Every scientist and pseudoscientist, pundit and conspiracy theorist, preacher and follower, influencer and commoner has their version of a harrowing, devastating apocalypse. Our minds became a landfill of frantic thoughts when a natural occurrence threatened our existence.
•• BREAKING NEWS!!
Given Its Trajectory, Doomsday Asteroid Expected to Fall Into the Pacific Ocean Within the Territorial Waters of Condelucia
"Cult and chaos dominated the national discourse over the 4220 Numraia—dubbed by many as Doomsday Asteroid. While scientists assured the public there was no need to panic, many believed the event signaled the impending apocalypse."
Because our brains functioned like a prediction machine, we imagined scenarios of cataclysmic proportions, but they turned out to be anticlimactic events.
•• BREAKING NEWS!!
Doomsday Asteroid is Just a Cosmic Pebble
"At 4:40 AM Condelucia time, as predicted by scientists, the 'Doomsday Asteroid' disintegrated upon entering the atmosphere. The fragments left an ethereal glow as they shot through the sky. The meteorites eventually fell into the Pacific Ocean. No tsunami was detected."
However, the story didn't end there—
•• BREAKING NEWS!!
Bubble Swarms Span the Globe; Experts Unsure of Their Origin and Long-term Effects
"Swarms of bubbles appeared around the world, seemingly out of nowhere. However, many believed that its appearance began shortly after the Doomsday Asteroid. The coincidence was hard to ignore."
At first, this otherworldly phenomenon seemed harmless.
•• VIRAL — Vlogger Street Interview!!
"When bubbles landed on my hand, it didn't pop instantly! Oh, here's one—"
"This reminded me of when we were kids making soap bubbles!"
"Wow! See that? It clung to my skin and stayed longer. Hahaha! Yeah, wayyy longer! It's so beautiful! So dreamy, right?"
"Yeah! You know that viral wedding? In the garden surrounded by bubbles… That's my classmate's sister's wedding!"
"Oh, that was cool!"
"Aren't you guys scared? It could be of extraterrestrial origin, haha! Scientists couldn't explain the phenomenon—"
"Like if they're poisonous or something? Duh, we should have been sick or worse dead by now! But I don't feel sick at all—"
"It's like snow! I mean… We're a tropical country. So this is our version of snow! Hahaha"
"But someone's cautious—"
"Uhm… Me? Yeah! My gloved hands? Of course, I don't want those bubbles touching my skin! I wear a face mask whenever I'm out of the house. You'll never know—"
"Come one! They're harmless! See?"
"Ekkkk!"
"Oh my! She just ran away! Hahaha"
Gradually, the bubbles invaded every space and lingered in every nook and cranny.
•• BREAKING NEWS!!
Scientists: Long-term Effects of Bubble Exposure Unknown
"Scientists have discovered that bubbles tend to cluster around, regardless of whether it's a living or non-living thing, showing no sign of bursting on its own, unlike ordinary soap bubbles. The outbreak of bubble swarms has caused panic. Health officials advised citizens to avoid direct contact with the bubbles and to wear face masks to prevent inhaling microscopic residues. Meanwhile, scientists haven't found any evidence of adverse effects from this strange phenomenon."
•• DOCUMENTARY: Our New Normal
"The bubbles became part of our lives. Some said it was a beautiful anomaly. Some scrambled to find solutions—ranging from practical to absurd to dangerous—to rid their homes of the bubbles."
Eventually, we've adapted to this new normal. However, nothing good comes from an anomaly.
•• BREAKING NEWS!!
Leaked Documents Reveal Detection of Supernatural Voids; Scientists Struggle to Explain the Phenomenon
"Two years after their first appearance, leaked documents from a research lab showed that bubbles tend to gather into a huge swarm and concentrate in one spot. A microscopic void was detected at the center of that spot, which continued to expand as days passed. Meanwhile, the whistleblower, a former employee of the research lab, was reported missing."
The writing was on the wall. But governments would rather keep their people in the dark to avoid causing panic. Research on the Void was kept under wraps until further studies yielded conclusive results.
That fateful day came like a thief in the night. And it changed our world forever.
2:44 PM 22nd Floor QRST Tower, Blake City, Condelucia
Theo Kann finally finished the employment exit interview.
