It felt...amazing. All my life it seems like I’ve never had the time to be alone. It’s almost scary how good it felt to sit in this park alone. The smells were so fresh and it sent shivers down my spine. I laid on my back staring up at the partly cloudy sky. Small aspen trees tried hard to block my view. The smell of the grass under me was refreshing. That’s when something odd struck me. It was silent, too silent. There wasn’t a single noise, no cars honking, no chatter rising from the streets. Just silence. It’ll pass soon enough, it always does.

After a few moments it almost felt unbearable to sit in silence. There had to be some noise. I stood up and walked toward the city again. The closer I got to the y’all buildings, the more uneasy I felt. Something definitely wasn’t right. I started at a soft jog that turned into a sprint. I reached the city and continued running. There was nothing, no one. Every car was deserted in the streets and things blew around in the suddenly cold wind. Panic rose inside of me. It’ll be fine, it’s probably just a dream, you’ll wake up soon. But no matter how many times I pinched myself I never woke from any dream. It was real. The silence was real.

“No, no, no,” I hissed under my breath. I rounded a corner in an alleyway and it led to a crowded street. No one moved a muscle. They were standing there frozen. I waved my hand in front of people’s faces, but they never responded. That’s when I saw a flicker of movement.

“Jason!” Someone screamed my name. My heart skipped at the noise. I turned and saw Miki.

“Miki!” I yelled as I ran toward her. We concluded in a hard hug.

“What’s happening?” She sobbed.

“I don’t know,” I whispered as I held her tight.

“Over population has led us to this sickening state, now we must deal with it. Everything will be legal for twelve continuous days. Stock up on supplies, because they’ll be gone in no time. At the siren, The Apocalypse will start.” A voice came from everywhere at once.

“Everyone is against everyone,” Miki whispered harshly to herself. Her eyes found mine and it made my heart hurt.

“I’m not going to let you die, we’ll make it out alive,” I promised. She nodded and that’s when the siren went off. Everyone came back to life and the noise and fighting started.

“Oh no.”