THE END OF THE WORLD || 𝚜. 𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 ✔️

1. The Night We Met

season 4, episode 1; lazarus rising

I don't know if Jenna knows that it's a fictional show, but it was too late to tell her because she started to pull the lever and press buttons. The machine whirred violently, and to be honest, it was quite terrifying.

The last button glowed a bright red and she looked at me one last time before smiling. "Have fun," and then she pressed it.

I closed my eyes tight, holding onto the armrests tightly, expecting the thing to electrocute me again, but nothing happened. Hesitantly, I opened my eye, looking at the machine and then her. She frowned, stomping to the side of the machine and kicking it.

It whirred again and this time I felt a zap in my stomach as if I were being pulled back by the belly button on a fishing line. I refused to open my eyes, but I knew there was a really really bright white light around me.

And then it stopped.

I felt around, still not opening my eyes, and felt myself on the same chair I was on before. "I'm dead. I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead..." My whispers felt like I was okay. My heart was still pumping... fairly quickly, but still going. I didn't feel brain dead and it felt like I had all my body parts.

I opened one eye slightly, only to receive the sun's glares at me. I felt my breathing stop... I wasn't outside two minutes ago.

I took a deep breath through my nose and opened my eyes again, this time slower. Slow and steady, slow and steady. When my eyes were fully opened, it took a second to adjust before I was finally able to look around me.

I'm in the middle of nowhere. I looked around cautiously, wondering if maybe I did die. I removed the straps on my upper arms and then moved on to my legs. "Uh... Jenna?" I called quietly. My throat burned. It felt like I had talked in ages. "Are you here? Are you trying to punk me?" I hugged my body a bit, walking around a little more around the chair. "Jenna?" There was no answer.

I sighed nervously, letting my arms fall and grabbing my phone from my pocket. I turned it on, finding the time and checking the date. It was still September 18. My phone said 2022, so I must be getting punked, right? Only, I had no bars. I mean, okay, I'm in the middle of nowhere, it's no wonder why I wouldn't have any bars right now.

Maybe if I walked into town, I'd get better cell service. I could call Jenna, yell at her for the prank, and then go home safely and calmly. I stuffed my phone back into my pocket and began to walk in the direction of town. But I didn't know where I was. There were no signs around me.

If Jenna had successfully done time travel, shouldn't I have landed in the same spot I left? If that was the case, why didn't I?

After half an hour of walking, I began to put my hair up and tie it off with the hair tie on my wrist. I was in desperate need of water. I hated the fact that I wasn't active. If I had been, I wouldn't be dying of thirst and feeling like my leg was going to snap with one more step.

And then, after another half hour, I found an abandoned gas station. I chuckled in relief and began to walk a little faster to the building. I looked both ways before crossing the empty street and dug around my pocket for some loose change for a water bottle, maybe two.

I was hesitant about the broken window, but this was the only place I found and probably the only place I can find until I get to town. And I don't know where the town is. No one was here. It didn't look like it, anyway. I opened and closed the door gently, walking slowly towards the back with the few bills and quarters in my hand.

I got to the refrigerator and opened it, grabbing the first bottle I was able to reach. I twisted off the cap, downing half of it in one sip. I sighed in relief, twisting the cap back on, and stopped when I found the newspaper. I walked to it, picking it up and looking at the date. The bottle fell from my hands from the shock and I felt like I was about to collapse.