Chapter 1 - The end of the world started with a grocery list

...Meanwhile_in_the_present...

*

|ROSE's POV|

My life turned upside down when I finally got out of my comfort zone and decided to take matters into my own hands. I mean, who wouldn't, if they found themselves in my situation?

Have you ever imagined being a superhero, traveling throughout the world and saving people in distress? Having incredible powers and fame beyond recognition?

"Blast, blast! Blast! No, not that kind of blast, the other kind of blast!"

You won't find any of that in here.

"How many kinds of blasts are there, Denis?"

"Never mind, give me the gun! I'll do the job for you."

My name is Rose Edwine, and this is the story of my life.

Too cliché?

Let's try again.

"Shoot! They got me surrounded! I need backup! I repeat I need backup!"

Hello, and welcome to How the World Ended 101.

Now, that's worse than the first try.

"Seriously, am I the only one left?"

Wondering how my life fell down the hill and why there is so much shouting in the background?

Well, it all started with one word being summoned throughout ten yards of the battlefield...

"Rose!"

My name echoed beyond the fog, getting lost in the silent wail of souls that cried to be avenged. I flinched and straightened up, bumping my head into the curved stone ledge suspended above me.

The battlefield was so wide, there was no beginning or end to it.

I was hiding behind a tall and deformed rock wall, far from the sight of others. The massive forest took up most of the view, leaves and trunks fallen in all directions. There were shaggy bushes scattered around, hiding sharp pebbles, traps, and poisonous berries behind. But the woods' thick silence was far more deadly than the location itself.

I glanced at myself. The filthy camouflage jacket I wore emitted a funny odor mixed with the bitterness of death and possibly fried chicken, making my mouth water. How long has it been since I last ate?

The paper in my hand rustled as I rubbed my forehead. I rearranged the field goggles I was wearing, two sizes bigger than my head. My eyes glided towards where the sound had come from.

In front of me stood Denis, the second in command and the only other female around. Her once tied chestnut hair now dangled loosely and completely messy, with a leaf stuck in the clamp, reminding me of Lara Croft. I could still notice dark green paint on her face, a camouflage that was obviously not working.

She was staring at me, tall and imposing, with one hand on her hip and the other holding a long-shaped gun. She was giving me The Denis Look. No one lived to see that look thrice, and I was on my first strike.

"What in the world are you doing here, soldier? There is a battle out there and you're writing-" Denis took the paper from my hand and frowned, "- a diary?"

"It's not a diary. It's a grocery list."

"What kind of grocery list starts with 'My life turned upside down...' ?"

I shrugged, "You're reading the wrong side of the paper. Besides, I got bored while waiting and thought I should change my profession. I'm going to become a writer."

"Over my dead body," Denis growled and tore the sheet of paper in half. She could be mean sometimes.

I slightly repositioned my arm, bumping by mistake into a bone stuck out of the dirt. The ground was littered with carcasses and fallen logs, hidden by dust and ashes covered in a thin layer of mist. Dry leaves rustled and fell in slow movements on endless trunks, sketching the composition of a peaceful forest. Few rocks half-buried underneath the grass and vines hid insects behind, the only living creatures left in the warzone. The few particles of light escaping the veil of mist made the specks of dust twinkle.

The forest was engulfed in deafening silence, one only a sacrificial war could conjure.

It had been quiet, almost tranquil. That was, until Denis had shown up.

"Where is everybody? Where's the general?" I asked, exiting my perfectly good hiding spot and snatching the papers from Denis's hands.

"You mean our vital and most valuable strategist?" Denis huffed. "He went to the bathroom thirty minutes ago."

"In the middle of the action? I guess poets forgot that part when they were writing ballads about warriors in shining armor."

"Warriors? You mean cowards. If you're going to attack the enemy on his battlefield, at least hold it until you've either won or you're dead!" Denis holstered her weapon, snorting.

