The world is coming to an end and that was what was on everyone's minds and at the tip of their tongues.
It has been that way for three months now since it was scientifically proven. A comet was coming and it would put an end to this world, to Liam's world.
A chance to escape was not what people were praying for rather they hoped their deaths will not be too painful.
Many cried over it just like Liam's family members downstairs. Even his father who he has known to be a very strong man was crying with his arms around his mother's waist.
Even animals knew what was happening and that was one of the things that fascinated Liam the most about the chaos of the world coming to an end.
It was a difficult task for many to accept the fact that they were about to die and would not be able to achieve all they dreamt of while some made sure they did all the crazy things they have always wanted to do.
Liam was not an exemption. He was rather on the frontline along with his friends until they went back to their family members when reality hit.
The end was only four hours away by estimate meaning it could arrive sooner than expected.
Liam sat down with a cigarette held between his thumb and his index finger. He looked at the reddish-looking night sky.
The end is surely different from any other day. The thought of it made him laugh. You could call him unfeeling and a sadist.
The world was coming to an end and that fact was not going to change no matter how long he cries.
He would have had someone to direct his anger to if someone killed him along with his family members but this was not a one-man's show the whole world was participating in this show.
He hated the feeling of the gloominess that filled the world, on social media, and even in his home.
One of his many friends died while trying a drug out and he will never get to witness the end of the world. Another died of too much sex, he never knew such a thing was possible until he saw his friend's dead body.
He sucked the cigarette and blew out the smoke from his nose and mouth.
"You can escape the end of the world. This is the only chance you will get," came the middle-aged man who has not hesitated to go around with a megaphone in his neighborhood for a month now.
He smiled at the man's effort in trying to ease people from the sadness of the world's end.
An idea popped, what if this is not at all a joke?
He smiled at the pathetic thought when he had already accepted that fact. The world was coming to an end so why was he bothered by the words of the crazy scientist living down the street.
He paused and looked down from the window where the man was calling out over and over that people do not have to die.
His smile broadened. What could a crazy scientist do to him that is worse than having to die in the heat and the explosion that will shatter the world into tiny debris?
That same tiny voice that tried to stop him from bungy-jumping for the first time came back again as he pressed the butt of his cigarette against the window frame.
He smiled the voice off. Extreme sports have always been his favorite. That scientist has been beaten a couple of times by angry teenagers but a few minutes of talking to the man will not hurt, right?
He hesitated for a moment when he remembered his beloved family members downstairs.
"Just a few minutes, I will be back," the stronger voice whispered under his breath.
He nodded firmly to that whisper before jumping down from the window of his room to the dying grasses. This was not the first time he was doing this.
The first time he tried it, he broke the ulna and radius of his left hand since that arm had hit the ground first.
It was painful and he felt guilty for making his mother cry but he wore a smile when he remembered he filmed the whole process.
He began running towards the scientist so he could return home to at least see the end of the world with the people he lived most of his life with, who he loved most.
The street was empty and it was not surprising as most humans would prefer to die indoors especially when there won't be anyone left to bury them when this is over.
"Hey," he shouted as loud as he could.
The man heard him over the sound of his megaphone and stopped.
Liam cleared his hurting throat and walked over to the man.
"What are you doing here if you believe the world should not end with everyone remaining on earth?" he asked based on one of the crazy things, he has heard the man say.
"If you do not believe me, why did you stop me?" the scientist asked meeting Liam's gaze.
Liam maintained eye contact with the man's unusually red eyes and shrugged. He smirked and continued to approach the man.
"Do not waste my time, young man, and go back to your family," the scientist warned him.
Liam continued to smirk. He was not one to take a warning seriously, especially from a man he had seen get beaten up twice.
"I want to know what made you believe that a world could exist with magic and beasts, you are a scientist for f**k's sake."
"Do you want to go to that world?"
"Yes. So, how could that be made possible?" he asked curious about the extent of the man's craziness.
The scientist's eyes narrowed, "Are you sure young man because this is not a joke at all."
Hearing the man's serious warning stirred a foreign feeling in him that made him hesitate. He shook his head and smiled at his pathetic self. It would be better to be indoors with his family members than out here talking to a mad man.
Or perhaps he had gotten mad himself due to the overwhelming feeling of the end of the world?
He turned and began walking back home. The thought of dying out here scared him.
He was quick to dodge the man's hand that reached for his wrist. He caught the man's hand and held it behind the man trying to avoid making the hold strong enough to break the man's hand.
"I will return to my family now, you should go on your way," he warned the man coldly before releasing him.
The end of the world could change people's personalities he would not have cared about not breaking the man's hand in the past.
The past was not too far away as that was only three months ago.
The man reached for his wrist again and this time, he simply dodged and continued walking.
The next time the man reached for his wrist, he did nothing, as what he wanted to do was land a punch on the man's jaw.
He raised his head; the end has arrived earlier than estimated. He flung the man's hand off to return home.
His hand barely reached touched the door when everything became black or he lost his vision.