He carried a box that contained his belongings. While walking towards the elevator, he reflected on the 12 years he had spent working in the marketing department of QRST Construction. He got hired when he was 28 years old. He was the oldest new hire at that time. He worked diligently like any other employee. The pay was decent even though the company's rise to prominence was marked by suspicion—due to rumors of involvement in shady government contracts. Later, he realized that without proper connections, ingratiating himself with superiors, and a degree from a prestigious university, climbing the corporate ladder in this company was unlikely to happen.
While waiting for the elevator, a daring thought came to Theo's mind.
He had worked here for many years but had never used the center elevator; not even an attempt to do it. Dubbed the Golden Elevator, the lift earned that fancy name because it's accentuated with gold and exclusively used by company executives and VIP guests. Their CEO, an extravagant, eccentric, and narcissistic man in his 60s, was a gold aficionado. It's no surprise that his properties were gilded.
Theo dared himself: What if I use the Golden Elevator? To experience luxury, just for once.
So he pressed the button for that elevator.
He was amused at himself for being audacious. Meanwhile, the others waiting for the regular elevators looked at him with mixed reactions of disbelief, mockery, and amusement. He ignored them.
It's his last day in this office. He mused: Anyway, what could go wrong?
When the first Hellhound emerged from the Void and indiscriminately passed judgment on the living, we realized that Hell wasn't a state of mind, a concept for lofty philosophical debate, a religious perspective, or a sinner's place in the afterlife.
SCREEECH!
Suddenly, an earth-shaking impact jolted the building, accompanied by a nerve-wracking growl that caused everyone to stop in their tracks.
GRRROWL!
The Golden Elevator made a sudden stop on the 22nd floor. A sharp clanking echoed through the hall.
The crowd in the elevator lobby exchanged fearful and unsettling glances. Someone joked that their CEO must have brought the rumored tigress he kept in the penthouse. But no one laughed; instead, they murmured worrisome assumptions and asked others if it was an earthquake. They were baffled when no earthquake alert appeared on their phones.
Theo noticed the condition of the Golden Elevator. He gasped as fear crept over him. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead. His knees trembled and weakened at the horrifying sight before him. His strength melted. As the box he carried slipped through his cold trembling hands, he mumbled: 'Is this for real?'
The elevator door was deeply gouged; as though a colossal, ferocious beast had clawed at it to pry it open. The blood-curdling growling, rattling, and clawing continued as eerie smoke escaped through the gaping, jagged door.
SCREEETCH!
In a split second, the Golden Elevator's door burst open with such brutal force that it heavily damaged the elevators beside it. The hall shook and part of the wall near the elevators shattered.
Theo and the others were frozen in shock, unable to think straight.
As fragments from the shattered walls fell, a colossal dog with a sleek pitch-black, short coat and bobbed tail emerged from the Golden Elevator. The beast towered over them. Its otherworldly presence brought shivers down their spine. Its ears were pointy, although a noticeable portion of its left ear was gnawed off. Distinct markings, resembling healed scars, slashed through its battered head and lean, muscular body. Its right eye was gouged out and a malodorous inky pus leaked from the hollowed part. Its left eye was glowering with a menacing crimson gleam. Its growl was guttural and hungry. Its gaping maw was salivating and oozing thick smoke, as though it breathed in through its mouth only to exhale noxious fumes now waving through the air. The sulfuric smell caused suffocation and irritation to the eyes.
They coughed, groaned, and gasped for air as though they were drowning in the suffocating stench emanating from the creature.
"What kind of creature—"
"Urgh! Is that dog from hell?"
"Oh, my God!"
"Is that man—"
A collective gasp and frantic screams echoed through the hall. They saw that the hell dog's huge paw rested on top of a terrified, injured man who was crying for help.
They were all horrified when they realized the unfortunate man was their CEO, as evidenced by his golden suit now stained with blood.
GROOOWL!
The hell dog lifted its sharp-clawed paw while firmly holding its prey. The CEO flailed and screamed for help as the creature's gaping maw flexed and swung wide open, revealing a terrifying display of multilayered, serrated teeth and elongated canines jutting from its upper jaw. Its tongue, both prehensile and protrusible, grabbed the hapless CEO, swung him around, and leisurely rolled the bloodied meal over the sharp lingual papillae covering its tongue.
The monster devoured the man with one hungry gulp.
But its beastly hunger remained unsated. While licking its muzzle, it turned its ravenous attention to the panicked crowd.
That's how they realized that their horrific fate had just begun.