I held back a burst of laughter and stretched my hand to grab the gun Denis had given to me before the war started, only to find that it was gone. I swore under my breath and sighed.

Denis gave me a disappointed look.

"You had one job, Rose. One job."

"I swear I put it here before writing the grocery list."

"Oh, of course." Denis grabbed me by the collar. "And why the hell were you writing a grocery list on the battlefield, soldier?"

I gulped. Not far away from us, ghosts wailed in distress. Carcasses... Trees... Stones...

With her hand still gripping my collar, Denis powerfully shook me a couple of times, fully awakening me. "We. Are. Losing, Rose! We're losing the bloody war," she screamed, a firm tone trying to settle her anger.

"Denis!" I shouted back, taking her hands off me. Behind her, the fog dissipated, revealing the true nature of the place. Black cages had their doors ripped or dangling loosely, paint dribbling off their corners. Dry fake leaves rustled and fell on plastic rocks, shaped as if their artist was in a hurry. "We are not at war!" I snarled. "This is a frickin' Laser Tag game! Those are frickin' kids out there!" I said, pointing afar.

The battlefield was just a build-up inside of a huge training arena, designed as to seem incredibly authentic. If I didn't look carefully enough, I might think I was inside a real forest, during an actual war.

But it was all a simulation. The definition of a Paintball Arena, with different obstacles to hide behind and a hologram software built for different mission modes. A dream-like LRPG for secret agents. And one of the nice places I wasn't allowed to step in.

The Arena was perfect for training. Not only rookies could come and learn how to fight, but also higher agents would sometimes rehearse strategies and improve their abilities for different missions NAMO would give.

NAMO. A Non-governmental Anti-Magic Organization located in Torekka, Oregon. The kind of top-secret facility found in a world where magic was illegal.

For some reason, Denis told me that the best way to spend my sixteenth birthday was playing a simulated Laser Tag game. She told me it would be fun. I didn't think that way.

Denis looked at me, confused. "If you want to call them kids, fine. But we both know what they are."

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Demons, programmed to eliminate us."

I stared at her, muttering, "Really. Demons."

"Definitely, which you would know if you haven't been hiding behind a rock this entire time! Have you even shot something? Oh wait, you lost your gun. In the middle of the battle."

I snorted. "I told Kyle I would spend my time back at home writing the damn grocery list so that he wouldn't suspect anything. He would've never let me come here in the first place, you know that!"

My brother was the definition of overprotectiveness.

In a world where all kinds of magic were prohibited, my brother had to do the dirty work and make sure the world was safe from those who would break the law.

So he became a secret agent. Basically, a cop. A magic cop. One of the best, I might add.

And while his life implied fighting against magic while wearing awesome gadgets and calling himself a secret agent of the much Daring Lands of... Oregon, my life solely gravitated around breathing, eating waffles and constantly being avoided by life. My brother barely allowed me to do fun stuff so much that I would end up staying inside my house the entire time. He feared 'Bad guys might kidnap me to take him down.' I feared my brother was a tiny bit crazy.

But I knew he was right. There were too many dangerous people around, and worse, too many smart idiots with magic superpowers. His words, not mine. And Kyle Edwine, my older, most moronic brother, was - as he so cared to remind me - one of the best.

"Of course I know that. I was the one who snuck you in," Denis emphasized. "I completely understand your brother, but it's your damn birthday today. If he thinks that spending it locked in a house is normal, then I don't care that he's my leader. I'll smack his face in the next life."

I couldn't help but giggle. Denis was my brother's subordinate, and one of the most savage field agents NAMO could find. She always said what was on her mind, good or bad.

And she always did what she wanted.

Denis took a cigarette from her trousers. "Don't worry, I got this." She had been repeating that for a while once she'd realized I was just as good at shooting with a gun as an extinct dinosaur.

She lit the wrapping paper as a horde of holographic kids appeared out of nowhere, running towards us screaming, their laser guns ready. Denis turned around and puffed unimpressed, muttering, "Isn't it past bedtime anyway?"

