SOULS INTERTWINED | m. fishbach

prologue

You always sort of assumed that the end of the world would come slowly. A famine, a plague, some sort of natural disaster like the eruption of Yellowstone that would blanket the world in ash like a cosmic recreation of Pompeii. You never expected it to happen as fast as it did.

In fact, you still remembered what exactly you were doing when you realized that there was no modern world left to live in.

January 13, 2017. New York City

"Seàn, did you eat the last of the strawberries?" You asked, peeking over the fridge door to look at your friend.

He was lounging on your couch, remote limp in his hand as he flipped through the limited channels on the tv. "No, why?"

"Because they're all gone," you said, closing the fridge door. Sighing, you walked into the living room and dropped onto the couch next to him. "We have to go shopping tomorrow, we're out of almost everything. Remind me never to let Katie near our kitchen when she comes over."

Katie, though a truly radiant and bubbly woman, was a habitual cupboard raider. You and she had been best friends since college, and since then, there have been many times when you've run out of things long before you needed to go to the store. She was a truly wonderful woman, sure, but damn, was she able to eat.

Seàn huffed out a laugh, flicking the channel from TLC to the local news. A pretty woman was doing a weather report, and you were unsurprised to find that the city was going to have another snow storm within a few days.

"Oh, good, another snow storm." Seàn muttered. "You know, part of the reason why I moved here was to get away from the horrible weather."

You laughed. "Well, then I guess you should've chosen California. New York is no better than-"

The weather channel was abruptly cut off, an ear-piercing alarm replacing the cheery weather woman's voice. Bright red engulfed the screen as blocks of black text flashed across the screen in time with an ear-piercing alarm. An automated voice repeated the words aloud to you. "Attention. All residents of the United States of America are now under a Shelter in Place. Seek shelter, do not leave your homes under any circumstance, and stay away from any one person showing the following symptoms: fever, delusion, hunger for flesh, and/or animalistic instincts. This is not a drill. Stay in your homes and await further government or military instruction."

A sickening feeling in your stomach grew as the voice repeated the words over and over, overlapping with the blaring emergency alarm. Your phone began ringing the same alarm from the kitchen counter, and Seàn's from his pocket. The light from the windows of your apartment gleaned on the hardwood floor, and the feeling of the bright winter sun on your face did nothing to truly calm you as you and Seàn shared dreadful looks.

Immediately, the man darted to his bedroom, presumably to call his family and inform them. You moved to turn your phone off, before heading back into the living room to wait for Seàn. The voice repeating the announcement overlapped with the alarm, dizzyingly loud as you paced along the living room, trying your best to not empty the contents of your stomach onto the floor. Finally, Seàn came back into the room, snatching up the remote and pressing the 'mute' button, allowing the room to fill with silence.

"Did you call your parents? What'd they say?" You asked, desperate for a distraction.

Seàn's face was all too pale as he replied. "They didn't even pick up."

"Maybe it's just us that's dealing with- with whatever this is. Maybe your parents are okay, Seàn. You never know," you attempted to assure him, but the churning feeling in your stomach was making you feel horrible.

Your friend just nodded, opening the balcony door to witness how the rest of the world was reacting to the critical warning. Oddly enough, it seemed as though you were the only people who had gotten the urgent message on the tv. Life seemed to continue on as normal, with extreme traffic and bustling streets. The life of the city was one of the reasons why you chose to move here. Sure, Cincinnati was always bustling, but never like New York.

Unfortunately, this would be the last time you would see the city alive and well.