Welcome welcome welcome, awesome nerds. Are you ready? The end is nigh.

If somebody told you that the world was disposable, that every life on earth would cease to exist in a matter of seconds, would you laugh? Scoff? Come up with some unruly, sarcastic remark? You wouldn't believe them. You'd simply brush it off and call it a conspiracy. A hoax.

That is exactly what Beca Mitchell did. She can remember every word the newscaster had said, every emotion that had flicked across their face. It was something she was unlikely to forget.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

254 days ago…

Beca and Stacie had just finished their Philosophy class, walking through the halls of Barden University. Despite her protests about attending her classes, Beca found that philosophy was insightful and gave her a new perspective of things. Learning about the Metaphysics of Causation, whilst being draining, had certainly given her something to think about. Of course, she wasn't going to tell her father that.

"Hey Becs?" Stacie asked cautiously.

"What's up?" the smaller brunette glanced up at her, seeing a nervous expression on her face.

"Have you considered trying out for the Barden Bella's?" Beca had heard about the esteemed A Capella ladies of Barden University. Last year they had made it to Lincoln Centre before one of the members blew chunks all over the audience. Beca laughed inwardly at the rumour.

"Dude you know I don't sing." Stacie just rolled her eyes.

"Come on! I've heard you sing! You could literally put Madonna to shame." Beca couldn't help but laugh at her friends antics.

"I swear if you're going to compare me to anyone, please don't let it be to Madonna. She's older than my mom and just as uninspiring." The two freshman laughed, feeling the pressure of the week's assignments lifting slightly from their shoulders.

"On a serious note though, I was thinking of going down to the auditions they have going on later. Maybe I could put my skills to more useful things. Like making music with my mouth rather than-"

"OKAY. You do NOT need to finish that sentence." Beca wrinkled her nose, feeling heat rush to her face. Stacie responded by slinging her arm around the smaller girl's shoulder. They were heading towards the student lounge, hoping to find an empty air hockey table to pass the time. This was the place they frequented, becoming increasingly more popular among the freshman student body for their air hockey tournaments. So far no one had beaten the two brunettes, anyone who dared to challenge them to a game always walking away with away with their tail between their legs after claiming this would be their downfall.

"You love me really." Stacie threw a wink in her direction, causing Beca to roll her eyes. It wasn't a secret to anyone that both girls were bisexual, and everyone was quick to assume they were dating, given how close they were. But despite the odds, they had always remained best friends, never coming close to more than platonic flirting.

When they pushed open the doors to the student lounge, the normal greetings were not thrown their way. The normal students milling about on the beanbags were nowhere in sight, and the normal thumping bassline of music was non-existent. Instead, the room was filled with the voice of a newscaster and a high buzzing sound ringing from the TV. A large group of students had congregated around the TV, staring intensely at the screen. Stacie and Beca pushed to the front, trying to see what had everyone so interested. What Beca heard made her heart drop.

"- authorities are urging everyone to get to higher ground, if possible away from tall buildings. Forget your belongings, just take yourselves and your loved ones. You must remain calm-"

"What's going on?" Beca whispered to the girl next to her. She glanced back nervously.

"We don't know, it just started buzzing and now suddenly the world is ending." The girl chuckled nervously. Beca looked back at the screen, wondering whether it was a senior prank or something more than that. The newscasters face wasn't one she recognised.

"-god bless everyone, we must all have faith and-"Beca just caught the woman's last words when a deep rumbling resonated through the room, causing the lights and TV to shut off. The brunette could feel Stacie gripping her arm as a feeling of terror started creeping its way up her spine.

"Stacie relax, it was probably just an earthquake or something." Her reassurances were more for herself than anyone else. Stacie tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace.

The rest of the students started mumbling to each other, trying to ease the tension that was building around them. Beca knew she shouldn't, but her curiosity was getting the better of her. She made her way slowly to the windows, wanting to get a glance behind the curtains that were pulling tight. In the dark, she couldn't see where she was going, the small sliver of grey light behind the drapes being her only guide to the windows. Once she reached the window, her nerves had reached their high. Her hands were shaking, her breath coming out shaky and short.

"Beca, where are you?" she could hear the fear in the other girls voice. The fear she could feel forming a lump in her throat, stopping her from replying.

She wasn't able to anyway.

The last thing she could remember was pulling the drapes away from the window as a loud boom pushed her to the floor. Glass sprayed everywhere, slicing her face and arms as her back hit the ground, knocking the wind from her lungs. Screams could be heard from all around her, followed by the sounds of infrastructure cracking and crashing around them.

She didn't know whether it was the pain or the shock, but she was paralysed, laying on the floor while people scurried around her. She could hear Stacie calling her name, but it was all fading, turning to background noise.

She could feel fear overcoming her. Fear for her friend, her safety. She was about to move, to try and get up, but something hard, possibly someone's foot, slammed into the side of her head. The darkness that consumed her was more terrifying than the reality she had fallen in to.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"2 o' clock." Stacie's voice was quiet, hardly there at all. When this all began, the world had been in chaos, screams and sirens mingling in the air, intermingling with the cacophony of burning fires and the land opening and cracking. Now it was just silent. The only sounds the two girls had heard since the silence had begun was the sound of the stiflingly hot air rustling the dry leaves, or the rush of the stream that ran near their camp. It took them time to get used to the silence, but now they knew that the calm was their safety blanket.

Beca looked in the direction Stacie was referring to. In the dense woodland area, she could just make out a young deer meandering through the trees. Since the rains, some of the greenery had returned, but the land was still bearing the scars of the fires and… the events that occurred.

Beca made a quick few signs with her hands, telling her to wait, this was her kill. Beca readied her bow and arrows, a lucky find in an old weapons licensing store in downtown Georgia. They had an assortment of guns and knives in their backpacks, but the stealth of the wooden weapon was essential during hunting days. So far they hadn't had to use the guns, but it was always good to be prepared.

Beca aimed her arrow at the animal, taking a deep breath and letting it go slowly. The string that was resting against her face snapping as she let it fly. It found its home with a soft thunk, and both girls watched as the deer fell. They signed a silent victory to each other, even though they knew they could speak again. It was becoming a habit.

Their boots crunched as they made their way over to their dinner. It was a young one; it barely had its antlers. A shot of guilt stabbed Beca's heart, but it quickly got pushed down by the hungry in her stomach. It had been three days since either girl had eaten a proper meal. Beca's cargo pants hung loosely on her hips, the frayed belt doing nothing to keep them up.

They had strayed further from their camp than they thought, but from the long days walking and hiking and lugging large bags of supplies around, they had quickly adapted to the new way of life. To the skies that never changed, only the shade of grey that got brighter and darker as the day progressed.

Walking out of the woodlands, Beca couldn't help but glance up at the sky now. It was a dark shade of grey, indicating that night would fall any minute. A song floated to the front of her brain, and she couldn't help but chuckle. She sang it quietly, feeling the irony in every note.

Ooh
did you see the frightened ones?
Did you hear the falling bombs?
Did you ever wonder why we had to run for shelter when the
Promise of a brave new world unfurled beneath a clear blue
Sky?

Stacie chuckled, bringing a smile to Beca's lips. They lived for the small moments where there was calm. Where life seemed slightly normal and not a constant fight for survival. Beca glanced down at the deer they were dragging between them. Her heart sunk. This was their normal now. This was the normal for everyone. This was what to be expected from the days that follow the end of the world.

A/N – let me know what you think? I'm thinking of making a full fic from this, and I'd love to know if that's a good idea. If you'd leave a review, that would be awesome :)