Notebook Found in Celephaïs

Chapter 1: The Catastrophe

It was a peaceful day on the campus of Green Meadows A&M University. Classes were in session and many students were focused on their studies. Getting into the university with a full ride was incredibly difficult, but the freshman class of 2030 was bustling with excitement. Zoey was ecstatic at her acceptance to the university, and couldn't wait to begin her new life as an Honors Scholar with a full ride scholarship. As she entered her first class, she noticed that she was 30 minutes early. She shrugged and took her seat in the front, reviewing the notes she made two nights before.

"I'm glad that my professors were kind enough to send their syllabi early..." she thought to herself as she began playing her music in her earbuds. Time passed and students began taking their seats. Strange looks were given as people noticed that she was dressed in business casual, far better looking than the hoodies and sweatpants that half the class wore. Many students in the Professional Development class deemed her as a try-hard and other derogatory names. As the professor entered the room, Zoey put her earbuds away, giving a warm smile to the older man.

"Good morning, Professor!"

Professor Hawthorne chuckled at her enthusiasm, tempted to give her extra points for being well dressed and approachable. A friendly wave was given and class began. Zoey was invested in the lesson and beamed as she was used as an example for what proper workplace attire looked like. Eventually, class ended and she made her way to the library. Dressed like she was headed to the Career Fair, she gazed at other students who were dressed less than appropriately. She sighed and took her seat in front of a computer, beginning her assignments for her Computer Applications class.

After two hours and her assignments completed, she decided to explore campus. As she put on a true crime video and put her earbuds in, she got lost in the criminal case as she wandered around. She explored the classroom buildings at the bottom of the hill before turning her attention to the dormitories located above her. Thankfully, her dorm was straight ahead, but she preferred to catch the bus to go up. Part of her was curious about what the other dorms were like, considering that they alternated between gender. As she gazed at the newly renovated living spaces, the bus came around, and she made her way to her seat.

One of her classmates, Rowan, noticed her sitting alone in the back of the bus. He sat across from her, gently tapping her knee to get her attention. She paused her video and removed her earbuds, gazing at him with a warm smile.

"Hey, I noticed that you were the only one dressed to the nines in class today."

She gave a bashful chuckle, slightly covering her mouth. She only wanted to make a good impression, but she didn't think that anyone would bother to notice her attire that much.

"I just wanted to show that I mean business."

Rowan's best friend, Jasper, came over by them with a cheeky smirk. He had heard about the famous young lady who was dressed professionally on the first day of class, and he wanted to see what she was all about.

"Hey, man...oh! Who's this? Is this the girl you were telling me about?"

Zoey's eyes widened as she felt her cheeks grow warm. She wasn't used to people talking about her, so this was a complete shock to her. Rowan chuckled and gently smiled at Jasper, his eyes sparkling a bit as Zoey gave a shy smile. She waved as Jasper looked at her softly, thinking that she was cute.

"Hello...I'm Zoey. Rowan and I have Professional Development together. It's nice to meet you."

Her voice was soft and sounded like music to both of the young men's ears. She was definitely sophisticated, and Rowan wondered if he was even close to her league. Jasper noticed this and took his seat, ready to tease him about it later. Rowan analyzed her features as she searched in her purse for a stick of gum. Her doe eyes her very pretty, and her long curls cascaded wonderfully down her back. She was gorgeous, but she seemed hard to read. He figured that she wouldn't be into parties, so he decided to ask what she did for fun.

"Hey, Zoey?"

"Hm?"

"What are your hobbies, like what do you do in your free time?"

Zoey sighed, racking her brain for acceptable sounding answers. As she mulled over her hobbies, she came to her favorite one, the one that brought her the most joy.

"I write stories in my free time. I normally write romances, but I'm interested in writing horror stories."

Rowan's eyes widened a bit as she spoke, not realizing that he was talking to a future author. He smiled at the thought, appreciating someone who spent their time creatively. It was refreshing to meet a young woman who was so passionate about the fictional world, it made her multifaceted.

"What made you want to write?"

She smiled and fidgeted with her fingers, pondering his question. She wanted to see certain things in shows and movies, so she decided to create the content she desired.

"I create the things I wish to see on the big screen. My dream is to have my work come to life."

As the bus arrived at her dorm, she stepped out and waved at the boys. Eventually, everyone on that bus was dropped off, not realizing that their first day of class would be their last. New stars appeared in the night sky, or so everyone thought. They were actually ships, operated by the Qorro, a race of red aliens with tentacles on their faces. Many fleets of ships came to Earth, destroying everything in their path. As soldiers landed ship, they began attacking everyone in sight. Cities were destroyed as soldiers deemed the inhabitants "unworthy of life". The only city that was spared was Green Meadows, home of the local university. Screams could be heard as dorms were being broken into, as students were being tied up and loaded up on the ship. Many people fought back, but were tranquilized if they resisted.

Zoey and her roommate Irene were the last women to be loaded on the ship, as Rowan and Jasper were the last men to be loaded up. Both men and women were stripped of their clothes and placed in white uniforms. All four were placed in a large white cell with two bunk beds. Irene began to panic at the lack of variety of color, eyeing the white walls, white beds, and the white bowls containing white rice.

With a horrified scream, Irene began to weep as Jasper held her close. Rowan tried to deny their reality, whispering to himself that this was all a nightmare. Zoey looked out of a window, gazing at the planet as it exploded. The sound shook her to her core, the scene seared into her memory. She couldn't process anything besides the destruction of Earth. Unfortunately for them, this would only be the beginning of the end of humanity as they knew it.