THE OTHER DAY

Jonathan woke up and checked the time, ' Exactly 6 hours since I took the pill...that's incredible.'

After taking a few moments to wake up, Jonathan went to Samantha's kitchen to find something to eat. To his surprise, Samantha was already awake and making breakfast.

Samantha was also surprised when she saw Jonathan, "Oh, good morning, Jonathan. Breakfast is almost ready.''

Jonathan nodded and sat on a chair in the kitchen. He watched Samantha make coffee and smiled a little, 'I have to enjoy normality as much as I can.'

Samantha noticed that Jonathan was smiling and asked, '' What is it, dear?''

''It's nothing. I just have a feeling that today will be a good day! And where is Nathan?''

''He arrived late and has already left for work.'' Samantha smiled at him and continued making breakfast.

Eve appeared in the kitchen shortly afterward, said good morning to Jonathan and her mom, then sat down.

The two remained quiet until finally, Samantha finished making breakfast, ''You can eat, I'll go call Nathanael.''

Eve and Jonathan ate their food until Samantha came downstairs with a sleepy Nathanael. He said good morning and ate in silence.

Near the end of breakfast, Jonathan asked his friends, 'What do you want to do today? It's on me!''

Nathanael and Eve were excited, while Samantha asked, ''Where are your parents?''

Jonathan answered right away, '' They're coming back from a trip, but they left me a lot of money, don't worry.''

Samantha looked at her children and saw they both were looking at her with dog eyes. Samantha sighed, ''Okay, okay. Wait until lunch, then you are free to go! You have to be back by 6 or you're grounded!''

Nathanael and Eva thanked his mother and then went to their rooms. Only Jonathan and Samantha stayed in the kitchen.

''Okay, now that they're gone... what's on your mind?'' Samantha sat down in front of Jonathan and asked, clearly worried.

''What do you mean?'' Jonathan was confused.

Samantha sighed, "I can tell by your face that something is wrong. You're looking into a blank space with a worried face as if you're waiting for something bad to happen.''

Jonathan was surprised, ' Look at that... either I'm much more worried than I thought, or she is very perceptive... or both.'

Jonathan decided to speak half-truths, "You know I'm kind of "sensitive", right?''

The story of Jonathan and his relatives was a secret everyone in the neighborhood knew.

"I know... but what does it have to do with you being like this?''

''Yesterday I felt something that I had never felt before... I felt that something bad was going to happen to the whole world... I already warned my parents, and they are coming back. That's why I look so worried.''

Not letting the opportunity pass, Jonathan added, "Would it be possible for you to tell Nathan to take a couple of days off? It's good for him to be home, in case something really happens.'' Jonathan spoke to Samantha and hoped she would listen.

Samantha said nothing, probably thinking about it. After a few seconds of silence, she sighed, '' I'll try to talk to him.''

Jonathan got up from the table and started to walk to Nathanael's room, '' No problem, it's just a feeling at the end. I could be wrong.''

Samantha looked at Jonathan until he disappeared from her vision. Even though she said she would talk to her husband, she was still doubtful. But in order not to regret it later, since Jonathan had left his family billionaire with his hunches, she decided to send a message to her husband.

'Hey, would it be possible for you to take a few days off?' - S

'I can, but why?' - N

'Can't I want my husband for a while? Besides, the kids miss you!'- S

'Okay, okay. I'll talk to my boss and ask for a week off... I love you.' - N

'I love you too!' - S

After ending the cell phone conversation, Samantha continued her day as usual.

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Jonathan entered Nathanael's room and noticed he was already dressed to go out, '' Dude, we leave in 4 hours... why are you like this!?''

Nathanael shrugged, '' You know how anxious I am... and you, aren't you going to get ready?''

Jonathan sat down on the chair in the room, '' I'm going home take a shower and change with an hour left. Want to play to pass the time?''

Nathanael nodded, '' Sure.''

3 HOURS LATER

''I'll be right back.'' Jonathan said goodbye to Nathanael and went home to take a shower.

