4:00PM

Left Behind

Deep in my slumber, a loud scream suddenly woke me up. *Who's that at this hour?* I thought. I picked up my phone— it was 4 PM. "I hope it's just a game like usual," I muttered. "Because if someone screamed for no reason and ruined my sleep, I'm going to beat them."

I got out of bed slowly, my eyes heavy and my legs weak. I staggered toward the door, grabbing a cup of water on my way out.

Outside, the sun wasn’t too bright. My eyes immediately caught my female neighbor, Joy, down on both knees, crying and begging for forgiveness while staring up at the sky. At first, I thought she was drunk again. I laughed softly— until my ears were suddenly assaulted by an unexpected, deafening explosion.

In my entire life, I had never heard such a violent sound. It was far louder, deeper, and scarier than thunder. The earth shook violently for several seconds afterward.

I watched in disbelief as the light from the sun began to dim slowly. *What is going on?* I thought. I pulled out my phone again. It was just a little after 4 PM. Why was the sun’s light suddenly fading?

Fear slowly took hold of me. Goosebumps covered my body. As I raised my head to look up, something soft dropped onto my face. It carried a faint scent of perfume. I pulled it off— it was a white shirt. Confused, I looked up and saw thousands of clothes raining down from the sky.

That was when it hit me. I instantly understood why Joy was on her knees pleading for mercy. But it was already too late.

There would be no more mercy for those of us left behind. Survival was now the only law. It was kill or be killed. The rules established by mortals no longer applied.

What followed wasn’t just destruction and chaos, but the emergence of bloodthirsty beings that had been lurking in darkness since their fall from heaven. The Almighty and the hosts of heaven had taken their elect. Now, the fallen and their armies could do whatever they wished with this planet.

"Joy!" I called out. "This isn’t the time to cry. Your prayers can no longer be heard or answered. Get up! We need to leave the city right away."

"I’m not going anywhere, Chris," she replied. "This exact spot is where my husband disappeared while we were talking and laughing. If I remain here and keep praying, maybe I’ll be saved too."

"You’re going to die if you don’t come with me, Joy." I extended my hand again, but she slapped it away. With time running out, I had no choice but to leave her to her belief. I ran back inside, gathered clothes, the remaining foodstuffs, and filled four 25-litre gallons with water. I strapped my torch to my waist, grabbed my solar charger, phone, machete, and MP5 rifle, which I slung across my chest.

I loaded everything carefully into the back of my Hilux. Sliding into the driver’s seat, I twisted the key and the engine roared to life. I shifted into drive— then froze.

A strange sound pierced the air. It was like a woman crying bitterly, but something about it felt deeply wrong. I left the engine running and stepped out, gripping my gun.

I cocked the weapon and held it firmly in my right hand, moving slowly toward the sound. As I drew closer, every instinct in my body screamed at me: *Run! Run away!* Goosebumps erupted across my skin, but I ignored the warnings and kept moving.

Suddenly, the air grew thick. I struggled to breathe, clutching my chest with one hand and my knee with the other.

*What is going on?*

Just then, I saw it.

A massive hand— thirty times larger than mine— with claws as long as kitchen knives. Its skin looked worse than burnt flesh. I couldn’t move. My legs felt glued to the ground. I was shaking uncontrollably.

*Run! Run! Run!* my mind screamed.

I tried, but my body refused to obey. As I fought against myself, the creature’s full body emerged from behind the wall.

*Blood of Jesus Christ,* I whispered repeatedly in my mind.

It held Joy in its left hand. She screamed for my help, but before I could even blink, the creature tore her in two. Blood sprayed out like water from a burst pipe as her organs and intestines spilled onto the ground. I watched in horror as it began to eat her— all while mimicking her cries and voice.

Rage surged through my body. I clenched my fists tightly.

It smiled at me the moment its eyes locked onto mine.

"Chris," it chuckled softly. "Who would have thought you got left behind?"