I stare at the giant screen, then at Gustavo beside me, wearing a mask identical to mine, featureless and plain.
I turn to him, about to shout, but he simply points at the screen, as if telling me to pay attention.
Then, the speakers come to life.
Gustavo (on screen): "Hello, my name is Gustavo Rodriguez Smith. Yesterday at 5:46 AM, I was sleeping when an excruciating pain struck my eyes. When the pain subsided, I could see again. Yes, in less than five minutes, the pain was gone, and I could see."
The Gustavo on the screen pauses for a moment, then continues as if something had happened.
Gustavo (on screen): "But at a tremendous cost. I saw everything—literally everything—that will happen within the next 28 hours from the moment I'm recording this, in every possible scenario. But what I saw… was not something someone like me should have witnessed. So, I recorded this message to warn everyone that—"
Gustavo on the screen freezes again. This time, blood begins to seep from his eyes as he finishes his sentence.
Gustavo (on screen): "The world is going to change. And drastically. Most importantly, I must share what I know—what these damned eyes have taught me. If I'm not mistaken, by the time you're watching this message, you will have exactly… 1 hour, 24 minutes, and 35 seconds to prepare for what's coming."
At that moment, Gustavo starts pulling me again as I continue watching the broadcast.
Gustavo (on screen): "I know this might seem impossible—someone like me pulling off something like this, especially hacking into every single broadcast system in the world to send this message. But these cursed eyes showed me the exact steps I needed to take."
Gustavo pulls me into a side alley, cutting me off from the rest of the transmission.
I stare at him, dumbfounded. What he just said is pure insanity. What does he mean by the world is going to change? Has he lost his mind before me? I don't know. All I do know is that I need to ask him.
Alan: "Gustavo, what the hell is this? Are you out of your mind? How the fuck did you hack all the screens in the city? And what the hell was that about every single broadcast in the world?"
Gustavo is sitting on the ground, meditating, completely ignoring me. After a few seconds of me yelling and flailing around, he finally speaks.
Gustavo: "I don't know, Alan. But I know what I saw was real. So, I'm going to try to help whoever is willing to listen. And trust me, hijacking the broadcasts was the least surprising thing I did."
As he says that, he throws a gym bag onto the ground and looks at me as if expecting me to open it.
With trembling hands, afraid of what I might find, I carefully unzip it. But what I see inside defies all logic.
Knives, machetes, switchblades, hatchets, a fire axe, and even a goddamn demolition sledgehammer.
My eyes widen, and my jaw drops in shock.
I look at Gustavo as he picks up the sledgehammer and starts swinging it, trying to get used to its immense weight.
I glare at him and start shouting.
Alan: "What the hell, Gustavo?! What kind of crazy shit is this? This is literally a medieval arsenal! What the fuck do you plan to do with all this?!"
Sigh.
Gustavo lets out a sigh and speaks in a calm tone.
Gustavo: "Alan, name one time I've lied or joked with you. And even if you think I've gone crazy, let's make a deal—if the timer on my watch runs out and nothing happens, then I've lost my mind, and I'll turn myself in to the authorities. No complaints. Deal?"
Hearing those words, I remember everything we've been through together. I sigh heavily and nod, accepting his crazy proposition.
Gustavo: "Do me a favor?"
Gustavo suddenly speaks, and I look at him, nodding.
Gustavo: "Destroy your phone or at least break the SIM card. And, please, get a weapon."
Hearing that, I calmly reply.
Alan: "Gustavo, I'm not breaking my phone or my SIM card just because you're probably being hunted by the FBI."
Gustavo gives me a sharp look, then pulls out a wad of cash and says,
Gustavo: "I'll give you this if you break your phone."
I glance at the money, enough to buy a new phone, and pause for a second before tossing mine to him. Without hesitation, he snaps it in half and kicks the gym bag closer to me.
Without saying a word, I grab two machetes, lift them, and start swinging them around, getting used to their weight. Seeing my reaction, Gustavo smirks and nods in approval.
I glance at his watch, which displays a countdown: 55:25.
Realizing we still have time, I ask Gustavo,
Alan: "Can you at least explain something or tell me what the plan is for surviving whatever this is?"
