𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐝...

Chapter One

I loved using guns. Not on people, I've never thought about hurting anyone in my life. Well, actually once, I'll tell you about it later on. No, I loved using guns on objects to relieve my anger, I got serious anger management issues that I need to work on.

My skills in guns and building stuff never came in handy until last month...

When it all went for shit!

***

~last month~

My family was having our annual dinner with our whole from my mom's to my dad's side of the family. Aunts, uncles, their wives, husbands, grandparents, cousins, and gossip in every corner with the mix of kids screaming and running around.

I was having fun I'm not gonna lie, but I needed a break from all that. I always get overwhelmed by crowded places and especially at family gatherings. I went to the rooftop, took my pack, and lit a cigarette, I place it between my lips and inhale deeply, I look at the cloudy night sky and smile thinking it could rain while I exhale.

It's a bad habit, I know. But goddamnit it feels so good.

Today was abnormally noisy in our calm town of Sabah Al-Ahmed. Cars and trucks noise and my uncle Mansour told me that there was a lot of U.S. military in our area, he jokes saying that the Russians are moving into the European region to regain their Soviet Union territory once again through war to Ukraine first then the rest.

But then, when I was lighting my third cigarette I saw an explosion five kilometers away. It was a big one, I saw it first, then I heard it and finally, the blast pressure hit me. I flow to the ground hitting my head on the floor. It felt like a jolting sensation that is not like anything I've experienced in my life before, but before I could groan in pain, everything went dark.

I started to open my eyes slowly, struggling to get up because my body felt sore, then the pain hit me and I gave up on the ground. The pain was agonizing but the only thought that went through my mind was my family!

I ignored what I felt and limped to the elevator, when it opened I saw my cousin from my father side, Fawaz, he seemed worried. "Kami?! Are you okay?" he took my hand and wrapped it over his shoulder, I took a glance in the elevator mirrors and I saw what he was worried about. There were cuts and bruises all over my face and arms, and a bloody nose that I didn't notice. "What happened?" I asked, "you've been gone for three hours! Where were you?" he was mad and worried, "Fawaz! What happened!" I demanded this time to know.

Even if he's three years older than me, he never belittled me at all, not unlike our family, he and his younger brother Mohamad are my favorites.

Fawaz sighed and moved away from me, "I think it's the end", "the end? End of what?" I questioned confused, "the world... the end of the world".

Fawaz has always been dramatic, but this time, his face, the explosion, and the vibe around us feels off.

I chuckled nervously, "what do you mean?", "come and have a look" he motioned me to where our whole family is, lurking through the windows.

I slowly joined them, looking at them before noticing what they were seeing. Their faces were blank men's faces and scared to death women. I slowly turned my attention to the windows and saw something that should only be in science fiction and not in real life.