The sunrise on January 14, 2014, was unlike any other. As the world awoke from their slumber, they found themselves in a state of shock and disbelief. Half of humanity had disappeared overnight without a trace. Governments scrambled to find an explanation, pointing fingers at each other and concocting stories of chemical weapons, abductions, experiments, and even apocalypses. But as the day went on, it became clear that no one had any evidence to back up these claims.
In a strange twist, all tapes on Earth paused for exactly 24 hours, leaving behind a complete void of information. When they began to record again, nothing out of the ordinary was found – except for the absence of millions of people who should have been at work, school, or the mall. None of those who were left remembered anything about the event and after an extensive investigation, not a single explanation could be found for how this mass disappearance had occurred.
As time passed, it seemed like humanity was drifting further and further away from understanding what had happened on that fateful day. Until one day, a sealed bottle was discovered floating in the Atlantic Ocean. Inside was a letter that would change everything.
It was found by a military boat of the United States and quickly brought to the attention of the United Nations. After much discussion and secrecy, it was determined that the letter should not be shared outside of their offices. Many believed it to be a hoax or a cruel joke played by someone trying to deceive the public. Yet, after years of experimentation and analysis, it was confirmed that the letter was true and written during the time of the event.
And so, with overwhelming evidence supporting its authenticity, it was finally made public – revealing the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of millions. The letter served as proof and left the world with many questions about the fate of those who were taken.
The Organization of the United Nations was at a loss for any concrete information on how the mysterious event had taken place. The only thing they had to offer was a cryptic letter, which they announced and shared with the rest of the world in a televised conference.
The letter read as follows:
13-13-13
Extremely Urgent: Read Immediately
My name is Damon F. Regal, and my social security is 987-90-3456. Today is January 13, 2014. Something very strange is happening on Earth. I don't know what is going on, but I figure I should write down my entire day's experience just in case I don't make it.
CHAPTER ONE
8:11 am to 12:11 pm
It was a typical day - my neighbor went off to work, his wife drove their children to school, and I shared a joint with their teenage daughter. But then my mother asked me to accompany her to visit my uncle's apartment. We arrived at 9:30 am on the thirteenth floor and settled into his living room. While my mom and uncle chatted, I watched the news on TV. The segment was discussing reports of strange behavior from people all around the world. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the whole story because my mom had to leave. We said our goodbyes and headed for the elevator. As we descended, it suddenly stopped at the eleventh floor and an elderly couple got in. The old man fumbled for a key in his pocket and used it to open a small door on one of the walls inside the elevator. Behind it was a fence, but he couldn't seem to find another key needed to open it. He turned to his wife who rummaged through her bag until she found the key and unlocked the fence.
The elderly woman's face was kind and wrinkled, her voice raspy with age. She beckoned to go inside, promising a treasure trove of toys for children. I hesitated, but my mother eagerly accepted on my behalf. As we entered the apartment building, I couldn't help but notice a door inside the elevator. It seemed out of place, but before I could even question it, my uncle stepped inside and started talking to my mom in hushed tones. They seemed worried about something, but I was too distracted by the mysterious door to listen. Suddenly, I remembered the strange behavior I had seen on the news earlier and tried to tell my mom about it, but she brushed me off, focused on her conversation with my uncle about some potential attack.
As we descended to the first floor, I noticed a sense of panic in the air. People were frantically grabbing supplies from a grocery store inside the building, preparing for an emergency. My mind raced with possibilities - could it be related to what I saw on the news? Was it getting worse? Lost in thought, I absentmindedly made my way to the smoking balcony beside the store to light a cigarette. But as I took a drag and looked up at the sky, I was surprised to see that it was already dark outside. Glancing at my watch, I realized it was already 6:00 p.m., despite feeling like only minutes had passed since I was in the elevator at 1:00 p.m. Confused and disoriented, I tried to retrace my steps, but nothing made sense. As I stood there pondering, all of the lights suddenly flickered off in every direction, leaving me in complete darkness on the balcony.
Amidst the chaos, there was a strange stillness. The cars had all come to a halt, their engines silent, and the only sounds were the distant cries of people and the eerie silence of the abandoned vehicles. Suddenly, a deafening roar filled the air as a burning plane hurtled towards the earth, crashing just a few miles away from where I stood. Panic overtook the crowd as everyone began to scream and run in different directions. In the midst of it all, I made my way to the store, searching for safety and some familiar face in this chaotic scene.
