities of how they narrowly escaped and had come for me. If we all had to die, I wish at least, that we could be together.

I don’t know how long I was asleep, nor when exactly I awoke. As I opened my eyes I saw a shadowy figure in the corner. Immediately, I sat straight up and said, “Who’s there?”
I heard some slight shifting and watched as Brea cautiously stepped forward into the dim light of the small room. “Hey there, sorry did I wake you?”
“Of course you did,” I say drowsily, “how on Earth did you get in here anyway? The door should be locked.”
“You know you aren’t the only one who can pick a lock around here, Jo.” Brea replies.
“Now what is it you want exactly? I mean you aren’t just waking me up for any reason, are you? If so just leave now.”
“No, not at all, truth is I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened the other night.” She states solemnly.
“Me too, what is by some chance he’s right? What if…you know?” I say, not able to mention the gigantic elephant in the room, the possibility of the end of all life on Earth. Except for us.
“I seriously don’t know what to think. It’s not like I really knew anybody up there too well anyway,” she scoffs.
“Brea, we’re talking about the whole world here. Do you have to be so obtuse? Can’t you see how important this? Or is your ignorance blinding you?”
Brea does not respond. She just stands there staring at me, coolly appraising me before she turns around and briskly leaves. Finally Brea has nothing left to say, and for that I’m thankful that I have some peace and quiet.


+++


Of course, as I awoke this morning I realized how awful I had been to Brea the previous night. I mean, she probably doesn’t realize how rude she can be sometimes. It’s just her personality and I understand that, but I don’t see the point why she can’t give me any sympathy once in a while. Now, I have been just as unsympathetic to her as well, and she isn’t talking to me. Even in the mess hall she would rather sit by a bunch of strangers rather than me. That’s fine; she can do whatever she wants. I don’t care.


+++


Throughout the past two weeks I have not spoken a single word to Brea. At first I thought she would just pout and get over it, I guess not. Truthfully, I’m really starting to miss her company. Having her at my side has made me completely forget what it was like to have no one to talk to. I’m completely lonely and I hate it. I hate being lonely, especially since Nicole moved to a different room, with someone more her age. I sure hope she’s better at making and keeping friends than I am, because how things are currently going, I have the social capacity of a block of wood.
There really isn’t a worse feeling than that of being alone. I had forgotten what it was like to have a family, and now I don’t have a friend. All these thoughts of loneliness depress me now, even as I am walking down the corridor towards my cell.
As I am walking I hear a sharp breath come from behind me. I don’t even have to turn around to know who it is that’s following me. “Hello, are you here to tell me that I’m dead as well? Because truly, that would come as good news to me.”
“Unfortunate as it is, pet I’m afraid you’re still amongst the living,” he whispers softly into my ear. It makes me cringe, makes me want to run away. To run away and never look back.
“So it’s true then? There really is no one alive above ground now?” I ask.
“I suppose it is,” he states nonchalantly.
“Well seeing that I am no longer acquainted with Brea, I would like to say that I’m not going to carry out whatever sick plan you have in store. So please, bother someone else because I am not interested.”
“No longer acquainted with our dearest, beautiful Brea? Oh no, that is a tragedy,” he says with a grin, knowing that by calling Brea beautiful he’s making me feel even more unsure of myself, “and I’m afraid, pet that you are an essential piece of the puzzle.”
“Damn you’re stupid puzzle. I don’t even know what your plan is! ‘Do this.’ ‘Do that.’ ‘Don’t go above ground yet.’ ‘Okay, good. Now that you know the way out, don’t go above ground I’m afraid the world has ended. Yes, utter tragedy I’m so broken up about it.’ Give me a break, Lucifer. You want me to do things that ultimately result in absolutely nothing but my own confusion. So if you have any direct directions you would like to give me then go right ahead. But if you’re going to hit me with the same old mumbo jumbo cryptic messages, then I’m out.”
“Well…” he starts.
“Well what?” I ask impatiently. I’m glad, I seem to have rattled him a little bit, and I hope he realizes that he has no real control over me. Even though he may think he does. If so, he’s just as conceited as Brea.
“There is something that I need you to do,” he says, regarding me coolly.
“Out with it then.”
“Alright,” he says his gaze unfaltering, “I’m going to need you to kill someone for me.”