Winter

Nikolaj awoke to the sound of drilling, caused presumably by the workers involved in the construction of a new mansion down the street. He had been trying to drown out the noise by not paying attention to it, but that turned out to be more difficult to practically execute. He needed a distraction. Something to take his mind off of the teeth-chattering cold that surrounded him. The heaters were not sufficient. He had a heavy cardigan on, but the cold prevailed. Nobody was walking down the street, and it wasn't even 10 o'clock yet. People preferred to stay indoors, but a few were not privileged enough to have that comfort. This was usually the time people would be coming home, and the emptiness of the street surprised Nikolaj. He didn't expect ten different cars or buses, but he certainly didn't expect an empty street. He decided to look out of the balcony. 

The only audible sound was of the workers and their machines. It was Friday night, and the younger crowd usually left their houses to get together, or defy their parents, and sometimes just out of curiosity, to see how the night along with the cold affected nature. Nikolaj looked up to spot the moon but realised he couldn't see it. He searched the sky and noticed a red speck. There was no moon, no stars, just the red speck. That was unlike anything he had seen in his lifetime. 

He peered out of the balcony, to check if anyone else took interest in the night sky. Unfortunately, he was alone. None of his neighbours was in their balconies. Some even had their doors shut and curtains closed. This surely couldn't have been a way to keep the wind out. And lockdowns had not been imposed since the dreaded year of 2020. 

He went inside his apartment and called his friend, Osborne, to enquire about the situation in his neighbourhood. He did not pick up. Nikolaj realised the drilling had stopped. He went out to the balcony. The whereabouts of the workers were not clearly visible, but he could see some people walking away from the construction site. He wondered if the quickened pace was just for the need of shelter and warmth or something more. He looked at the red speck again. It seemed a tiny bit bigger than before.

Nikolaj had been asleep a short while, so it wasn't very likely that he missed someone knocking on his door. He didn't have any unread messages on his phone. But he also realised that he couldn't send any messages, and assumed that if anyone had tried to reach him, they wouldn't be able to. He didn't know why he was making the situation seem terrifying. Sure, it was a bit more quiet than usual, he couldn't talk to anyone, couldn't see anyone in the street, and the only trace of life visible in the form of construction workers had disappeared. But there was no need to worry, probably. It might just be a very elaborate coincidence. 

There was a sharp knock at his door. He sighed in relief and opened the door. A tall woman in a dark blue suit stepped inside hurriedly. "Sir, you need to come with me, immediately."

"What? Why would I go anywhere with you? Who are you?"

"I am with the government, sir, and you need to step outside and come with me."

"What do you mean, 'with the government'?"

"There is no time for such questions, just hurry up!" She was getting visibly impatient and irritated at the interrogation.

"But I don't know who you are."

"I am aware of that, but you need to trust me right now, there is no time."

She took his hand and almost pulled him outside his house in his pyjamas and sandals. 

"Where are you taking me?" Nikolaj shouted, desperately trying to release himself from the woman's grip. She wouldn't let go. When they finally reached the ground floor, she pushed him inside a black van and got in herself.

"Go, go, go!" she shouted at the driver. The van sped quickly and they rushed through the empty street. Nikolaj looked out of the window. As he looked at the sky, he noticed the red speck, now definitely larger than before. And it was getting bigger and bigger by the second when Nikolaj realised it looked frighteningly similar to either a missile or an asteroid. Neither option was comforting.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" He smacked the woman's hand without averting his gaze from the growing ball. She understood what he meant and stared out the window. He looked at her face. She looked like she had seen a ghost. The driver suddenly poked his head out of the window to stare at the object. He took a panic-stricken gulp and sped even faster. The woman sat back in her seat, her eyes bulging out of their sockets. 

"What is that?!" Nikolaj almost screamed. She stared at him with the same look and said nothing. He turned away and kept staring at the red ball. He looked at the woman. "Am I going to die?" he asked. She said nothing. He took that for a 'yes. He sat back. The driver looked at them in the rearview mirror. He realised the atmosphere and stopped the van. They all sat waiting for death to approach, and after a few moments, something exploded behind the van. The impact not only hurled the van several hundred metres away, but the road also seemed to crack. Nikolaj went flying with the van and hit the ground with a skull-shattering crash. A second later, there was darkness.