As I entered the store, I spotted my uncle among the frantic shoppers. Just as I reached him, the ground began to tremble violently. Screams grew louder and more intense as people realized what was happening - an earthquake was shaking everything in its wake. When it finally subsided, my uncle's voice broke through the commotion, telling me to grab whatever I could carry and get ready to leave.
In that moment of panic and confusion, I couldn't help but let greed take over as I frantically grabbed items off the shelves and stuffed them into a backpack I found nearby. As I went to grab a pack of cigarettes, I saw my uncle outside and ran to him.
As we waited for my mom to join us, relief washed over me when the lights suddenly flickered on. But even then, our journey was far from over. My uncle informed me that my mom had gone to help an elderly couple and he needed to go bring her back quickly. He told me to wait for him by the elevators because we needed to leave immediately.
Confused about why we needed to use the elevator when we were already on the ground floor, my eyes fell upon the number 11 displayed between two elevator doors. Fear suddenly gripped me as I realized we were not on the first floor but much higher up. Before I could voice my concerns, the elevator door opened and a beautiful girl stood inside. In that moment, all thoughts of confusion and fear were replaced by her mesmerizing presence.
I asked her if she could wait for a few minutes for my family to join us and she smiled warmly, replying, "Of course". It was the first moment of calm I had experienced all day, thanks to this kind stranger.
She explained that her family lived far away, and she didn't know what to do. I wanted to ask her why she was taking the elevator instead of the stairs, but something told me not to. In that moment, I fell in love with her. But before fully succumbing to my emotions, I had to make sure she was aware of the chaos happening around us. She confirmed my suspicions - people all over the world were acting strangely due to some kind of infection that was spreading rapidly.
Panic set in as I realized I must also be infected. With all the bizarre events I had witnessed, it seemed like the only logical explanation. Just as I was about to ask for her name, my mother's voice cut through the chaos, urging me to leave immediately. But before I could even catch a glimpse of her, the mysterious girl pulled me into the elevator.
Frustration bubbled inside me as I lit a cigarette in the confined space, not caring about the potential danger of smoking while potentially infected. The girl scolded me, warning that cigarettes would lead to my demise. But I ignored her, fixated on telling her how beautiful she was and how much she meant to me.
Before I could confess my feelings, the lights suddenly went off and we were left in darkness. The elevator came to a halt and the girl instinctively hugged me for comfort. As we stood there in silence, a loud clang echoed through the shaft followed by violent shaking of the ground beneath us. Fear consumed us both as we realized this was only the beginning of a catastrophic event that would change our lives forever.
The elevator was swinging side by side, the metallic cables screeching and groaning under the strain. She began to scream and cry as she clung to the walls, her heart pounding in her chest. We heard the loud sound for a second time, like a gunshot echoing through the confined space, and the elevator began to drop. As it descended rapidly, I felt weightless, like I was flying, before everything went black.
From this point on, my memories were fragmented, coming in and out of consciousness like a dream. I couldn't see well or move; all I could do was listen. Voices echoed around me, urgent and panicked, but I couldn't make sense of them. I felt like I was being carried and that they were in a hurry. The same voice kept repeating over and over again, gradually becoming familiar.
Suddenly, I woke up in a strange room. I didn't know how I had gotten there, but I was alone. The room was unfamiliar, and I immediately suspected that I had been tricked. A few scattered memories from earlier in the day came back to me - being inside the elevator, the girl with me. That explained why my body hurt so much and why I could barely move. I remembered feeling like I was being carried by someone.
Despite the pain, I managed to stand and open the door to see if there were others. But when the door opened, what I saw made me gasp in horror.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
11:11
There, hanging from the ceiling by her neck, was the girl from the elevator. Shocked and disbelieving, I reached up and touched her cold skin. As soon as my fingers made contact, a sharp headache pierced through my skull and a disturbing flashback flooded my vision.
I saw a group of people running frantically through corridors and rooms. A guy was carrying me on his back as they raced through the maze-like building. Then, I was taken to this room with the girl from the elevator. Supplies were quickly dwindling, and it seemed like they were trapped, with no way out.
