Chapter One
So, chapter one! If you clicked on this story, thank you! I appreciate it! All reviews are welcome, and it would be great if you could tell me how the story's going. Thanks, and read on!
"… and humanity crumbled into oblivion, as its people held faith in the lords of their country that now cease to exist…"
"So, I was talking to her the other day," America said, munching on a hamburger. "And do you know what she said to me?" It was lunchtime at the world convention, and most of the nations were huddled into groups, mostly consisting of three at a table. The room was abuzz with news, gossip, and rumors. Sometimes, laughter would ring throughout the room
"I could imagine," England muttered, picking at a salad (probably about the only thing he could make correctly).
"She told me to piss off! What kind of woman does that?!"
"Plenty. Especially towards you." England pointed his fork at America, which had a piece of lettuce stuck to it.
America glared at the Brit. "You're not helping anything!"
"Clarify what I'm supposed to help you with."
"See? That's why no one likes you! You're too grumpy!"
"I thought it was because I kicked all their bloody asses," England said, concealing a grin.
"Why can't you go make some friends? Other than your 'friends'."
"Because, as you said, no one likes me."
"Maybe if you didn't act so pissy, you would have some real friends."
"I do have real friends! You just haven't met them yet!"
"Really? Name one!"
"Well, there's Alfonse… and Evan… and –"
"You just ripped off my name and Russia's. Really, you're absolutely horrible at social skills unless it involves swearing. Then, you're a pro."
"I'm horrible? Look at yourself! You talk with your mouth full! Could've sworn I taught you better…"
"You didn't teach me to do anything except how to make scones that taste like –" Abruptly, the lights blacked out, and everyone started complaining noisily.
"Seriously?!" America snapped. "Why? There wasn't even bad weather!"
"Power outage," England grumbled. "Great. Just great. Now, Germany's going to hound our asses because we're off schedule." After a few seconds, it became eerily quiet, as if a mute button had been pressed.
"Err... what the hell happened?" America asked. "Anyone here? Hello?!" His voice echoed around the room. It was eerily silent, especially because it was supposed to be filled with nations…
"Why is it so quiet?" England asked.
"I dunno…" America said. "If this is a trick, guys, cut it out!" No one answered, unless you counted the wind whistling. After a few seconds in utter silence, the lights flickered back on.
"No one's here," England said, standing up; America followed suit. The lunchroom was completely deserted. The room once filled with laughter and conversation was empty. Even the lunches had been left. There was definitely something wrong; the forks, spoons, and chopsticks seemed to be levitating in thin air, just as the owner had left them. Belongings were left discarded on the floor, and an odd smell hung in the air
"Why did they leave? Where'd they go?" America asked, picking at one of the chopsticks, with a failed effort to make it move. "What happened?"
"I don't know," England said.
"Guys!" France yelled, bursting into the lunchroom. He looked rather harassed and on the verge of panicking, and his "perfect" hair was windblown. "Where's everyone?!" He spotted America and England, and said, "Well, you guys are here. At least..." He seemed to calm down a little after seeing the two, though he still looked harassed and confused.
"Whaddya mean?" America asked.
"Everyone else is gone! No one's outside! No one!"
That was certainly strange. "Well, that's not… normal."
"Did you check everywhere?" England asked, afterwards muttering, "Probably tried to find a brothel."
"I didn't!" France snapped. "Besides, I did check! Everyone's gone!"
"Really?" England asked, doubt in his voice. "Everyone just disappeared like—" he snapped his fingers, "that? Over seven billion people, gone?"
"England, quit acting pissy," America snapped. He turned to France and said, "You sure?"
"Oui," France said, nodding.
"Even the nations?" If the nations suddenly disappeared, where were they?
Again, France nodded. "As soon as the lights blacked out, I went outside. There was absolutely no one, I swear!"
America was finding it hard to believe France. Where would seven billion people go? "I –"
"You have to trust me on this one! Look," France ran over, grabbed America's hand, and started leading him towards the lunchroom exit, "I'll show you, there's no one out there!" France wrenched the door open and gestured outside. France had been right; not a living soul could be seen. It was an absolute wasteland outside. The empty skeletons of buildings stood silently against the dark sky, standing as remnants of a lost civilization. Wind whistled through the houses and buildings, blowing leaves and paper along with it. The sun was covered by blood-red clouds, even though it was midday. Bins were knocked over, spilling their rubbish everywhere. Rats scurried across the streets, picking through the rubbish and squeaking noisily.
