Insanity 4 by D.I. Jolly
The sky had turned grey with smoke as the mountains burned a brilliant red, when Jeromy turned to his partner,
“Never let it be said that the apocalypse wasn’t beautiful.”
They both died two days later in a car accident caused by a rock slide. As did 47 other people.
That same day Jenkins and company had made their way onto a beach just before sunset and saw the ocean turn gold and then black. Then as they made camp the moon rose and a silver pathway formed across the still sea.
“My grandfather used to call that the pathway to Heaven.” Said Williams thoughtfully, and when Jenkins awoke the next morning he was alone, save for a small note which read.
I’d rather walk to Heaven than run into Hell.
Jenkins’ hand shook as he made himself coffee over the fire and when the sun rose the sea had turned blood red.
Meanwhile, Frank donned his blue street cop uniform and said,
“stay here,”
to his wife. Then took up his flaming sword and walked out into the night to defend his home, though nothing dared approach him. So, he started walking toward the loudest screams to uphold his promise to defend the citizens of his city, regardless of whom he had to fight. His uniform wasn’t blue by the time he got home.
And while Josh screamed, it wasn’t loud enough for Frank to hear. The door to their apartment then bust inward and Johnny, thinking quickly for maybe the first time in his life, slammed a green kitchen chair into the face of whatever it was that had invaded their home. The sound drew the attention of the neighbour who invited them in to hide there. Together they all barricaded the door and all but crept in under covers for protection. None of them realised the building had been set on fire until it was too late. Years later when the ashes blew away, the two friends still lay in each other’s arms.
Unsurprisingly, of the two people who survived of the asylum, one of them was Winter. Killing more patients then demons on his way out the door. He did, however, smile when he saw the man who’d always said the end was coming. He found him standing naked on the front lawn, dancing to the music in his head singing.
“I told you so, I told you so…”
It was the first time Winter had smiled in a long, long time.
The dark stained wood panels served to amplify Dr Edwards voice, as he tried to talk a crowd of scared bar patrons out of trying to join the other side. When Dr Franklin found him, he was long dead with a bottle in his hand. He then took the bottle and sat down for one last drink with his old friend and colleague. He watched the sky turn almost totally black, except for pockets of peach and coral where fires reflected off the thick clouds. When Jacob found him, the once-great mind had left the body behind and there was nothing left to save.
The fires burned white hot for forty days and forty nights, but eventually, the heat died down, the flames turned to red embers and grey coals, and everyone that hadn’t died or goes insane slowly started to creep out of their hiding places and come together and rebuild. To start again, renewed with fear and with purpose. Desperately hopeful that they’d live long enough to see the sky turn blue again.