A BREWING STORM

With a skeptical expression, Mark turned to Leo.

"What do you mean by that? The interface looks just like a game's interface."

"Did you register for any game? We're barely eighteen years old, and we don't have identity chips in our heads. That ominous flash of light... I might sound a bit paranoid, but my gut is telling me otherwise, and my gut has never failed," Leo said, leading Mark to a new realization.

Leo and Mark had been friends for as long as they could remember. Their families were acquainted with each other, and they had lived in the same neighborhood their whole lives. They knew each other like the back of their hand, their trust in each other unbreakable, just like peanut butter and jelly.

Mark believed Leo's intelligence and intuition were unparalleled, as he had never seen them fail.

"Let's call home and check if the same is happening," Leo said as he started to fidget with his wristwatch.

The class was in an uproar as they all discussed what they believed to be a new game. Chatters filled the room, making it too noisy for Leo and Mark to make their call.

They went out into a spotlessly clean hallway which had cleaning bots occasionally passing by, a hallway that was just in front of their class.

Standing in the hall with her back leaning against the wall was an otherworldly beauty, a beauty that was believed to be one of the top ten in the entire school.

Her beautiful golden hair flowed down her shoulders as her bright blue eyes glanced at her watch with doubt. Her expression shifted from doubt to skepticism as she appeared to be listening to something.

"Hey, man, stop googling we got a crisis on our hands" Mark tugged at Leo's shoulder as he noticed him staring at the girl.

" Yeah, sorry..."

They walked towards the glass window from which the golden rays of the sun shone through as they continued to fidget with their wristwatches.

*******

Lia and the middle-aged woman had horrified expressions on their faces as they looked at each other.

Their minds were too shocked to process anything as they witnessed more than just a fleeting flash of light; it was a vision, or rather, a nightmare of what was yet to come.

Ring!!! Ring!!! They were startled out of their staring contest as the wire phone in the room rang.

The middle-aged man picked up the phone

"Charles, what is the meaning of this..."

Just as he was about to answer, another ringing sound was heard, but from a different wire phone. Then, he heard a buzzing in his ear, followed by a ring on his phone. The room grew noisy as the ringing of phones filled the space.

The blood drained from his face as he did not know what to do.

He placed the phone down cancelling the call.

"Don't pick up any of the calls, put me through to my daughter"

Lia nodded absent-mindedly as she did what she was told to do.

"Chief, did you... see what I saw? We... We have doomed humanity"

*****

Gulp!! Gulp!! Gulp!!!

"Faster you b*tch... that f*cker hung up on me, how dare he," A plumb man said as he held the head girl who was sucking his dick pushing his seven-inch dick down her throat.

The sensation he felt caused him to c*m into the girl's throat, relishing in the pleasure that came from it. With her eyes rolled back the girl fell on the ground, cum trickling down her beautiful face. She looked to be a little over sixteen and inexperienced in the act of pleasuring a man.

" What the f*ck is this interface, I know for sure it has time to do with that project," The man said as he stared at the blue transparent screen in front of him.

On the screen, it read;

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

0yrs 0mnths 0wks 0days 59hrs 57mins

NAME: William Stones

RACE: Human

Evolution: ???

AGE: 46/70

Soul energy: 120/10

Vitality: 85/100

Strength: 5

Agility: 2

Endurance: 2

Intelligence: 12

Mana: 0

Skills: None

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He got up off the bed he sat on, dressed, and made his way out of the room leaving the woman lying motionlessly on the ground.

******

"Leo, what did they say," Mark asked panic vivid in his tone.

" Same "

"What do you think, is it some kind of alien invasion" Mark inquired.

"I don't know, but I told them to head into the bunker until the timer hits zero. If nothing happens, it's probably just my paranoia," Leo said, trying to convince himself.

" Man, I will tell my folks to do the same"

Mark started fidgeting with his watch once again.

