I opened my eyes not knowing what to expect. Chronos could have dropped me anywhere in time, and I wouldn’t know. The eggshell white ceiling offered no hints, but the loud children screaming and cries of pain told me exactly where I was. Just prior to the end of the world as we knew it, I had lived in a run-down apartment building in Orlando, home of the unending summer. I did a quick pat-down of my body, made sure it was in fact still mine, while I dashed to find my phone. I likely didn’t have much time to waste.

I stopped briefly in front of my closet mirror, just to make sure everything was how I imagined it to be. The same slight muscles from my unexercised lifestyle, check. Curly blonde hair that has yet to become bald from close shaves with deadly razors, check. Untanned skin from years of studying and playing games, check. The one thing I felt was slightly off was my eyes. I imagined them to be the same soft gaze they had been, but instead, I was met with an intense, steady glare. A couple of seconds passed, the stare penetrating into my soul, before I pulled myself from my reflection.

The pending apocalypse still weighed heavily on my mind. I ran through a hastily made mental checklist, I tried to recall what had happened at the very beginning of it all. Drawing a blank, I decide to- ‘goddamnit I’m an idiot’.

[Status]. Nothing appeared. ‘It probably won’t activate until the apocalypse officially starts.’ With that out of the way, I refocused on the task at hand; Figuring out what to do next. Finally, after rummaging through my clothes drawer, I found my phone and powered it up. ‘The 31st. Of course,’ the god of time wouldn’t give me more time to attempt to stop the apocalypse. I opened up my contacts and scrolled through them one by one.

One caught my eye. Jacob Railey. He was my best friend from high school, but we both went to different colleges, so our friendship kind of fizzled out. During the apocalypse, I recalled coming across him later on after many others had died, so perhaps he could help me in the present situation. I called him while hastily putting my clothes on.

“Seamus?” he picked up after the fourth ring, “What do you want? Sorry, I didn’t mean for that to sound so aggressive-”

I cut him off, “Listen to me. Where do you live right now?”

“Colorado. Why?" he asked, sounding both confused and a little apprehensive.

"I need you to get over to Orlando as quickly as you can," I barked, probably sounding a little angrier than I meant to.

"What? Wait, for how long? I do have a job now, I can’t just drop everything like I used to," he replied. Curiosity joined the other two tones in his voice.

I hesitate. 'Can I really pull him away from his life?' I have to. The apocalypse will do that anyway, and he’ll be safer with me.

"For a little bit," I eventually replied, "I’ll text you the address in a minute."

I glanced at the clock. A little over half a day before the portals open. Not enough time for him to get here.

“Nevermind. Just find the nearest shelter, and buy guns if you can,” I suggested.

"What? Why would I-"

I ended the call. ‘So much to do, such little time to do it.’ First, I withdrew all of the cash from my banking app. Then I booked it down the stairs, taking them two at a time, before sprinting out of the entrance to the apartment building. Gradually, I slowed down. Once I stopped, I pulled out my phone. ‘Just how stupid am I?’ Right, I’ve been in an apocalypse for upwards of ten years. I’m not used to this. That’s my excuse.

I pulled up a search engine and located the nearest cutlery shop. About 3 miles from here was a shop that’s open 24/7. I should be able to stop by there later after I’ve figured out everything else. I turned back to my apartment, ready to sit down and make an actual plan. I located where I’m going to get my weapon, what else did I need? Obviously, the necessities: food, water, rope, and matches. I took a quick sniff of my body, and realized I should probably add a shower to that list of things to do.

After soaking in hot water, I sat down with a pencil and paper on my couch. ‘Okay. I contacted those I needed to. I must get supplies, but I could probably get that from any department store in ten miles. What else do I need? A bow might do me some good, but ultimately I will run out of arrows. The same goes for a gun. It might have served me well in my previous life, but I relied on it too much.’

Even after racking my mind for another solid ten minutes, I couldn’t think of anything. So I left the apartment building again causing the receptionist to raise an eyebrow at me, but luckily she didn’t ask questions and returned to her work.

After gathering supplies that should roughly last me a week or two, I attempted to locate a place nearby that could serve as my home for the coming months. This apartment complex was taken over, I couldn't recall by whom but I do remember having to leave it.

