Gates of the Apocalypse

Book I

(c)2024-2025

When the world ends, you always think it's going to be some epic, mind-blowing event. Maybe a meteor the size of Texas, or a global war that would make Mad Max look like a warm-up. But no, for me, the end of the world started like every other boring day of my life: with the sound of my alarm blaring at 7:00 AM and my half-asleep hand fumbling around to silence the damn thing.

"Five more minutes," I mumbled to no one in particular, rolling over and pulling the blanket over my head. If this were some kind of action movie, I'd be leaping out of bed, ready to face the day with a smile on my face and a shotgun slung over my shoulder. But instead, all I had was a case of bedhead and a T-shirt that proudly proclaimed, "I Paused My Game to Be Here."

Not exactly hero material.

Reluctantly, I dragged myself out of bed, my feet hitting the cold floor with a thud that echoed my sentiments about Monday mornings. I shuffled to the bathroom, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Yep, same old George David Carter. Overweight, unshaven, and with hair that looked like it had lost a fight with a weed whacker. If there was an award for "Most Likely to Get Eaten First in a Zombie Apocalypse," I'd probably have it framed on my wall.

I threw on my usual attire: a pair of baggy jeans, a graphic tee featuring a pixelated space invader, and my trusty hoodie that had seen better days. This was my uniform, my armor against the drudgery of daily life. I grabbed my backpack and headed out the door, mentally preparing myself for another day of counting cans at the college food pantry. Thrilling stuff, right?

The walk to campus was the same as always: uneventful and filled with the usual sights and sounds. The sun was just starting to rise, casting a golden hue over the rows of brick buildings and leaf-strewn sidewalks.

Students milled about, either rushing to class or nursing their hangovers from the weekend. As I trudged along, I couldn't help but think about how mundane everything was. If my life were a movie, this would be the part where the protagonist feels like something is missing, like there's something more out there waiting for him. But all I had waiting for me was a stack of canned beans and a calculator that didn't know the meaning of the word "fun."

I reached the food pantry and unlocked the door, flipping on the lights and taking in the familiar sight of shelves stacked with non-perishables. Cans of soup, bags of rice, and jars of peanut butter, my kingdom, my domain. I tossed my backpack into the corner and sighed, knowing I had at least six hours of this ahead of me.

"Morning, George," came a voice from behind me. I turned to see Stephanie, the college's most chipper volunteer, bounding through the door like she was in a commercial for energy drinks. She was all sunshine and rainbows, the kind of person who actually enjoyed sorting through donations and organizing food drives. In other words, the exact opposite of me.

"Morning, Steph," I replied, forcing a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. I grabbed a clipboard and started taking inventory, trying to avoid any prolonged conversation. It wasn't that I didn't like Stephanie; it was just that I didn't like anyone before I had my morning coffee. Or ever, really.

Stephanie, oblivious to my lack of enthusiasm, launched into a story about her weekend at the animal shelter, where she apparently saved a kitten from a tree and reunited it with its owner. I nodded along, throwing in the occasional "uh-huh" and "that's nice," all while mentally checking out. My mind drifted to the latest video game I'd been playing, imagining myself as the hero in a post-apocalyptic world where my biggest problem wasn't trying to keep up with Stephanie's stories.

"George, you're so quiet today," Stephanie said, snapping me back to reality.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking about stuff," I replied vaguely. The truth was, I wasn't really thinking about anything important. Just the usual daydreams of living in a world that wasn't so mind-numbingly dull.

The hours ticked by slowly, each one blending into the next as I sorted through donations and restocked shelves. By the time lunchtime rolled around, I was ready to call it quits and head back to my dorm. But duty called, and I knew I had to stick it out until the afternoon shift showed up.

As I was about to head out for a quick break, the door to the pantry swung open, and in walked but our oldest employee, Henry Jenkins. He wore our company green vest over top a tan t-shirt. He was a middle-aged guy, tall and thin, and had a permanent scowl etched onto his face. He looked at us with a strange far off look to his eyes.

"George, Stephanie, you two seen anything weird today?" he asked, his voice gruff and to the point.

I exchanged a glance with Stephanie, who looked just as confused as I felt. "Weird? Like what?" I asked, hoping this wasn't going to turn into one of those days where I had to actually do something interesting.

Jenkins scratched his head, looking uneasy. "I don't know. Just… weird stuff. The kind of stuff that makes you think the world's gone crazy."

"Isn't that, like, every day?" I quipped, earning a glare from Jenkins. "Seriously though, we haven't seen anything unusual. Why?"

Jenkins shifted uncomfortably. "There's been some reports. People acting strange, lights flickering, and…" He hesitated, like he didn't want to say the next part out loud. "And something about portals opening up in the sky."

