In Greek myth, Chaos was the start of all and the end of all, everything came from Chaos, and eventually, everything also returned to it. Was there a name more fitting for the thing that would end life, end earth, our solar system and everything in its path, something that would lay waste to all we are and all we've known. One event that will snuff out all we could have been, to twist and turn every single molecule that shows our existence into a vast display of emptiness, dark, cold, black.. Nothing.


No one had noticed Chaos approaching until Pluto suddenly vanished, the Kuiper belt and Eris along with it, at 10am they were there, but to one lazy astronomers shock, as he batted his old telescope like a cat with a piece of string, yawning, barely awake he placed an eye to the lense, he sat steering in disbelief through his refracting lenses at exactly 8.07pm, they were gone, the astronomer on a panicked whim booked himself on the first flight to Washington DC and forced his way into NASA’s HQ, a labyrinth of rooms, stairs and hallways, he stumbled his way around following sparsely placed signs before, puffed and wheezing, he burst into ISS control, curly hair in knots dampened with sweat, a jacket inside out and torn, 3 day old stubble dotted his face in a pubescent way despite his age dwelling in the mid 40s, the astronomer was demanding to be listened to, his efforts saw him caught in the grasp of two security guards, his arms twisted behind his back and face pressed to a concrete wall, he pleaded his case to a room of experts, they reclined in custom chairs, laughing at a lone man's desperate claims, mocking him while questioning his sanity, the chairman amused and wanting to belittle the loon even more turned on a monitor, a live stream of the solar system, used to track near earth objects, they all steered in horror, a feeble attempt to embarrass the man further had turned into the grimmest discovery in written history, perhaps in all of history, Pluto was missing, not a single trace was visible, just a darker shade black presented itself, thick, unbreakable and menacing, stretching across all that was observable, plucking stars from the night sky, one by one, a pop of blue, the dull red of a fire dying down, then black, the curtain being drawn on existence.

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Frank lay on an old tin roof, nails digging into his skin, he raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glare of a street lights rays flickering between branches that danced in the wind, squinting he watched the stars above him, flecks of light that could have seized to exist before the dawn of man and something out there was sucking the lingering spark of their existence away, he watched and counted the live stars, 32 in the last hour, they stood out, their light didn't fade out like the remains of dead stars, it burst like a spark jumping from a live wire before fading to black, how many worlds he wondered, how many planets were meeting the fate of those stars, were other civilizations falling into that black as well, or was this a fate Earth would experience alone, he lowered his hand and let it sit across his stomach feeling the rise and fall match the steam from his mouth in the brisk fall air, breathing felt like a luxury, one he wasn't sure would last much longer, people seemed far to calm in the face of the end, no riots, no protests, no demands for more to be done, there were only small pockets of panic, churches and temples were deserted, grocery stores remained stocked and the national guard had left their posts and returned home to their families, humanity it seemed had come to terms with extinction, finally united as one species, realizing how insignificant they were in the unimaginable vastness beyond a little blue dot, differences no longer separated mankind but united them, perhaps this was a unified last ditch effort at redemption, if humans weren't trying to destroy themselves perhaps, somehow, they would be spared from the fate that was sucking the stars from the sky.

