The Numbers Above Us - The First Hour

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgjmfbPqhHE

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2qjVAmGYD

The world didn’t end all at once.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQ8qzIlhfR

It ended in pieces.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXk3l0owOB

Small, quiet moments—

like someone dropping their phone…

or a scream that cut off too suddenly.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRpqtz3Jwd

I couldn’t move from my bed.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyn1t7rYmE4

My eyes were locked on the number above me.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiV8VuOReg

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlzEuq8ANp

It hadn’t changed again. Not yet.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8qe48FEld

But I knew it would.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoT0QWvP2Wz

Somewhere out there, people were already reaching zero.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebcqSsQLE9

And dying.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dRxJTDL7U

My phone buzzed again.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKbJOYVzZi

This time, it was a call.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BEUxTsg5t

I hesitated before answering.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUloldhIM4

“Hello?”

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPW2EBxM2bZ

“You see it too, right?”

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxVIESONMB

The voice on the other end was shaking.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uTT1Iq2Dc

Lina.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZDLRIuYtF

“I…” I swallowed. “Yeah.”

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKMT7SLEr5

Silence. Then—

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukAnVG4Lz3

“What’s your number?”

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvotBJtHeGC

I glanced up.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhvGJTym7O

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3iGAYXWug

“…twenty-six.”

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOrN3i86hx

Another pause. Longer this time.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy27T336frD

“Mine says 14,” she whispered.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEV2AJoILH

My chest tightened.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjTzCLDcRZ

“That doesn’t mean anything,” I said quickly, even though I didn’t believe it. “We don’t even know what it is yet.”

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbhl2IXATB

“People are dying.”

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uKDGVoQYf

Her voice cracked.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTSeI9zouv

“I saw a video. Someone hit zero and just—collapsed.”

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBn2FROSoi

“I know.”

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8HzBSlhjV

The words came out quieter than I expected.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1NxdUw5o3

Because I had seen it too.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkgjp5hKue

And I couldn’t unsee it.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYdOrF3CRz

“Listen,” Lina said suddenly, her tone urgent now. “We need to figure this out. Maybe it’s time… or—something else. Maybe we can stop it.”

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4UVHkCbIno

Stop it.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfeD0ViyEl

The idea felt impossible.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2K20S8dD93

But also… necessary.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhc32QiCGtj

Because doing nothing meant waiting.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXhmqOUf3b

And waiting meant watching that number drop.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxlLfYY6yq

“I’ll come to you,” she said. “Don’t go anywhere.”

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9tSepgTwG

Before I could respond, the call ended.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgD5ZjxTfTM

I stared at my phone for a long moment.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiaeIH4UU4

Then slowly, I stood up.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcL6iduYimq

The room felt different now. Smaller.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFPZzSZhaA

Like the walls were closing in.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjmzThwM9C

I walked to the mirror.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipjScsvNtp

And there it was.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1XP21WRrDw

Floating above my reflection.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuO8WjifkV6

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6OLRaFetk

I leaned closer.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUKy7etvlN

“Who put you there?” I whispered.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSj1AFocen5

No answer.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDdqEnZkqp

Of course not.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCKJS0SQWh

This wasn’t something that could be explained that easily.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFQVNe7epW

Another vibration.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu89FSzV9sU

This time, a notification from a live stream.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwM9xVPxki

Thousands of viewers.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxWcWtAAX9

I tapped it.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8HyE4k8Gi

A man appeared on screen, breathing heavily as he pointed the camera at himself.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2YCZvRtVr3

“Okay—okay, listen,” he said. “My number was 10 ten minutes ago. Now it’s 5.”

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WBsuh4yGN

My heart started racing.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CtQFhM6hC

Dropping.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wxsKhpEhy

Fast.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDRoVZGNCi

“I haven’t done anything,” he continued. “I’m just sitting here—”

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7equ1maf1

His voice broke.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjHBzv7X5I

“Why is it going down?”

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GZ3yBi1WG

The comments were exploding.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNazvhsZHe

Mine is dropping too

Same here

What is happening??

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpWkGP3PJX

The man laughed suddenly, but there was no humor in it.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXqVglD0Eu

“This is insane,” he said. “This has to be some kind of glitch—”

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6lr0HSpag

His eyes flicked upward.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv45fQzAO7n

He froze.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVc9aH2gDA1

The camera shook.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQ4v0hVLhS

“…it’s at 1.”

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKC95Ogpqz

No one in the comments was typing anymore.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkbmwemMYK

It was like the entire world was holding its breath.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUl2lpNoV2

“…please,” he whispered.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHY5mIyie7b

Then—

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4Mpsr8Sq4

His body went limp.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mnixE55Wa

The screen cut to black.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILPxH4EQUO

I dropped my phone.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUiK8mC37kZ

My hands were trembling now.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrSRIBXqtHi

This wasn’t random.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRroHdehDj

This wasn’t slow.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTrfMkldi5M

This was happening fast.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4G11wdbhz

I forced myself to look up again.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDKjowluAo

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMy53np2CU

Still there.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CoPSNckDa

Still unchanged.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5P0AJa6BL6

But now it felt heavier.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVJtvit9wtO

Like a ticking clock I couldn’t hear—

but knew was counting down anyway.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqygpflN5Q

A sudden knock at the door made me jump.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡud24S5dxrh

Sharp. Urgent.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bBxIGpzPi

“Open up!”

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgWZxGESjs

Lina.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6YHBIu0FLr

I rushed over and pulled the door open.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwmvLUWwVIV

She stood there, breathing hard, her eyes wide with fear.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyU7Jpu2mqV

And above her head—

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJP1Dbj2Aq

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6CGjlinBj

My stomach dropped.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjvasWJFeG

“It just changed,” she said, her voice barely steady.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlI802odx4

I looked back up at mine.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KJBWPGbOC

For a split second, I hoped—

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WnXYlHlSf

Hoped it would stay the same.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUXk2dmAzJ

But it didn’t.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0i5H42p1vW

It flickered.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ705nAKxWKV

Then—

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHrU2ju2lz

26… 25

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEanItVMI7M

Lina saw it happen.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbFAoJYesW

We both froze.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKNYBMZ98O

Neither of us spoke.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqt8kAuW4Pe

Because in that moment—

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfjltYN8po

We both understood the same thing.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaTvRD42ua

This wasn’t random.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7fhA7bjig

And whatever was happening…

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lREleYe9U

It had already started.

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZurfqpp2Bx

94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUqiAzKPTZ
ns216.73.217.61da2

Reading Theme:

Font Size:

Line Spacing:

Paragraph Spacing:

Load the next issue automatically