2 God’s Gift

Time slowed down, yet… my heart was beating faster than ever. So fast that it was deafening.

[*screech*]

[*boom*]

As if God himself had slammed his palm on the rooftop, all of us felt an unruly force launch our bodies forward.

'…'

Shock… It was indirectly becoming a state of being for me and was what I was presently feeling. Even while I was in a paralytic state, an innumerable amount of possibilities invaded my psyche.

Could this be how everything would end?

Would I be held responsible for all of our deaths whenever the news report came out about us? I could already imagine the headline. "Terminally Ill upcoming athlete causes the death of two undeserving young women."

At this point in my life, I would be genuinely surprised if anyone actually cared if I died in this situation. The public would probably come to the conclusion that I was just another drunk diver. That, or they might say I was on drugs.

My entire legacy... It would disappear before it even got started.

After thinking that, more selfish thoughts began to manifest.

Why couldn't I get more time? Why did everything have to fall apart the instant that things were starting to look up for me?

What did I do in this life or the past one to end up with such a shitty present?

How would my dad react to my death? Would he care? Or would he just ignore my existence like he did for the majority of my life?

As I continued to mentally spiral, my car's hood began to warp upon collision with the tree before us. It was as if the vehicle's sturdy steel exterior had been converted into rubber.

While that happened, the windshield began slowly crackling, creating a lightning-like formation, warning me of the impending shrapnel that was about to be launched into my eyelids like one of those gruesome online videos my friends and I used to watch as kids.

I then glanced at the rearview mirror, seeing the terror in the eyes of the passengers. In an instinctive way that I couldn't explain, by being exposed to their fearful eyes, I realized that I had an obligation to uphold. Said obligation was protecting those close to me.

'I gotta save them!'

I roared internally in panic.

With my hold on reality being cemented, I began to think outside of myself.

I twisted my body towards Ashley who had her eyes tightly closed, fearing for the worst. I would have done the same for Lina, but she seemed safe enough.

I shot out my arm as quickly as I could in an attempt to protect Ash, uncertain whether or not my faulty car's airbags would deploy while simultaneously, I jolted my free arm in front of my face, preparing to slam my head on the steering wheel.

The sound of glass shattering followed the pain of tiny pieces of glass puncturing my torso, arm, and forehead.

[*poof*]

By the good graces of some sort of guardian angel, an airbag ejected. Fortunately, it wasn't mine, but Ash's.

[*bang*]

The crash jerked me forward, causing the seat belt to cut into my neck, creating a gash that stretched from my to my collar bone. A chill crawled up my spine as a crunching sound echoed through my ears after realizing that one of the unnatural-looking tree branches had made its way through the car.

After the crunch came an overwhelming sense of vertigo that ravaged my body. Said vertigo was so intense that I began to lose control of the muscles in my neck.

Realizing that my consciousness was wavering, I tried to keep my eyes open with every fiber of my being.

If I didn't and allowed myself to blackout, who would save the other two?

There was an earthquake going on. The largest earthquake that mankind had ever seen. There probably wasn't a first responder in the state that was available right now. When it came down to it, if I said screw it and took a little nap here and now, my car would probably be all of our caskets.

[*poof*]

Knocking the air out of my lungs, the delayed driver's seat airbag finally released itself.

In all my years of having a license, I never once had an accident. I hadn't even gotten a scratch on this car before today. Yet, here I was, airbag to the face.

My head… It hurt. I had the worst headache imaginable. To top that off, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't move my right arm.

The thorned branch that impaled the car had cut into my forearm like a knife through butter when I tried to shield Ashley.

Whatever kind of tree this was, it had a strange liquid on its branches. Maybe it was a poison or something. Or at least, that was what I concluded. But then again, maybe it was just the blood loss talking.

Taking long and heavy deep breaths, I tried to regain any sense of composure that I could grab onto in the situation. I still wasn't out of water. Not by a long shot. Using my working arm, I pushed the deflating airbag down. The hard part was over. Now it was time to recuperate.

With the Airbag out of the way and the headlights on the car broken, I realized just how dark it actually was. Out here. There were no working lights in our surrounding area, aside from the sky… Well, there was the shimmering red and black hell tree in front of us that had a bioluminescent glow on its vines and thorns.

