Writing Another Doomsday...

[DeLarge]

[center][U][B]Another Doomsday...

[/B][/U][B][SIZE=1]...Another Devastation
[/SIZE][/B][SIZE=1]
Life isn't like it is in the movies. We've been brainwashed by Hollywood to believe that all of human existence is entirely dependent on finding your soulmate. That when you find him or her, everything that is wrong in your life will magically become better - your crappy job becomes your dream career, your money worries are suddenly gone, your overbearing bitch of a mother takes the rod out of her arse and relaxes, and suddenly everything is cherry blossoms and fluffy bunnies.

In reality, finding your "soulmate," the person you're destined to end up with, is next to impossible, and even when you've found them, it opens up a whole new can of worms.

I thought I'd found my soulmate three years ago, in a beautiful, intelligent girl named Ellie. She was everything I wanted and more - she could talk for hours about the most interesting things; we liked all the same movies, music and TV shows, and she had this adorable little thing where she twitched her nose when she was thinking. She was tall, but no taller than me, with short, light-brown hair and these amazing sparkling blue eyes, like tiny little sapphires, and slim but not too skinny, with just the right curves. Ellie was, without a doubt, the most perfect girl I had ever met, and I felt lucky every day I was with her. It was incredible even just lying on the sofa with her watching a terrible film on a Sunday afternoon.

I thought she felt the same about me - she was the first one to say the L word, she was the one who suggested moving her stuff into my flat, she was even the one to ask me out, not the other way round.

Which is why I was fairly surprised when she said this:
[B]
"Scott, I think we need to talk."
[/B]
Damn.
[B]
"About what?"[/B] I manage to ask through a mouthful of salted peanuts, and as I did it I regretted it. I realied how gormless I must have looked and sounded, my cheeks stuffed to an amount one would normally only see on a hamster, dressed in an old t-shirt and ripped jeans (and not ripped in the stylish way - simply because I wore them too much), a ragged old beanie hat forced awkwardly down
over my muddy-brown locks, unshaven and with half a pint of lager in my hand.

So I guess she beats me on physical attractiveness.
[B]
"About us."[/B]

Shit.

[B]"I don't think we're working any more, Scott,"[/B] she said, her voice soft and calm, never scathing or aggressive, [B]"I think we're stagnating."

"Stagnating?"[/B] I managed to swallow most of the peanuts, but a few became lodged in my back teeth, and I tried to dislodge them with the tip of my tongue while I listened to Ellie, giving me the appearance of a mawkish, idiotic clot.

[B]"We do the same things all the time, Scott,"[/B] she replied, the tiniest hint of anger rising in her voice now,[B] "TV, pub, curry, pub, TV, chinese. I'm young, and to be brutally honest, I'm getting a little bored."[/B]

Bollocks.

[B]"But Ellie,"[/B] I said pleadingly, grimacing from the feeling of peanut lumps stuck in my teeth, [B]"If you wanted to do something different, why didn't you just say?"

"I did, Scott, repeatedly. But you were too busy jamming with your idiot friends to listen."[/B]
[B]
"My friends aren't idiots."

"Oh really? What was the name of the guy who stuck his tongue in an active plug socket, and I quote "for shits and giggles"?"

"Hans,"[/B] I replied after a brief hesistation, taking a swig of cheap, overly-fizzy lager.

[B]"And what's he doing now?"

"He's in a coma."

"How long?"

"Three months."

"Since...?"

"Since he stuck his tongue in the plug socket for shits and giggles,"[/B] I admitted, feeling beaten down by Ellie's superior mastery of the English language. Or rather, her vastly superior intellect. My friends are idiots.

[B]"Exactly. There's too many problems right now, and I've got a busy time at work coming up. To be honest, it doesn't leave a lot of room for you."

"Ellie, you're a primary school teacher. The busiest you get is when that "special" child sticks Lego up his nose and pushes it until he feels resistance."

"Rudolph has very...unique problems,"[/B] she replied, deviating from the topic, then shaking her head and plunging straight back in, [B]"But I really can't be in such a stationary relationship right now. I'm sorry, Scott."[/B]

Fuck.

