Earth Dies

Alice blinked her eyes open, staring at a dimly-lit white ceiling. It looked familiar, but it took a few seconds for her to recognize it as her bedroom ceiling. Her head was pounding. Why did she feel like shit?

Slowly, memories started to trickle back in. She remembered the party, waking up in her bed, talking with her parents, and then ... the world went crazy? Did she just have a stroke? Did Iowa get nuked? What happened? She sat up and looked around her room, not seeing her parents.

"Mom? Mom, where are you? What happened?" Alice shouted. No response.

Alice moved the covers back and started to climb out of bed, on shaky legs. She was wearing an old t-shirt that hung to her thighs and a pair of panties, must have been what her mom dressed her in after cleaning her up from the party. "Mom? Dad? Hello?"

<< SYSTEM INITIALIZING. EARTH DIES IN FIVE YEARS. YOU HAVE ONE WEEK TO UNLOCK YOUR CLASS AND PREPARE FOR WAVE ONE. >>

Alice froze. Somehow, pink letters were floating in her vision. It didn't feel real. She waved her hand in front of her face, but the letters stayed. She moved her head from side to side and the letters moved with her.

Stroke. Definitely having a stroke right now. Okay, no problem. I made a fool of myself at the party, ruined my best friendship in the world with the girl I love but can't admit to, threw up over myself, and then had a stroke. I guess that's an okay way to end my life. Eighteen years of angst down the drain.

<< WELCOME TO THE SYSTEM. PERSONALIZATION MATRIX COMPLETE. ASSIGNING UNLOCK QUEST TO USER [ALICE THOMPSON]. >>

<< OVERRIDE BY SUPERUSER A-069 ATTEMPTED. >>

<< ABORT. ABORT. >>

<< OVERRIDE BY SUPERUSER A-069 SUCCESSFUL. ATTEMPTING TO ASSIGN UNLOCK QUEST. >>

<< WELCOME TO THE SYSTEM, [ALICE THOMPSON]. PLEASE UNLOCK YOUR CLASS. >>

Okay, even for having a stroke that was fucking weird.

As she walked downstairs from her bedroom to the kitchen, she realized that all the lights in the house were out. In fact, nothing was on - no electronics of any kind. The general background hum of modern life was absent. The house was absolutely silent. "Hello?!" Alice screamed, starting to panic.

If I'm going to have a stroke, getting trapped in an empty world is a pretty shitty way for my brain to end it all.

"Alice?" Bridgette opened the door from the guest room and walked into the kitchen wearing a t-shirt and a pair of dolphin shorts she must have borrowed from Alice's dresser. "What the hell is going on? My phone won't work, the landline won't work, and everything seems really weird right now." Bridgette looked scared and Alice immediately melted at the sight of her best friend.

Alice rushed over and gave her friend a huge hug. "I am so happy to see you right now. I thought I was all alone. I was talking to my mom about last night and then suddenly everything in the world went crazy, then I woke up and she and my dad were gone and none of the electronics work, and I'm really freaking out and what is happening right now?"

"I have no idea, either. I was laying in bed, texting some folks to let them know I was okay, and then my vision went weird and I passed out, then woke back up and my phone is dead. But... I think we need to talk about last night, before we figure out the rest."

Alice stared down at her feet. "Do we really need to? You're leaving for the Air Force in a week, and I'm sorry I was a bitch. You're my best friend and I don't want to ruin that."

Bridgette lifted Alice's head to look her in the eyes, then gestured down at the chairs. "Let's sit and talk. I don't want to leave with any regrets, but also with whatever the hell is going on the world right now, I'm not even sure leaving is a thing anymore."

Alice obediently sat down and stared at the kitchen table, waiting for Bridgette to make the first move. Bridgette sat next to her, turning in her chair and staring at Alice. The silence stretched for almost a minute. Alice fidgeted, slowly losing the game of chicken for who would talk first, but refusing to make eye contact.

Bridgette finally snapped. "God damn it, Alice. I am ninety-nine percent certain I know how you feel, but you don't ever let your emotions out. Just fucking talk to me! Be honest about what you want!" and she slapped the table in a fit of anger, the clap echoing in the still kitchen.

"FINE! You want to know? I love you. I've always loved you and wanted you, but you're so ... so ... perfect and beautiful, and I'm not. I could never be with you - everyone would always be judging me. Plus you're leaving. So it doesn't matter anyway! Just go off to Texas for basic training and never come back. It will hurt less that way." Alice broke down in tears, having finally confronted her long-simmering emotions and confessed to her friend.

"Oh, Alice." Bridgette sighed and leaned forward, putting a hand behind her friend's head and drawing her close. "You're such a fucking idiot. You should have said that years ago." With that, Bridgette leaned in and kissed her friend, smashing their lips together and pushing her tongue forward into her friend's mouth. The two frantically came together, Alice moaning into Bridgette's mouth as years of repressed lust finally came to the surface.

Suddenly, they heard a clapping and an unfamiliar female voice rang out. "It's about fucking time. Well done!"