I opened up my phone and attempted to locate a nearby bomb shelter. One jumped out to me, showcasing plenty of space for storage and a small but habitable living area.

Its Wikipedia page also had a short history of the place. It appeared that a couple had originally owned the land during the Cold War, and out of fear of being bombed by the Russians, built a homemade bunker. Later, after the couple had passed and the land lay unclaimed, the government bulldozed the house and repossessed the land, turning it into a park. The bunker was eventually discovered when a child had gone to the bathroom and never come back. The parents sent out a search party, and they eventually discovered him stuck in the room, the trapdoor wedged shut. The bathroom remained but was repurposed as people came to the park to take a look at the bunker.

‘That should do the trick.’ It was about ten minutes away by foot, so I put on my coat and left once more. The receptionist was definitely suspicious of me by this point, but I no longer cared. The apocalypse was coming, and I was not afraid of what others thought of me.

I strolled through the crowded streets, keeping my eyes peeled for any defendable positions. Not seeing many, I tucked my hands into the coat and lowered my head. The last thing I needed was attention just before The System arrived.

Quickly stopping at the cutlery place, I ducked in and was astonished at just how empty it was. I expected at least a few people browsing the shop, taking a look at the swords. However, the shop was absolutely deserted save for an old but tough-looking woman behind the counter. Rows upon rows of swords, knives, sabers, and other assorted weapons lined the many shelves of the shop. I strode right up to the woman behind the counter.

“Hello. I’m here for-” I started to say before she cut me off.

“Katanas are on the right, knives are on the far left. I assume you’re here for one of those because that’s all you people want nowadays,” she snapped before she coldly stared holes straight through me.

‘Well that was rude,’ I thought to myself, before nodding and turning towards my left. ‘She should at least be nice to her customers. Perhaps that’s why the shop is so empty’

I scanned the katanas before me while attempting to put the rude woman out of my head. A few minutes later, I thought I found a decent one. Its edge was sharp, and it seemed forged well enough to last for a long time. I took it up to the front, holding the sheathe and blade out in front of me.

“I would like to purchase-” I began, before she stopped me again.

“two point five thousand,” she states simply, palm open for the cash.

“I only have a credit card, will that-” I tried to get a word in, but she cuts me off for the third time.

“Cash only. No credit.”

“I am sorry lady, but I only have a cre-”

“Then leave,” she replies, grabbing the katana in one hand and shooing me out with the other.

I began to get frustrated with this very impolite woman, but I just barely managed to hold on with my many years of patience being the only thing holding me back from just attacking her.

“I understand that you might be angry right now for some reason, but I need that katana,” I pleaded.

“Oh, do you now? Alright then, pay five thousand on credit.”

I sighed in relief, glad this encounter was over with. I could not stand to be in her presence for any longer. I swiped my card, took my katana, then left.

‘What was her deal? She seemed really pissed for some reason. I’m just glad I got my weapon,’ I thought, then picked up my pace towards the bomb shelter. Nothing interesting happened along the way, unfortunately. I held a slight hope that maybe I could have seen somebody I recognized, but those hopes remained unrealized.

Eventually, I finished making my way over to the shelter. The shadows were beginning to grow long, so I hastened my inspection of the shelter, hoping for a place that I could hunker down in. Upon arriving, I realized it was a nuclear fallout bomb shelter, meaning the walls were slightly stronger than most as well as radiation-proof. The durable foundation was probably among the largest factors in choosing this shelter, and the radiation resistance was mostly just a bonus.

It was a town park, so I knew I wouldn’t be too strange a sight poking around there. The katana I made sure to stow into my backpack so the park authorities wouldn’t start a commotion.

11 o’clock pm. The world was quiet, save for the scant few fireworks every couple of minutes, the sharp bangs making me jump. I couldn’t close my eyes for a second, despite my knowledge of what was going to happen. It probably was because of the fact that I knew what was going to happen that I couldn’t sleep.

As the clock ticked ever closer, I could feel myself grip tighter onto the sword. I started pacing the inside of the bunker, frantically making sure everything was in place.

Finally, the time had come. In a few seconds, the world would begin-

Tutorial Complete. Welcome to The System, Earth #3580

‘Wait, what?’