“Frank?” a shrill croaky voice startled Frank from his trance, tensing as he felt a loose piece of tin scratch down his back as he shifted his weight to peer over the side of the roofs guttering “Yes, Nan?” he inquired letting his eyes meet hers, a deep cobalt blue, her eyes seemed to shine brighter at night, almost luminescent, and for a moment he found himself lost in their sea of depth and mystery “dinners ready, they are about to update us on the event horizon, come inside please” Frank let a half hearted smile dance across his lips and nodded, letting his gaze leave hers, he glanced towards the moon, behind the rock in the sky was nothing but black, no stars remained, a grim reminder as he tilted his head back letting his eyes pass back over the stars above him, that the event horizon was closer to the earth than the stars beyond Venus, Frank shifted onto his stomach and pushed himself onto his knees, crawling gingerly making his way across the rusted tin which creaked beneath his weight, spitting up paint chips as he moved towards an old willow oak. He shimmied his way onto her trunk, bark digging into his hands, splinters dug into his palms as he carefully began lowering himself to the ground below, once his feet rested on the grass he began dusting white flecks of paint off his jeans and forearms, pausing for a moment to pick the splinters from his skin before allowing himself one last glance towards the sky then lowering his head he placed a hand against a stained glass panel, cracked and dimmed in a rotted door frame his fingers trace the bumps, rolling over joins that seperated colors, bottle green, opal white and sleek metal molding the pieces together to showcase Lily of the valley her flowers and leaves masterfully shaped, he felt a burn at the back of his throat as tears threatened to expose themselves, one day soon his hands would feel nothing, he would no longer exist, even the smallest cells in his body ripped apart and crushed into oblivion, a fate he had no control over, one he had to come to terms with like 7.53 billion other souls, a single tear escaped the corner of his eye, rolling down his chin and falling to the ground below.





Planet earth born: 380,000 years after the big bang, died 2043ad at the young age of 4.543 billions years.





Frank entered the small cottage, the smell of steak and kidney stew floated in the air and his stomach, much to his surprise, growled in anticipation, his Nan sat in an overstuffed chair, brown pale leather faded and worn with age, her small frame almost hidden from view, a ball of yarn twisted and turned on the floor like the last fight of a wounded python, knitting needles clinked together in her calloused hands, 80 years of hard labor and forced into retirement, she had been a registered nurse on call for the childrens ward at Saint Pete's in Owensville where she spent most of her time cooing over newborns and offering words of wisdom and a calming voice of support to anxious mothers, she liked to keep busy and knitting had become her new pass time, a skill she artfully mastered in no time at all but Frank struggled to understand why she wanted to create things that would soon vanish along with everything else as the world came to an abrupt end, He shook his head as he reached for a still warm bowl of stew sitting on a freshly laid table cloth, a skin had set over the thick gravy, he picked up a spoon and slowly stirred it back into his dinner as he made his way into the lounge, Nan smiled up at him as she place her knitting between herself and the armrest of her chair “Nice for you to join me” her eyes and smile teased him, crows feet tucking themselves in with other deep lines, small dimples were almost unnoticeable, her thin lips painted ruby red, parting to show teeth chipped and yellowed with age, she had a way of putting him at ease but that smile slowly faded as the static on the TV crackled slightly before clearing to a newsroom, a large man was sitting tediously on a bar stool in front of a torn greenscreen, a corduroy turtle neck stuck to him like an unflattering second layer of skin folding in on itself and revealing pale skin on his side, he tugged and pulled at the fabric until the patch of skin was almost covered, a dusty blond mop sat upon his oval face, he cleared his throat and took a deep breath before his monotone voice echoed in the makeshift studio.

“ Good Evening folks I am James Lathe, in today's top news stories, gas prices plummet again, bringing them to a record setting low of 11c per gallon as supply continues to exceed demand, even after the strategic closure of 16 mining sites.

Federal staff ended a 4 day strike on poor work conditions, amid a worldwide state of emergency, after reaching a deal for an undisclosed settlement.

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists set the doomsday clock back to 7 minutes to midnight, a feat we have not seen since 1947, it appears that since the end of the world will come at the hands of something that is not man made, we are no longer a threat to ourselves, therefore setting into motion the hope of world peace during our darkest times.

President McMillan addressed the nation today, defending his decision to push a bill to humanely euthanize all US citizens with terminal diseases in hospice care or with medical conditions deemed draining on supplies and increasing the workload on medical workers, who like the rest of the nation have now been limited to a maximum of 20 hrs of work per week. McMillan is expected to announce his decision on whether he will push the same bill to humanely euthanize those in aged care facilities later this week.