********

"Settle down, let's hear what Charles has to say," a woman who appeared to be in her twenties remarked while sitting among other dignitaries on the World Union committee.

The dignitaries of the world had gathered to discuss the elephant in the room. The world government supported the exploration of the ocean and was thus involved in the predicament they had found themselves in.

"Madam, Chairman, thank you. We can truthfully say that the screen before our eyes is the result of Project Atlantis." Charles said, his eyes darting through the people present.

Some gave him the stink eye as his gaze met theirs.

Charles awkwardly shifted his gaze as he continued. He tapped on the table causing a projection to emerge from it.

" This was a tablet found in the box, it seemed like an illustration of the so-called misfortunes and from what we have seen of the ruins on the ocean bed we can assume this is not the first such a predicament has befallen our planet."

A projection of a tablet displaying various events appeared atop the table.

Catastrophic images were inscribed on the projected tablet, showcasing a terrifying array of disasters. These included scenes of monsters and human figures battling for survival amidst falling rocks, twirling winds, massive floods, raging wildfires, and cities reduced to rubble. The tablets displayed a grim tapestry of calamities.

The hall was filled with silence as everyone present concentrated on the tablet. Thoughts of escape raced through their minds, driven by the belief that their world was on the brink of doom due to their greed and curiosity.

"We were privileged to have a glimpse of the past as well as the future as we were the first to peer into the contents of the box, a vision you might say. Chaos will soon fall upon the earth and I don't think humanity will prevail" Charles exclaimed as he lowered his head feeling guilty for bringing such a catastrophe into their world.

"Let's leave this cursed planet. The spacecraft should be able to accommodate all of us," a grey-haired man with vibrant blue eyes said.

"Sorry, Mr. President, our time is up, and we won't make it," Charles said, stating the obvious.

They had about ten minutes more until the first misfortune ensued.

They looked at each other in panic.

"So, is it too late," the president asked, a feeling of hopelessness washing over him.

"I believe the first is some kind of flood, we might be able to get to safe..." Before Charles could finish talking most if not all of the dignitaries had rushed out of the hall, their destination safe places to hide.

Charles sighed at the sight, his thoughts being occupied by his family whom he had contacted to get safety.

" Won't you join them?" the chairwoman asked Charles who had sat down.

" No I have accepted my fate, may this serve as my redemption, for bringing doom onto the world"

The chairwoman nodded solemnly as she walked out of the room.

********

Leo and Mark had contacted their relatives and friends. Some decided to play along while others felt what they were talking about was bullsh*t.

Leo and Mark tried to convince their classmates but it was to no avail.

Who could believe such a far-fetched truth?

Two minutes remained on the counter as it raced towards zero.

"Leo, what should we do now" Mark inquired after some of his mates ignored him.

" I just wish my intuition is wrong, let's hide in the school's bunker. If nothing happens and then praise God but..." Leo replied feeling rather anxious.

The clock was ticking toward an unknown future. Some of the students who decided to play along had gone to the bunkers. Leo and Mark cast one last glance at their classmates who refused to join them before making their way toward the closest bunker.

[ 0yrs 0mnths 0wks 0days 0hrs 0mins ]

[ First Misfortune; Miasma Flood ]

Leo and Mark were caught off guard as they had not yet reached the bunker. The Earth shook slightly as the sounds of massive waves echoed throughout the hall.

" Over here "

They heard a clear, almost enchanting voice and, without any hesitation, rushed towards it, finding themselves in the girls' bathroom. A sturdy bunker door was concealed behind the mirror, and a beautiful blonde teenage girl with clear blue eyes stared at them from the inside.

"Are you waiting for..." Before she could finish speaking, the glass windows and mirrors in the room shattered and broke as massive waves of water struck the school building, rushing in and wreaking havoc in their path.

Mark and Maxwell rushed in but not before the water started to seep into the girl's bathroom.

With all their strength, they shut the bunker door only after a couple of torrents of water had entered.