The End of Everything :: Part 3

The two stumbled out onto a city street, both squinting their eyes from the brightness of the daylight. Mark was desperately trying to catch his breath when a drop of liquid fell upon Jane's cheek. Absentmindedly she wiped it away, leaving a red smear on her face and along her fingers. She stared at the bright color along her hand a moment as she felt more drops of red hit her. She turned her head to look up at the darkening sky to try and figure out where it was coming from. The metallic smell of the droplets made it all to clear what they consisted of. Blood.

"... this is the blood of your enemies, you must bathe in it..." the voice came again in Jane's head. Without a word, she opened her arms and closed her eyes. More and more droplets fell, soon drenching the street in blood.

"J-Jane?" Mark's voice shook as he touched her shoulder with an expression of pure horror that barely conveyed just how freaked out he was. Jane jerked at his touch and rubbed the blood out of her eyes before glancing at Mark with blank and emotionless eyes.

"… What's going on? Are you okay?" Mark continued to ask.

"… Never better," Jane replied, an eerie smile drawing across her face.

Mark stared at her even more unsettled when she pulled from him and wandered down the street. Her path was devoid of people, as if everyone had disappeared. Jane calmly stepped through the pooled puddles of blood as if they were plain water. Mark bit his lip and quickly scrambled after her.

She stopped in front of a fountain and kneeled down to wash the blood out of her hair and off her face. Once she deemed herself clean enough, she stood up and watched the water turn crimson and the same strange smile hushed over her lips.

"Jane… what's wrong with you?" Mark breathed trembling.

"Nothing, I've never felt this good," Jane replied softly with her usual smile. The smile that she'd always reserved for Mark. That unsettled him even further, but she didn't say anything more.

She began walking again, leaving behind bloody footprints. Mark hesitated, but followed her, not sure what else to do.

Wherever Jane stepped, water pooled and rose out of her footprints. Higher and higher the water reached, first to their ankles, then to their knees. It didn't take long for the streets to flood with dark water that rushed past them. Jane continued her uphill journey, the water not hindering her in the slightest. Mark struggled against the current, the water continuing to rise until it was up to his waist.

"W-What's happening?!" Mark screamed in desperation, trying to follow Jane, but the water's pull kept dragging him back. Jane didn't stop, the water that flowed past her slowly turned red, the metallic smell of it making it all more clear what it was. Mark's breathing was fast from fear and he fought harder against the water to keep following Jane.

"That what is supposed to happen," Jane calmly replied looking up into the sky. The clouds had grown darker and denser, slowly weaving together into a threatening thunderstorm.

"What d-do you mean?" Mark pressed out meekly. Jane finally came to a stop and he was able to catch up to her.

"I mean just that, everything is happening as it is supposed to," Jane continued without looking down. The clouds ever so slowly began to swirl in various places as panic gripped Mark's chest tightly.

"You're not making any sense! Jane?!" Mark shouted, grabbing his best friend by the shoulders. With a bright flash and a heavy crack of thunder, Mark flew into a wall and nearly dropped fully into the red water. Jane smiled with empty eyes and gazed across the deserted street. Her eyes narrowed when she saw more red robed figures stumble out of the houses behind Mark.

Mark perked up and looked over his shoulder with a start. He rushed to Jane and grabbed her by the arm to try and get her to move.

She didn't.

"We have to go!" Mark urged, but Jane simply pulled her arm free with surprising strength, raising her hands slowly into the air as if lifting a great weight. The water followed her motions, rising up around her and with a thrust of her arms the water rushed at the red robed people. They were swept away, their screams swallowed by the thunderous roar of the wall of water as Jane gave her smile.

Mark was clinging onto a windowsill staring horrified at the scene. The water dispersed back into the street just as it had appeared, but the buildings were stained a crimson red.

Jane closed her eyes as if listening to something before they snapped open again. Wind whirled around her and slowly spiraled outward. White markings and runes appeared on the street and along the now red buildings.

Mark shook from terror, his wide eyes unable to look away from Jane. She resumed her walk upwards, trailing her fingers along the walls of the buildings she passed. Wherever her fingers touched, the drywall and bricks crumbled into dust.

Jane looked up into the sky as she climbed upwards smiling to herself. Mark followed her lead and looked up into the sky himself; he wished he hadn't.

Above them was a large cyclone of black clouds the size of a city, laced thickly with lightening, but the thunder could barely be heard.

"Jane! I-If you're doing this, you have to stop!" Mark blurted out.

"I don't want to."

"But you have to! D-Don't you see what you're doing?!" Mark tried to reason with her again.

"Of course I do, I'm following my fate."

Mark's eyebrows furrowed and he bit his lip. He rushed up the last few paces between them and grabbed Jane by the arm. Her head snapped to the side to look at him, her eyes glowing bright white. Mark let go and stumbled back with a shocked scream.

"Jane…?"

She just smiled at him eerily and turned her head to look upon the markings along the buildings. They were glowing brighter and brighter, slowly connecting. Finally the light swelled and rose, forming into colossal beings, their bodies covered in the strange markings and runes that had been upon the architecture before.

Mark pulled his eyes from Jane and looked in the same direction as her, his mouth dropping open at the strange sight. The ground shook beneath them, causing Mark to stumble, but Jane was unmoved.

She continued walking up the hill, soon reaching the top with Mark close behind. He looked over his shoulder, seeing the buildings of the city crumbling and crashing down.

Mark was winded and stared in horror as the enormous beings rose into the sky, merging with the tumultuous clouds. Jane's eyes closed once again and she lifted her arms slowly into the air with her face skyward turned. The clouds turned a deep black with the lightning tinted red. The clouds furled faster and slowly funnels reached towards the ground. Lightning struck upon the earth over and over, the thunder deafening as the last of the buildings were brought down.

"What… what is going on?" Mark whispered with a shaky breath, almost too softly for anyone but himself to hear.

"Shh… it's okay. These are the ancient beings of the earth. It's time for the world's rebirth," Jane soothed with a blank face, her eyes still glowing bright white.

Mark swallowed hard as the creatures descended from the clouds soundlessly, their wispy bodies filled with lightning. They covered what remained of the city, obliterating it to dust. Slowly the numerous gigantic beings soared in every direction of the compass, destroying everything in their wake.

"J-Jane… I'm scared…" Mark muttered, his breath sticking in the back of his throat. His knees trembled to the point he was hardly able to stand.

"Don't worry, it's just the end of everything."

One of the enormous beings rose towards them, the sky growing darker and spreading further. Mark stumbled back and fell to the ground with his back pressed against Jane's legs. His heart was beating a mile a minute as everything grew dark around them, with nothing but the lightning to illuminate the dying world. He couldn't look away, his eyes wide as the beast reached them.

Jane watched, and all she did was smile.