My name is Mara, I’m 23 years old, and I’m dead. Dying… it feels like nothing, you just feel like you’re being sucked through a tube. I know I’m dead, but I’m not alone. My wife, my brilliant wife, is with me because we were hugging when we died; when the whole world ended. We were some of the last to go, to be sucked into the black hole that had devoured the earth. The black hole started on the opposite side of the world with New Zealand, leaving us in England to watch all our friends die. Let me go back and start from the beginning.
Part I
12 AUGUST 2020
“Don’t forget to Skype, you twat!” I said, hugging Ashley. She had flown to England for the month and was just leaving.
“Hey, it’s you that’s never online, butt brain!” she laughed.
“Eight years later… you’re 28 and I’m 23, yet we still have the maturity of twelve year olds around each other!”
“Whatever. You’re weird.” She says, giving both Nicola and I one last hug before getting in the taxi.
I sigh and sit on the couch. “It was great seeing Ash again.” Nicola said, squeezing into the small spot between the right arm of the couch and me.
“Yeah… what’re you doing? Do you honestly think I’m gonna let you get squished?” I smiled, pulling her into my lap. “Especially not today.” I said as I wrapped my arms around her waist.
“Not for a second.” She winked, placing her arms gently on my shoulders, her hands resting on the back of my neck. “Happy two year anniversary.” She kissed me gently.
“You too.” I mumbled against her lips. I was just about to deepen the kiss when the TV turned itself on... the TV had never turned itself on before.
“This is an emergency broadcast. This is not a drill; I repeat this is not a drill. The earth is being sucked into a black hole as we speak, starting with New Zealand. England will be the last to go. I-I-I’m sorry!” the newswoman broke into tears right before the TV turned itself off.
For a moment, we both sat there, looking at each other, then I turned the TV on. They were showing live footage from a helicopter over Auckland, New Zealand. We watch in horror as Jem King, one of our closest friends, gets sucked up into the black hole.
We had both been trying to be strong for each other, but at that moment we lost it. All I remember is holding her as we both sobbed. I don’t know how long we sat there like that, but it was long enough for New Zealand to be sucked into the black hole.
“I love you, I’ve loved you since I was 15 and I will always love you.” I said, hugging her more as I choke back more tears.
“I will always love you too.”
Just then more screams came out of the TV. We looked just in time to see Maddy Elphick be sucked up into the air and into the black hole.
“NO!” I shouted before starting to cry again. It was all just sinking in… Jem, Maddy, and Maddison were gone.
Part II
We sat there crying for who knows how long; it could have been five minutes or five hours. We sat there until it reached America... about one third of the earth was gone. That’s when it happened; when I thought I was going to lose my mind. All I remember are the words “California has started to go” and seeing Brianna flying up into the hole. My hometown... my friends... my parents... gone. At this point, I had run out of tears. Nicola made us tea, but neither of us drank it.
When Colorado was being swallowed up, I couldn’t even look. I couldn’t watch as my aunt and uncle flew into the hole; into oblivion. Now they were showing Indiana where an earthquake had killed thousands. I scanned the screen carefully as they panned over the destroyed ground, hoping not to see her, that she was still alive. I don’t remember seeing Lena’s body, but I know I did. All I remember is crying again and wishing that the black hole would just swallow me up now, that England wasn’t last.
I hardly remember the rest, by this point my brain was setting up a trauma induced mental block. I remember hearing about Alabama, Massachusetts, and Florida being destroyed, but I don’t think I watched. Seeing Kari, Alanna, and Cecilia die after seeing everyone else die would have driven me totally mental.
There was still a few hours before the black hole would suck up England and we didn’t know what would happen to us. We laid down on the couch and eventually fell asleep, then woke up dead. If we woke up while going into the black hole and dying, neither of us remember. When we woke up, we were in our living room in our flat, which is where I sit now writing this, even though no one will probably read this. If someone is reading this, I’m sorry for depressing you. Thanks for reading, I guess.
YOU ARE READING