Entering his house, Jonathan first looked at his cell phone and noticed that his parents still hadn't spoken to him, 'They must be on the plane.'

He still sent messages, saying that when they arrived, they should let him know.

Jonathan then went into his bathroom and turned on the shower. Getting under the water, he tried to think of ways to warn people without sounding crazy, 'I've already posted on social medias, but I know it's not enough... I can use my money to put it in the journals or pay people to write about it then put it on the news sites... but will it be enough?'

Deciding not to care too much about the consequences, Jonathan decided what he would do, 'I'll use my money and see what happens!'

Finishing his shower and getting dressed appropriately, Jonathan went to Nathanael's house. Not wanting to be rude and enter other people's houses without knocking, Jonathan knocked on the door.

A female voice came from inside, '' The door is open!'' Samantha knew that Jonathan was the only person who would come to her house at this time of the day.

Jonathan entered and noticed that Eve was in the living room and already dressed, "Ready to go out?''

Eva, as usual, was short, "Yes.''

Jonathan was already accustomed to this and sat down in the living room, waiting for Nathanael. After a few minutes, Nathanael appeared coming down the stairs, "I'm ready!''

Jonathan tilted his head, '' You were already done before I left, what happened?''

Nathanael looked like he was hiding something, '' It's nothing. I just wanted to get better dressed.''

Jonathan found this suspicious but decided not to look any further. Seeing that everyone was ready, Samantha said again, "You have until six o'clock to come back! If anything happens, call me, and I'll come running.''

Nathanael and Eve said goodbye to their mother, while Jonathan called an Uber. The trio left the house and waited for the Uber in front.

After a few minutes, an Uber showed up, and they got in. The place they were going was a famous shopping mall in the area.

Arriving at the place, Nathaneal and Eva got out while Jonathan stayed to pay. Without hesitation, he took $2k as a tip.

When the Uber saw the amount of money Jonathan gave him, the first thing that came to his mind was, 'How can a child carry so much money!' and then he asked, ''Young man, I think there's some mistake in how much you gave me!''

At this point, Jonathan was almost out of the car, '' It wasn't a mistake, there's 2k in there. Take a few days off and be with your family!''

Looking at the trio of children entering the mall, the Uber driver smiled, ''With this money, I don't have to work for two weeks.''

Thanking the boy who gave him the money, the Uber driver went home.

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INSIDE THE MALL

Jonathan was coerced by Nathaneal and Eva to first go to Starbucks. When they got there, the siblings ordered the most expensive thing on the menu, all on the tab for Jonathan, who didn't mind.

After that, the trio went to see a movie, '' What movie do you want to see?''

''How about the new Avatar?'' Eva suggested.

Jonathan and Nathaneal just went along with her. After paying for the tickets, the trio went inside and waited for the movie to talk.

In the middle of the movie, Nathanael leaned over to Jonathan, ''Hey... I noticed you were down yesterday and decided to give you this.''

It was a gold bracelet. Jonathan accepted the gift, but was confused, '' Why didn't you give it to me before?''

Nathaneal said, ''I didn't want my mother or sister to see... Anyway, I hope you like it.''

Jonathan looked at the bracelet and put it on his wrist, '' I like it! Thanks for the present, I already feel better.''

Nathanael saw that his mission was accomplished, turned his gaze to the screen, and watched the movie.

Jonathan, who wanted to enjoy his days, also focused on the screen.

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Arriving home before six o'clock, the trio talked about their day. Eve, who usually didn't say much, was talking too much, "I loved the movie! I don't know if I can wait until next year to see the fourth movie.''

Nathanael nodded, '' Yeah, I liked it too. And what about you, Jonathan?''

Jonathan was thinking of others things, but he replied fast, '' It was great. I just didn't like the ending, which left a lot of things open.'' The trio continued talking until they entered the house, noticed that dinner was ready, and a surprise person was there.

'''DAD!''' Both Eve and Nathanael rushed to hug Nathan.

''Hey, kiddos.'' Nathan gave both of them a peck on the head, then looked at Jonathan, '' Good night to you, Jonathan.''

