The future, something everyone wondered about and dreamt of. New advances in technology were supposed to help humanity but instead it destroyed them. Threats of the end came nearly every year, striking hope and fear in people. Yet, they still lived on. After many years of living in fear that the world could tear apart at any moment, it finally happened.

It came in a flash. A blinding white light that lasted for only a few seconds. In the mere, few seconds the light took to destroy the earth, everyone was living as if nothing could’ve happened. The light destroyed anything inanimate, disintegrating buildings, electronics, and unnatural foods. The only thing left untouched were plant life, animals, clothing, ruins of some buildings, and most humans.

The strong stayed unchanged but the sickly were given nasty burns and bumps that mutated into giant spores. The sickly humans had lost their minds, the light that destroyed everything made them stronger and turned them into homicidal maniacs. The sickly didn’t hunger for flesh, just for bloodshed. It wasn’t difficult to tell the difference between the sickly and the healthy humans since the sickly had deformities. But soon many healthy people became homicidal, even children.
The sudden change of their world left people scared and without shelter or weapons. Only the smart and or strong lasted in the world. Many people grouped together to try and create a governed society while others created cults.

A week after everything was destroyed, mother nature had already flourished. Nature started to take over again, humans no longer having the tools to tear her down.

“Money in the bag, now!” The female yelled to the convenience store clerk behind the counter. Her harsh voice echoed through the empty store. The clerk grabbed the bag off the counter and started to shove the green paper into it. Not once did the girl move her eyes from the man or the barrel of the glock in her hands.

The slightest ringing of sirens sounded in her ears. The girl’s heart began to rise in her chest as she started to panic. ‘If this clerk would hurry the hell up I can still make it.’ She thought, using her right hand to wipe beads of sweat off her forehead.

He was still putting money into the bag and that’s when she realized he was taking his time. “I don’t have time for games! Hurry the-“ Before the robber could finish her sentence a blinding light flashed through the windows of the store. She closed her eyes and turned her head away, blocking out the light.

Sounds of shattering glass could be heard behind her along with the startled yell of the clerk. The sirens died out and plaster from the building began to crumble over the girl. The gun in her hands seemed to disintegrate in thin air along with the small watch on her left wrist.

Startled, the girl opened her eyes to see the building half gone. The glass that once accompanied the walls were gone as if they never existed along with the shelves and roof of the building. Outside the cars were nothing but empty and rusted shells. People stood in the street in awe at how the world had changed around them so suddenly. Everything was gone.

The female had left the scene of the crime without her cash, finding no need for it anymore. Reality as she knew it had changed in an instant. It had been a week since then and she still felt as if nothing was real. Sighing, the girl looked up at the cloudless sky, covering the top of her eyes with her hand. She couldn’t tell exactly what time it was, maybe noon. Heat waves distorted the cracked road in front of her and the piles of rubble that used to be buildings. Removing her hoodie, she tied the arms around her waist and continued her walk towards the main city where she heard rumors of there being survivors.