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March 21, 1844. September 6, 1994. December 31, 2012.
There were two things all these dates had in common.
The first was prophecy.
And the second? They were all wrong.
For one reason or another, these were all dates people believed the world would end. And without fail, every single one was incorrect.
The day the world actually ended was a normal day like any other.
Thursday, October 31st, 2024.
The streets were crowded, the air thick with the rush of people hurrying through their day-to-day lives.
"Tnnn!—Tnnn!—Zzzzkrrsh!"
The hustle and bustle of the morning stopped as the loud sound froze passersby in their tracks. Every single technological device, at the same time, all over the world, had been hacked.
All over the world, a single face appeared on every screen.
An older man with tangled, unkempt white hair. He wore a white coat, stained on the side with a splash of mysterious black liquid. His wide, intense hazel-brown eyes held madness deep within their depths.
"Good—this shit is finally working. You'd think after all these years of handling otherworldly technology, Earth's systems would be child's play," the man grumbled to himself before clapping his hands together, his face forming into a smile.
"Good morning, everyone." He paused. "Wait, is it afternoon? Or evening? Oh, who really gives a fuck." He shrugged.
"So, I'm sure the question on everyone's mind right now is: why did this handsome genius interrupt your pitiful little lives?"
He grinned—a wide, unsettling grin, his eyes glinting in the camera's light.
"Well, folks, the answer is simple."
His smile stretched further.
"I'm gonna kill all of you."
He leaned in slightly, his expression amused.
"Now, I'm sure the next question you have is why." He let the silence hang for a moment before continuing. "Well, to put it simply, humans are pieces of shit. We have enslaved, killed, and waged war on each other. But most egregious of all, we have destroyed Mother Nature—the very thing that allows us to exist."
"We are a blight upon this beautiful, God-given world, and I shall cleanse that blight."
His tone shifted, almost playful. "However, I am a merciful man. So, I shall give you three hours to enjoy what remains of your mediocre life before flipping the off switch." He waved nonchalantly.
"Later."
And just like that, all technology returned to its previous, unhacked state.
People were unsettled, to say the least. Some locked themselves away in their homes. Others took to social media, preaching about the coming doomsday—how this was God's wrath for how far humanity had fallen, urging people to repent before it was too late. Meanwhile, some simply went on with their day, assuming it was either a prank or that the government would handle it.
After all, how could one man destroy the entire world?
That was impossible.
At least, that's what they thought.
Thirty minutes later.
For the second time that day, all technology around the world was hacked—this time, by the United States government.
A spokesperson appeared on every screen, dressed in a black three-piece suit with dark tinted glasses.
"Good morning, everyone. The man you just met—his name is Dr. Sebastian Kane."
"He has been on the FBI's Most Wanted list for over thirty years. He was fired from NASA for holding dangerous ideals. Some of his crimes include mass terrorism, genocide, organ harvesting, war crimes, and suspected involvement in the assassinations of several political figures."
"We are notifying you of all of this because we have reasonable suspicion to believe that Sebastian Kane has the capacity to deliver what he promised—or at least perform great harm in attempting to do so. If you know where this man is, please, for the sake of humanity, notify us immediately. We have set up a special hotline for you to contact us."
The screen lingered on the number displayed below.
Then, the signal was abruptly cut, and all technology returned to its previous state once again.
The silence was palpable, as if the entire world was collectively processing what had just happened.
And then, chaos emerged.
In the remaining three hours, the world went to shit.
People indulged in their darkest desires—murder, rape, kidnapping. If this truly was humanity's final moments… what was stopping them from doing whatever they wanted?
Governments around the world tried to contain the chaos, but it was futile.
After all, what were they supposed to do? Imprison the entire world's population?
Then, as soon as the three hours were up…
The whole world was enveloped in a bright white light.