A nice day. Sunny and windy at the same time. The sky is blue, while birds is chirping—singing freely a top the tree.
It was. Not before the disaster strike the world.
Going back a month ago. A news bombarded the social media, creating panic to the people. An eye-catching, bold, and all capital headline is posted, it was titled "THE END OF THE WORLD: WILL YOU REPENT?"
It did not only discuss the evil of people, but also shows images of how the world turned out to be in this generation. Forest burned, killing people, the sky dimmed and purple patches can be seen clearly, abnormal size of the plants, and hybrid animals that shouldn't exist was seen.
But before it can explode further, the authority posted a video statement, making the peole calm down. They said it was fake news. That the images in the article is AI generated, and people should not trust others so easily, especially to this kind of news.
Not all people believes it, at least half of the people is still in constant panic, making them choose to be ready if ever disaster really comes. They bought foods, survival kit, and even tried to stock on water supply while also learning how to plant things at home.
The half of the people laugh at them—and that's the situation of Zalora. She just come home after panic buying at a shopping mall when her toxic, cut-off aunties met her at the road.
She sighed tiredly, "I should really check my horoscope before going out." Zalora whispered to herself.
"Would you look at that..." one of her auntie, Nana, spotted her immediately and walked towards her with her other aunties.
"The mannerless orphan is here?" said Julie, her Third Aunt with her thin and sharp left eyebrows raise.
"Oh, Julie!" Her Second Aunt, Sapphire, smack her Third Aunt on the shoulder. "You shouldn't speak like that. What if this kid attack you?" She snicker, covering her mouth and backing away three steps.
"Remember, she's a wild child." She added in contemp.
Zalora's jaw tightened as she heard their unpleasant voices. If both of her hands isn't busy holding her grocery bag, she would really like to slap each of their faces on both side of their cheeks and give them a natural blush on that can last a day.
"Why would you need to interfere with my life when you have a problem on your own home? You know Aunt Sapphire, you should really mind your own monkey business. Because news flash, your dauther's more than a wild child than I am." Zalora didn't let the mockery pass and started attacking them with her precise words, punching straight to the heart.
Before her Second Aunt open her mouth, she started again. "Getting pregnant at the age of 15 and aborting the baby with your permission and advice? You're really a good mother. Your son not only has debt because of addiction to gambling, even your husband once or twice a month cheated on you with your knowledge yet you can't still divorce him because of his money. What a harmonious family you have." With a smirk she looks at her Third Aunt after getting happy of seeing her Second Aunt purple, almost dying look.
"And Aunt Julie, talk about manners. Didn't your child get jailed because he cause a commotion in the wealthy district because the girl he like didn't reciprocate his feelings? What a good and behave child you have. Worthy of being your son indeed. You're the same kind of human—oh!" Zalora posed a surprised look.
"Are you even human?" She pointed at the three.
The three aunties face contorted in anger. She stepped back in case they decided to attack by slapping her—base from her experience.
"And Aunt Nana, don't be flattered that I still call you Aunt. That's not because we're relative in name and blood, but because you're all old. Lucky you I still have my manners, and still recognize you as humans." She said emphasizing the word manners before walking pass the three woman with confidence, leaving them speechless and in rage.
Zalora felt invigorated, happy to the point that her eyes see rainbows everywhere, and hear birds singing opera besides her.
When she was about to open the gate to enter her house, the ground shookt violently. Her hand grip at the lock handle of her gate to try steady her feet. Zalora's heart tremble in fear.
She heard a shout, panic voices linger in the air. When she steady herself, she tried to calm her heart and insert the key to the lock.
The hand that holding the heavy grocery bag is turning pale by the second, indicating that there's no blood flow. Zalora only sigh in relief when her gate open.
She entered with unsteady step, almost squatting while holding the gate for support so she would not fall down. The shake of the ground is still strong. She even glimpse a nearby small tree fall down with a thugs giving her an almost heart attack.
"I can't stay here, there's so much houses and trees that can collapse on me." Her breath is shakey as she talked to herself.
Then when she thought the earthquake is the worst that can happen today, she heard a screetch of an unkown animal. It was in high pitch, almost like the sound of the blackboard being scratch by a chalk. Ear irritating.
Her head followed the sound and saw something that can only exist in a fantacy novel—a large bird. It was circling their small compound, screetching now and then with its red eyes glinting with sharp and dangerous light. Its magestic huge wings is glistening black, like its some type of metal instead of a soft feather.
Its size is comparable to a husky mature dog. Her calming heart started to pound hard again. Zalora's whole body felt cold as her eyes stared wide at the abnormally huge, should be non-existent bird.
Just for the beak of the bird, it can make people not control their bladder and pee in fear on the spot.
Zalora didn't observe further and immediately run inside her house and lock the door with heavy breathing.
"What the fuck is that?" She finally uttered after a moment of lost soul.
No one can answer her question as she hear the people outside started to scream more louder. With just their scream, one can know how frightened they are. And it's not just fear that she can hear... she can also hear the pain and intermittent voice of the people, then silence.
With the continued earthquake that didn't weaken but got even stronger, Zalora grip her hand at the wall, noticing now that the grocery that she painstakingly paid for is stranded outside. She walks side way to reach her nearby wooden table that's made of a sturdy tree.
Her heart is on her throat the whole time. When her finger is almost touching the edge of the table, the wodden shelf of her trophy and awards lost its support.
It was too late when she realize that it was falling and she can't dodge. She instinctively cover her face and eyes, but because of the shakes of the ground, she loses her balance and fall down the floor, and the shelf with its content smash at her head.
And that's how Zalora's first life ended.