Everyone heard the voice all at once. A few coworkers passed out from the sheer insanity of it all.

I was frozen with fear, unable to make myself move. Not even a twitch of the finger. My eyes were locked on the wall ahead of me as I noticed Evie and Gray in my peripherals. They were both locked in a standing position, unmoving.

I guess that was the wrong thing to say. I figured you humans would react in a passionate way—not by passing out. I mean I did take it from one of your religious texts…

The voice echoed through my head again—except this time, with a chipper and sarcastic voice. A feeling of relief washed over me, although I wasn’t sure why. A voice was communicating to all of us—well, all of us in the office at least, perhaps even more—through our minds. There even was an unknown thing looming behind the sky outside our window. But I still felt relief as the feeling of fear seemed to dial back a notch or two. I wasn’t going to complain about that.

…anyway, I think I screwed the pooch. That’s something you all say, right? What a strange saying. Ah—let me just start over. Greetings all humans. As most of you have noticed that a foreign voice is speaking inside your head without your consent. That would be me! Well, ah, that’s right you can’t actually see me but I am a being! Er—a being of sorts, created by my master, to communicate to you humans in a way that you all can understand.

Some of you had the luxury of getting a glimpse of my master! Lucky you! That shadow looming in your sky isn’t a bird or a plane. No, it’s not a superhero either! Right now, standing outside of your solar system is a cosmic entity. A cosmic entity that cannot be described in any human language. Even speaking its name would cause you to die from the madness it would inflict upon you by hearing it. But not to worry! It is your universe’s lucky day! My master is the creator of YOUR universe. That is right! Your entire universe. Meticulously hand tailored. And no, there aren’t any other planets or stars with life in the universe! No other life is to be found in the entire universe. Just Earth! Congratulations!

Gasps and cries spread through the office. Cheryl started shouting something about the devil, her hands wrapped around a cross that sat on a chain around her neck.’

Unable to make a sound, I stood in disbelief as the unknown voice continued to stream a torrent of words into my brain. I was a believer in life being elsewhere in the universe. Any life. There had to be.

Evie had tears sitting at the edge of her eyelid, ready to run down her cheek, as her chin trembled.

I felt bad for her, even though we were all in the same situation.

Gray, on the other hand, was faring much better than Evie. His gaze was locked in my direction, expressionless with his fists clenched into a ball.

The voice continued.

Argh—I forgot to introduce myself. I keep forgetting to do that first. My name is Aiuemh’aioggelbh. …Yes, Dave, you have to call me that. …No, Isabella, that is not a nickname I approve of. This is my name!

The voice was silent for a few moments before beginning again with a reluctant tone.

Fine! You guys win. Instead of my name, you can call me whatever Isabella suggested! Cleo. Nice and short. Simple. Everyone can say it? Good. Now, on to the next topic.

I huffed out a laugh. The absurdity of some omnipotent being bickering with a person as significant as an ant in their eyes was comical.

I know you all have questions. Trust me, I know. I can hear you all. All of your thoughts. All. Of. Them. So to save some time, I am going to answer some of the frequent questions I have noticed.

Am I a god? No, I am not a god. That would be my master.

Am I all-knowing? No, but I have consumed all the knowledge of every culture in the history of your planet.

Do I like you guys? I do like your human culture as a whole but not humans as individuals. Oh wait—I don’t think I can tell you that. Forget what I just said. I have no feelings one way or the other.

Am I tangible? No, I am not tangible. You cannot see me like I said earlier. But I am everywhere.

Am I the Devil? No, I am not the Devil. Nor a demon. Nor anything but the creation of my master.

Are you going to die? No. Well, maybe… yes? I guess we’ll see once we get on to the tests.

Those are all the questions I will be answering for now. And speaking of tests, in a few moments we will be all taking one! Don’t worry. It is a very simple test. In the meantime, take a moment to relax and for your creator’s sake, breathe!

My head felt light. I jerked back in shock and sucked in air through my mouth. Had I been holding my breath this entire time? I ran my hand through my hair, flipping it back out of my face. I looked toward Evie.

