The End - Chapter 1

The moonlit cloudless sky was perfect. I could hear the enthusiasm in the whisper of my friends. They had all gathered onto my apartment balcony. Looking out into the streets far below, the entire city had stopped, excitedly waiting for what was about to happen. In the distance, a glamorous pop star strutted onto a stage of fog, joined by a young man who wore a sharp suit. They welcomed the crowd of screaming fans and announced that there was little over a minute of the year left. With an enormous smile, the woman reminded us of the year, the good and the bad. By the end of her speech, she was rushing to finish, time was running out! Not long after, the countdown began. The audience and hosts emphasized each number more than the last. Finally, the year had been reduced down to one second and all was silent.

Bang! The night sky came to life. Flickering displays of light and explosions of sound celebrated the New Year. Everything burst into action. The live music band played their hit single to wild teens, who were all letting loose. Back at my place, fancy cocktails and shots of vodka were being passed around. One more year had passed; surely this was something to rejoice about! By the end of the song, most of us had drunk three or four rounds of vodka. The partying continued for ages and I was heavily drunk by the time the band had stopped playing. It was around three or four in the morning.

A light knock came from the door. The talking stopped in my apartment, as I opened the door to a strange looking elderly lady. She asked for us to be quieter. Boy, did she have the guts. An insuppressible snigger ran through the room. All I could manage to slur was “Go away, Loner.” Her eyes turned to daggers and she whispered in fury “Be careful young man. Be very careful.” She stormed off, opened her apartment door and slammed it. It was weirder than scary. However, not long after, all was forgotten and the partying resumed. By the time I was exhausted, most of my friends had already passed out. A blinding sliver of sunlight was already visible from behind the horizon. After that things became rather hazy. There was a weird murmuring from across the corridor; maybe it was the strange woman. That was the last thing I could remember.