[B]"Do I get a say in this?"

"No."

"Fair enough,"[/B] I concede, draining what was left of the pint, shuddering as the bitter dregs at the bottom of the glass crossed my tongue.

[B]"I'm going to move my stuff out of your flat as soon as possible."

"Where are you going to stay?"

"I'll sleep on Sarah's couch for a while. Then I might go visit my parents during the summer holidays. I haven't figured it all out yet, Scott."[/B]

[B]"Do you have to go straight away? You could stay at ours...at mine for a while if you like."

"I've done the hard part now, Scott. I might as well follow through and move my stuff out as soon as I can."[/B] I nodded. She'd clearly made up her mind, so there was no point trying to change it now. Might as well watch as the inevitable happened.

[B]"I'm sorry, Scott,"[/B] she said sorrowfully, getting to her feet. She wasn't sorry. I nodded again, unable to say anything. This wasn't because I was too upset to think of anything. It was simply because I'm too thick to think of anything poignant and beautiful to say to her as our relationship ended. She left, no peck on the cheek, no hug, nothing.

I'm a fucking idiot.

---

The title of this story may not seem to make much sense right now, but it will in a couple of chapters' time.

But for now, I hope I've been able to strike a chord with anyone who has had anything like this happen in a relationship. I hope you enjoy, I look forward to your feedback, and I will endeavour to get the next chapter out as soon as I can.
[/SIZE][/center]

[Ellerby]

[FONT="Tahoma"][COLOR="DimGray"]From the title, I definitely wasn't expecting something like this but that was surprisingly well written! It was a breath of fresh air from all the high-strung action/fantasy writings we get here.

I really liked that it was very real. Instantly I could relate to the guy and felt more sorry for him each line. Having what you perceive as the "perfect" girl and then just when you think all is well your world gets flipped upside down. Kudos.

I'd really like to see where this is going especially considering the unique title.

You had a couple typos (at the beginning you have "soumate") but I knew what you meant so whatever. I don't see [I]any[/I] grammatic errors so props for that.

Your first line, "Life isn't like it is in the movies" caught me by surprise. Right from the get go I was into your story because of that line.

It's obvious you've had an experience close to this one or know someone who has because [I]I[/I] have and you really hit the nail on the head with every little detail. The guys reaction to the serious things the girl had to say were priceless. "Damn. Shit. Fuck." It worked well. :D

I look forward to reading more![/COLOR][/FONT]

[chibi-master]

Wow! I cannot believe how fast you have made me a fan of your work, DeLarge!:o You are actually very good at writing the kind of stories I can't! So as you can imagine, I admire your literary talent!:animesmil Lesse...my favorite is [U][B]Well Hung[/B][/U], though. Keep goin', man!

[DeLarge]

[CENTER][SIZE=1][B]...Another Drink[/B]

[B]"Fuck 'er,"[/B] Jonny said, loud enough so half the pub could hear, jabbing a finger at me, [B]"You don' fuckin' need 'er, alright?"[/B]

I'm often ashamed to admit it, but Jonny's been my best friend since we were at primary school together. He's big, loud, crass and a bit of a slob, but he's been there for me any time my life has gone down the toilet, although his methods of comforting me were a little unorthodox. His usual tactic was to go on a long, expletive-ridden tirade about the opposite sex, outlining their shortcomings and concluding with an explosive crescendo of swear words.

I'd be lying if I said it didn't help sometimes.

[B]"I fuckin' told you she'd be trouble from the start, didn't I? You're never gonna learn if you don't start listening to me about this stuff." [/B]

I'm not sure how Jonny had so much experience with the opposite sex - he was overweight, unshaven, with a greasy crop of dark brown hair on top of his head, and looked like if you touched him, he'd be sort of greasy. He smoked and drank far too much for an average human being, had no job, lived on his own in a crappy little bedsit next to a major railway line, and didn't eat anything unless it could be cooked in thirty seconds or less.

