Max's heel jabbed me in the ribs, and I jolted awake. I shoved him back with a grunt, half-annoyed, half-drowsy. He rolled over and muttered curses into the pillow, leaving me staring at the ceiling. My chest felt heavy, like the weight of sleep had pressed down too far.
It was late. The house was too quiet—no hum of cars, no buzz of power lines, not even the faint glow of street lamps bleeding through the curtains. Only the faint rise and fall of Max's breathing.
My bladder pushed me out of bed. I stumbled across the room, cold floor biting my feet, and ducked into the bathroom. The toilet flushed weakly, water gurgling like something choking. For a moment I just stood there, staring at cracked tiles, listening to the silence press in.
Back in bed, I tossed once. Twice. Sleep wouldn't return. My thoughts were like needles, pricking sharper with every breath.
I pushed myself outside, careful not to wake Max.
The air was damp, heavy with the smell of wet dirt. Clouds blanketed the sky, thick and endless, smothering the stars. I leaned against the doorway, inhaled, exhaled—slow, deliberate. For a second it worked. Then the thoughts came.
What if my parents never come back?
They had left smiling, promising to call every night. A trip with Max's parents. Laughter, suitcases, easy goodbyes. That was yesterday. Or what felt like yesterday.
What if they'd been caught in the storm? What if their car had crashed, their bodies broken somewhere on the road? What if the phones weren't silent because of the signal, but because there was no one left to answer?
My thumb shook as I unlocked my phone. Their number. Dial.
Nothing. Dead air.
Tried again. Same thing. Again. Again. My hands were trembling, jaw tight. Each failure tightened the noose in my chest.
What if I never hear her voice again? What if Dad is gone? What if I'm alone?
Breath quickened. My chest rose too fast, shallow and sharp. The air wouldn't stay in my lungs. My vision blurred at the edges, heartbeat rattling against my ribs. I dropped down to the dirt, pulling my knees in, nails biting into my skin.
It felt like the world was shrinking, pressing in. I could hear my pulse in my ears, louder than the faint whispers around the camp.
Snatches of voices drifted through the night.
"That wasn't a storm."
"No… no storm does that."
"A weapon test. It has to be."
"Don't be stupid. It's God. It's punishment. The end times."
Someone hushed a baby. The child wailed anyway, thin and desperate. Another voice cracked mid-sentence, breaking into quiet sobs.
The sound didn't comfort me. It only made the panic worse—like everyone already knew we were finished, only waiting for the last strike.
My chest burned. My breaths came in gasps, wheezes. A metallic taste rose in my mouth. My arms shook as I pressed my palms against the ground, trying to stop the spin in my head.
For a moment, I thought I'd suffocate.
Then—air. A long, shaking breath. I let it go, exhaled until my chest was hollow. My body stilled. My eyes lifted.
The clouds tore open.
Above me stretched a sky I didn't recognize.
The moon was immense, impossibly close, a titan hanging over the world. But it wasn't white. It burned in shades of blue, deep and soft, like light trapped in crystal. It pulsed as though alive, immortal, eternal. Stars spilled across the sky, too many, too bright, so sharp they felt like shards piercing through the darkness.
The sight froze me. My panic fell silent.
I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. The world had ended, and in its place was something terrifying and beautiful, a sky remade.
The door creaked. "What the hell are you doing out here?" Max's voice was groggy, laced with irritation. He rubbed his eyes, then followed my gaze upward.
Silence stretched between us.
"...Okay," he whispered finally, softer than I'd ever heard him. "That's… insane."
I didn't answer. Couldn't. My throat was tight, but not from panic now. It was awe.
For once, Max didn't joke. Didn't mock my height. He just stood beside me, shoulders brushing mine, the two of us staring at the immortal moon in silence.
The night breathed, and all we could do was breathe with it.
*Author note*
So how was the chapter, i think was the best chapter yet, i took my time with this one.