Thirty Days to Doomsday

The pouring rain felt like ice needles on Eliana’s skin, but it was nothing compared to the freezing deadness inside her chest.She slammed her blood-stained palms against the tall, heavy iron bars of the gate.

"Please! Open the gate! Please, Christian, open the door!"Her voice was raw, shredded from screaming. She could barely stand. Her knees buckled into the freezing mud, soaking her oversized, torn sweater. Behind her, the city was burning in the dark.

The entire sky had turned a deep, unnatural blood-red, heavy with storm clouds that smelled like copper and burning flesh. Thirty minutes ago, every electrical light in the world had flickered out at once.

Then the screams had begun.Unnatural, grotesque creatures had burst through the asphalt, tearing through crowds, dragging motorists out of their cars, ripping limbs off bodies in seconds. Eliana had run four miles through the madness, her heavy body aching, her lungs burning, single-mindedly fighting her way back to the only safety she knew—her family’s home.

Footsteps echoed on the gravel inside the courtyard.A tall figure stepped into the glow of the emergency solar lanterns mounted on the porch. Christian Whitmore adjusted his sleek black jacket, not a single hair out of place. Beside him stood Genevieve Parker, Eliana’s stepsister, wrapped tightly in Christian’s silk scarf. Behind them, standing on the dry porch, was Rosalie, her stepmother, holding a warm cup of tea."Christian!" Eliana sobbed, reaching her dirty hands through the iron bars. "Oh God, Christian, open it! There are monsters down the road! They tore a man apart right in front of me! Let me in!"Christian stopped three feet short of the gate.

He did not unlock it. He did not reach for the key sitting in his pocket. He just looked down at her, his dark eyes filled with a cold, disgusted detachment that made Eliana’s blood freeze faster than the rain."Why should we open it, Eliana?" Christian asked quietly. His voice carried effortlessly over the thunder.Eliana blinked, wiping muddy water from her eyes. "What? What are you saying? It’s me! It’s Eliana!"Genevieve let out a soft, melodic laugh, resting her chin on Christian’s shoulder. She slid her arm around his waist, her fingers intertwining with his right in front of Eliana’s face.

"We know who you are, Eliana. That’s precisely why the door is staying locked."Eliana’s brain struggled to process the image. Christian didn't pull away. He squeezed Genevieve’s waist, pulling her closer against his side."Christian...?" Eliana’s voice trembled, small and broken.

"What... what are you doing?""Are you really this stupid?" Christian sneered, his lip curling up in contempt. "Did you actually believe I loved you? Look at yourself, Eliana. Look at your body. You're overweight, clumsy, and embarrassing. I couldn't even take you out to dinner with my friends without feeling ashamed. I only stayed with you because your mother left you that trust fund, but guess what? Rosalie helped us transfer the remaining liquid assets into Genevieve's account two days ago.

"A sharp gasp escaped Eliana's lips. She looked toward the porch at her stepmother.Rosalie took a slow sip of her tea, her expression completely smooth. "Don't look at me like that, child. You were always a burden. Your father gave you everything, and you turned out useless.

Genevieve is beautiful, refined, and deserving of a proper future. You were just holding us all back.""You... you stole my mother's money?" Eliana choked, her hands shaking uncontrollably against the cold iron.

"Christian, please... we’ve been together for three years! Even if you don't love me, don't leave me out here! Please, they’re coming! I heard them in the trees!""The apocalypse has started, Eliana," Genevieve chimed in, her voice dripping with fake pity. "Resources are going to be tight. Food, water, medicine... we have to hoard everything we can if we want to survive."Rosalie stepped down from the porch, walking slowly toward the gate until she was standing right behind Christian.

She looked down at Eliana lying in the mud, her eyes devoid of a single drop of human warmth."We are not wasting food on you," Rosalie said clearly.The words slammed into Eliana harder than any physical blow.We are not wasting food on you."No... no, please! Mother! Christian!" Eliana screamed, throwing her weight against the gate. The iron rattled loudly, but the heavy electronic deadbolt stayed firmly in place.

"Don't do this! Please!""Goodbye, Eliana," Christian said softly. He turned his back on her, wrapping his arm around Genevieve's shoulders as they began walking back toward the dry, brightly lit porch.

