Theo sat in the dimly lit living room, the cheerful children's cartoon flickering on the television screen. Beside him, his baby brother cooed softly, content in his older brother's care. The tranquility shattered as the cartoon abruptly vanished, replaced by a blaring emergency news alert. The baby's cries mingled with the shrill sound of an ear-splitting emergency horn that filled the room.
On the screen, a figure materialized, a man they had never seen before. Dr. Ladrius Owl, announced the banner that crossed the center of the screen, an international scientist specializing in space abnormalities. He was a striking figure, dressed in a wool coat that seemed weathered by countless journeys, his unkempt beard and ragged curls cascading down to his shoulders. His voice, though soft, trembled with an underlying urgency as he began to speak.
Theo's heart raced as he listened to the scientist's words, each syllable carrying a weight that seemed to settle in the pit of his stomach. Dr. Owl spoke of strange signals that had appeared in our galaxy a decade prior, following predictable paths that abruptly halted at Alpha Centauri. Theo's mind raced as he tried to process the implications of what he was hearing.
The scientist's voice grew somber as he revealed the unsettling truth that one of the solar system's planets had vanished along with the disappearance of the signal. A scientific committee, sworn to secrecy, had made the decision to withhold this information from the public, fearing widespread panic and unrest. These Vanish Signals, as they came to be known, were kept hidden from the people of Earth to prevent chaos.
A heavy silence hung in the air as Dr. Owl continued, his words casting a shadow of uncertainty over Theo's thoughts. "Last month," he said, his voice grave, "my team discovered new signals, bearing the same characteristics as the original Vanish Signals. According to our calculations, these new signals are on a trajectory that will intersect with Earth."
Theo's heart pounded in his chest as he listened, a sense of foreboding settling over him like a shroud. The scientist's words painted a grim picture of an uncertain future. "If Earth is its final destination," Dr. Owl continued, his voice trembling slightly, "we cannot predict the consequences. We do not know what became of the celestial objects in the path of the original signal beyond that of Alpha Centauri’s that disappeared."
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
With a heavy heart, Theo watched as the scientist concluded his message, the screen fading to black as the emergency broadcast came to an end. The cartoon of underwater creatures running a burger store returned, but the innocence of the scene was shattered.
As the room fell silent once more, Theo's phone began to buzz incessantly, a cacophony of messages from his middle school friends filling the screen. Some were confused, others frightened, and a few dismissive, treating it as some elaborate hoax. Theo's father messaged him, asking if he had seen the broadcast and letting him know he would be home soon.
The chaos that unfolded in the months following the scientist's hoax was beyond anything humanity had ever witnessed. News channels blared with reports of the rogue scientist's capture and trial, revealing the depths of his deception. Riots erupted in major cities, the streets filled with angry mobs demanding answers and accountability. Governments struggled to maintain order, deploying military forces to quell the unrest that seemed to spread like wildfire.
Amidst this turmoil, the strange anomalies began, sparking even greater fear and uncertainty. People, previously sane and rational, succumbed to madness with no warning or explanation. Travel became a gamble, with reports of bizarre disturbances growing stronger and more frequent away from densely populated areas. It was as if the fabric of reality itself was unraveling, and humanity was caught in the throes of its unraveling.
Catastrophic weather phenomena ravaged the world with merciless fury. Sinkholes opened up like voracious mouths, swallowing whole towns and cities in their gaping maws. Hurricanes grew in strength and frequency, their destructive paths leaving islands submerged beneath churning waves. Tornados danced across landscapes unaccustomed to their violence, leaving destruction in their wake. Earthquakes shook the very foundations of the earth, reshaping landscapes and displacing millions from their homes.
In the midst of this turmoil, a year before the estimated arrival of the Vanish Signal, a concerned content creator stumbled upon the rediscovery of the ominous signal. With resources and passion, they delved into the mystery, their investigations uncovering a trail of breadcrumbs leading to the impending cataclysm.
As the world teetered on the brink of collapse, Theo found himself in the thick of it all, working tirelessly as a crisis paramedic in the midst of the chaos. The flood in Reykjavik was just one of countless disasters he had responded to, each one more devastating than the last. But even as he raced against time to save lives, the countdown to the Vanish Signals loomed over everything like a dark cloud.