The world ended on a Tuesday morning. The flames danced higher as the sky was set ablaze with crimson red and smoky black, thick clouds of smoke billowing above. Amidst the chaos, Abigail and Henry clung to each other, watching as the world crumbled around them.

Minutes earlier, the ground began to convulse, reducing the surrounding buildings to rubble and dust. The sound of screams filled the air as people cowered in the streets, crawling away from the debris that was raining down on them. Abigail reached for Henry’s hand, stumbling blindly in the darkness, and he clasped it firmly, pulling her closer. 

Hours earlier, the emergency broadcast had blared through every speaker in the city, resulting in a frantic stampede of civilians. Attention. Attention. This is not a drill. Please remain calm and proceed to evacuate your homes immediately. Henry tried to summon his courage, to stay strong for Abigail’s sake, but the terror in his eyes betrayed the facade, a terror echoed in Abigail’s own pounding heart and tightening chest. “I’m scared,” she whispered, staring at the darkening sky. “I’m here,” Henry murmured, his voice grounding her. “I’m here.”

Days earlier, the power had flickered out, leaving the city in darkness. Abigail lit the candles she had gathered weeks ago, bringing out the boxes of canned food and jugs of water she had insisted on storing in the basement when the warnings first came out. Henry watched the skies and wished for a miracle. As they sat together by the dim candlelight, huddling under a blanket for warmth, an air of uncertainty hung heavy in the room. Abigail’s voice broke the silence. “Whatever happens, we’ll face it together.” Henry nodded with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Weeks earlier, the study proving the imminent destruction of the planet was released, the clear evidence that something big was coming. “It’s just fear mongering,” Henry told Abigail, even as his mind was racing with possibilities, each worse than the next. “We’ll be fine.” He was trying to reassure himself as much as her, and couldn’t help but wonder how they would make it through this. The never-ending heat waves and smoke that seemed to fill the sky more and more frequently were nothing compared to the threat of losing Abigail. She had shaken her head, her shoulders tense with worry. “But what if it’s true?”

Months earlier, the signs had begun to appear, the strange unexplainable occurrences that prompted whispers of impending doom. The beginning of the end, they called it. Henry had scoffed, dismissing the rumors as mere conspiracy theories. “Nothing to worry about,” he had reassured Abigail, who was scouring online forums for answers nobody knew, desperately trying to find the truth. 

Years earlier, Henry and Abigail met in a small coffee shop. He liked her curiosity and sense of wonder, the way her amber brown eyes lit up with passion whenever she spoke about her research. She was drawn to his steady presence and caring nature, the way he showed genuine interest in what she had to say. They were living in uncertain times, what with the current climate of the country and the rapid decline of the economy, and both wished for a partner to lean on for support. 

Decades earlier, there was a boy and a girl, each oblivious to the fate that awaited them.