When the world ends(1)

Dark tethers tie us down like slaves as were forced to be active in this sick game as nothing but puppets. THEY continue to watch to choose worthy ones for their "New world" but it's obvious they do this for amusement. We have already gone so far and I fear I might fail. All those who fought for this cause are gone. Everyone gave their lives for me to arrive at the conclusion of this. So as I take this final step I leave my final words to whoever may come after me.

Never stop fighting

-`~~~~~~~~`

...............…

Entrapped in a dark room only lit up slightly by a tiny desk lamp sat Darius, a boy in his late teens with deep dark eyes that matched the presence surrounding him, dreads extended to his neck and a warm but still dark skin tone.

In the darkness the room provided him Darius drew, his eyes on focusing on the paper. The boy's mind was shut out from the outside world with the help of the headphones plastered on his head.

His fingers softly resting on the pencil as he created each curve to perfection.

Just as he was finishing, a disturbance occurred.

Something firm clashed against the window of his room that was 2 stories up broke Darius's concentration and made him accidentally draw a line straight through it.

A frustrated sigh was let out from his mouth before he went to address the situation. Lowering his headphones to sit on his neck, Darius walked towards the window.

``What the hell is your problem?`` Darius said as he opened the shabby white window.

What greeted him upon opening the door were two girls around the same age as him, coats covering their bodies, beanies over their heads protecting them from the beating winter breeze yet still their hair flowed down unaffected by its surroundings.

``You're the problem. Always ignoring my calls.``; One of them shouted at him from below, feet stuck in the powdery snow below.

``You know I don't answer to disturbances while drawing``; He replied before the two began bantering back and forth.

It was clear from their interaction that they had history, a deep one at that.

The two who stood there were his close and only friends he had kept around with him, Chai, an assertive person with long, blue dyed hair which matched her attire and Lea, ever so soft spoken but yet she always kept smiling.

``Stop the bantering, go get your board and get down here. It's about to start``; Lea told Darius.

Unenthusiastic, Darius prepared to head out, grabbing his board from his closet, snatching his coat which laid on the floor and his beanie.

Swiftly he put them on along with boots that laid right beside his bed before taking his phone from the desk and heading back to the window.

The window had led out to a part of the roof which Darius had stepped unto and climbed down with the help of a pillar that connected to his patio.

``Lets go``; He said before the trio left the warmth of Darius's home and went on the street.

Upon making it on clear road the three skated on well customized skateboards with skill and precision.

As they skated along the streets, they could be seen garnished with festive lights, stores standing with signs that told customers fireworks had sold out, waves of people walking about dressed in traditional attire while others wore simple winter gear .

``Guess everyone's excited to start a new year. I mean you get to start over or so they say`` Lea stated as she skated on the asphalt filled pavement.

``Not everyone deserves to start over.``; Darius replied as his gaze landed on sketchy loiterers standing awkwardly near a group of parked cars.

``But doesn't it give a sense of warmth regardless, knowing every bad thing, every mistake can be made up for. ``

``Lea, things just don't go away, be realistic`` Darius stated before skating ahead.

``Always the mood killer``

The two girls then began to move faster, attempting to keep close with the straying Darius.

Time idly went by as they skated and soon they had arrived at the destination the girls eagerly forced Darius to come to.

Okawa, Japan

11:40 pm

December 31, 2019

Lights sparkled in every direction, cars bumper to bumper, trains of food carts on every street and thousands of people eager for the start of a new year.

After what seemed like hours of riding the trio stopped in the bustling heart of Okawa to where it was happening.

A spectacular light show that happened annually to mark the start of a new year. They say the moment the sparks begin to fly every worry leaves one's mind.

Dismounting their boards, they stared at the sea of people before them.

``If only this jackass answered his phone`` Lea said out loud before tucking her hands into her warm pockets.

Darius rolled his eyes before eyeing a building leading 4 stories up on his left that door was left open.

An idea came to his mind and he acted upon it without a second thought.

Gripping the wrists of both girls, Darius walked towards the building confusing them.

``Hey , what the hell are you doing``; Chai shouted.

``Getting you a better spot``

Darius further opened the door to allow everyone to enter before doing a european bow. Lea stepped forth first, flicking his forehead as she entered and smirking, Chai was a little more hesitant.

How could she not, this was a crime after all. Her gaze darted at the entrance in front of her before moving its way to Darius who casually waited for her to enter.

The two made eye contact as Darius extended his left arm towards her.

Her cheeks reddened, her heart fluttered as she stood there immobile and silent. A short smile then materialized on her face before she walked forwards leaving him there, hand still extended.

Shrugging the end of the interaction off, he followed behind, silently shutting the door on his way in.

Inside the building was pitch black and cold due being left open for some time. Frost bit at their necks as the creaking of rusty pipes above echoed throughout the building.

Droplets of water fell from above and even that sent an eerie feeling down the spines of the teens.

Vision was almost non-existent there so Darius opted to use his phone as a light source. Using the light to guide them they walked forward, stepping over pieces of broken glass.

``This place looks so ominous, are you sure we should continue on``; The ever so cautious and soft spoken Chai asked as they passed walls filled with mold and broken wine glasses scattered on the floor.

``There's no need to worry``; Darius said in a nonchalant way, attempting to comfort her. In the exact same moment they came upon a flight of stairs smeared with an unprecedented amount of dirt.

Peering into the darkness above they began to scale the flight of stairs passing each floor that gave the same eerie vibe.

But it would become proceedingly more ominous upon reaching the third floor.

Blood scaled the stairs and tainted the railings in a scattered manner.

``Is that blood?``Lea questioned upon seeing it but the thought was shut down by Darius telling her it was probably wine or something from one of the smashed glass bottles.

Darius, Convincing them to proceed, continued to walk up the reddened flight of stairs.

The more the trio proceeded the more blood they came across that stained the stairs completely. The trail of blood continued all the way to the fourth floor.

The fourth floor contained a narrow hallway and a door at its end.

Just like the flight of stairs the walls were reddened as well but it seemed more fresh than the prior floor.

Near the doorway loomed a mysterious figure, its form shrouded in shadow as it hovered ominously over something clenching an object in its hands.

Though motionless, the air was filled with unsettling groans emanating from its direction.

In a swift motion it turned its head, its gaze striking them.

``What the…``