A World Set Ablaze

   The video billboard on the roadside, which once boasted the latest fashion trends, now played an unsettling loop of static and had been deserted by the locals. The electronic shop, where homeless people once gathered within its cold, air-conditioned interiors to shelter from the dying heat outside, now had blank screens displaying cryptic numbers. The tablet that had once played cheerful music for the café’s customers now showed nothing but a cryptic error message. The phone screens that once lit up with endless notifications now displayed only a single, ominous symbol. The laptops in the library, once filled with students typing away at assignments, now glowed with an identical warning screen.

And then, with a flash, the same video played on every screen. A news report by none other than the young journaling enthusiast, Verena Voss.

Verena Voss was sleek woman .Her sharp gray eyes always seemed to be analyzing everything around her, catching details others missed. She kept her jet-black hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail, though a few stubborn strands always slipped free, framing her pale face. The harsh newsroom lights did her no favors, making the dark circles under her eyes more pronounced. She dressed in crisp blouses and tailored blazers, always looking polished.

Verena sat in the anchor chair, taking deep breaths, preparing herself to break the devastating news to the hopeful public.

Within seconds, all eyes turned to the reporter, awaiting her speech.

“Ready?” asked the cameraman.

“Ready.”

Taking one final breath, she began with a neutral expression.

“This is to everyone out there who is still alive and okay. Good morning… or rather, it would be better to say I wish it were a good morning.” Her voice was calm, trying to mask the hopelessness. “My name is Verena Voss, and I am here today with news that everyone might have already expected.”

The room behind her was silent. A massive digital screen displayed an image of Earth, its surface an unnatural red glow.

“A matter everyone should be aware of is that global warming has increased rapidly on the planet. This is not the fault of humans, but a stray asteroid that came from outer space and directly hit our ozone layer, destroying it to almost nothingness. This is not a temporary phenomenon but the final one.”

A collective, hopeless gasp could be heard from the audience.

“Keeping in mind the deaths caused by heat waves, extreme skin cancers, and meteorites, humanity barely has a year left before we all perish.”

Everyone began silently praying, hoping that it was a mere dream or that some miracle could happen to fix the damaged ozone.

Verena clenched her jaw. They had expected this reaction. It was the most natural response to such news.

“But there is still hope.” She tried to maintain a cheerful tone. The screen behind her then showed blueprints of space crafts “Some scientists and top leaders saw this coming beforehand. They had already initiated the mass production of high-quality spaceships that would take us humans to the nearest, safest planet, Mars. Furthermore, we have already cultivated the planet. Everything is ready and in place. The only problem…”

Verena could feel the eyes on her and the hate she would receive for saying her next words. She gulped.

“The only problem is that these ships altogether can only hold 44,000 people.” Her voice took on a faster pace. She wanted to get this over with already. “The higher-ups have decided that there will be a selection similar to a lottery. The selection tickets will be hidden all over the planet, leaving it to the luck of those who find them. At the start of the new year, on January first 2051, the selection process will stop, and those who have found a ticket will board the spacecrafts, which will depart the same day.”

Verena sighed in relief that it was finally over.

“That is all. Thank you, and good luck.”

The screens shut back down.

The streets erupted into chaos. In major cities, people flooded the roads, abandoning their jobs and homes. Traffic came to a standstill as drivers left their cars in the middle of the streets, running aimlessly, searching for answers, searching for hope.

In churches across the world, pews were filled beyond capacity. Priests, pastors, and imams stood before their congregations, their voices barely rising over the sobs and desperate prayers. People clutched their loved ones, begging for divine intervention, for a miracle that would never come.

Others fell into silence. Alone in dark rooms, they stared at their screens, their eyes hollow. Some whispered final goodbyes to no one in particular. Some chose to end it all now rather than later. Some simply stopped moving, their minds refusing to accept reality.

But not everyone surrendered to despair.

A ruthless determination ignited in some to find those tickets as quickly as possible for themselves and their loved ones.

In gang-controlled areas, all the gangs, whether friend or foe, held an emergency meeting. They gathered in the abandoned warehouse that served as their base. The leaders all stood at the center.

“We’re gettin those damn tickets for our people. It doesn’t matter if you need to kill or beg. We get the tickets so all of us get saved,” the leaders yelled out to their underlings.

A flame of determination ignited within them as they collectively roared, “Yeah!”

Similar thoughts spread like wildfire. Criminal organizations were ready to massacre anyone for those tickets. Black markets planned to steal and forge the tickets, then sell them for a hefty price to gain profit.

In one of the villages, at the heart of a quiet town, an orphanage remained eerily silent. Then, bam, the old radio slipped from Mr. Braun’s trembling hands, crashing onto the wooden floor and shattering into pieces.

Livia, Magnus, and Lucian, the three teenagers, flinched at the sudden noise.

“What kind of joke is this?” Mr. Braun spoke, enraged. “First, we’re barely surviving due to poverty, and now this…”

Ms. Kramer placed a hand on his arm, her tone soothing. “It’ll be okay.”

“No, it won’t.” His voice was cold. He turned on his heel and stormed toward the door.

The three children exchanged glances before following him outside. The air was thick with tension. People in the village stood frozen in place, their faces pale as they processed the news. Some whispered prayers under their breath, while others stared blankly at the sky as if searching for answers in the clouds.

“Where are we going?” Lucian asked, struggling to keep up with Mr. Braun’s fast pace.

“To get those tickets,” the older man replied without hesitation.

“The selection tickets?” Livia’s voice was small, uncertain.

“Obviously, idiot.” Magnus playfully hit her on the head, making her wince.

“Ow! You didn’t have to hit me,” she pouted, rubbing the sore spot.

“Quit acting like a child.” Magnus rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to Mr. Braun. His expression turned serious. “So, Father… where do we begin?”

Mr. Braun exhaled sharply, his gaze sweeping across the village. His mind was already racing with possibilities. “Everywhere,” he finally said. His voice had softened, but there was an undeniable urgency in his tone. “You kids will search separately. We don’t have time to waste.”

“Got it. Livia, Lucian, you two go search over there by the river. I’ll check the abandoned houses,” Magnus instructed the younger two.

Lucian frowned. “Why do we have to go together? I want to search on my own.”

“Because you’re a slowpoke.” Magnus chuckled, ruffling Lucian’s hair.

Lucian scowled, swatting his brother’s hand away. “I am not!”

“Enough of your games. We’ve got work to do.” Mr. Braun’s voice left no room for argument.

“What if all of the tickets have been taken?” Livia asked hesitantly.

“...” The man pondered her question for a while before saying, “We steal them.”

“But that’s wrong,” Lucian stated in all his innocence.

“There is no right or wrong anymore. We need to do everything in order to save our family. Got it?” Mr. Braun said.

Lucian nodded, unsure.

With that, they split up and went to their designated areas.