In the silent theatre of space, a rogue star, became a fiery projectile, piercing Earth's atmosphere with terrifying velocity. It blazed, a malevolent ember hurtling towards its unseen target, its speed defying comprehension as it scorched its way through the planet's protective layers.
Target? Locked.
The invader star shone with a violent intensity against the lurid backdrop of the red-tinged sky, a brutal, incandescent glare that challenged the spectral dominance of the crimson moon.
This was no gentle celestial body; it was a harbinger of obliteration, its light carrying the raw power of cosmic destruction, a promise of immediate and utter annihilation.
[Nine minutes until contact.]
The disembodied voice, a chilling whisper across the gulf of space, was punctuated by a burst of unhinged, maniacal laughter, echoing with an emotion so pure in its darkness that it sent shivers down the spines of unseen observers.
Pure, distilled malice.
The descending star, its initial path set towards a solitary figure running in blind terror, was jolted by an invisible force. A sudden, violent shudder ran through its fiery form.
Its trajectory wavered, the searing trail it left in its wake twisting and turning an ominous, light-absorbing black. The brilliant, hateful light began to sputter, a creeping void consuming its incandescent heart.
The target shifted, no longer the small, insignificant form of Owen, but the sprawling metropolis at the city's heart, a teeming mass of humanity that now lay directly in its path. Another wave of chilling, insane laughter ripped through the quiet sky.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA...HAHAHAHAHA!!"
[ UNKNOWN CORRUPTION DETECTED ]
[ ENTERING CLEANSING MODE.ERROR! ]
[ SYSTEM SHUTTING DOWN ]
A final, desperate message, laced with the ultimate despair, echoed across the silent landscape.
[May the eternal flame guide us all ]
The star, now a swirling vortex of darkness, plummeted with unimaginable velocity, striking the city center, a point of convergence for millions of unsuspecting lives, in a blinding, instantaneous flash.
A cataclysmic mushroom cloud billowed outwards, a grotesque efflorescence of ash and fire that blotted out the red sky, a terrifying monument to an annihilation beyond comprehension.
Owen, flung outwards from the city's edge, was tossed through the air like a child's toy, his body a helpless ragdoll against the shockwave. When he finally crashed to the ground, limbs twisted at unnatural angles, blood seeping into the cracked asphalt, he resembled a broken, discarded thing – a mangled corpse clinging precariously to life.
Buildings that had once pierced the clouds were now skeletal remains, ripped apart as if by the wrath of a vengeful god in the midst of a furious tempest.
The city's outer limits were littered with survivors, their bodies torn and broken, their minds shattered by the unimaginable horror. But at the epicenter, where the star had struck, the world had ceased to exist. Only scorched earth and vaporized remains marked the spot where millions had lived and breathed just moments before, leaving behind only ghostly puddles of blood.
.....
Aisha's Last Sunrise
Aisha loved the sunrise. From her small apartment balcony on the 30th floor, right in the heart of the city's bustling downtown, she had a perfect view. This morning, however, the sunrise was anything but perfect.
A bizarre red hue had painted the sky, and an equally red moon hung like a malevolent eye overhead. It was unsettling, but Aisha, a pragmatic accountant on her way to a demanding tax season, had little time for celestial oddities.
She was just finishing her coffee, glancing at the news on her phone – something about strange whispers and disappearances in some small town – when the sky outside her window was suddenly illuminated by an impossibly bright light.
She shielded her eyes, a gasp escaping her lips. It wasn't the sun. It was something else, falling, fast. A star, she thought incredulously, plummeting from the heavens. Then, a voice echoed in her head, cold and alien, followed by laughter that chilled her to the bone despite the morning warmth.
Panic seized her. She fumbled for her phone, wanting to call her mother, to hear a familiar voice in this unfolding nightmare. But before she could dial, the falling star vanished, swallowed by an unnatural darkness.
A heartbeat later, the world exploded.
The force was unimaginable. Aisha's apartment building buckled and twisted, the sound a deafening roar that ripped through her eardrums. The windows imploded, showering her with shards of glass. The floor lurched violently beneath her feet, throwing her against the wall with brutal force.
For a fleeting moment, she saw the mushroom cloud rising outside, a terrifying, silent spectacle of utter destruction. Then, darkness descended, not the darkness of night, but the absolute void of non-existence. Aisha didn't even have time to scream.