The group had left in search of food, but the girl from the elevator stayed behind with me. I was barely conscious and she was on the verge of panic. She moved me and pleaded for me to wake up, her voice shrill and desperate. More than eleven hours had passed and no one had returned. Fear consumed her as she begged for me to open my eyes, saying she couldn't bear being alone any longer. As she clutched my hand, tears streaming down her cheeks, I could feel how much she needed me to survive. And then, suddenly, she stopped crying and whispered in my ear "Please don't die..." With shaking hands, she opened the door and stepped outside before closing it gently behind her. Tears pricked at my eyes as I watched her go, unable to comprehend the selfless act of standing by my side even in the face of certain death.
I glanced at my watch, the time reading 11:11. It didn't make sense, she had said more than eleven hours had passed and yet it was still the same day. My heart ached as I read the note she left behind:
Note:
I'm sorry, I can't take this anymore. I need to see my loved ones, even if they're all gone now. My name is Linda, and I love you, sweet boy. You have no idea how much I miss you right now. I need you so much, but it seems like you didn't make it. But that's okay, because I'm coming to be with you. If you wake up, please know that it's not your fault.
SORRY,
I COULDN'T WAIT- DON'T GO OUTSIDE!
-LINDA
CHAPTER UNKNOWN
11:11 TO 11:11
My mind was reeling with confusion and grief. What was happening? My stomach growled loudly, reminding me of my hunger. I searched the house for any sign of food, but all I found was the number eleven written repeatedly on the walls and furniture. With no other choice, I ventured outside in search of sustenance. As I walked, I saw a small figure in the distance and waved desperately, hoping he would see me.
As I cautiously approached what's seemed to be a young boy, my heart began to race. With each step, he seemed to become more and more strange. His face was covered in blood, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease wash over me. "Are you okay?" I asked tentatively, but instead of answering, the boy quickly began running towards me. My instincts kicked in and I found myself fleeing in the opposite direction, my feet moving at an astonishing speed. As I reached the edge of the house where Linda was waiting, I made a daring jump onto the roof, covering a distance of 30 feet that I would have never thought possible. I could see others scattered around the area, all looking disheveled and disoriented, likely affected by whatever had caused this chaos. It must have been something in the air, perhaps a change in the ozone that had awoken these dead human creatures in a crazed state.
I waited until they were far enough away before returning to the safety of the house. But as I entered, my heart sank at the sight of Linda's lifeless body on the floor. She had clearly been affected by whatever was going on outside. In a panic, I gathered anything I could find to barricade myself inside one of the rooms. I could hear eerie noises coming from Linda's body, and it only added to my fear and sadness for what she had become.
Desperate to express my feelings to her, even though she was gone, I wrote her a note with shaking hands.
NOTE:
I am so sorry for what has happened to you. I heard you calling out to me, but I couldn't wake up in time. Please know that meeting you was one of the few good things that came out of this nightmare. You were kind and brave and beautiful, and I will always miss you. When it's my time to go, I hope that the first thing I see is your smiling face. Rest in peace, my dear.
With a heavy heart, I finished writing and placed the note next to Linda's body. As an afterthought, I added this letter that you are reading as well, hoping that someday someone would find it and know what had happened here. It would mean that others had made it through this nightmare and found some semblance of safety and hope.
My dear friends, the ones who have been my constant companions in this desolate world. I am not sure who you are, but I hold onto the sliver of hope that someday we may meet. However, I know deep down that this is a fantasy that will never come true. My stomach churns with a strange hunger, one that cannot be satisfied by the meager rations I manage to scavenge. The number eleven keeps flashing through my mind, an inexplicable urge to write it down. Despite our dire circumstances, I must thank you for everything and send my best wishes to your families.
As I sit here contemplating survival in this treacherous new era, I can't help but think of tasting the flesh of Linda. Is this what humanity has been reduced to? The thought both repulses and entices me in my weakened state.
But now, as I say my final goodbye to you all, I feel compelled to share this event. This is my farewell, my final farewell to you all. Let this letter serve as a testament to our struggles and ultimate fate in this unpredictable world. May we find peace in whatever lies beyond.
With love and longing,
Your once loyal friend,
The one who wrote this letter.
11:11 - a time that will forever be etched in our memories.
End of the letter.
No one knows how this letter found its way to the seemingly endless expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. Many theories were proposed, but only one was confirmed - the ocean's level had risen by at least eleven feet. Experts were confident that the significant rise meant that the individuals who had disappeared had been brought into the ocean.
Despite sending submarines to scan every possible inch of the oceans, no trace of human life was found. Eleven long years passed before millions of floating bodies were discovered, a haunting reminder of that fateful day on Earth.
THE END