"Christian! Genevieve!" Eliana shrieked, her knuckles white as she pulled on the bars.Suddenly, the rustling in the dense treeline across the narrow street stopped.A low, wet snarl echoed through the pouring rain.Eliana’s breath hitched.

She slowly turned her head. Ten yards away, standing under the broken street lamp, was a creature that defied horror. It stood eight feet tall, its skin peeled back to expose grey, pulsing muscle fibers. It had no eyes, only a gaping maw filled with triple rows of jagged, yellowed teeth. Black sludge dripped from its jaws onto the wet pavement.

It turned its headless torso toward her, sniffing the air. It smelled the blood on her knees."Help!" Eliana screamed, turning back to the gate, banging her head against the bars in sheer panic.

"It’s right here! It’s right behind me! Open the door! OPEN THE DOOR!"Through the clear glass windows of the front door, she saw Rosalie draw the thick velvet curtains shut.

The light inside the house vanished. They had turned off the lamps.

They were sitting inside, in silence, waiting for her to die.A heavy, ice-cold claw slammed onto Eliana’s shoulder.

Pain exploded through her body as razor-sharp talons dug through her flesh, pinning her down into the freezing mud. Eliana screamed, a sound of absolute, unadulterated agony that echoed down the empty, blood-stained street.

The beast flipped her over, its massive weight crushing her ribs. She looked up into the abyss of its open jaw.I hate you, she thought, her sight blurring as tears mixed with rain and blood. I hate all of you. If there is a God... if there is an afterlife... I will drag you all to hell with me.The creature slammed its jaws down onto her neck.CRACK.

Pain ripped through her spine, and then—blackness."Hah!"Eliana sat bolt upright, gasping for air as if she had been underwater for an eternity. Her hands shot to her neck, her fingers digging desperately into her skin, searching for the torn flesh, the spurting blood, the shattered bone.Nothing.

Her neck was smooth. Her skin was dry.She panted heavily, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. Her eyes darted wildly around the room.This wasn't the dark, blood-soaked street outside her stepmother's house.She was sitting on a soft mattress. Sunlight filtered through white sheer curtains, casting a warm, golden glow over a familiar bedroom. 

The wooden desk in the corner was cluttered with textbooks. The floor was covered with oversized sweaters and loose jeans.Eliana scrambled off the bed, her legs tangling in the duvet, and crashed onto the floor.

She scrambled to her feet and lunged toward the full-length mirror hanging on the closet door.The woman staring back at her was pale, her face soft and round, carrying the heavy extra weight she had hated for years. But her eyes—her eyes were wide, bloodshot, and filled with a wild, terrifying fire.She reached out with a trembling hand and grabbed her smartphone off the nightstand. 

The screen lit up.Wednesday, October 15.08:30 AM.Eliana’s breath stopped.October 15th.The blood sky... the monsters... the collapse of the world... that happened on November 14th.She stared at the digital numbers on the screen until they blurred. She was back. She was back thirty days before the apocalypse.Suddenly, footsteps echoed down the hallway outside her room. The door swung open without a knock.Genevieve stood in the doorway, dressed in a silk bathrobe, holding a mug of coffee. She looked at Eliana on the floor and scoffed, her lip curling in that familiar, casual disgust."Are you still sleeping?" Genevieve sneered. "Christian is downstairs. He says you promised to transfer thirty thousand dollars to his account today for his new venture. Stop being lazy, get dressed, and go move the money. We want to go shopping later.

"Eliana didn't move. She stayed on her knees on the floor, holding her phone.She looked up at Genevieve. She looked at the smooth, pretty face of the sister who had held Christian's hand while she bled out in the mud. She looked at the woman who had agreed that her life was worth less than a can of food.Genevieve frowned, uncomfortable under Eliana's silent, unblinking glare.

"What are you staring at, freak? Did you hear me? Go transfer the money."Slowly, Eliana stood up. The terror in her chest vanished, burned away in an instant by a cold, blinding wave of absolute fury. A slow, chilling smile touched the corners of her lips.

Thirty days.She had thirty days to prepare.

Thirty days to build a fortress. Thirty days to stock every grain of food, every drop of water, every weapon she could buy.And when the sky turned red again...Eliana looked Genevieve dead in the eye, her voice icy and completely steady.

"Tell Christian I'll be down.”