Denis nonchalantly raised her weapon, her hooded short top lifting a few inches over the military trousers. That and her dark sunglasses made her look like a badass mafia agent. She was the best shooter NAMO had, and guns were her signature weapon, no matter the kind. Those virtual kids didn't stand a chance.

I looked unsettled as she started aiming at the children, who were now scattered everywhere, trying to counter-attack her wrath. Laser shots flew around, but none dared to touch Denis. She was swaying through obstacles, never missing a shot. It felt impossible to replicate her movements, yet that was Denis's skill: she was a true gunslinger. Her moves were out of this world, and there was one thing everyone agreed when they saw her in action. No one was better at aiming than Denis.

As Denis finished shooting all the holograms, the system congratulated her. The screen on my goggles showed that we moved up a level.

"Pretty easy, eh?" Denis grinned, resting the Laser Gun on her shoulder.

"Maybe for you," I sniveled, crossing my arms as I sat back in my hiding spot, below a massive and dangerous-looking rock. "I'm still useless. You might as well shoot me too."

Denis gave me an irritated scowl. "I would never shoot a friend. Unlike other people in my team."

"Okay then, friend." I pointed towards the toasted holographic kids on the floor. "What made you think that I would want to commit genocide on my birthday?"

"Isn't shooting kids every person's dream? I swear they're the most annoying creatures I've met in my entire life."

I continued staring at Denis. She rolled her eyes, groaning.

"We've got thirty minutes left before Kyle finishes his incredibly important meeting at NAMO," she persisted. "Your brother will kill me if he finds out that I secretly brought you to the training sessions with me and bribed the tech guy to change the simulator to a video game."

"No, he will kill me. You will get off with a slap on the wrist, at most."

Denis ignored me as she glanced behind my back. "Beware, the enemy is coming from your six. Here, take this gun and run amok."

Denis threw towards me a laser tag gun from her holster, and I disgracefully caught it, stumbling back before it landed in my arms. I looked between it and her. Denis was giving me her stern look.

"And balls to the walls, Bolo. Balls to the walls."

I rolled my eyes at Denis's Air Force slang term of moving as fast as possible. "Roger that."

I sighed, before turning around and pointing the Laser gun towards the kid, who had spotted us and started running towards us. I pressed the trigger, yelling a battle cry as small laser beams continuously shot towards the boy. And, as my entire luck nestled in a nutshell, none of the many laser beams touched him. None. Not a single one. Nada.

Denis sharply grabbed the Laser gun from my hands and pointed it towards the kid's chest, shooting once. The vest turned red, and the kid disappeared in mid-air.

I stared at the now blank spot.

Denis shook her head. "Can't throw a punch. Can't shoot straight. And apparently can't properly run from danger either. And you wonder why your brother keeps you far away from his line of work."

"Why? Just why are you prolonging my pain?"

Denis smirked. "Come on, Rose. This building is completely safe and secured. You have nothing to worry about. Have some fun for once."

"More fun than safely writing a grocery list? Or watching a marathon movie in the comfortable couch back at home?"

"You won't change your life by sitting around watching movies or writing books," Denis scolded me.

"But that's exactly what I'm planning to do. That's what half of the population is doing. Have some respect."

Denis is right, I confronted myself. I'll never get another chance anyway. It's my birthday, right, Universe? Make it work. I want some real action.

I grinned, "You know what, actually, you're right. I-"

I blinked ahead as I sneaked a peek beyond the rock I was hiding behind. A shadowed figure close to the exit door caught my attention. I tried to focus on the silhouette standing half-hidden behind a bush, holding a huge weapon in his hands. The tip of the gun looked just like a missile.

Wait a minute. A missile?

The shadow lifted the gigantic gun up and pointed it straight towards Denis, before grinning and pressing on the trigger.

"D-D-D-Denis?"

Denis growled. "What now?"

Whoosh -

BOOM.