What's At The End Of The World?

Part title

The year is... oh what's the point. It's the end, and that's all you need to know.

We were in our living room, watching Disney+ Ultimate, when our roof began to shake.

shingles fell off and smashed on the concrete with a loud shatter.

Things around us began to rattle, loud clattering filling the air around us.

A buzz came from the seat of my pants. I took my phone out of my pocket, hoping it would give an answer to what that just was.

And I got an answer. EMERGENCY ALERT! Level 6 earthquake approaching! Tidal wave of light with temperature of about 150,000,000 Celsius coming from the east, coming to your area in T-minus 3 hours.

I wasn't sure how much that was, but it sounded like enough to kill.

I had no idea how, why, or where this whole 'light wave'  ordeal started, but it was horrifying.

We stopped moving.

We embraced the pure silence, before another grumble sounded throughout the house, dust coming from the ceiling, more shingles falling from outside the windows.

"mom? What are we supposed to do?" My brother mase said.

"Well, uh... let's think about this r-rationally! There's gotta be something we can do, or-maybe this is a really cruel prank to test us! Ah-I-"

"Brilee!" Mase said, holding my shoulders, gripping my plain red T.

"I... I don't think there's anything we can do. Dad? Mom?"

"I... where are the girls?" Mom half-whispered.

My sisters Rae and Rem turned around and looked at our mother from the couch.  "I'm here mom!" They said. Although REM was younger so it sounded like " 'm 'ere mom!"

Rae, who was only seven, simply held onto her little 4 year old sister, not letting go.

11 year Mase looked at me before I went to pull him into a hug.

We all stood like this in the white living room for a few minutes more, before mom suddenly went to hug us both, our sisters and dad joining us.

"It's... it's going to be okay." She whispered.

————

By the second hour, the lower floor was nearly covered in dust, warnings popping up about more earthquakes and volcanos around the world.

And we were still hugging each other, the little mutt curled up around our dads foot, tail between its legs.

Rae decided to pick up the dog, holding her close as we continued to hold onto each other.

Thirty minutes. It was so dark, the floor shaking.

Fifteen. I saw light sneak through the window. Mase turned to look at it, before tearing away from it, gripping his eyes.

I had so many regrets, but this would not be one of them, I held him close, pulling him to the family, us all holding each other as the clock ticked down to zero, light engulfing us, muffling any trace of a scream.

After all, if a tree falls and no ones around to hear it, does it make a sound?