Evie had sat on the ground, her knees to her chest, quietly sobbing into her hands. At least she was moving again. I didn’t have anything to say to comfort her. I couldn’t. What the hell could I say? It’ll be OK. That eldritch being that is somehow standing outside of our solar system will probably not kill us all. I mean I can’t be for certain. Oh that voice in all of our heads, that thing that can read our thoughts, and is everywhere all at once. That thing we are unable to see—that is essentially a god but says it isn’t. That thing? Yeah, no need to worry about that. I shook my head and turned my attention back to Gray.

Gray, on the other hand, was adorning a close-lipped smile while tapping his fingers together. Everyone else in the office was either in shock, distress, or sobbing but not Gray. I narrowed my eyes at him. There was something off with him. He did stare at that cosmic entity—no—that cosmic horror, longer than me.

“The fuck you staring at, bitch?” said Gray, causing me to jump at the sudden question.

With a wrinkled forehead, I shot back, “Yeesh, Gray. I should have left you standing there.”

Gray flashed his teeth and said with a crinkled nose, “Maybe you should have.”

Cleo’s voice began again with the sound of excitement.

And we are back! Humans of all ages—we are going to have our first test! Yes, a test. This test will be for all humans. Every single one. …Yes, Kwan, even babies. …No, Ilya, just because you’re blind doesn’t mean you don’t get to take it. All humans, no matter the age, no matter the disability, no matter what will be taking this test. Now, on to the test.

The first test is simple and will contain just a single question. You all will have the same question. And there are only two choices! Easy, right? The correct answer will be random. You will have 10 seconds to select an answer. Make sure you select the correct one! If you fail to select an answer one will be randomly chosen for you. The timer is set, you have 10 seconds. GO!

Cleo’s voice vanished but something else appeared in its place. A torrent of voiceless text cascaded into the depths of my mind, the same way the voice did, but this time it was silent. Instead of hearing the text, I could see the text. Not in my vision but in my mind. The text was crisp and clear. I could see every detail of it as if I were viewing it on a screen.

Time left: 10s

Q: Heads or Tails?

Taken aback, I laughed. I couldn’t believe the question. It was a coin flip. These incomprehensible entities with unfathomable power waltz on over to our planet and are flipping a coin.

Time left: 4s

Q: Heads or Tails?

Tails never fails. Tails, I mentally commanded.

Time left: 2s

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Q: Heads or Tails?

Your Answer: Tails.

Gray yelled out loud instead of using his brain, “Tails.” A few others in the office followed suit and shouted their answers, all heads. I didn’t hear anything come from Evie. She must’ve mentally commanded it as I had.

I scoffed at Gray’s answer. Of course, he had to pick tails. Asshole.

Time is up! All answers are in. Time to flip the coin! Well, I don’t actually have a coin but I’ll pretend to. Here we go.

And FLIP!

Cleo attempted to make each sound of a coin flipping, rotating in the air, and landing.

The result is… HEADS!

The answer boomed in my head while nausea permeated through me. I was going to puke. I don’t know what they have planned for the losers but I knew it wasn’t good.

I heard Gray shout again, “NO!”.

Evie cried out loud, slamming her fist onto the floor as a bunch of cheers flooded the room with the roaring laughter from Fred drifted toward me.

“Heads always wins,” he continued, chuckling to himself. “God, I love gambling.”

Cheryl was on her knees, kissing the cross around her neck and holding it up toward the ceiling. “Thank you, God! I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”

My head and face burned as beads of sweat made their slow descent from my forehead to my chin and fell to the floor. Nausea ended up getting the best of me, forcing me to bend over into a dry heave. Nothing came up, thanks to skipping my lunch. I pushed myself back up off my knees, eyes blurry from the sweat, pushing the hair back out of my face, attempting to prepare myself for whatever was going to come next.

Moment after moment passed. The tension in the room was thick. Everyone was waiting in suspense, waiting for the voice to start speaking again, waiting to see what impending doom awaited the unlucky ones. Time seemed to slow to a halt with every second feeling like an eternity. The voice finally snapped back.