Hurricane Hazel is expected to make landfall on the Florida coast Wednesday morning. The category 3 storm is expected to bring winds in excess of 110mph and Florida residents are being urged to prepare their homes and stay indoors. Evacuations have not yet been issued for the state.

More on these stories later, up next NASA spokesperson Lydia Thompson will be with us live for an update on Chaos, the monstrous rogue and physics defying black hole on a path towards earth, stay tuned”


Frank savored the first spoonful of stew, letting the flavors bounce across his taste buds, the sweetness of french tarragon and earthiness of rosemary, swimming with memories of past winters, falls, open fires and laughter, a lifetime ahead welcoming him with warmth, familiar smells and comforting aromas, he shook the memories away, letting his eyes steady on the television set, now displaying a ‘live update coming soon’ banner, a loud high pitched series of beeps signaled the start of the live broadcast, Frank sank into a rustic walnut and pea green sofa, tucking his feet up beside himself and setting his bowl onto an old coffee table carefully carved out of a tree trunk, feeling his nans eyes on him, he quickly lifted the bowl again before placing a coaster beneath it as he set it back down on the table with a small sideways glance at her as she nodded her approval, he leaned back and pulled a musty woolen cushion onto his lap, holding it close and feeling the warmth of its cover over his abdomen.

“Good Evening ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, James Lathe returning to you with my guest Lydia Thompson. Lydia what can you tell us on the latest developments with Chaos?”

A middle aged woman nervously straightened her oval glasses and dusted off a bleached white lab coat, a baby pink t shirt peeked out from the buttoned down collar, her name tag shifted and swung loudly against a poorly placed wireless mic, she exhaled as her eyes shifted from the ground to the camera “Unfortunately James i have no good news this evening, Chaos’s approach has been hard to map, with its daunting size stretching beyond 6 light years in diameter and all predictions have failed at this point, we simply don't have the technology needed to process the data on something of such size, but i can confirm it is gaining speed, we estimate that Chaos is now traveling towards us at 23 times the speed of light, which as far as we know is the cosmic limit, to go any faster would mean presenting us its singularity, at this current speed we expect earth to be pulled in beyond the event horizon in roughly 24-48 hours, once the moon vanishes we estimate we will have at the most, about an hour left...”

“Lydia what can we expect to feel as Chaos approaches and the effects begin to be felt here on earth?”


“It's hard to say James, were running on theories, with no real proof to back our claims, but simulations of smaller black holes that our computers have the capabilities to process, have suggested that the first thing we will notice is an increase in temperature as friction of the black holes gravitational pull on our atmosphere begins to heat it up, i cant tell you exactly when the effects will start to be felt, in theory anytime between a week and 24 hours before extinction, in places where it is winter, it's going to start feeling more like summer and in places where it is summer you can expect it to feel like an intense heat wave as our average temperature begins to rise by around 1 degree Celsius every hour, ice caps are going to melt, glaciers to, but earth will cease to exist before we notice the sea levels rising as a result of that” Clearing her throat and steadying her voice Lydia continued,
“As Chaos gets closer our gravity begins to be shifted, we will likely be struck by several large asteroids and many smaller ones that are being pulled in towards the stronger gravity around Chaos, depending on impact sites damage could be sparse or large areas could be decimated, if you see an impact, please seek shelter immediately, stay away from windows, cover your ears and keep low to the ground until the sonic boom passes, if you are thrown around by the impact please use the leaflets and medical kits provided by you local civil defense earlier this week to splint broken bones and close open wounds, unless you are bleeding beyond your own control do not seek medical attention, emergency systems can not handle an influx of patients.
With around 4 hours remaining until we reach the event horizon Chaos’s gravity is going to be so great it will begin to affect the photoshpere, causing light to travel in circles around the black hole, taking the shape of auroras, red and greens turning the sky into a fluorescent bulb, time and space will begin to shift you will be able to see the back of your own head, reality will become warped, as magnificent as this will look it will only last for a few moments as we pass into the event horizon...our point of no return”

