Outside, the noise was becoming harder to ignore. Screaming can sometimes be heard either purposely or because someone is truly terrified.

“It shouldn't be this dark outside.”

“What? I'm more worried about those disturbing screams we had just heard, but anyway… You know I never take my smartphone out of the house, right? So can we use yours for its flashlight instead?”

Deo's voice is heard even if his body is obscured by the darkness, where Daniel also nodded in response, though he knew it was pointless.

Unfortunately, Daniel's cracked smartphone screen failed to function when it was most needed, since his fingers swiped here and there, yet his response was the opposite of his own intention. While at the same time, some people around the boy preferred more to take the initiative, to try as calmly as they could to find their way out of the room, though the remainder were obviously loud… Running and bumping into several chairs till they toppled over, causing the others to fear even more.

“Uh… Daniel?! Where’s your fucking flashlight, dude?!”

Deo sounded even increasingly agitated as he waited for his friend to do something, anything that would allow him to see properly once more… Until he noticed a faint light from the exit, a phone flashlight belonging to someone else who had escaped the building before them, then he decided to run in that direction.

Though the flashlight on Daniel's battered smartphone eventually turned on just five seconds after Deo ran away, when the boy also noticed that his surroundings were already empty and he was left alone. But he chose not to voice his fear and instead carefully strolled out… Tracing the source of the sound of thousands of people crowding the roadway, as there was only a little light from several spots; which let Daniel know just how many people had already piled up in the place, then he glanced up where he witnessed the world's daytime at the moment was completely obscured by darkness… As the sky is devoid of any light, clouds, or stars, truly like looking into nothingness.

And the barking dog sounded just as terrified as the crowds, who had no idea what was happening or what would happen to them, but not until they heard the rumble.

The rip in the sky that sounded just like a mountain collapsing to the seafloor, frightening people with the roaring noise it produced while the crack above their heads actually grew bigger and continuously spread out with its blurry blood-red light radiating from within.

As the world's ceiling had fallen apart… Revealing the fiery horror, hell’s dawn of the world beyond.

But whatever the reason was, suddenly all at the same time, all of the voices… The sky’s roar, the bark and sobs, everything went quiet. The tears from the one big cut in the sky also stopped growing, and people's screams died away as the rumble in the void vanished…

All of that just for the moment when so many lightning bolts suddenly flashed yet the sound was delayed… Followed by sequential vibrations and brattles, as well as the heat which can be felt on the skin.

That it is just apparent, how those deadly blasts from the lightning bolts struck so many people, along the terrifying screech deafened all ears and everyone scattered… Blindly racing for cover, using a little help of the blood red light from the sky above.

So as the time passed, a growing number of people succumbed as a result of the lightning strikes, while the rest were pushed down and trampled by people who were still able to run… Fortunately, with quite a bit of effort, Daniel managed to touch the wall of a building.

He leaned his back against it, attempting to shield himself from the people pressing into his chest, those who were still looking for a safer spot than what the boy had at his own feet.

~~~~~

“Deo…? Deo…!”

It was the right choice, of how he tried to shout for the only person he knew in that place. However, no outcome would be feasible and Daniel eventually began to run out of his own breath… As his legs were also slowly losing strength, while he covered his ears from the sound of terrified cries and unceasing lightning strikes that threatened to drive him insane, that it felt as if the hammering and tearing sounds were growing closer to him by each second, while his heart was beating harder and faster following the pace.

All, till the moment comes…

~~~~~