''Good night, Mr. Nathan.'' Seeing that they had six dishes on the table, Jonathan knew that he was invited to dinner, so he sat on the chair.

''How was your day?'' Samantha, who brought more food from the kitchen, asked.

''It was great! We saw the new Avatar and ....''

Jonathan looked at the scene and at his new bracelet. 'Finishing up here, I'll call newspapers and other people.'

After dinner, Jonathan was about to go to his house, but Samantha stopped him, ''You can sleep here until your parents arrive.''

"Are you sure?''

"Positive! You're practically family.''

"Thank you!'' Jonathan thanked Samantha. Then he and Nathanael went to the bedroom to play.

Arriving at the room, while Nathaneal turned on the console, Jonathan decided to use his money. He contacted some people on Twitter, Reddit, Youtube, Instagram, and offered them a huge amount of money for them to tell their audience to stock up on food for a while. Jonathan didn't mention the Apocalypse.

Surprisingly, many people took the money and posted it on the internet. No one knew the outcome, but Jonathan felt he had done something good.

"Shall we start?'' Nathanael asked and passed the remote control to Jonathan.

Jonathan put away his cell phone and took the remote control, "Let's go!''

THE OTHER DAY

Jonathan woke up to ping on his cell phone and noticed that it was his relatives. He answered the phone immediately and spoke softly, so as not to wake Nathanael, "Hi, where are you guys? Is everything okay?''

Daniel's voice came from the phone, '' Hi, my love! Unfortunately, there were some unforeseen events, but we are already at another airport! Can you tell me how long we still have?''

Jonathan looked at the Shop interface and saw that it was written 22:56:28. "22 hours left.''

No one said anything on the other side. '' Dad, Mom? Are you there?''

"Yes! Yes, we are, dear. We were looking at the time, and we'll be there on time! Don't worry!''

Jonathan noticed something was wrong with Natalie's voice but decided not to worry, '' OK! Let me know as soon as you get here!''

''No problem! We love you!''

"I love you too!''

After hanging up, Jonathan went back to sleep.

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WITH NATALIE AND DANIEL

After turning down the call, the couple looked at each other and noticed the worry in their eyes.

Both knew they would probably not get back on time. Natalie looked at her husband, '' What should we do now?''

Daniel sighed, '' We still go home! Maybe we can avoid the danger and get home safely.''

Natalie said nothing and just held her husband's hand.

Daniel looked at their flight and noticed it was late, ' I hope Jonathan is wrong this time.'

Knowing how improbable that was, Daniel still held on hope.

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SOME TIME LATER

And just like that, Jonathan's last normal days were over.

Jonathan was awakened in the middle of the night by a 'ding' that came from inside his head, 'THE APOCALYPSE HAS STARTED! GOOD LUCK TO THE HOST, AND WE, AT SHOP APOCALYPSE, HOPE YOU LIVE WELL!'

Jonathan was a little sleepy, but when he realized what it was all about, he started hyperventilating, ' Calm down! Calm down!'

He then checked his cell phone and noticed that his parents still hadn't sent him a message, 'What happened!? Are they ok!?'

With his mind full of doubts, Jonathan knew that he would not be able to sleep again. He once again warned people on the internet one last time.

Jonathan went down to Samantha's living room and turned on the TV. He wanted to see if there was anything on, but there was nothing related to the Apocalypse there.

' Maybe it's too soon? There might still be some time!' Jonathan tried to reassure himself. Just to check, he called 911.

What came from the other side of the call shocked Jonathan, ' The line you tried to call is working at full capacity at the moment! Please call later!'

Jonathan finally realized it has already over the moment the Apocalypse started.

With no hesitation, he sent a message to his parents, ' It started! I'm at Samantha's house! I will try to stay here for as long as I can! Please be safe.'

Then he went to check the main door of Samantha's house, to see if it was locked. After doing that Jonathan went to the sofa again.