Lydia shifted the frame of her glasses, pulling a patterned napkin from her pocket and wiping away tears, she gave a shaky smile to the camera “things will feel almost normal for awhile, but please understand that we have not yet faced the worst, humanity has only begun to be tested. Gravity will begin to move and rip apart our planet's crust causing severe global earthquakes, some of these will occur in places with no fault lines or subduction zones, if you are indoors when an earthquake strikes, get outside and away from any structure that can fall, then make your way to higher ground, these quakes will start around the magnitude of 7 or 8 but will continue to increase beyond the scale we have, once these quakes start the ground will not stop moving, the intensity will fluctuate, these will cause massive tsunamis, eruptions of active, dormant and extinct volcanoes, it will open gashes in the earth releasing molten rock and toxic gases. The devastation is something I can not put into words, coastal areas will be destroyed, in the united states, waves will reach as far inland as Wyoming and Missouri.
If you have survived past this point, earth's atmosphere is going to slowly be stripped away, hurricane force winds mixed with a dust storm, there is no easy way to put this, but you will suffocate,without an atmosphere there will be no oxygen, life can not continue past this point, no matter how advanced the bunker you may have access to, or where you rank in leadership and wealth, this is the epitome of doomsday, we will all be dead, no exceptions, no new race, no last man or woman standing, what remains of our planet will be drawn to the core of Chaos, rubble will be turned to dust, dust to molecules, molecules to atoms and atoms into sub nuclear particles, Chaos will continue on its way through space and all that will be left is a clear black path where our solar system once lay, not even interstellar dust will remain”

Silence lingered for a few moments, which felt like hours, before James cleared his throat “Ladies and gentlemen, i have stated this many times over the last few weeks, we are entering our darkest hours, may god be with you.... and may death be swift, we will return with our other news stories after a short break”

Static filled the air as the broadcast entered its break, Frank reached for the remote pushing the off button, static remained on the screen, he tapped the remote against his wrist with a sigh and pressed the button again, a dull click and the tv dimmed, he leaned over to his nan and took her hand, she smiled warmly, her face a shade whiter than normal, her small hand trembled in his palm as she gently pulled it away, placing it on the side of his face, rubbing his cheek with her thumb, he let his his head sink firm against it, embracing her touch, she spoke quietly “My dear the world might be coming to an end, but we should still get some rest, exhaustion wont change the outcome, i'll take your dishes out, please go try and get some sleep” Frank nodded and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead “Goodnight nan” he stood, joints clicked and he arched his back with a groan, slowly heading down the hallway to his room, casting his eyes over black and white photos as he went, he paused at a lone colored photo, the flame of a tealight candle flickered beneath it casting a shadow on the wall, the frame was chipped with age, Frank reached out and picked it up, blowing a thin coating of dust off the glass watching as some of it caught alight for a brief moment in the flame of the candle, golden embers floated upwards and quickly vanished, he ran a finger over the photo, a stunning woman, her hair the color of honey flowing down over her shoulders in thick waves, her face free of makeup and imperfections, eyes the color of irises, she sat on concrete steps her back pressed against the deep amber bricks of a door frame, face beaming as she held a baby above her in outstretched arms, the baby showed an expression of joy, innocence and wonder, Frank could hear her laugh in his head, loud and genuine a snort and a chuckle, he closed his eyes and focused on what he remembered of her voice “My beautiful baby boy, my soul, my love, my lighthouse in a storm” a scream ripped through his memories, brakes locked and tyres screeched, a pram rolled and tipped, a child cried, she fell , her face bloodied and her eyes cold, still and colorless flashed across his mind, he opened his eyes wide, running his hands through his hair, breath rapid and catching against the lump in his throat, shaking he placed the photo down, a sob escaped his lips, his eyes burned as the salt of tears flowed, placing his back against the wall, Frank let his body sink to the floor, he crossed his arms over his knees and leaned his head forward onto them, falling apart as his emotions took over.
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