End Of Days (Re-written)
1
Discovery
With a start, the alarmed buzzed loudly from the digital clock echoing throughout the cluttered white room. Bright rays of sunlight peeked through the closed blinds, adding warmth and color to the foot of the teen boy’s dull bed. Lazily raising an eyelid, the boy glanced at the time, which read 7 am. He arose groggily from his bed, stretching and scratching himself. Flipping away the covers, he was greeted by a rushing wave of frigid morning air, causing him to shiver, but nonetheless drag himself over to his dresser to turn off the droning alarm. He sighed, taking one last look at his sanctuary before begrudgingly making his way to the bathroom to begin the day.
There wasn’t much to say about William Barry. He lived a normal fifteen year olds' life. A loving family, lives in safe neighborhood, goes to a safe high school, has plenty of friends, and engages in your- everyday- normal teenage activities of a sophomore. He stood about average height for a boy of his age, with unkempt jet-black hair, due to hard sleeping, hazel eyes, and pale skin. Will had no complaints; he was perfectly satisfied with his life. He didn’t have everything he ever wanted-then again, he didn’t need it, and he was happy. However, it was on this cold morning in November when fate would change would change Will’s life forever.
The house was deathly silent for some strange reason. Everything seemed so still and lifeless. Usually, Will’s parents would be bustling back and forth around the house, getting ready for work.
“Mom, Dad?” He called out.
Will searched the entire house. He saw their belongings scattered all over the place; their clothes, shoes and work items were thrown everywhere, but there was no sign of his parents. They would never leave the house in such a mess. Will thought to himself, then shrugged. I guess they were really in a hurry. After his morning activities, he ate a light breakfast before headed out. With the sun shining brightly in the clear morning sky, the brisk autumn air wrapped around his face like a scarf, causing Will to cringe and zip up his jacket. Already missing his bed, he began for school, the eerie silence trailing closely. Not a single car was lined along the sidewalk today. No cute little birds chirping, no squirrels hurrying across the lawn to find food. He shrugged, smiling to himself. It was early in the morning, and of course the neighborhood would be empty; people had to work. The absence of the noisy critters was no big deal either. Winter season was around the corner; it was time for animals to prepare for the cold seasons. Will took his time walking, hoping the day would go by quickly. He was not looking forward to class and he did not feel like being bothered today. He turned the corner from his neighborhood leading to the main busy street of Ashton. Or it was busy. The entire avenue was still. Traffic was lined along the streets, but there was no sign of life anywhere. No one hurrying up and down the sidewalk, the railroad station above him was empty, tracks were littered with morning trains, but no one was present on them. Now that he noticed, even the pigeons, which were always out soaring the skies, were absent. This was nothing like his normal morning of noisy travel, busy people and lively city wildlife. Slightly worried, he hurried to school.
The bronze doors belonging to an enormous scarlet building that was Langston High stood open as usual, welcoming all who wanted to learn or teach. After crossing the barren track field, he bolted inside of the dim stairway, heading straight to the lunchroom in the basement of the school. All the students would be there at this hour, hanging out before class. Hoping to see his friends, Will’s stomach plunged upon finding the colorful lunchroom swirling with light colors a ghost town. Coats, backpacks, trays of half- eaten food were left all over the multi-chaired tables. The main office! His mind flashed. His legs took off before he could finish the thought. Someone has got to be there, someone always is, he thought. Up the gray stairs and down the hallway he flew, passing by thousands of lockers. Chest and legs burning, he passed by dozens of empty classrooms, all increasing the sinking feeling within him. Finally reaching the main office, Will threw himself upon the reception counter, sweaty and gasping. Slowly walking into back of the white office, the sun shone its golden light into the room of strange plants and running office machinery. He felt his heart drop. No one was there. The long rows of desks, tables, running computers all belonging to the school were empty.
The hall leading to the Principal’s office seemed narrow as he chokingly made his way to the wooden door. He raised a fist, preparing to knock, before dropping his fist in despair. Panicking, Will shakily yanked out his cell phone, dialing his mother’s number. He was relieved to hear the phone ringing, but there was no answer. He tried his father. No avail as well.
“Come ON!” Will bellowed. Frustrated, he threw the phone to the ground. Collapsing against the wooden door, he buried himself between his legs. “This has to be a nightmare,” he sighed
