"Get ready to go outside. We're all going to the mall, and that includes you."

 

Waking up, I hear her annoying voice.

"Sigh."

"Don't say 'sigh'! You have to come, okay? Dad said so!" She yelled.

The person screaming at me is my little sister, Daisal. She follows every rule in history, and is unforgiving (annoying) to anybody who doesn't.

"Whatever. I'll go. Just stop yelling so early in the morning!"

"Be ready by 9:00!" She says, before walking off.

Getting out of bed, I do my morning routine and start getting dressed begrudgingly.

…

Getting in the car, I'm immediately yelled at.

"I said be ready at 9:00! It's 9:03! Why are you late!?" Screams my dad, who is a prick when it comes to time.

"Being ready, and being in the car, are different things," I say, already sick of the trip, before it even begins.

"You should know what I mean! You've been living here for 15 years! That's more than enough time to understand what I ever Mean!"

Not really. For five years I was still just a dumb child.

Plus I'm only 14.

*Vrrroooom vrooom*¹Those are some very realistic car noises.

Starting the car, our drive begins.

…

The drive was uneventful. 

I saw a purple car out the window, though.

Getting out of the car, I take a look at the mall.

".      .     ."

It was boring looking. Why did I have to come again?

"Now then, you guys, here is $50 each. Go play at the arcade or whatever. Don't look for me, and meet me back at noon," He says as he waves us off.

The only problem is the arcade has been out of business for a decade.

"I'm going to walk around with my friends. Don't talk or associate with me. Okay?" Says my sister, before running in a different direction.

This sure is fun.

…

After some wandering, I find some old antique shop across the street.

*Ring-a-ding-ding*

"Welcome, customer," Says an old lady in the back.

"Recently, because of all the new sparkly stores, nobody bothers coming here anymore. But I assure you that we are–" She prattled on as she walks towards the front, until she finally sees me.

"Oh, a youngster. What do you want? Have you come to laugh at me and the past?" She says angrily.

"No, I'm looking for something. Do you have any old medals, or the like? A trophy, a statue, anything?" I ask, trying to not make her mad.

"There are some medals hanging in the back. I'm sorry about just now."

…

In the end, I didn't find anything I wanted, so I was heading back to the car.

"11:50… I think I can make it on time. Just as long as nothing happens," I say, turning a corner to save time.

*Wham!*

"Kya!"

I ran into someone.

"Are you okay?"

"Can you please call the police! No! We should go to them! Or else they'll catch me!"

"What do you mean? Uhhh. I can take you to the Mall's security office. Is that fine?"

"Lead the way, please."

I should've said sorry and ran, shouldn't I? This person is either bad news, or bringing some of it.

…

"Here we are. Is this good?"

"Probably, I think. Anyways, thank you for taking me here! May I know your name?"

Why does she need to know that?

"My name is Azalius. Have a good day." 

Walking to the car, I notice I'm late. But I think it's fine, seeing as I did something good.

As a smile began to form on my face, I hear it's voice.

"Are you really allowed to be happy? After doing that? Do you think you would have been forgiven with just that? Are you an idiot?" It says.

Appearing behind me, a living shadow of myself walks in front of me.

I'm not allowed to be happy. 

That's what it always says, this voice in my head. It's the reason I hate myself.

I want to deny it, but I always give in. It's the reason I hate everything.

I hate my looks.

I hate my personality.

I hate my family.

I hate my future.

I hate my past.

I hate the world.

I hate my life.

And just when I was about to yell at my shadow, reality began to collapse.

The sky was falling.

Time began to slow.

Everything began to burn.

Time began to speed up.

People begun to scream.

That all started in less than a second.

But I wasn't scared. I accepted my fate, and as the world began to die I just looked for somewhere to sit.

"Of course you would want to die. Well, if I was you, I would too. I mean, reality is dying, and you're here sitting on a bench. Only a complete idiot would do that!"

Yeah, only an idiot could accept death so easily.

Suddenly, someone grabs my hand.

"You're okay! C'mon, we need to run away! Or something bad will happen!" Says a familiar voice.

Turning towards it, I see the girl I helped.

"So? Do you think we can run away from this? "

"We gotta try!"

You are quite the heroic person, going to save a person you met once.

"Whatever. You lead the way."

Running through falling sky and rubble, we reach the central part of the mall. Above us is a large glass dome.

"What are we doing here? Won't we just get crushed?" I ask.

Even if I'm okay with dying, doesn't mean I can't point out a plan's flaws.

"All that's here is glass, so even if it all comes down we'll be relatively safe. At least, I hope so."

Sitting on a bench, we wait for something to happen.

All around us is rubble, dust, and probably a few corpses, too. 

Gladly the smell hasn't reached us yet.

It was horrifying. All these people are dead forever. They who, unlike me, had their lives in front of them.

What about their families?

What about my family? What if they got crushed and painfully died?

Oh well, not my problem. Rather, I don't particularly care if they were to die.

I mean. I hate them, and they probably feel the same.

‹Lets see… everybody is dead except for these three. Let's just finish them directly.›

What was that? It was a voice inside my head. Like headphones, but more inside.

"Hey, did you hear som–"

Before finishing my question, my head goes flying.

…

So, am I dead? I don't feel very dead? 

Standing up, all I see is complete and utter darkness. I think I'm looking into the void.

So basically I can't see anything.

"Hello?" I call out.

And suddenly, as if answering my call, a incredibly bright light appears 

"Welcome, mortals. Be happy, for you have been chosen to push my world towards a new age!"