Genesis

50 years ago

"We have reached the conclusion that if we as a species haven't cleaned up our act in an approximate of 55 years, life as we know it will change for the worst. Our planet and everything on it will suffer a slow and possibly painful death. Our campaign hopes to change that, and with the right support, we can save your lives. Thank you."

20 years ago

"Our planet is still under immense pressure to survive. We sent out a warning 30 years ago saying that if we didn't change our ways, death may catch up on us in the most painful way possible. We have started to work on a cure for that. You may not like it, but it's the only way if we don't try to save any last chance we might have of surviving. Thanks again for listening."

5 years ago

"The time is approaching us. We haven't managed to save our planet. In an approximate of 10 years, the end of life as we know it will be upon us. Thankfully, our team has developed a drug that will save us from a slow death. Unfortunately, it will kill us, but it's better to die painlessly with the ones we love than to die painfully, at any unkown time. Everyone in the world will be sent a necklace with the drug held inside. At 6:00pm on Thursday 21st March, 2090, an alarm will sound and the pendant on the necklace will unlock. Everyone will take the drug to be saved from the pain. We're terribly sorry to break this news, but it's the only way."

Thursday 21st March, 2090

The sound of alarms filled the air. People all over the globe reached for the necklace hanging around their throat. They cracked open the pendant and swallowed the white powder inside. This was it. This was the end of the human race.

***

I reached for the glass of water next to my bed. I had never been able to swallow drugs without water. 

'This is it', I thought to myself, as I raised the glass to my lips. I had always wanted to die alone. Dying in front of the ones I love didn't really appeal to me, so today I'd asked to be left alone. The second alarm sounded, and I swallowed the powdery mixture in my mouth.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Slowly, I opened my right eye. I was still in my bedroom. Somehow, I assumed heaven (or hell) would look different. I opened my other eye and looked around properly, looking for something to be out of place, something to show that I wasn't actually still in my room. Everything looked perfect. My posters were still hanging precariously off the walls, the curtains were still fully drawn and my sketch books were still scattered across the left half of my king-sized bed. I crawled off my bed and crept down the stairs, surprisingly scared that I might disturb someone. Poking my head round the door to the living room, I couldn't help but notice 4 bodies sprawled across the floor. I wasn't really surprised my family was dead, after all, that was what the drug was for. I was just curious about why I was still alive. 

I made my way through to the kitchen to find something to drink, the powder had sucked all the moisture from my mouth. I was just stretching to get a glass when I heard someone talking on the radio. The realisation hit me like a bomb. I wasn't the only one still alive.I practically ran the the radio to turn the volume up. The reception was awful, but I just about managed to make out what they were saying.

"If anyone's out there--- Buckingham Palace--- Stay there--- I'll find you---"

I had to get to London. I ran up to my room as fast as I could and started filling one of my bags with clothes. As soon as I'd finished packing clothes, I grabbed another bag and ran back down to the kitchen to fill it with food and water. Throwing both my bags into the trunk of the car, I started up the engine and pressed the pedal to the floor. Although I was only 15, my dad had given me a few driving lessons, so I knew the basics. Keeping one hand on the wheel, I fiddled with the radio, trying to find the same station as before. I'd been messing with it for roughly 5 minutes when I head another fuzzy voice coming out the machine. 

"I need all remaining troops stationed at Buckingham Palace ASAP. Repeat, all remaining troops at Buckingham Palace ASAP. Wait there for further instructions."

I thought I recognized the voice from somewhere, but I pushed the thought to the back of my mind and focused on getting to London safely.

I'd been driving for about an hour when I thought I saw it. It looked like a human, but it was white as a sheet and too skinny to be alive. It had eyes the size of tennis balls and it's skin looked almost like scales. Shaking my head in disbelief, I just blamed it on dehydration.