What the f*** is going on here?!

January 12th, 2022.

It started like any other normal day.

Nothing felt different. Nothing felt wrong.

I had just finished making breakfast when my phone suddenly rang.

I let out a small sigh before picking it up.

“Hello? Why are you calling this early… on a day off?”

“Kenji! There’s an event today! Come with me!”

I already knew where this was going.

“Someone’s cosplaying Mayuri! Don’t you wanna see it?!”

I paused for a moment, slightly annoyed.

“I do watch anime… but I’m not that obsessed,” I replied.

“You go by yourself.”

“Come on, just come with me! I’ll treat you to food!”

…That made me hesitate.

“…Fine. What time?”

“Get ready now! Meet me at the bus stop!”

The call ended before I could even complain.

I clicked my tongue.

“What a way to ruin a perfectly good day off…”

A while later, we met at the usual bus stop and headed to the event together.

The moment we arrived, the place was already packed.

Crowds everywhere. Noise. Laughter.

Cosplayers filled the streets.

My friend immediately rushed off toward them without hesitation.

I just followed behind, hands in my pockets.

Fifteen minutes passed.

He was still busy taking photos, completely absorbed in his own world.

I let out a quiet sigh…

…and that’s when I noticed it.

Something felt off.

The light around me seemed… dimmer.

“A cloud?”

I looked up.

There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky.

…But there was something else.

A dark shape.

Right beside the sun.

At first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.

But it didn’t disappear.

It grew.

Bigger.

Closer.

…And then I realized.

“…A meteor?”

My expression stiffened.

A meteor that size—right above a city?

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Panic erupted around me.

People screamed.

They ran in every direction, pushing past each other just to escape.

My friend… was already gone.

But I didn’t move.

Because I knew.

Running wouldn’t save me.

My body froze.

My hands trembled uncontrollably.

The shadow grew larger.

The sound… louder.

“I don’t want to die…”

I lowered my head.

And closed my eyes.

Waiting for the end.

—FOOOOSHHH—

—BOOM—

The sound echoed…

…but it felt distant.

And then—

…everything went silent.

When I opened my eyes again…

The world had changed.

I was lying in the middle of an empty road.

No people.

No sound.

Just silence.

The cars around me were rusted…

Covered in dirt, vines, and time.

The buildings stood tall—

but broken, abandoned, and overtaken by nature.

It looked like the city had been left behind… for years.

“…What…?”

I slowly raised my hand.

I touched my face.

Warm.

I was… alive.

“…Wasn’t there a meteor?”

My voice trembled.

“Why am I still alive…?”

“Where is everyone…?”

My eyes scanned the empty city.

“…What happened?”