[B]"Jesus, Jonny, lighten up."[/B] That was Dan. Out of all of us, Dan was the most attractive - he had dark, olive-coloured skin and jet black, delicately-spiked hair, and a tiny tuft of hair sprouting from his chin, in an attractive facial topiary kind of way, not an unwanted pre-pubescent way. While Jonny and I both generally wore t-shirts, baggy jeans and trainers, Dan wore tight-fitting skinny jeans and t-shirts so constricting you could see his nipples, even on a warm day. He was also a lot calmer than Jonny, and used far fewer expletives in his sentences.

It seems weird considering how different we all are, but the three of us get along really well. We have those mock arguments and fights that all guys have, we play music together and generally have a laugh when we go out. They say opposites attract, and that isn't just true of couples.

[B]"Look, Scott,"[/B] said Jonny, confidently bulldozing over Dan's contribution, [B]"You should never get into a relationship with someone who is so much better than you in every way. Ellie was smarter than you, she was better-looking, she had a better job - it's a wonder how you two stayed together for so fuckin' long."[/B]

[B]"That helps, thanks Jonny,"[/B] I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm as I poured the rest of my third pint down my throat. I had called the guys and asked them to come to The Griffin, my local, as soon as Ellie had left, so I was a couple of drinks ahead of Dan. Bizarrely, though, I was still several behind Jonny, who was now surrounded by empty glasses.

[B]"You're welcome,"[/B] he said, punctuating the utterance with an almighty belch, [B]"You're better off without her, mate. She was crampin' your style, anyway. Could you have been down here, having a good time with your mates if she was still around?"[/B]
[B]
"We're the only company you need tonight," [/B]said Dan, raising his pint glass, gesturing for Jonny to do the same. I thought for a moment before I felt a smile cross my face.

[B]"I could do a hell of a lot worse!"[/B] I said, raising my pint glass too - we chinked glasses, and threw back whatever liquid was left in them, before Jonny slapped the table with both hands and got to his feet.

[B]"Right, my round,"[/B] he exclaimed, to a hesitant cheer from Dan. Jonny was notorious for ordering the most lethal cocktails of spirits, for one simple reason: he was the only one who could handle it. The rest of us were paralytic before Jonny was really starting to get drunk - it was a display of his awesome machismo when it came to the art of drinking.
[B]
"Union Jack challenge!"[/B] he said, setting down a tray of shot glasses, three each, one filled to the brim with some toxic-looking red spirit, one with a white creamy liqeur and the last with what I could only assume to be Bombay Sapphire or some other form of blue liquid death.

[B]"Drink!" [/B]Jonny shouted, and my arm lashed out to grab the red glass...

That was the last thing I remembered of the night Ellie left me. My very next

memory was waking up with a hangover I'll never forget.

---

Pain.

That's the first thing I felt the next morning. Blinding, head-splitting pain, burning against my eyelids and throbbing in the centre of my brain. After a few minutes of groaning, I managed to wrench my eyelids open and look upon the scene that was my flat.

I had slept on the sofa, for some reason, and there were beer cans and bottles littering the floor around me. The blinds were closed, but even the tiny streak of silvery sunlight sneaking in through the crack was agony to look at. I was still wearing the clothes I had on last night, and they reeked of alcohol, smoke and sweat.

My memories of any of the previous day were hazy at best, but from late afternoon onwards they became totally incomprehensible. The alcohol I had imbibed had not only suppressed my memories of getting drunk and the actions I had carried out whilst drunk, but it had also robbed me of my memories of the rest of the day as well.

With a great effort and an incredible physical and mental struggle, I got myself to the bathroom, where I looked blearily into the mirror. I looked awful - my hair was even greasier than before, my chin was covered in awful, scratchy stubble and my eyes were bloodshot, crimson discs against my pale white complexion.

I stripped off and stepped into the shower, incredibly grateful for the hot running water. I spent a good twenty minutes sluicing all the dirt and grime from last night off my hair and body before stepping out into a towel, feeling much more human.

