The world hadn't ended with a whisper. It had screamed itself apart.

The comet, a blazing red tear across the sky, growing bigger every second. They said it would miss. The news had promised. They were wrong.

Niki running with his family, staring up at the burning streak that split the heavens. A sound like the earth breaking open had followed — louder than any explosion he'd ever heard. Buildings cracked like dry leaves. The ground shook so violently it threw cars into the air like toys. Fires tore through cities before the first shockwave even finished.

The Aftermath

He stirred awake, the sharp sting of pain slicing through the haze clouding his mind. Ash floated down from the broken sky like snow, settling on his torn clothes and bloodied hands.

The last thing he remembered was running. Smoke, screaming — his sisters hand slipping from his.

Now, only silence.

With a grunt, he pushed himself onto shaky elbows, muscles screaming in protest. The forest around him was a wasteland of splintered trees and blackened earth. Every breath burned.