[Flashback]

It came like a nightmare.

The day my life changed forever.

The lives of my family, my friends, gone. It started out much the same way as any ordinary day. Life is funny like that. Went to school, talked to my friends, hung out at the mall. That all changed abruptly.

"Please seek shelter immediately. I repeat, please seek shelter immediately."

The voice over the loud speaker repeated this order time and time again.

Like most, I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed my house line. Checking in with my family.

"Mom! There's something crazy going on here at the mall-"

She was already crying. It made my blood freeze. "There's a crazy man on the loose. He's going over blowing up buildings! You have to get out of that mall! He's heading there!"

Shakily I hung up, promising to leave right away. I never got the chance.

The explosions started within a few seconds. I grabbed my best friend Sarah's hand and made a run for the exit. The building's roof was already falling down--I screamed and backed away, turning to look for another way out.

Sarah pulled free and dropped to her knees, shaking and crying uncontrollably. Her blonde hair had bits of debris in it, matching my own. I tried to talk to her but my voice was drowned out by the noise of the walls falling down.

"We have to get out! Get up! What're you doing?!" I yanked her hand up and half drug her to the next exit. It, too, was destroyed and covered in fallen roofing. My heart sank. Would I really die like this? I shook my head to clear my thoughts. This is just a nightmare, I reasoned. That's all. I'll wake up and everything will be okay-it had to be!

I saw a shadow above, it looked like someone was standing in the air, hovering. I blinked, unable to comprehend what I was seeing. The blue sky above clearly showed a man there with dark hair, wearing an equally dark outfit. An earring dangled from his ear. Green.

I backed up and fell over a boulder, open mouthed and shaking. It had to be the man they said was doing this.

He'd looked right at me. This is it. I'm going to die here after all.

I clenched my eyes tightly, squinting through the dust.

His hand raised. I couldn't see his face clearly but it looked like he smiled a little.

I felt tears falling from my eyes. My family, friends, even my almost boyfriend...I'd be saying goodbye at any second.

He shot some sort of beam towards me; I screamed and jumped out of the way, narrowly dodging the ray.

Was I hurt? I didn't know, my thoughts clouded over as my flight or fight kicked in.

Sarah shrieked and I turned to her. Blood seeped from her chest and she coughed, more came from her mouth.

No.

Not Sarah!

I turned back to the sky but the man was gone. I looked around, not seeing him anymore.

"Looking for me?"

His voice. It was eerie and a chill went down my spine. My head spun to the sound. Right behind me.

He smirked.

"You dodged it. Will you be so lucky next time, I wonder?"

His hand lifted almost lazily, pointing to my chest. I shrunk back, never taking my eyes away from his hand. There's no way I'd be able to dodge it this close. I swallowed dryly and coughed, choking on the dust.

"You...you killed her," I spoke.

He appeared amused at my words.

"Does that bother you?" He asked.

I couldn't say anything else out of fear.

Instead, I shook in my converse sneakers and backed away further. The wall. I was touching it now, or what was left of it.

He walked closer..

"You seem to be at a loss for words in my presence." He added, tilting his head to the side.

I felt sweat running down my face, my back, my hands. He was waiting for me to say something.

I gathered the courage to reply, "You killed my best friend. She...she didn't do anything wrong! Why..why are you hurting people?"

My voice shook with every syllable.

He frowned at me. "..You seem to be a rather opinionated mortal.."

Slowly he walked to me until I could see every detail of his devil-like face. His eyes were dark and filled with blood lust. There was no remorse in his gaze. As if what he's done was justified. Anger. It began to simmer in my veins.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You..go ahead and kill me. I don't care. Do it! You love killing, don't you?!"

I spat the words out like it was bitter medicine.

His dark eyes widened a little. He wasn't expecting me to say that.

I hadn't expected it, either.

His hand lowered to his side. "Killing such barbaric creatures such as you...I suppose I do love it, in a way."

What? What was he talking about? How were me and my friends--innocent people-- barbaric?

What code did this man live by to judge us?

I balled my hands into fists. "You speak like you know me. You don't know anything!"

I swung out at him, intending to do some sort of crazed bravery. My fist never connected. Instead it struck air. I twirled, looking around the dusty air to find him again. He's fast. Inhumanly fast.

"Perhaps I don't know you as an individual.." his voice said beside me. I froze and scattered away, but his hand shot out, stilling me from escape.

"Still. To know one mortal is to know them all." He continued.

I tried to pry free but it was useless. There was no escaping this man. No. This wasn't a man. Some..alien in a man's body. He had to be.

I looked up at him, torn with fear and frustration. "Let me go! Quit..quit torturing me and just end it already! That's what you want, right? You--heartless person!"

His lips drew back in a snarl and his free hand struck my face so hard I almost lost consciousness. My face didn't hurt, it was numb with pain. Tears blurred my vision.

"You mortals have no respect for divinity."

His words confused me. Was he a God? Is that what he's doing? Passing judgement on us? It seemed like it.

I took a good look at him. He was calm, as though emotions didn't enter his brain at all. It must be true, then.

"You...you're a God?" I asked, feeling my face begin to swell.

He sneered. "I am. You should bow before my very presence."

If...if that's the case. I dipped my head. "I didn't know. Then...since..you're here to punish us..I must have done something wrong."

Of course I was scared. Beyond scared. My emotions were numb and my body ran on autopilot.

He nodded. "Indeed. Watching you mortals thrive on killing, destroying this once beautiful planet, fighting senselessly. You haven't the brains to develop. Your existence...is a failure and a smudge on all things. You should not have been created."

My eyes widened. This is how a God looks at us? I looked to his lips, "that must be right, then...you're a God...after all."

I swallowed thickly and felt my bones shaking. I'd been judged to die. It didn't seem fair.

He watched me quietly.

I bowed my head,"Then..I'm sorry we failed you. I wish I had another chance. But...that's selfish of me."

My eyes burned. I didn't want to die. What would happen?

I felt his grip on my arm loosen. It made me look up at him through my blurred eyesight. His dark eyes were wide.

"Another chance?" He repeated. Dimly I nodded. "If I'd known...maybe...I could have been different."

I closed my eyes. It was useless to fight this God. He was here to punish us. The end would come.

Time ticked away, turning into minutes. Perhaps five. I opened my eyes to see him calmly watching me, almost as though I were a new object he's never encountered before. Wasn't he going to kill me? Isn't that what he's doing?

We didn't speak to one another. The God turned away. "I'll spare you for now….I'm curious."

With these words he took off to the sky, flying away so fast I couldn't keep up.

That's the day that changed my existence forever.