Sigh.
Gustavo sighs and replies,
Gustavo: "I already told you—I don't know how to explain it. I just know it's going to be horrible. Very much like the biblical apocalypse, but… different."
He pauses for a moment, arming himself further, hiding weapons all over his body, then continues.
Gustavo: "The plan is to avoid the monsters at all costs. Under no circumstances should we engage them in combat. They are hundreds—no, thousands of times stronger than us. So, we'll move stealthily, kill only when we can, and hide whenever possible."
Seeing how Gustavo continued arming himself, I mimicked him—slipping a hatchet into my belt, a switchblade into each of my shoes, and two knives hidden in my back pockets.
Even after gearing up, I still felt confused. I spent almost the entire remaining time on the timer discussing our plans with Gustavo—what we'd do if this really happened.
And then, when the countdown reached 1 minute and 59 seconds, Gustavo stood up and began dragging the sledgehammer down the alley toward the main street, which was still "calm." I followed him, having no other option.
1:45
Emerging onto the street, heavily armed with melee weapons, we startled pedestrians. Some even recognized Gustavo as he removed his mask, and panic quickly spread—people started running away from us.
Alan: "I must be out of my damn mind for going along with this."
Hearing me, Gustavo responded.
Gustavo: "Look on the bright side—you're gonna get into that asylum of yours at a much lower price."
1:06
We reached the middle of the street, now at a standstill. Gustavo looked toward the tallest building in the distance—one owned by a multi-billionaire.
Wait.
Alan: "How do you know I wanted to admit myself into an asylum? I never mentioned that."
Gustavo grinned.
0:45
Gustavo: "When I said I saw the future, I meant I saw every possible future. Trust me, I know you wanted to check into an asylum."
That's impossible.
0:32
I began to hear police sirens closing in.
How does he know this? I only told Marcus, no one else. So how?
0:26
The sound of helicopters grew louder, and the sirens became deafening.
No. This can't be real. So this change… is real?
0:13
Police and SWAT vehicles arrived, their floodlights trained on us as helicopters circled overhead.
I turned to Gustavo and screamed.
Alan: "YOU PSYCHOPATH! WHY THE HELL DID YOU MAKE US BRING MELEE WEAPONS AGAINST WHATEVER MONSTERS ARE COMING?!"
0:05
Gustavo, standing in front of me, slowly began to turn around.
0:04
When he fully faced me, a sly grin spread across his face.
0:03
And finally, he answered.
0:02
A police officer shouted through a megaphone.
Officer: "DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND GET ON THE GROUND!!!"
Gustavo, now smiling broadly, finished his sentence.
0:00
Gustavo: "Because of this."
…
Nothing.
Nothing happened.
Everyone around us was still there.
And we were screwed.
I yelled out.
Alan: "Where the fuck is the—"
BOOOOOM!!!!
A colossal explosion shattered my eardrums—along with everyone else's.
And then… the tallest building in the city collapsed.
In its place, within mere seconds, a tree grew.
It was millions of feet tall, piercing through the clouds. Its trunk wasn't just massive—it was colossal.
The midday sky turned to night.
Not because of the tree.
It actually became night.
And then, in the next moment—
Bzzzt.
I heard the crackle of electricity.
The floodlights on us cut out.
I looked up—
The helicopters were falling.
Until they crashed into the ground.
BOOM!
And they exploded.
Then, the screams started—echoing from all directions.
War drums began pounding frenetically, their rhythm relentless.
I turned around—
In the distance, a giant—15 meters (49'3'') tall—stomped through houses, its massive hands striking buildings like a child knocking over toy blocks.
I spun the other way, my eyes falling on the road ahead—
A monstrous wolf, its fur a radiant crimson, stood unfazed as dozens of bullets riddled its body.
It almost seemed to be… grinning.
And above—
I saw something impossible.
The sun—
It was being consumed by the moon.
A perfect ring formed in the sky, casting the world into an unnatural darkness.
I turned back to Gustavo.
He stood there, facing me.
His gaze locked onto mine.
And with a sorrowful smile, he spoke.
Gustavo: "Welcome, my friend… to the era of nightmares."
______________________________________________
Power Stones, please.