"Jesus fucking Christ." I wondered if this was actually a tree at all after squinting through the shattered windshield, realizing that the tree didn't look damaged.

It looked unfazed by the impact even though I just crashed into it at a speed of 60 miles per hour with a car that was about 4,000 pounds.

For a moment, I just stared at it in awe… But that was when I noticed another detail.

"What the fuck…" I uttered with a slacked jaw. The tree itself was growing in size, noticeable enough to detect with my own eyes. Not only that, but its branches were continually inflating and deflating as if it were a living and breathing creature.

"Ashley…" I whispered but got no response.

Turning my head and looking over the tree branch that divided us, I realized that she was unconscious.

"Ashley. Ashley, Wake up!"

Again, I received no response. That was when panic started to set in.

"Shit."

Using my good arm, I began to fidget with the seat belt buckle in haste.

Ashley was slouched over with her body limp, not making any movements whatsoever. She was the only person in this world who I could depend on. If she died, then… then…

"Ashley! Hey, Ash! Wake up!" I roared and still got no response.

"Fuck." I spat.

My vision was blurry and the world was still spinning, but I needed to get my act together. Like me, she had cuts from the glass all over her. I needed to quickly make sure she was breathing.

[*click-click*]

Finally, I was free from the jammed seat belt. I had been clicking the release button so hard that one of my fingernails broke, causing me to wince in pain. Due to the adrenaline flowing through me, that pain was numbed.

[*Boom-Boom-Boom*]

The car door was jammed, but I kept tackling it until it finally burst open, causing me to land on the ground, funny bone first.

Pusing myself up and stumbling a few times, I stood up, taking a good look at the disater in front of me.

It was safe to say that the car had been totaled. The branch that went through the windshield had made its way all the way through the car to the… the back where Lina was sitting!

"No-no-No! Fuck!"

"*cough-cough-cough*"

Even while spitting up blood, I limped over to the back doors to check on the safety of my little sister, but couldn't see anything due to the unreliable tree's lighting.

"Please, be okay. Please!"

Unlocking all the doors from the driver's seat, I rushed to the back in an attempt to pull open the back door… but just like mine, Lina's door was jammed. I couldn't tackle her's open from the outside.

On top of that, I couldn't see her physical state from the driver's seat due to the weird tree branch blocking my view which cause me more panic.

Again, I had to question whether or not this was actually plant life. The throned branch came in as one, but as it made its way through the car, it grew and splintered into multiple branches.

"Lina!? You hear me? You alright back there?"

The windows of my car were too dark to see through. I would've needed a flashlight to see through the glass.

'Why the fuck would I get these tints so damn dark?' I thought biting my lip anxiously.

'Damn.'

There was only one way to get her out and that was through the window. Taking my shirt off, using my teeth as an aid, I wrapped it around my left hand as I paced back and forth nervously.

[*Boom-Boom-Boom-Shatter*]

With just one punch, I shattered the window. And for a moment, I was happy. I thought that if I could break the window, I could pull Lina out from the back seat, getting her to safety…. But I soon realized that it was far too late to be worried about safety. The damage had already been done.

"No…"

The scene in the car made me want to drop to my knees… my whole body began to shake as the overwhelming sensation of vomiting overcame me.

"*keck*"

All the food that I had in my system ejected itself from my body as I collapsed on the ground.

Before I knew it, I started quoting all the generic bull shit I heard in movies in my head.

'No… no. This can't be real. My eyes must be playing tricks on me. This doesn't make any sense. How is that even possible? Trees can't do that!'

Slowly, I picked myself up off the ground after a few moments of hesitation and peeked back into the car… only for my fears to be confirmed.

Lina… she… she was dead. Whatever the hell this tree was, it killed her. No… it mutilated her. This... This was my fault. If... If I had been paying attention...

"*cough-cough-cough-cough*"

I couldn't control the coughs. I felt something uncomfortable, warm, and itchy caught in my chest that my body was reflexively screaming at me to get out.

From the inside perspective of the car, the thorned black branch whent straight through the middle of the car, the somehow chrved to the back seats and bloomed like a wildflower, gruesomely ripping Lina apart.