As a precaution, Jonathan already got a pistol from the inventory and put it on his waist. Of course, he hid it well enough so others don't notice the gun there. Any sound that was made, Jonathan looked over to the place, to check it.

' I'm getting paranoid...' Even though Jonathan was not a kid mentally, anyone who faced the apocalypse would be scared of the future.

Jonathan was sitting on the sofa, at 4 A.M when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps coming from the stairs. It was Nathan and Samantha.

Nathan was talking on the phone while a concerned Samantha was behind him. '' Relax, tell me what is happening... Someone bit you?''

'It seems to be a relative.' Jonathan watched as Nathan put on his shoes and prepared to go out.

Just as he was about to step outside, Nathan heard a voice, '' Don't go.''

It was just now that Nathan and Samantha noticed Jonathan in the living room, '' Jonathan... why are you up, and what did you say?''

Jonathan sighed and looked at Samantha, '' Remember when I told you that something bad would happen?'' Samantha nodded, '' It started. I tried to call the emergency number, but it is not working.''

Then Jonathan showed them the internet, where a lot of news of people going crazy and killing others, '' It's bad Samantha, really fucking bad!''

It was the first time Nathan and Samantha saw Jonathan so agitated and serious. Nathan stopped putting on his shoes and checked his phone. He scrolled down and noticed it was true. Samantha also checked her phone.

'' Nothing is passing on the TV about it, but it is happening... don't go out. Tell your family to hide and store as much food as they can. And don't let the people who were bitten near them, it's dangerous.''

Nathan and Samathan were surprised, '' Why not let them?''

Jonathan sighed, '' I don't know what is happening, but what comes to your mind when someone crazy bit another person?''

It took instants to click on the couple's head, '' Zombies!?''

Jonathan nodded.

'' But they're supposed to be fantasy! They can't be real!'' Nathan, for some reason, was getting hysterical.

It then clicked on Jonathan's mind, '' ... It was a family member talking to you, right?''

Nathan nodded.

Jonathan sighed, '' ... Maybe I'm wrong, but tell them to put something to hold the person in place. Just to be safe.''

Nathan called frankly and told them to do that. After ending the call, he looked at Samantha.

Noticing the look on her husband's face, Samantha knew what he was thinking, '' No! You can't be serious!''

Nathan pleaded, '' They are my family! I can't let them be in danger! It will be quick, I'll grab them and drag them here.''

Samantha said nothing, so Nathan got closer, '' If it was you or the kids in this situation, I would do the same!''

Samantha finally sighed, '' Okay, but please be safe!''

The couple kissed and Nathan was getting out when he heard Jonathan, '' Wait!''

To everyone's surprise, Jonathan passed a pistol to Nathan, '' Aim for the head! Don't trust anyone bitten! Please be careful.''

Nathan was going to question why Jonathan had a Pistol in his house, but if what the kid told them was true, he was running out of time. So he thanked Jonathan and rushed outside.

As soon as Nathan left, Jonathan rushed to lock the door. When he finally did that, he sighed in relief. But what he didn't notice was that Samathan was still looking at him furiously.

'' Why did you bring a gun to my house!?'' To say that Samantha was furious was an understatement, ' He could've killed all of us!'

Jonathan tried to lie, '' Yesterday, when I told you I had that feeling, I went home and grabbed my dad's gun! I would not use it, I swear!''

Samantha, even though she was mad at Jonathan, decided to trust him, '' Don't do that again! It was the last time.''

' It really is the last time. In a few days, everyone in this house will be armed to the teeth!' It was what Jonathan was thinking, but he said, '' Don't worry about it!''

The duo then went to the sofa and started to switch the channels on the TV. Samantha still was looking at Jonathan with caution.

In one of those channels, it finally mentioned something about what was happening, ' We are receiving a lot of information from a lot of sources, saying that there's crazy people bitting and killing each other! We recommend you barricade your house and wait for this to end! Don't go out!'

Samantha and Jonathan looked at each other. Jonathan checked his phone, and noticed his parents haven't read his message yet.

' It has started... please be safe!'

 

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