Next I needed clothes, so I went into my bedroom to grab a fresh t-shirt and underwear from my cupboard, and was shocked by the sight that greeted me: Jonny was in my bed, fully-clothed (thank God), snoring and drooling all over my pale blue sheets, a crushed beer can in his hand.

[B]"Oi, dickhead,"[/B] I said, my voice coming out gravelly and hoarse as I kicked the bed, [B]"Get up. What are you doing in my bed? What are you doing in my flat, for that matter?"[/B]
[B]
"You lost your bed to me in a bet last night,"[/B] groaned Jonny, not moving an inch, [B]"I'm just claiming my winnings."

"Well it's not last night any more. So get up and get out of my flat,"[/B] I said, pulling a pair of boxer shorts that Ellie had bought for me on under my towel.

Wait, Ellie...

[B]"Ohh shit,"[/B] I said, memories flooding back to me, [B]"Jonny, what happened last night?"

"Ellie dumped you so we got drunk. Or at least, you and Dan got drunk. Bloody lightweights."

"Wait, me and Ellie...she dumped me?"[/B] I asked, my voice trembling, [B]"I don't remember that..."

"Well, you wouldn't, the amount of alcohol that's in your bloodstream. You've had enough to knock out a rhino, mate."

"But...she dumped me?"

"Jesus, if you don't shut up, I'm gonna dump you,"[/B] Jonny said, rolling over and sitting up now, clearly thwarted in his plan of getting any more sleep, [B]"Listen, she dumped you - it's not the end of the fuckin' world."
[/B]
Somewhat ironically, that's when the whole block of flats shook with tremendous force, as though the building were at the epicentre of an earthquake...

---

Here's part two - an introduction of a couple more characters. I'm not as happy with this chapter as I was with the first, but I hope it's alright. The real action will begin in the next chapter.
[/SIZE][/CENTER]

[chibi-master]

Aww, poor Scott! And that Jonny just cracked me up!:animesmil Well, can't wait for the next chapter!

[Darren]

I like it. I'm definitely still interested and I got a Cloverfield vibe at the end of this chapter. Very nice.

But I do agree with you, this chapter seemed to be lacking in something. Maybe because it was focused more on Dan and Jonny. Even though it's told from Scott's POV, I just felt like there wasn't enough of his personal emotions. (Of course, I don't blame you. I mean he was drunk, and it's very difficult to portray two new characters like that while balancing you're character in the 1st person)

But I like the flow of this story so far... It's gone from a dramatic breakup and arced into something entirely different, but equally interesting... And I am curious about what's going to happen.

The only problem I had was this:
[quote name='DeLarge'][CENTER][SIZE=1] That was the last thing I remembered of the night Ellie left me.[/SIZE][/CENTER][/QUOTE]
Okay that's fine, but then you said this:
[quote name='DeLarge'][CENTER][SIZE=1]My memories of any of the previous day were hazy at best, but from late afternoon onwards they became totally incomprehensible. The alcohol I had imbibed had not only suppressed my memories of getting drunk and the actions I had carried out whilst drunk, but it had also robbed me of my memories of the rest of the day as well.[/SIZE][/CENTER][/QUOTE]
The two quotes seems to be contradicting each other so I don't quite understand what you meant, but that's a smaller detail of the story anyway. (Or is it?)

But overall! Great story so far, and I'm very curious as to what happens next!

[DeLarge]

[CENTER][SIZE=1][B]...Another Death Toll

"You and your big mouth," [/B]I said to Jonny, practically spitting the words out as we looked out of the window of my flat.

The tremor we had been interrupted by a few moments earlier had indeed been an earthquake, one of such great proportion that is had split the block of flats opposite mine in two, directly down the middle. An enormous crevasse had opened like a great, jagged, yawning mouth between the building we were in and the destroyed one opposite.

That wasn't the strangest part of the scene we were looking out on, however.

It took the pair of us a few moments to notice, but the sky didn't exactly look like it normally did. It wasn't grey, for one thing, a peculiarity in London, but it also wasn't blue any more.

