"Happy birthday!"
My friends shouted and celebrated as I stared at them, heart hammering, knowing what was coming next.
"T-thanks," I stammered, forcing a smile, my face betraying none of the dread inside.
A scream cut through the room—someone at the window—and I turned to see the sky devoured by dark clouds. Fierce, molten lights poured down, scorching everything in their path, turning streets to ash and lakes to fire.
I exhaled slowly, closing my eyes, feeling the weight of the end press against my chest. The chaos drew closer, and I embraced it, letting the world fall away.
—
"Happy birthday!"
And once again, the horror begins.