Page 1 of Pain and Possession

Chapter one

The End of the World

Itakeadeepbreath staring out my living room window, imagining I'm looking across a beautiful grove filled with vines and wildflowers as the sun sets on my very last day to live. Not the dingy back wall of the neighboring apartment complex.It's faded grime covered bricks and the occasional bullet hole reflecting all the beauty that is New York. The sounds of looters and party goers echo off the walls, barely dampened by the thin, poorly constructed place I've called home for the past year.

I allow myself another glance at my phone as I take a swig of the warm, bitter wine I swiped on my way home earlier. Normally theft isn't my thing, but I really needed a drink and I'm flat broke as usual. Not that anyone cares today.A stolen bottle of wine is the least of their worries. The countdown ticks steadily by and I can't seem to pull my eyes from the dwindling numbers.

Seven hours… only seven more hours before my life ends. Until all our lives end.

Negotiations have broken down between America and North Korea, their nuclear warheads have been armed and pointed in our direction for nearly seventy-two hours now. Also, on the soon to be reduced to soup list is the UK, Russia and various other countries. Nuclear winter does not sound fun.

Most of New York was evacuated as well as other major cities, but there's nowhere to go, not really. They're only going to draw out the inevitable.

A quick Google search was more than enough to squash any hope I may have had of survival.

Radiation poisoning looks…. rough.

No thank you, I'd rather stay where I'm comfortable and hope the initial blast kills me. Nobody can hound me for rent if I'm dead. Seems in typical New York fashion a lot of residents felt the same way.The government issued gas masks seem like a fucking joke; they had months to warn us. To ask for help, but no. If there hadn't been at least a few members of high-ranking officials with a conscience, we would all still be blissfully unaware of the loaded gun pressed to our proverbial heads.Poised and ready to blow our skulls wide open, and for what?

Ring!

I jump slightly as my phone goes off for the ninth time in half an hour. Laney won't stop until I pick up. She's probably on her way here now.I take my time dragging my hand to it before tapping the little green button.

"Yes?" I answer, not bothering to hide the annoyance in my voice.

"I'm like two blocks away. Be ready when I get there and don't argue! You are not spending your last day on earth holed up in your apartment alone." Her squeaky, almost childlike voice is too loud through the speakers as usual. I love Laney. She's been my best friend for years, which makes zero sense considering we are nothing alike.

"Lane, no. Please just leave-"

"Absolutely not! There's a little bar a few blocks away that's having a free-for-allend of the worldblowout for a limited amount of people and by God you are not dying alone." Her voice breaks, shattering my resolve in an instant.

She's scared. I should be too, but I'm just… not.

She tried to get a flight back to her parents, but all planes have been grounded, commandeered by the US government for the measly attempt at evacuation.

"For the love of God… don't cry, I'll go."

The sound of crashing metal comes through the phone, making my heart stop in my chest.

"Laney, are you walking?" I yell, suddenly jumping to my feet like I'm going to be able to do something for her from through the phone.

"No shit, have you not been outside? The roads are filled with abandoned cars and blocked off. I haven't seen a cop or a cab all day."

Holy shit…

A feeling of dread fills my gut, not mixing well with the half-emptied bottle of wine I've been nursing.

"Just be safe, please." I say, running my hands through my long hair, ignoring the way my fingers snag on tangles.

"What are they going to do, kill me early? Plus, I've got Jenny with me. See you in a sec!"

"Hey!" The call ends before I can respond. Excellent, not only is she walking alone through Mott Haven, New York which is scary enough on a normal day, but she's also armed with a gun she stole from her wannabe pimp boyfriend.

The anxiety I'd warded off since the announcement hit trickles back into my chest, making the walls of my ugly little apartment feel like they're closing in on me.I'm not afraid to die, not really. Apart from Lane and a few people here and there, I don't really have much to grieve.

Nobody to really grieve for me.

I have no parents to call and say a tearful goodbye to, no siblings that I know of. It's just me. I snatch the bottle from the chipped coffee table taking a large swig before making my way to the kitchen.

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