It's the apocalypse.
Saturday afternoon, 4:23 pm to be exact and the day had already turned out horribly. I was first woken from my blissful slumber by a huge oak tree tumbling to the ground in front of my neighbor’s house from the frightful wind of the frigid December snow storm. The car alarms on our street had suddenly signaled their owners to wake as well, quickly checking up on them. Second, when I had finally made my way downstairs to the kitchen to get breakfast, I found a trail of small designed marshmallows along the floor which could only have meant one thing: Our small fluffy Pomeranian dog got into the food that I was oh so looking forward to for the second time this week. But, for some odd reason, he only got into my food. My lucky charms cereal.
My favorite, I had thought.
But the icing on the cake happened about 30 minutes ago when my dad had come into my less than average size room and told me to get ready to visit my mom. It's not like I didn't want to go, I've just been avoiding the trip for about a week. I'm sure she was getting suspicious of why I hadn't come to see her like I usually did anyway, so I just obeyed my father's wishes as I carefully picked up the small, neatly wrapped present I had gotten for her off of my wooden dresser. I put on my coat, got into our 2002 Volkswagen and kept my mouth shut the whole time in the deathly silent car ride to see her. So here I am. Shortly relieving the series of unfortunate events that had occurred this morning.
I walked through the heavyweight gray doors into the building that reeked of medicine and had an undertone of freshly coated paint. Me and my father walked down the long narrow halls on the 7th floor that closely resembled a maze.
746...747...748...749, I read the very last number in the hallway on the unforgettable door that I've been seeing for about a year and half.
“Do you want to go in first Piper?” he asked me with the sound of empathy ringing in his voice. My dad knew why I hadn't come to see her in so long. I was scared. Scared to see what bad news the doctors would have to deliver next. Scared to see how much my mother would have changed in less than a day from the last time I saw her...but most of all, I was scared that it would be the last time. The last moment we would have together. The last hello. The last goodbye.I nodded unsure of how else to respond to the oddly difficult question. I took a deep breath, raised my hot and sweaty palms and turned the silver, cold doorknob to enter the room.
The room was inadequately confined and dull with light. The beeping of the machines were slow but steady. The flowers that were once bright and vivid with colors of hope sit dying in the corner helplessly. A bed situated in the middle of the freshly cleaned floor is where she was lying. Wires were laced around her arms and migrated up to her nose. Her breathing was slow but steady. Reruns of family ties echoed throughout the room followed by a delicate yet secure laugh that could cure cancer . . . well, almost. The fragile women lying in the soft bed was my mother. She had stage 4 brain cancer and by now everyone was able to see she wasn't going to make it.
Except me.
Little naive 14 year old Piper Brooks didn't want to believe that her mother was dying of cancer and that time was now limited and she had to cherish every moment she had with her. I looked down at the box that I remembered to bring with me. It brought a small smile to my now pale face. My bleak thoughts were interrupted when I heard the familiar sound of a voice that could never escape my mind, but was so distant I almost didn't catch it.
“Piper,” she said calmly “ how are you?”
“I’m great!” I swiftly respond with enthusiasm, though internally something is wrong, and even if I'm not quite sure what it is, I make sure not to show it and decide to just jolt it aside. After all dad did say that stress should be the least of her worries.
“Well that's good!” mom sighed with relief.
“How are you mom?” I asked.
She hesitated for a moment before answering with a short answer of, “I'm fine,” she carried on to say, “I'm not going to lie though, I am a bit tired,” she said wearily.
I started moving slowly towards her. One foot in front of the other, almost mechanically. I sat down on the hard, distressed chair waiting for me like it did everyday beside the occupied hospital bed. I sit down, cross my right leg over my left, and begin to fidget with my rose gold charm bracelet that mom had got for me when I was a little girl. It was to big when she had first given it to me but just started to fit about a year ago. The present I bought after months of saving up tips and checks from my job at target, was the matching necklace that went along with it.
“You're wearing it,” she said, almost in awe as she pointed down to the piece of jewelry hanging from my small wrist.
“ Of course I am,” I started to smile. “I never take it off.” I told her proudly.
“I remember the day me and your father got that for you,” she started “you were only two years old. Your dad insisted we get you a baseball glove, said you could be one of the first best pro female players.” We both started to laugh at the enjoyment of the topic.
“I guess we can see who won that argument,” I said playfully, knowing that mom's opinion was always superior to dads. I wasn't a big fan of sports. Even if my mom didn't deny my dad's theory's of me turning into a pro they would have been short lived anyway after I started to express interests in reading and painting. I always considered myself someone who thought outside the box.
My imaginative thoughts were interrupted when I heard a loud, rough cough come from my mom. I looked over hesitantly. It was almost as if deep down inside I knew what was about to happen. I leaned in closer to her as I noticed that her eyes weren't their usual self. Only a little while ago they were as pure as a shining emerald held up to the sun’s gaze, but now, it was as if the once thriving emerald was shattered into a million pieces with no signs of it regaining its structure. I grabbed onto my mom's cold motionless hand dropping her present in the process. Now, the machines were beeping like an impatient person during rush hour traffic.
“Mom?!” I called out to her desperately, struggling to find the reassurance of her well being.   
“I love you dear . . .,” she said this time using more emphasis than she had been in this entire conversation. She continued to say, “Don't ever let anyone tell you you're not good enough to do what you most desire . . .” she said as she began to trail off again.
“ I see so much hope for you-”
“- Mom!,” I said again cutting off her off mid sentence.“ This can’t be happening! This is all my fault! I know I should’ve came to visit you more often but I was just scared of losing you...I’m so sorry Mom!”
“ No honey, none of this is your fault and no matter what happens know, that I will always be with you...but as hard as it may be I need you to leave and get your father . . .” She told me, but in that moment I couldn't focus on anything else other than what my eyes were witnessing in front of me. My brain was now chaotic with terrible, horrid thoughts.
“Dear,” she said this time more demanding, “go and get your father . . .and . . .and the doctor” she said in short uneven breaths.
“I love you so much mom!” I said as tears started to plunge down my red hot face.
“I love you even more!” she replied with an angelic smile.
With that I bolted out of the room wildly. I collided into my dad who was still patiently waiting for me outside my mom's hospital room. I could hardly breath as I started to notice small dots appearing in my vision almost making it impossible to see in front me.
“Dad!” I yelled out frantically, searching for an answer to help guide me.
“Honey what's wro-”
“-It's mom she's needs the doctor! Now!” I yelled cutting him off, trying to get my point across as soon as possible. My dad rushed around the corner to the main desk screaming at the nurses to find the doctor.
    Her present. I scurried back into the room, sharply swinging open the door, ignoring the hollers that the employees around me were saying to stay out.
I have to give it to her! 
As soon as I set foot in the room my eyes were fixed on the present. I picked it up with ease and relief that it was still in mint condition. My eyes were soon drifted up in front me as I heard the noise that i’ve been dreading this entire time. I could feel my heart stop as the high pitched screeching noise went off in my ears and engulfed the space around me. The world started to spin and I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I screamed. Months of agonizing pain came pouring out of me as I crumbled and clashed to the hard, numbing floor. In that moment I knew, the world as I once knew it was over.
It's the apocalypse.