"Where-where'd everyone go?" America quietly asked, gazing at the dead expanse. England silently creeped up and peered outside.
"I don't know; I've been spending the last hour looking for them. They're nowhere."
England looked at France curiously. "'Last hour'? It's only been a few minutes. Or can you not read your own watch now?"
France shook his head. "No, it's been an hour. And yes, I can still read my watch." Just to prove his point, France showed England his watch, which was digital. An hour had passed. It read, in blocky letters, 12:24.
"What?! But-but…" America couldn't find anything to say. "How is this happening?" America then took off his watch and showed France it. As England had said, it had only been a few minutes since the blackout. His watch read 11:26.
"That can't be right…" France muttered, glancing at his watch. "Either your watch is slow, or mine's fast."
"Hold on," England said. "Maybe there was an electrical storm?"
Both looked questioningly at England.
"What the hell is an electrical storm?" America asked, holding his steel watch.
"Think it's something like a solar storm…"
"Alright, what the hell is a solar storm?"
"It's when the Sun releases a flare that messes up Earth's magnetic field, twit."
"Then how did it mess up our watches if we're nowhere close to space?!"
"Look at your watches." America and France both glanced at their watches, then looked back up at England. "They're electronic. The storm messed it up." England kicked a plastic water bottle. "Didn't Germany say that a similar thing went on in the Bermuda triangle? If the storm was strong enough, it might have messed up non-electronics as well."
"You're saying," France said, "that everything could be messed up?"
"Yes, that's what I've been saying, fuckwit!"
"No arguing!" America snapped. "We have no idea where the others are, and you're already starting to argue! We need to look for the others. Come on," America grabbed France's sleeve and started to drag him along, England jogging after, "we can't stand around –"
"Hold on!" France snapped, yanking his sleeve out of America's hand. He turned back to England and said, "There's no way it was a solar storm!"
"How do you know?" England snarled, stopping and glaring at France. "You barely know anything –"
"We," France corrected. "We barely know anything. But, it wasn't a solar storm."
England crossed his arms arrogantly. "Give me one good reason I should believe you, of all people."
"One, everyone wouldn't scatter because of something we couldn't even feel! Seven billion people can't disappear because of a storm!"
"Guys, come on!" America whined, turning to face the bickering nations. "We'll work on this later! We need to find the others!" When they didn't budge, America added, "They might know something about what happened."
"Fine," England muttered grudgingly, after a few seconds of deliberation. "Just don't ask me to work with him," he pointed hatefully at France, who only shrugged.
"Good," America said, turning back around, "now, we can—" Just then, something darted across, too fast for America to see any defining details. The thing passed by in a blur. It was wearing something dark...
"Did you see that?" America asked, pointing at where the thing was and looking back at England.
"See what?" France asked.
"That thing…"
"What thing?" England piped up.
America shook his head. "Never mind." Did he just imagine it? He looked back at where the thing had been. Just then, another thing darted by, a thick black colour, in the same direction as the other thing.
Before America could say anything, France looked behind himself, apparently seeing something off. "Where's the conference centre?"
He glanced back, and saw that the conference centre had disappeared, as if it had been wiped off the face of the earth. The only reminder of it existing were the twisted metal pipes and the torn down flag posts, with all of the different flags laying on the ground.
"What the hell is going on?!"
"I don't know," England said, "but it's definitely not good." And England was true, sadly.
Okay, so, for those that slaved through, I appreciate it. The first chapter is never the best. Alright, so (for once) France is right: it wasn't a solar storm (pick up on everyone missing, the static blur America saw, the disappearing conference centre, and the magically levitating utensils). If it wasn't that, what was it? Quotes are at the beginning to kinda foreshadow what's going to go on in the chapter or later in the story. Or something that relates to the story or the characters. Anyway, thanks for checking out the first chapter! Read, favourite, follow, comment, lurk in cyberspace, I don't care. Just NO inappropriate reviews (as in, lewd crap, unnecessary flames, etc.). Also, there will be British terms in here. Most of them, you guys can probably guess on, but for the trickier ones, I'll include the American term for it as well. (Like, a "torch" would be "flashlight" in American English.)
Note that their watches were set to different times, even though they started at the same time. Also, I'll tell you, there will be some supernatural stuff going on. Freaky stuff!