Congratulations on the 4 billion people that selected heads. You all are considered lucky ducks. As for the 3.8 billion that selected tails, you are not so lucky. The lucky versus the unlucky.

Cleo’s voice changed to a deep and ominous tone.

And my master doesn’t want any of the lucky.

My heart jolted, releasing a flood of adrenaline. I turned my head toward Fred, whose mouth was now hanging, to witness his body begin to convulse. His veins bulged beneath his skin, pulsating, as beads of sweat painted his face.

Then, in an instant, his body erupted. It was as if a bomb had detonated from within his body sending a shockwave that ripped through his flesh, tearing it from the inside out. His skin split open like ravines, exposing quivering muscles and pulsating organs as blood spurted in crimson arcs, painting the surroundings in a macabre dance of life’s final moments. Sounds of ligaments snapping and bones splintering filled the air, drowned only by his agonizing screams.

Fragments of bone, flesh, and organs hurtled through the air. The jagged shards of bone became a projectile, piercing into my flesh. I cried out in pain and covered my face as I was bombarded by the grisly missiles of bone.

Sounds of piercing shrieks and cries flooded the room. The bombardment of bone fragments seized. Examining my body, I found at least a dozen sharp bone fragments jutting out of my arms and legs. They didn’t feel deep. My clothes were stained red as the wetness seeped through them to my skin.

I started yanking them out, wincing at each one as they slid out. “Fuck.”

The office was now covered from the ceiling to the floor with human remains. The sickening aroma of decay filled the space as a blend of rot and bodily fluids wafted through the air.

I gagged, again. After pulling out the last of the bone fragments from my skin, I searched for Evie, wanting to make sure she was alright.

Evie was on the ground, the same spot she has been in the entire time, lying on her back covered from head to toe in bone fragments. She was closer to the eruption of Fred than I was.

With a gasp, I ran toward her, reaching her in a few steps. I knelt down beside her and started pulling out the fragments. She cried out in pain with each one.

“Stop! It hurts!” she yelled, smacking my arm.

“I know but they have to come out,” I said, picking out another.

As I yanked out fragments from Evie, I peered around the room to see who else may have survived. There wasn’t anyone else left standing other than Gray. He looked to be free of any bone fragments. Unfortunate.

While I yanked and peered around, something near a wall of the nearby cubicle caught my eye. Focusing on it, it became clear. It was the decapitated head of Cheryl, lying angled on the floor, eyes directed at me.

I grimaced at the surprise and then frowned. She had thought she was saved by her god. Instead, her life was ended in a tortuous brutal fashion.

I finished picking the fragments from Evie. “All done.”

Standing to my feet, I yelled out toward the silent office, “Does anyone need help? Anyone else in here?”

Silence.

I helped Evie to her feet.

“I am going to go see if anyone else is back there,” I said to her. She nodded in response.

Cautiously, I stepped closer to where Cheryl and the rest of the group had congregated, avoiding touching any limbs or organs as I made my way. With every step on the blood-stained carpet, a squishing noise echoed across the silent office.

The only intact body was Glenn’s. His neck contained a jagged bone, splintered to a razor-sharp point, that tore its way through his flesh and stuck out the other side.

My eyes closed tight. God dammit. He had chosen correctly but ended up dead. I hoped it wasn’t as agonizing as the others. I retreated back to Evie and Gray.

“Looks like it’s just us,” I said.

Gray chimed in, “Yippie for us.”

As I stood there, nausea started to make its way back into me. The reality of what just happened started to sink in. I just watched a man erupt from the inside out in a slow agonizing death before his insides were scattered around the office. The sounds, the smell, it was all hitting me at once.

No one else was alive in the office. Out of eight only three survived.

I thought about what Cleo said about the results. Four billion people chose heads. Over half the world would have faced the same horrible death that I witnessed of Fred. Of all ages.

My head started to swim as I stumbled backward, struggling to keep my balance. What kind of being could do such a thing? Cleo said that its master had created this world. So why was it destroying it? I approached the window to get some fresh air. I pried the window open and stuck my head out.

