A Long Week Ahead

"Hey, erm…!" Gilbert stammered out.

Just as he glanced back to see what the ranger had to say, the air crackled. He looked up alongside Gilbert, witnessing the sky bend as a black object bled through space.

"What is that…?" Gilbert gulped. 

—A book. The colossal, hard-cover book hovered at the world's summit, humming with an ominous tone. As its pages flipped open, it sounded like a plane flying overhead. It did not open to legible text, only presenting scribbled pages before a voice emitted from it–

[There are currently [67] humans that remain.] 

"Sixty-seven…? No…What you said–you weren't lying…" Gilbert dropped down to his knees, shaking his head. 

Though he was well aware of the dire state humanity was left in, it dug a needle deeper into his heart as Finn squeezed his fist. All he could see were the smiles of his friends, their laughs in those small, yet precious moments–the tiny reprieves amidst despair.