The sky was crimson, the colour of blood, and bolts of blinding white lightning arced from the boiling scarlet clouds, crashing into the earth right across the city.

[B]"You're blaming this on me?" [/B]asked Jonny indignantly, eating a yoghurt he'd absent-mindedly plucked from my fridge. For some reason, the sight of Jonny gorging himself on this plundered food made the anger in my system rise, higher and higher, until I couldn't hold it in any more and exploded with rage.

[B]"Well you were the one who said "it's not the end of the world!"" [/B]I replied angrily, in a pathetic mocking of Jonny's voice, [B]"Sod's law says that it's your bloody fault!"

"Come on, Scott, you don't even know that this is the end of the world. Could just be..."

"Could just be what, Jonny? What exactly could this be other than the Apocalypse?!"

"Global warming?" [/B]he said with a shrug before returning to the yoghurt, which I promptly slapped out of his hands, spraying Fruits of the Forest natural yoghurt across my living room walls.

[B]"Global fucking warming?" [/B]I shouted, [B]"Global warming doesn't turn the sky red, you idiot! Global warming doesn't cause earthquakes where there aren't any fault lines! Global warming doesn't make lightning that can split buildings in half! So please explain to me how the fuck this could be global warming?"

"Dunno," [/B]he replied sheepishly, as though Armageddon was actually his fault.

[B]"Exactly! So please, get your coat, we're going to see Ellie!"

"Why are we going to see Ellie? She dumped you last night!"

"I don't particularly want to spend the last days of my life slumped in this shit-hole with you playing video games, Jonny. I want to spend them with Ellie, and I'm sure if I go over she'll feel the same."

"Fuckin' doubt it," [/B]he said quietly.

[B]"What?"

"Nothin'."

"What did you say?" [/B]I said, quietly but angrily, stalking over to Jonny and grabbing him by the collar, [B]"What did you say?"

"I said I doubt she'll want to spend her last days on planet Earth with you, Scott. She said it herself, she doesn't want to see you any more because you're a lazy, workshy slacker!" [/B]replied Jonny, finally raising his voice, [B]"She dunped you last night, so why would she suddenly want to see you this morning?"

"Circumstances have changed, Jonny!" [/B]I said, letting go of his collar and pointing out of the window.

[B]"She doesn't love you any more, Scott. She doesn't want to spend her last few days, or hours, or minutes with someone she doesn't love!"

"You know what, Jonny," [/B]I said quietly, feeling hot tears begin to sting my eyes, [B]"You can stay here and die on your own. I don't give a shit any more - I'm going to go and find Ellie. Alone." [/B]I grabbed my black leather jacket, the one Ellie had bought me two Christmases ago, and slipped on my trainers, leaving the flat as I heard Jonny call after me:

[B]"Fine! I'm perfectly fuckin' happy dying on my own!"

[/B]I slammed the door behind me, and stopped for a moment, leaning on the door and taking a few deep breaths.

[I]Brilliant, [/I]I thought to myself, [I]First my girlfriend dumps me, now I dump my best friend. Great job, Scott, why don't you just go and tell Grandad he's a boring twat while you're at it?

[/I]I sucked in my emotion, wiped my eyes clear of the tears that had threatened to dribble out as I was arguing with Jonny, and began walking, quickly and purposefully, towards my friend Sarah's flat, where Ellie had been sleeping the previous night. People were panicking all around me, running from their homes, smashing in shop windows, looting TVs and iPods, hoarding food from the corner shops.

[I]Why would you need a TV when the world is about to end? [/I]I pondered to myself, but that was the full extent that the situation entered my mind. I simply ignored everything, blanking out on everything except my purpose.

[I]Typical. The world's ending, and the one thing I want to do is find my ex-girlfriend. I have carte blanche, I could do anything, and I'm going to talk to the girl who rejected me last night.

Now you put it like that, maybe this isn't the best plan...

Ah well, you may as well try.

[/I]My mind works in strange ways...
[/SIZE][/CENTER]