3 large branches pinned her body down like nails to wood while countless tiny ones moved through her like flesh-eating worms. No... It looked like a blood-sucking coral reef had implanted itself in her.

One branch went straight out the rear windshield, one pinned Lina's head to the seat, One pierced through her heart, and the last struck her stomach.

These branches… They hadn't just punctured her, they were drinking her like a mosquito, slowly turning her into a gray and decrepit husk devoid of its life essence.

I tried to grab the branches with my working arm, only for them to defend themselves somehow, growing thorns and stabbing into me like a porcupine to a predator.

Quickly pulling away, I noticed that my hand was covered in blood and a strange black sap. This black sap was making me quickly lose all the sensation in all my fingers, which confirmed my suspicion of it having some type of poison on it.

All I could do was helplessly stare as the sight of Lina's death started to ingrain itself into my mind as a core memory.

The entire top part of her skull was missing, leaving behind a jaw with broken teeth.

"Lina…"

With a shaky hand that I barley had control of, I reached out and touched her hand which was rapidly losing color.

She was still warm... But I could feel her hand getting thinner as more of her vitality was stolen from her. Her body even started spasming.

She... Her corpse grabbed my hand as I was holding it. It was like her spirit was begging for help. While she was being consumed, her body was spasming as if she was in pain.

[*Boom*]

While I held on to her tightly, the earth shook agian, making me lose my footing as if the world knew I was in a state of disarray.

This reminded me that Ash and I... We still weren't safe.

"*crack-crack*"

I had to physically pry my hand away from Lina's. It was hard. Perhaps the hardest thing that I ever had to do in my life.

I had to face it. She was gone. I had to save Ash. I couldn't let whatever happen to Lina happen to her.

[*Crumble*]

This time, the noise was coming from behind me. It sounded like a giant demon was crawling its way up from hell.

Turning around, I saw the most bazaar geological event to be witnessed by man.

Sinkholes... They started to spawn all around us. And from them, a red glow shined. From that glow, vines... No, roots, started to spring from the ground.

Trees. More of them were coming. I felt it in my gut that the one that killed the girl I thought of as a sister was only a precursor.

'Fuck.'

Just as I expected. After a few seconds, Black and red trees, just like the one I had crashed into, began sprouting. It was unnatural and transcended all logic considering their growth speed.

What was this… was this the apocalypse that had been foretold since the beginning of time by all religious communities? We're these trees some kind of alien here to take over Earth?

I knew deep down that I would probably never get an answer to these questions, but I couldn't help my mind being riddled with them. There was little I knew about the situation

Wiping the tears from my eyes, I rushed over to the front passenger seat of the car as quickly as I could. Whatever was happening, It didn't plan on waiting for me to feel better so it could continue. This… event. It was happening right now whether I liked it or not.

Pulling the door open, with the hand I barely had feeling in, I began to scream at the top of my lungs.

"Ash!"

"…"

"ASH- *Cough-Cough*"

I could taste the blood in my mouth that originated from my lungs. It reminded me that even after I escaped this situation, I was still at death's door… but Ashley wasn't. I needed to make sure she was still okay.

With one final jerk, I pulled the door open.

"ASHLEY!"

Shaking her as hard as I could, she groaned in pain.

"Mmm…Loki, are you oka-"

Interrupting her, I glared at her intensely, placing my hand on her cheek, making sure she was listening to me attentively.

"We have to go."

I couldn't raise my voice the way I wanted to. I felt like I was gonna couch up more blood so I got in close to her ear.

"What? What happen-"

Dreary and disoriented, she finally caught onto what was happening in the surrounding.

"We have to go before they get us. Right now."

I exclaimed, reaching over to her, trying to unbuckle her seatbelt, but at this point, I couldn't no longer articulate my fingers.

"We have to go! Help me unbuckle the belt!"

Snapping to reality, Ash freed herself, hopping out of the car as quickly as she could.

Waving my half-paralyzed arm, I firmly voiced, "Run Stay close to me."

"Wait! We still have to get Lina!" She retorted, heading to the backseats. But that was when the truth was revealed, gluing her in place.

Her expression completely changed, and that was when I was devoured with an overwhelming sense of guilt that overtook my sense of survival for a moment.

Even though I was about 10 feet away, I could see her sunken eyes clearly.

