The laughter died first.
It didn't fade—it was cut off, like someone had ripped the joy straight out of the air.
The crack in the sky spread wider.
Inside the ballroom, fear spread just as fast. Hearts pounded so loudly it felt like the entire room was beating with the same rhythm of terror.
Then—
A scream.
One of the guests had rushed to the window. His face turned pale, his hands trembling as he pointed outside.
"L-look…!"
Everyone turned.
And froze.
The sky… was no longer normal.
The atmosphere itself seemed gone. Above them stretched a deep, endless black, filled with shining stars—beautiful, calm… and completely wrong.
But that wasn't the worst part.
Huge holes had opened in the sky.
And from those holes—
Water poured down.
Not rain.
Not clouds.
Entire streams of water crashed down from the sky itself, along with debris—metal scraps, broken objects, things that didn't belong there.
The scene was unreal.
Beautiful… and terrifying.
"No… this can't be real…" someone whispered.
Reha quickly pulled out her phone, typing fast. "There must be something—any alert, any prediction… space agencies, NASA, anything—"
She stopped.
Her hands slowly dropped.
"There's… nothing," she said quietly. "No warning. No prediction. Nothing at all."
That was when panic truly began.
Water started seeping into the ballroom.
At first, it was just a thin layer across the floor.
Then it rose.
Faster.
People screamed, pushing each other, trying to escape.
"STOP!"
Abhimanyu's voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
The room fell silent.
Everyone turned toward him.
His face was calm—but his eyes were sharp, focused.
"Panicking won't help," he said firmly. "First, we move to the rooftop. It's the safest place right now. Then we wait for rescue."
A few seconds of silence.
Then—
"Yes… yes, he's right!"
"Rooftop! Move!"
The crowd started moving together.
As they rushed up the stairs, phones buzzed all around.
An emergency alert flashed on every screen:
⚠ EMERGENCY ALERT ⚠Unidentified atmospheric collapse detected. Massive water influx and ground instability reported.All citizens are advised to move immediately to higher ground or rooftops. Avoid low-lying areas. Stay together and await rescue.Do NOT attempt to travel alone unless necessary. Further instructions will follow.
Fear deepened.
But they kept moving.
Rooftop
When they reached the rooftop, the full horror became clear.
The sky looked like it had been torn open.
Water continued to fall from the holes endlessly.
The city below was already flooding.
And the water level…
…was still rising.
Fast.
Abhimanyu stepped forward and looked down the building.
His jaw tightened.
"It'll reach here," he said quietly. "Soon."
He turned to his group.
"We don't have time to stand here."
They gathered quickly.
One guy said nervously, "We should wait for rescue. That's what the alert said—"
Aarav cut him off.
"Yeah? And by the time rescue comes, who knows if we'll even be alive?"
Silence.
Another guy, Rohan, spoke up."We should find a boat. Something that floats. Then head toward higher ground… maybe the mountains."
Abhimanyu shook his head slightly."The mountains are too far. And we don't even know where to find a boat in this chaos."
They all looked up at the sky again.
Those holes kept pouring water without stopping.
A deep sigh escaped them all.
Meanwhile, behind them, panic was growing again.
"I don't want to die!" a boy cried. "I'm still a bachelor! I haven't even lived my life!"
Another girl sobbed, "I want to go home… I don't want to die here…"
And then—
One girl said loudly, annoyed,"Ugh, my dress is ruined! It's completely dirty—I need to get it cleaned!"
Everyone turned and stared at her.
If looks could hit, she would've been knocked out instantly.
In the middle of the end of the world…
…she was worried about her dress.
"Enough!" Abhimanyu said sharply.
The noise stopped again.
He took a breath.
"I'll go check," he said. "Within a 5 km area. If there's a boat or rescue team, I'll find it."
Meera stepped forward immediately."No! How will you even go? Swim?!"
Abhimanyu looked at her calmly.
"Yes."
She was about to argue—
But Leonard gently held her arm.
"We need to try something," he said quietly. "Or everyone here might die."
Meera hesitated…
Then slowly fell silent.
Leonard stepped forward."I'll go too. I can swim."
Abhimanyu nodded.
"Alright. You take the east. I'll go west. Two more—north and south."
Two others agreed.
Without wasting time—
They jumped.
Two Hours Later
The wait felt endless.
Cold wind.
Rising water.
Fear.
One by one—
Three of them returned.
Exhausted.
Empty-handed.
"There's nothing…" one said, breathing heavily. "No boats… no rescue…"
Aarav clenched his fists.
"…Where's Abhimanyu?"
No one answered.
Time passed.
Every second heavier than the last.
Meera stood at the edge, staring into the distance.
"Please… come back…" she mutter.
Meanwhile — Abhimanyu
Far away—
He found it.
A rescue boat.
It had crashed into a building.
Empty—
Except for one man.
The captain.
Unconscious.
Abhimanyu rushed forward.
"Hey! Wake up!"
He shook him.
The man groaned and slowly opened his eyes.
"W-what… happened…?"
"No time," Abhimanyu said quickly. "People are trapped. Rooftop. We need to move now."
The man blinked, trying to understand.
"My name… is Daniel…" he said weakly.
"Daniel," Abhimanyu said firmly, "can you drive?"
A pause.
Then—
"…Yes."
"Good. Then move."
Something in Abhimanyu's voice brought him fully back.
They got the boat moving.
Return
After some time—
A voice echoed through the rooftop.
"I FOUND A BOAT!"
Everyone turned.
Abhimanyu.
Alive.
The relief was instant.
People almost cried.
The boat reached them.
It could carry around fifty people.
But there were seventy.
Silence fell again.
Abhimanyu looked at his friends.
"We stay," he said.
No hesitation.
Aarav nodded. "Yeah."
Leonard too.
Meera looked at him… then nodded slowly.
The others understood.
Fifty people boarded.
The boat left.
Saving them.
Leaving the rest behind.
The End Begins
The remaining group sat down.
Exhausted.
Silent.
Just breathing.
For a moment—
It felt like things had calmed.
Then—
The ground trembled.
Not lightly.
Violently.
"Not again…" Aarav whispered.
A deep rumble rose from below.
And then—
The rooftop cracked.
A massive fissure opened beneath them.
Water and air spiraled downward into darkness.
"No—RUN!" someone shouted.
But it was too late.
The force pulled everything in.
People screamed as they lost their footing.
Abhimanyu grabbed Aarav—
But the pull was too strong.
One by one—
They were dragged toward the crack.
Fighting.
Struggling.
Failing.
And then—
They fell.
Into the darkness below.
Swallowed by the broken earth.
—Chapter End—