Day 1 - Sunday "Man! Why do I have to mow the lawn?" I asked. "Dammit, I did it last time!"
"Be quiet and do what you're told, Jake!" my father shouted back.
"But I wanted to go practice…" I muttered.
"Stop talking back! Get it done!" my father shouted again.
I suppose I ought to introduce myself. I'm Jake Hartmut… the last of my three siblings that live in our house. My older brother finally got an apartment of his own (thank goodness!), and my other older brother… Roy… he disappeared some time ago. I'm not sure what happened to him… but I…
Our sputtering, old lawnmower slowly whirred to life as I yanked on the pull string for the twelfth time. I mowed the lawn and was finished by 3 o'clock. Then I went to my room, grabbed my long sword, went out back, and trained till 6 o'clock. Considering my sword was the only thing sacred to me anymore…
Things have… changed a lot since Roy disappeared. Our father recently retired from the military, and he hasn't been able to find a job yet. So while we don't have too many money problems, he's been really grouchy lately. So I don't have much to escape to… besides my training and reading manga… plus school, but everyone has that.
Regardless, school was tomorrow, and I was pretty tired after training for a while. I ate my dinner, hung out with my parents for a little while, even though I'd rather spend my time with my friends. After 10 o'clock, I went up to my room to 'go to bed,' which meant I would read old Naruto manga. I went to bed at about midnight.
Day 2 – Monday "How are you, Aegle? I hope you didn't work too hard over the weekend," I said.
"No harder than you worked, sweetie. Besides, I know how hard you dad's been on you lately," my girlfriend answered. We were in lunch, the only time we really have together besides after school. We both have jobs, and so we don't get to spend much time together after school. I love her, though.
"Ah, don't worry about me. I've had to deal with stuff like that for four years," I replied. "Since my older brothers just up and disappeared, I've gotten used to it."
"Well, don't work too hard. It's just too bad you have to work today," Aegle said seductively, "because I don't have to work today."
"Oh, well. No sense in wishing for what I can't have," I sighed. "I just wish I had more time to train."
"You're still training with that sword? I can't believe you!" Aegle shouted. "I told you it's pointless to train with that sword! You'll never see real combat with that thing!"
"You don't know that!" I said back. "Even so, I train to improve and calm myself."
"That's just an excuse," she said.
"An excuse is an excuse," I replied. "You're not my boss, anyway." The bell rang seconds later. "I need to get to Art Class, so if you'll excuse me…" I said, getting up.
"Yeah, yeah," Aegle replied as I walked off.
Work that night… was a bad day. Everyone seemed on edge… like something odd was going on. I went home and went to bed right away at 11 o'clock.
Day 3 – Tuesday "What's going on? Why does everyone seem on edge lately?" I asked, somewhat annoyed. I was sitting in Art Class, even though two fights had broken out in school that day.
"Be quiet! I'm concentrating on my painting!" somebody yelled at me.
Geez, I thought to myself. Everyone's so edgy. What the hell's going on?
I finished my day at school, went to work (which was filled with grumpy people, as well), then went home and collapsed on my bed.
Day 4 – Wednesday "Damn! What's with everybody?" I asked Aegle. We were sitting at lunch again, eating our tiny hamburgers. They weren't very filling.
"How should I know? It's not like I feel any different," she answered.
"It's just… odd. Everybody seems on edge. Shoot, a dozen fights have broken out and it's only lunchtime! What's going on?" I asked again.
"I… don't know. But if things keep going on like this, they might have to close the school," Aegle answered. "That would suck."
"Yeah, yeah…" I muttered, finishing my burger just as the bell rang. The rest of the day was uneasy as well. Many more fights broke out, making me glad I know how to drive. There were tons of wrecks, and I got to work late.
"What's… going on?" I asked myself before going to bed.
Day 5 – Thursday "One more screw-up, and you're fired!" my manager yelled at me.
"I didn't even do anything! Chill out, man!" I said back.
"Shut it and get back to work!" he yelled again.
"Man, what's wrong with everyone? It's like they're all crabby. Shoot…" I muttered. "Everyone was all good and happy until a few days ago…"
"Don't worry about it, man," one of my coworkers said. "Just chill out. It'll pass."
"Yeah, I suppose so," I said. "Still…"
"Just be quiet and work. That's the only way you'll escape their evil eye," he said. I got back to work.
Day 6 – Friday "Ah, shoot! I suck at math!" I muttered to myself. "I didn't even study for this test!"
"Hey, don't worry about it. There's only three people in the class left! How bad can we possibly do?" one of my classmates asked. Almost everyone was suspended from school, leaving only about 75 kids in the cafeteria. Aegle had been suspended as well, though it was because she tried to stop a fight.
"I'm not… it's just…" I muttered, munching on my overly greasy pizza. "I'm worried about everything that's been going on. It's almost as mysterious as…" I trailed off.
"What?" my classmate asked.
"…nothing," I said, taking another greasy bite. The bell rang as I finished my lunch. I headed back to math class where the room was nearly silent. I knew I failed the test.
I went home to my parents' bickering, then went upstairs to read manga. I went to bed around 2 o'clock, having surfed the internet and played some MMORPG.
Day 7 – Saturday "So, how harsh were your parents on you?" I asked Aegle. We were in her room near the town square, since she lived in an apartment with her parents.
"Not too bad. They're too busy fighting with each other to care about it, really," she replied. "It's like they're being blinded…"
"It's odd, too. Only a few people haven't been seriously irritable these past few days," I mused, "and only the little children haven't shown signs of irritability… rage, at all."
"Hm… well, maybe we should go to the town square. We could rally the people there, maybe start a petition to get everyone checked into a psych ward," Aegle laughed.
"…whatever," I muttered. "So are we going or what?"
"Let me just tell my parents. Mom! Dad! I'm going out!"
No reply.
"MOM! DAD!" Aegle shouted again. Still no reply.
We went out of her room to check out the rest of the apartment. Her parents were nowhere to be found.
"Well, what do we do?" I asked.
"We're going," Aegle said forcefully. She then went into her room and came back with her curtain rod.
"What's that for?" I asked curiously.
"I'll need it," she replied.
"How do you know?"
"Just a feeling I have."
"Then let's go get my weapon," I suggested. "My sword."
"You and that damn sword," Aegle complained. "Fine. But we have to be quick!"
We got in my car, dashed through the eerily silent and empty streets to my house, and I grabbed my sword real quick. We then attempted to get to the town square… but traffic was backed up… by people.
"What the hell's going on!?" I shouted, jumping out of the car. Everyone was fighting… with Keyblades. I could see the town's fair population attacking each other mercifully with the blunt weapons.
"Aegle…" I said. "Stay here. I'll try and get to the town square."
"How are you going to do that?" she asked me.
"I'll break my way through them!" I shouted, unsheathing my sword. "Every last one!"
I charged into the mob before Aegle could reply. I managed to cut a swath through all the people, though I was horrified at the blood flying everywhere. I managed to force my way to the fountain in the center of the town square. I stood on the fountain, overlooking the havoc.
"What's going on?" I asked, now desperate. I could only think of one person who could help me now.
"ROY!!! WHERE ARE YOU?" I screamed at the sky with my eyes closed. I lowered my head and opened my eyes to see darkness falling in the streets. It was pitch-black darkness… a darkness that covered and hid everything. I stood in the circle of light that was the fountain, and the darkness waited a moment.
"What… is going on?" I asked as the darkness fell around me…