"L-Lina?"

I could hear the anguish in her voice.

"LINA!"

I could feel her grief.

Tears began to pour down her face as she realized there was nothing she could do.

"Malina!"

She shrieked.

I limped to her side, trying to get her to realize the urgency of the situation.

"Ash… We have to go." I voiced softly as I could, given the situation at hand. She was valuable right now. Saying the wrong thing right now would put us at risk.

She then snapped her head back at me with a hatred I never thought she was capable of having.

"Then leave! Give me your phone and go."

"Ashley… If we want to live, we have to run away right now. A phone call won't save us." She didn't give a damn about what I was talking about... And that was completely understable.

"You don't know that! Give me the phone, Loki."

'But I do…'

Ash was smart, empathetic, and analytical. Logically, she knew good and well that I was right… but like me a few minutes ago, she wasn't moving on logic. She had only just woke up and prbably had a concussion just like me.

Taking a few seconds to look around, I realized that we the trees weren't yet trying to eat us... But I didn't know how long that would last.

"Alright. Take it."

I gave in. How could I not?

Handing her my phone, she started to dial numbers frantically.

<Jonathan Hagen>

Jonathan Hagen sat in front of his television watching the catastrophic changes that were occurring all across the globe, appearing unbothered by the fact that the Earth's tectonic plates were shifting and jeopardizing the structural integrity of his home. But that wasn't the case at all. Jonathan always had an outwardly calm demeanor, which mand him appear heartless and cold to many.

Those who knew him truly would easily be able to see past his facade of tranquility. But those who were able to see what lied under the surface of his exterior could only be counted on one hand.

"Loki…" He mumbled.

He had attempted to contact his son several times, but the moment the quakes started, his phone had no connection to the outside world.

Loki was his pride and joy. He loved his some more than anything. To not be able to contact him in a situation as dire as this truly pained the man, but what could he do in the face of an act of god.

He stared at the T.V screen before him in an attempt to absorb all of the information he could in regards to his current situation… the worlds current predicament.

A black tree that was oddly similar to the one of myth that he had devoted his life to had just popped up, live to billions around the world.

"Yggdrasill…" He uttered mindlessly, bearing witness to the spectacle that news helicopters were broadcasting.

He was at the edge of his seat, digging his fingernails into the couch cushion.

Even while he heard the screams of terror emanating throughout his home from the outside world, Jonathan stayed right where he was.

"This… this is all real." He whispered to himself. The largest tree that had ever been recorded in human history had magically manifested in the challenger Deep, located in the western Pacific Ocean. Science couldn't make sense of this. Nothing could.

["As viewers can see, the entity of U.S Island territory, Guam, has mysteriously vanished. In its place lies what many are now calling one of the World Trees."

"It is to be presumed that all life on Guam and all islands surrounding it excluding Japan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Taiwan were completely eviscerated as none have been able to contact any government officials or civilians."

"As of now, not even the scientific community has any answer as to what exactly the World Trees are, but it is theorized to be only in its infancy. Our sources tell us that all of the trees that have sprouted all contents seem to be virtually identical although varying in shape and size. It is speculated that this entity may have a connection to the Pando; a species of tree that has an interconnected underground rooting system that makes it possible for it to reproduce asexually."

"The world Tree itself is presumed to be the cause of all of the devastating world-ending quakes that have impacted most of the globe but, no one has information on just why the planet hasn't yet reached its demise. With the existence of such a large mass, many might expect tsunamis to strike the lands, wreaking havoc through all coastal countries with the rise in water levels, yet, the world Trees seem to be keeping the water levels in check. Or at least, this is what Certified Arborist Mathew Hughes stated in his interview earlier today."

"He also stated that the trees themselves are mercilessly feeding on the salt water of the seas, which should be impossible. Unless they held relation to halophytes; a species of salt-tolerant plant life, similar to the Mangrove. But because the sea level has stayed virtually the same as it did weeks ago, the existence of the World Trees themselves should be virtually impossible, yet here we are."

