Gathering supplies

As I perused the message, I realized time was slipping away. The sent time indicated only 8 hours remained. I left the hostel armed with essentials – phone, laptop – and dashed to a supermarket. En route, the scene outside turned grim, with charred corpses emitting a pungent odor. I cautiously ventured into the supermarket, gathering supplies while ignoring an unsettling feeling of being watched.

A bookstore caught my eye, and I seized the opportunity to grab a map. Next stop: a hardware store for survival tools. The initial store yielded nothing, yet a hidden, ancient shop at the end of a street bore fruit. Armed with tools and survival guides, I stumbled upon a message revealing the asteroid's target: the Gulf of Mexico, reminiscent of a past occurrence.

While searching the store, I discovered the potential effects of the asteroid's collision. Earthquake, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and even a polar shift, birthing new continents and submerging old ones. Amidst these messages, the sender's calm demeanor intrigued me. Thoughts swirled, and I pondered my next steps. The university's rural location dissuaded fleeing to the city, as most sought solace with loved ones. Alone, I wrestled with depression's grip.