Stephanie gasped, her eyes widening in shock. "Portals? Like, otherworldly portals?"

Jenkins shrugged. "Hell if I know. All I'm saying is, stay alert. If you see anything out of the ordinary, report it immediately."

As Jenkins left, Stephanie turned to me, her face pale. "George, what do you think that was all about?"

I shrugged, trying to play it cool even though the idea of portals had my inner nerd buzzing with excitement. "Probably nothing. You know how people are always overreacting to something. I'm sure it's just a glitch in the Matrix or something."

Stephanie gave a nervous laugh, but it didn't reach her eyes. The tension in the air was palpable, and I could tell she wasn't convinced. To be honest, neither was I, but I wasn't about to admit that.

Just as I was about to say something reassuring, the lights above us flickered, casting the room into brief moments of shadow. The hum of the fluorescent bulbs buzzed louder, the flickering growing more pronounced, as if the entire electrical system was struggling to stay on. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I glanced around the pantry, the shelves and racks suddenly feeling more oppressive, the darkness in the corners deeper.

"Did… did that just happen?" Stephanie asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. "Probably just the old wiring. This place is ancient, after all."

But as I said it, the lights flickered again, this time staying off just a second too long before coming back on. The shadows seemed to stretch and shift in that brief darkness, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching us.

Stephanie hugged herself, glancing around nervously. "I don't like this, George. It's like… something's off."

I opened my mouth to reassure her, but the words stuck in my throat. She was right. Something did feel off. The flickering lights, the strange vibe, the uneasy silence that seemed to fill the room as soon as Jenkins left, it was all adding up to a creeping sense of dread I couldn't ignore.

But I had to stay calm. For Stephanie's sake, and for my own.

"It's just a coincidence," I said, forcing a grin. "Nothing to worry about. Let's just get back to work and forget about it, okay?"

She nodded, but the worry didn't leave her face. And as we turned back to our tasks, the lights flickered one last time, casting long, distorted shadows across the floor before finally stabilizing. The feeling of being watched lingered, and I couldn't shake the sense that whatever was happening, it was just beginning.

After a moment, I pulled out my phone and opened Google. My fingers hovered over the screen for a second before typing: Portals in the sky.

I half expected the usual conspiracy theories or low-quality hoaxes, but the results that popped up were different. Headlines from all over the world. Videos, articles, everything. My stomach tightened as I clicked on the first video, a news report from Shanghai.

The screen flickered to life, showing shaky footage of the sky over the city. The portal was massive, a swirling, dark vortex that seemed to ripple with energy. Below it, chaos reigned as thousands of dark figures poured out. At first, they were hard to make out, just shadows against the sky. But as the camera zoomed in, I saw them clearly, orc-like creatures, armored and wielding crude weapons, storming the streets. Behind them were dark knights, their skeletal horses galloping through the air, their armor gleaming in the low light.

The reporter's voice was frantic, barely keeping it together. "We are witnessing... something beyond belief. The portal continues to pour out these... creatures. Authorities are urging people to stay indoors..."

The screen cut out for a second, and I clicked on the next video, this one from Moscow. It was the same story. A portal in the sky, thousands of creatures descending. This time, the video focused on the wraiths, their high-pitched shrieks echoing through the air as they swooped down on the panicked crowds below.

My heart raced as I watched the footage. It couldn't be real. It had to be some elaborate hoax. But the fear in the reporters' voices, the sheer terror on the faces of the people... It was too raw, too real.

I stared at the screen, unable to look away. My mind spun with the implications. If this was happening in Shanghai and Moscow, how long before it hit us? How long before these things started pouring out of the sky right above our heads?

I turned off my phone, the weight of what I'd just seen settling over me like a lead blanket. The portals were real, and whatever was coming through them... we weren't ready.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur of canned goods and idle chatter. By the time my shift ended, I was more than ready to head back to my dorm and decompress with some gaming. I said goodbye to Stephanie, who was still talking about the portals and what they could mean, and made my way out of the pantry.

The campus was quiet as I walked back to my dorm, the setting sun casting long shadows across the buildings. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, but I chalked it up to Jenkins's weird warning earlier. Still, as I unlocked the door to my room and stepped inside, I couldn't help but glance up at the sky, half-expecting to see some kind of cosmic rift or alien invasion. But there was nothing, just a peaceful evening sky and the distant hum of traffic.

I flopped down on my bed and grabbed my controller, ready to lose myself in the virtual world for a while. As the game loaded, I let out a sigh, wondering if this was all there was to life. Day after day of the same routine, with no excitement or adventure to break up the monotony. Sure, video games were fun, but they were just that, games. They weren't real.

Little did I know, that would be the last normal day I'd ever have.

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