"The earth itself is said to still be on its axis, surprising many physicists alike, unable to explain the existence of the World Tree, which stretches to the continents of Asia to North and South America, digging its roots and duplicating itself on all aforementioned continents creating a colossal loss of life everywhere. The origins of the world tree or the reason for it spontaneously emerging from the oceans are unknown. Even so, Dex News request that all civilians-"]

Before the broadcast could finish, the signal was severed, putting Jonathan in a frantic state as the world beneath shook once more in a devastating aftershock that began to split the walls of his home.

[*Boom*]

Even while plates and bowls were launched out of his kitchen cabinets… Even while the walls of his home began to split apart, Jonathan showed no outward expression.

He remained seated on his luxurious white leather couch, slowly lifting the left sleeve of his white button-up top, revealing his tattooed arm.

His entire left forearm was covered in wooden branches that had strange Nordic runes engraved on them which surrounded one singular eyeball with a sun and a moon gravitating around it.

[*Boom*]

Even while small pieces of drywall rained upon him, he remained in the same position, unbothered by the apocalypse that was taking place as he began to slowly caress his forearm.

"This… Is the end. This is Ragnarok."

Although Jonathan knew for a fact that the words that he had just stated were absurd, so was the current world around him.

Right now, scientists could only speculate as to what was happening. When science could no longer answer questions, it was only natural for humanity to fall back on spirituality.

By no means was it only Jonathan who thought this way. As he sat in his home alone, many were on their hands and knees, making a mends to one higher power or another.

Finally breaking free of his daze, without grabbing any of his belongings, Jonathan stood up and walked to his front door, wanting to view his neighborhood's state firsthand.

[*creak*]

Opening the door, the man bore witness to what one could only describe as chaos.

The moment the door fully opened, a waft of hot air hit his face as several of the neighboring homes were now on fire while Johnathan's facial expression remained still. Contrary to that fact, his heart began to race.

How could it not? A 50-foot-throned glowing tree had emerged from the concrete with corpses hanging from it like grotesque Christmas ornaments.

These same corpses belonged to the people he had been neighbors with for the last 15 years.

"God." He whispered while putting his hand to his mouth in shock, shaken to the core by the imagery.

From where he stood, he could smell the blood that soaked the pavement. He could see the entrails that now fertilized his front lawn and painted his windows. He even spotted a burning corpse across the street. He even recognized it.

"Jacob..."

He was a boy who went to the same High School as Loki, but their paths couldn't be anymore different. Jacob had become a drug addict who lived with his parents while Loki became a successful athlete.

Even though Jacob didn't manage his life as optimally as he should have, the young man didn't deserve to leave the world in the way as he did. No one did.

Jonathan watched as the now-deceased young man's skin on his back melt like gelatin while his clothes and hair were converted into ash.

One could taste the dread in the atmosphere. And all Jonathan could do was stare.

As he watched tge horrifying display, his stomach started to churn as an overwhelming sense of nausea began to overtake him.

But while he was on the verge of vomiting, he noticed a strange rainbow-colored pollen falling from the sky like snow.

'What… What is this?' He pondered. Strangely, the site was rather beautiful given his gory environment.

The pollen continued to fall slowly until it landed in his eye. And then… then… nothing.

The pollen didn't affect Jonathan. To him, there was only a slight irritation on his skin and in his eyes. The feeling went away as quickly as it came.

'I guess it's nothing to worry about.' He concluded shaking his head.

"Jonathan!" Shouted an elderly man known to the gated community as Simon Kendall, a retired 72-year-old veteran whose legs were missing from the knee down.

Simon was a sweet man. He lived with his wife a few houses away and was always kind and welcoming whenever he and Johnathan had an interaction.

When his son Loki was a teenager, he would often go over to Simon and his wife's house to do gardening work for extra pocket change.

Deep down, Jonathan always secretly envied the two's relationship. They were the picture example of a healthy marriage, something Jonathan always wanted for himself. They had 3 kids, the oldest in the military, following in Simon's footsteps. The middle was a doctor, and the youngest was one of Loki's closest friends, Wyatt.

Perhaps, if Jonathan decided to Marry earlier on in life, then maybe, Loki would have resented him. His lack of a close bond with his son was always one of Jonathan's biggest regrets.

He loved Loki and could never express it the way he wanted. He never even intended on being a parent himself due to his past trauma, but due to circumstance, he ended up bringing another him into the world. He loved his son like any other parent nonetheless.

