Foreword:

I haven't written a self-contained short story in a while. I have been trying my hand at poetry which I've enjoyed greatly. Writing something different would feel fresh which is why I have decided to write a short-story. Let me know what you think about it!

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"What is this 'Event', do the people have any reason to be worried?", someone asked Dr. Anton Oswald.

"It's hard to say", replied the doctor with a hint of fear in his voice. "We don't know the exact nature of this event. We have only been successful in deciphering a portion of the Alien Tablet that we came across on Gauss. Unfortunately, we are still far from a complete translation. I want to let the people of Dumas know that we are prepared for anything that awaits us. Have no fear. We will make it through this."

Dr. Oswald left the stage and started to pierce the swarm of reporters that had come to bloody him with their questions. The same questions being asked over and over again made him doubt he had the correct answers. The struggle was over in about fifteen minutes but to him it seemed like an eternity. He took a seat in the black SUV alongside his partner Dr. Richard Wagner.

"'Have no fear?' Was that the best you could do?" chuckled Dr. Wagner. Anton was in no mood for jests and perhaps Richard knew that. After all they were about to experience a mythical event, one that was only thought to be a folk tale one that science negated. It was a depressing day for the people of Dumas. Only a week ago they were happily going about their day, without a worry in the world. And then somebody comes on the television and says that the world is going to end in seven days. That shakes you to the core of your being. It kick-starts that very primal instinct of ours: survival.

Dr. Oswald paid no attention to the quips of his partner and instead stared into the distance through the window, lost in thought. The streets were empty that day. Everyone was in their homes trying to cherish the few hours that were left till night fall. Although they did not know what was going to happen, they had figured it was not going to be something good. Anton thought about the progress he and others before him have made. The advances in technology, the years of research and an infinite amount of hard-work that it took to get where they are now. Everything that was yet to be learned of, yet to be obtained, all would be potentially reduced to dust. He had regrets but it was too late.

They arrived at the Laboratory.

"How long till it initiates?", asked the doctor.

"ETA: 3 minutes.", replied VEGA.

All of the staff gathered in the control room. A day earlier, Anton announced that only volunteers would be required to come on The Day Of The Event, which also happened to be a Monday. Only a handful of people had volunteered but the doctor was proud of them. He had prepared a speech for the occasion but there was no time.

And then it happened.

Cries of fear loudened the control room as the earth moved beneath the feet of Dumas' residents. An unfathomable thunder tore the skies asunder and pierced the heartland of Dumas. As the room began quiet down, faint screams of citizens began to came through the soundproof walls of the Laboratory. It was not long till the masses began to knock down the 40-inch thick doors of the facility. An ethical debate ensued among the scientists but morbidly the outcome was to not let anyone in. This continued for 4 more minutes until there was maddening silence. Has it passed?, thought Anton. The scientists took a breath of relief and started to plan what to do next. Dr. Wagner and a minority voted to explore Dumas - or what remained of it, while a majority voted to stay inside for a bit longer.

VEGA estimated they should wait for at least an hour more. Of course, who could argue against a supercomputer that had been developed through decades. The pinnacle of technology, VEGA, was equivalent to the brains of millions of geniuses but even then it lacked the power to compute the events of this day.

The silence in the control room was deafening. From the corner and outside the room came faint sounds of crying and hyperventilating. The doctor wanted to comfort his fellow scientists but he know his words could not ease the pain.

This one hour was the longest either of them had to wait through but finally it passed.

Dr. Oswald authorized the unlock sequence of the facility. After a minute of two of locks depressurizing, the front door opened wide and in came the chilling fog, along with a few skeleton bones and skulls. One let out a loud shriek, while others were taken aback. Each of them had grabbed a torch and plasma rifle before they ventured out.

The rusted vehicles and demolished buildings were everywhere. Men were reduced to bones and bones to ashes. In the distance, they could see the buildings of Dumas' heart, engulfed in flames. Strange creatures roamed the skies, and stranger still roamed the land. A horde of wolves-like monsters had leapt towards the group of scientists but were driven away by a terrible roar that shook the eardrums of the scientists.

And out of the fog came a god-like monster, his head up above the clouds. The torches and guns fell out of their grips and rolled away on the asphalt. In a failure to comprehend the existence of such a being, the scientists fell on their knees and knelt. It was the apocalypse, and it was time the people of Dumas atoned for their sins.

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