Apoc

                The day Apoc came was when Lina realized she had been defeated. A friend of hers, named Apoc, who never really revealed his true name to her, came to town one day. On any normal day, Lina’s town was extremely optimistic, the clouds were always fluffy white, and there was never any rain though the town remained very grassy, moist even. Her neighbors were calm and overly friendly to one another. Baskets of fruit were given for birthdays, Christmases, or any holiday that meant something to another person. There weren’t any racial comments or sexual advances. No one stole from one another, or tried to anyway. There was accidents of course but never harmful intentions. Lina’s neighborhood was the Eutopia of worlds. Her life was always simplistic, never complicated. That was until Apoc came.
         Lina met Apoc a few days ago. She was walking to school, which was a mile from her town, and she came upon this fellow with red hair, hazel eyes that looked more or less empty of feeling, and he had a temper—such a temper that Lina couldn’t imagine what made him this way. Apoc, though having extremely hard features, was nice to her.
         “I’ve never seen you around,” said Lina. “You new in town?”
         “You could say that,” said Apoc. “I travel a lot.”
         When she asked where he had journeyed, he gave her only vague answers of New York, and some place around Pearl Harbor. She asked how old he was and he said he was fairly old, perhaps too old for his own good. Lina thought he had some humor but he was being serious.          
         “Do you go to school?” asked Lina.
         “Now and again.” Apoc replied, just as vaguely as he had answered her other questions. “I come to school, for the most part. All the time.”
         “Such drama there, isn’t it?” asked Lina, hoping he’d agree. Naturally, he did.
         “Well,” said Lina, “you can come to school with me. Our school has nice people, great teachers, and loving atmosphere. We have fun with lessons and everything. Would you like to come?”
         “Sure, why not,” returned Apoc. “Why not?”
         Lina took his arm friendly-like, and led him onto the bus. Such a strange thing happened on the bus that never had happened before. Friends were bickering. Trash was being thrown all around the bus. The bus driver was writing down names for future suspension and there were such names being called that Lina was disgusted. Apoc, on the otherhand, looked intrigued.
         “Things always this way?” asked Apoc.
         “No,” said Lina with certain shock. “Never. I’ve never seen this happen.”
         “I see it all the time.”
         “That’s a shame.” Lina replied.
         Still shocked, Lina walked with Apoc to the school. The school, like mentioned before, was a mile away from school. She could’ve walked if she’d pleased but the ride was always more interesting, not the interesting that happened today but it was always pleasing to be there. Lina made a note to herself never to ride the bus if things like today repeated themselves tomorrow.
         “Are you new to schools?” asked Lina. “How many have you attended?”
         “Quite a few.”
         “Care to elaborate,” joked Lina.
         “I wouldn’t dare,” responded Apoc seriously. He looked so serious that Lina frowned.
         “How come you are so vague with your answers. Must you be so broad with me? After all, we are friends.”
         “You will come to understand.” Apoc responded. Lina believed him.
         Lina and Apoc entered the school. At first, everything, to Lina’s happiness, was the same. Normal good-looking teachers were acting professionally. However, when Apoc entered one foot through the door, Lina noticed something terrible happening. Students entering the school became roudy, unlike themselves. Normally they were calm and peaceful. Now they were jumping around, hollering, making trouble for themselves, the students, and the teachers. Lina dodged a notebook being thrown. Apoc caught it and chucked it back at a student.
         The teachers were pulling their hair, running around and giving detentions. Lina felt her eyes making hallucinations upon her when she swore a gunshot was heard throughout the school. When that happened, everyone lost their minds. Lina saw crayons being drawn on walls, teachers spanking children, fights occurring and soon, she became very frightened. This was no school. It was a nuthouse!
         “This normally doesn’t happen!” Lina swore to the entire school. “We are peaceful! We’re pacifists! This doesn’t happen!!”
         Lina looked around at Apoc. He wasn’t a bit frightened. He slowly turned to Lina.
         “This always happens at the schools I come to. There’s never a peaceful moment, Lina. Always, everyone loses their minds. It’s like a catastrophe to them.”
         Lina took his hand and they ran out of the school. Even when the fire alarm set loose and she could have sworn the smell of smoke invaded her nostrils, Lina didn’t dare look back. She knew what must’ve happened but she didn’t look back. Tears of sadness became clear in her eyes, making them glossy with confusion.
         “I don’t understand what’s happening!” Lina said, her eyes slowly consumed by tears. “I don’t know why this is happening!”
         “Perhaps it is because,” panted Apoc, who was being dragged by her to the town she resided in, “I have come.”
         “No! It isn’t your fault!” Lina cried and they stopped finally. The moment they came to the town, Lina was even more upset.
         Neighbors were accusing theivery to one another. Lawns were neither clipped or mowed. Mothers accused mothers of inappropriate babysitting. Fathers hit father, husbands threw fists at husbands. The husbands gained their manly urges by hitting their wives. Lina’s father hit her mother. Lina’s mother slapped her father. The sky grew extremely dark and so began to rain. This only took a half-hour’s time to happen all at once.
         Lina shook her head, staring at the sky with disbelief and grief.
         “This cannot happen! What has happened!” Lina shouted. Some realization came back. She looked at Apoc. He wasn’t the same way as she was. He was grinning—grinning with happiness as though he was enjoying this!
         “How could you be laughing!” Lina shouted angrily at him. “How could you be happy about this?”
         “This always happens in my towns that I’ve been in,” said Apoc. “This happens all the time. Don’t you get it, Lina? It’s no different to me.”
         “No different?” Lina repeated coldly. “How can it be?”
         “When we met, you asked me where I’ve been,” said Apoc, stepping towards her. Lina stared at him. A menacing look of both anger and happiness was set on his face.
         “You told me New York and Pearl Harbor.”
         “Exactly,” said Apoc. “I was there when Pearl Harbor was attacked. I was there when New York met its most previous disaster—when the terrorist’s plane crashed into the Twin Towers and shattered all that people ever held dear. I was there when the Great Depression became reality. I was there when Hurricane Katrina wiped out all of those whom people now grieve for. I was there when schools were being shot at, people walking through them and picking off little kids one by one.”
         Lina shook her head.
         “For a long time, Lina, your town has been a eutopia ever since I could remember.” Apoc was fiddling with his fingers, as pleasing as he could. “I watched your town get along and it does make me sick, Lina. It does.” He stepped towards her, placing his hand against her cheek. “It makes me very, very sick. So I came to you, knowing that you’d lead me to your little town. I came, and look what happened.”
         Lina looked. She saw her family arguing, fighting, throwing fists. She saw the dogs in a rampage to kill one another. She saw kids pushing and shoving. She remembered her bus ride, how horrible and unusual everyone was acting. She recalled that there were gunshots in the school and how the school had been set on fire. Oh yes, she remembered. And look what happened. Now look what happened. Oh, God, look what happened.
         Lina glared at Apoc. Her eyes bearing through his—oh, if looks could kill. She was glaring daggers at him but Apoc didn’t flinch from her eyes. He was grinning from ear to ear, looking more demonic every second.
         “Apoc…” Lina said. “What is your real name? What is it.”
         “My real name?” said Apoc amusedly. “You mean you haven’t figured it out.”
         Lina shook her head.
         “Indeed, you must have figured it out by now. I am what makes the world become unable to control itself no longer. I am what Mankind fear. I am the irreversible, the inevitable, and the unstoppable—I’m what Man will see when they shall meet the end of days.” Apoc said. He smirked finally when Lina, with sudden realization, fell to her knees, devastated.
         “My name, my dear sweet Lina,” said Apoc sweetly, “is Apocalypse.”