Another horror scene adorned the streets. The same horror scene that painted this office. Death, shrieks, and crying. People were running through the streets, aimlessly, looking for someone to help. Something to save them. But none of that was coming.

A heavy sigh escaped my lips as I brought my head back into the office. “Jesus Christ.”

Congratulations, winners! Now that we got that over with I will explain the current situation and what the next steps are.

First, the current situation. To put it bluntly, my master is ending this world and there is nothing you can do about it. Think of it as throwing away a half-finished painting, story, or project of any kind. This is my master’s project and they are done with it. My master understands that you all have lives and is willing to protect them if deemed worthy enough. That is why we have a set of tests, to find the lives worthy enough to be protected. Any life that isn’t human is considered a failing score. The first test was to rid all the lucky ones.

On to the next steps. The next steps are to continue with the tests, of course! There will be another test in a few moments for everyone. This test will be a bit trickier to pass. But before that, I have one more thing to explain.

As I mentioned previously, I have consumed every piece of human knowledge and all of its culture in the entire history of the planet. In doing so, I have picked one piece of human culture that was common across all humans. Quite a popular one. We will be using it as a support system for the remaining tests.

I know you are all eager to hear what it is. Are you excited? Because I sure am! All humans will be obtaining a video-game-like support system! Each of you! Woohoo! I, of course, will be controlling every aspect of this system. And I mean it. Every. Aspect. You may have noticed the difference between the first test, and how it communicated the question to you. It will be just like that! The text, descriptions, information, images, etc will all be visualized in your mind with crystal clear clarity. Viewing this information can be manipulated with your mind. But more on that later!

Right now, you all should be receiving a little present with the new support system! Go ahead and check it out. I will give you all a few moments.

I couldn’t help but laugh, again. I looked around waiting to see whatever this gift was. A stream of words surged through my mind.

Ability unlocked: [Achievements]

First Achievement Unlocked! Test Annihilator!

Congratulations, you passed the test. A simple 50/50 test. A coin flip. You may not be deemed to be lucky but I like to think you are, considering what happened to those who failed.

Reward: Your life and another test

Dopamine flooded my brain. A smile formed on my face and with the thought of throwing my fist in the air and cheering. Such a strange thing to feel while the world was ending—during the apocalypse. I dropped the smile from my face before Evie or Gray could catch a glimpse of it. I didn’t want Evie to think I was enjoying this.

Gray and Evie seemed to be reviewing the achievement as Cleo began to speak once more.

Did you guys enjoy the gift? I know a lot of you did. I am glad. The next test, as I mentioned before, will be trickier but I think it is much more fun.

The next test is not a question or a coin flip. Instead, we are going to be releasing 1.9 billion orbs, scattered across the entire globe. These orbs are small, white basketball-sized, spheres. And they float! Your job is to find one of these orbs and touch it. They will be able to be found anywhere that humans can reach naturally. Yes, anywhere. The includes inside buildings, on top of buildings, underground bunkers, your bathroom, and just about anywhere outside. That is it. Once you touch it, the orb will be consumed, and absorbed into you. Once absorbed, no one else will be able to touch it. And as you noticed, only half of you will be able to touch one. So you better be quick as they will go fast.

I shot a glance at Gray who returned it with a sinister grin. I swallowed hard and turned to Evie.

Evie gave me a warm smile and a nod. A sense of comfort and relief washed over me. That was the first time she had a different expression on her face that wasn’t fear or sobs. At that moment, I wanted to fall into her arms in a warm embrace and pretend this never happened. I had to make sure she got an orb. She stood up for me at times I wouldn’t myself. Helping her with this was the least I could do.

Oh! I almost forgot. Those who pass will be rewarded with an even better gift. A much better gift. I won’t say what it is now. You’ll have to pass to find out. Also, you have only 1 hour to find an orb! They will appear when I say go.

So good luck—Er, scratch that you guys aren’t supposed to be lucky.

Anyway—ON YOUR MARK!

GET SET!

GO!