The day started with an unusual tranquility, one Aiden had learned not to trust. He and Lila sat on their favorite park bench, sketchbooks open, the quiet murmur of the lake's small waterfall providing a soothing backdrop. Sunlight danced across the water, refracting into golden shards that seemed to promise everything was fine—for once.
Aiden leaned over, catching a glimpse of Lila's notebook. Her pencil darted across the page, forming quick, exaggerated lines. He grinned. "Wait… Is that supposed to be me?" he teased, pointing at the unmistakable mess of hair she'd scribbled atop a figure with sagging, dark circles under its eyes.
Lila smirked, nudging him with her elbow. "Don't flatter yourself. I made you look better than you actually do."
"Ouch." He laughed, flipping his sketchbook closed with a dramatic flourish. "Guess you'll never get to see my masterpiece now."
Her eyes narrowed, feigning suspicion. "You're hiding something terrible, aren't you? Let me see!" She leaned toward him, trying to swipe his notebook.
"Nope," Aiden said, clutching it to his chest like a priceless artifact. "Maybe later. Right now, it's ice cream time."
Lila groaned but stood anyway, tucking her pencil behind her ear. "Fine. You're buying."
"Deal," Aiden said as they walked toward the park's edge. Their conversation turned to lighter topics—what they'd eat, whether pizza counted as a breakfast food—but as they passed the fountain, the air shifted.
It started as a faint rumble, low and unsettling, like distant thunder caught in an endless loop. Aiden stopped mid-sentence, his brow furrowing. The sound deepened, growing louder, more insistent, as if the earth itself was crying out.
"Do you hear that?" Lila asked, her voice tight with unease.
Before Aiden could respond, the ground shook violently. The tremor was so sudden, so intense, that it nearly knocked them off their feet. A deafening roar followed, and Aiden turned toward the source—a towering explosion ripping through the skyline.
The plume expanded unnaturally fast, a furious, glowing mass of destruction forming a mushroom that consumed everything in its path. Buildings crumbled into dust, their skeletons disintegrating in seconds. A fiery wave of energy surged outward, tearing through the streets and sending cars flying like toys.
"Run!" Aiden shouted, grabbing Lila's hand. They bolted toward the nearest grove of trees, the shelter feeling impossibly far as the heat bore down on them.
The shockwave hit.
It wasn't like the movies, where sound fades out and everything goes slow-motion. This was raw, visceral—a hurricane of force that slammed into Aiden and Lila, flinging them like rag dolls. The air was ripped from his lungs, his ears ringing as the ground came up to meet him. Pain shot through his body as he hit the pavement hard, the impact rattling his skull.
Through his blurry vision, Aiden saw Lila sprawled a few feet away, her face twisted in fear as she struggled to crawl toward him. He tried to move, to call out, but his limbs felt like lead. The heat scorched his skin, and his chest tightened as smoke filled the air.
Lila's hand reached out, her fingertips inches from his, and for a fleeting moment, their eyes locked. Aiden wanted to tell her it would be okay, that they'd make it through this, but the words wouldn't come.
The light grew brighter, harsher, until it consumed everything. Aiden's vision dimmed, his senses slipping away one by one. The last thing he saw was Lila's terrified face, her hand reaching for him, before the darkness claimed him.