Jonathan rarely discussed his past, but it wasn't easy for him growing up. He himself lacked a father figure in his early stages of life while his mother was a prostitute, bringing home man after man into his house, ruining any concept he had of a stable household or relationship. And when the man started to realize that Loki's mother shared the personality traits of his own mother, that was when he ran away from his responsibilities.

But when he realized that history was repeating itself. He had become the man he hated. His own father. Upon that realization, he did everything in his efforts to get custody over his son but failed at every turn… that was until Loki's mother passed.

When he received custody of Loki, he was absolutely lost. Parenting didn't come with a handbook, after all, but he wanted to at least make an effort by providing his son with what he lacked growing up; A stable roof over his, and food wherever he was hungry. Anything past that was beyond Jonathan.

All Jonathan knew was that as a man, he had to provide. In doing so, he spent all of his time teaching while simultaneously working on his software company that he intended on passing down to his son. But that wasn't enough. He wanted to do more, but he didn't know how to exactly go about that.

Now, the world was ending, and all he could think about was more ways of spending more time with his son.

"Jonathan!" Simon shouted once more, approaching closer, rolling toward the man in his wheelchair.

"Hey, Look at me," Simon stated firmly while grabbing Jonathan by his arms, making sure the man was looking him in the eyes.

"Simon? Are you okay?" He said with concern.

"I am, but I'm gonna need you to get your head out of your ass. We need to leave, right now. It's dangerous here. Those trees are sprouting up from the ground everywhere and grabbing people. We need to find a place to hide until somebody figures this shitshow out."

Perhaps it was the man's military background, but the elderly man's words were decisive and rational, even while the world around him was in shambles.

"Y-yeah. You're right." Jonathan nodded.

"But where? I doubt in a situation like this that we'll be able to drive off. There's probably traffic jams everywhere."

Simon nodded his head in reply.

"You're right. That's why we're not driving anywhere. Come on. Follow me. We're going over to my house. My son's home. He's safe in the basement. We have water and…" As Simon was talking, he suddenly stopped, looking at his arm.

The pollen… whatever it was was ravaging the man's skin, turning Simon's pigment green.

"Your arm… what's wrong with it?" Jonathan voiced, but for an uncomfortable amount of time, he was met with silence.

"Simon?"

"…"

"Simon? You okay?"

It was like the man was locked in a time loop. As seconds passed, Simon began mindless drooling as if he had all of a sudden become paralyzed.

"Hey! Simon!" Jonathan shouted, waving his hand in the man's face. Again, he was met with no reply.

"The hell is wrong with you?"

Jonathan mumbled, crouching down to the man's eye level.

As he looked into Simon's eyes, Jonathan realized something strange was occurring.

"Simon?"

The sclera in his eyes… they were becoming darker by the second.

After a full minute of trying to get the man's attention, the whites of his eyes were completely black. After that, the colors of his irises began to morph while his muscles began to tense, so much so that the man started to warp the metal armrest while the rainbow-colored pollen continued to fall from the sky and onto both of the men.

"Si-" Before he could call the man's name once more, Simon's eyes darted to Jonathan, startling the man.

"Jesus fuck!" Jonathan exclaimed, falling backward.

"Ha… you scared the life out of me. You almost don't look human anymore. I don't know what this pollen is, but you're probably having an allergic reaction to it. We should probably head to your house now before it gets worse." The man said, picking himself up.

But like a haunted portrait, Simon's eye tracked Jonathan's movements.

"Simon… I said let's get to the-"

["*crack-crack-pop*"]

Like a snake, the man's jaw unhinged itself.

The audible noises of the man's bones cracking and reforming caused Jonathan to sweat profusely.

"Oh shit. You're a goddamn zombie now, aren't you."

["*SCREACHHHH*"]

The now completely green Simon lunged forward at Jonathan like a wild dog. The only thing was, Simon was an amputee. In his attempt to lunge, Jonathan hopped back, letting the creature fall to the ground face-first.

"Okay... Not a zombie. You're definitely something though." Jonathan mumbled while looking around for anything he could grab to use as a. Defensive tool.

But then, the creature once known as Simon grabbed onto his leg, the moment the man let his guard down.