Suddenly I found it
The page at the end of the internet
As I did sink through trails of links
Somehow I landed there
The address was all asterisks
No paths leading in or out of it
A visit counter at the top read zero-zero-one
The background: tiny tiled stars in the night sky
A midi file droning single notes at a time
A row of gifs of planet earth, all their rotations in line
A cluster block of times new roman all caps center aligned
And this is what it said:
I LOOKED INTO THE MIRROR.
THE PERSON WHO LOOKED BACK WAS NOT MYSELF.
THEY WERE THE OTHER. GOD'S UNFORTUNATE MESSENGER.
THEY HAD A MESSAGE FOR ME. FOR THE WHOLE WORLD.
THEY TOLD ME THE TRUTH.
THEY TOLD ME THE WORLD WOULD END WHEN ITS CORE STOPPED SPINNING.
THERE WAS AN URGENCY TO THEIR MESSAGE. THE EVENT WOULD HAPPEN SOON.
I SAW THE EARTH FROM SPACE.
THE GREAT BLUE DOT. BUT IT WASN'T BLUE. IT WAS NOW RED.
LIKE THE WHOLE WORLD WAS ABLAZE.
ONE SUPERCONTINENT WRAPPING AROUND ITS CENTER
WITH ITS OCEANS ON ITS TOP AND BOTTOM.
I SAW THE WORLD BREAK. HUGE CRACKS IN THE EARTH.
IN THEM THE THRONE OF BEELZEBUB WAS VISIBLE.
HIS RED HOT GAZE BURNT THE SOULS
RIGHT OUT OF THOSE UNFORTUNATE TO BE TOO CLOSE.
I SAW THE EARTH STOP MOVING. ATMOSPHERE STILL TRAVELED.
THOUSAND MILE WINDS STILL SPINNING ON A STATIONARY EARTH.
THOUSAND MILE WINDS STILL SPINNING ON A STATIONARY EARTH.
MOUNTAINTOPS TORN OFF THEIR BASES. TREES VIOLENTLY UPROOTED.
A YOUNG BOY RIPPED FROM HIS MOTHERS ARMS
WHICH WERE RIPPED FROM THEIR SOCKETS ENTIRELY.
ALL SENT SKYWARD AT A SPEED I COULD BARELY COMPREHEND.
I SAW MEN WHOSE FEET ONCE STOOD FIRMLY ON THE GROUND
FLYING. NO, FLOATING.
HELPLESSLY FLAILING. THEIR EYES BULGED.
THEIR STOMACHS DISTENDED TO THE POINT OF BURSTING.
THEN THEY BURST.
THEIR VISCERA FLOATING AWAY FROM THEM
AS THEIR LIFELESS BODIES LOOKED ON.
I SAW MEN, WOMEN, CHILDREN.
THEIR SKIN SO BURNED AND COVERED IN BLISTERS
THEY NO LONGER LOOKED HUMAN.
THE SUN'S RADIATION TURNING THEM INTO SOMETHING OTHERWORLDLY.
THEN THE VISION STOPPED. THE PERSON IN THE MIRROR STARED BACK.
THE STRANGEST THING HAPPENED.
A BURNING SENSATION IN THE BACK OF MY SKULL.
FOUR NUMBERS BRANDED INTO THE NEURAL CAVITIES.
DAYS. HOURS. MINUTES. SECONDS.
THE NUMBERS KEPT FLIPPING. CHANGING. COUNTING DOWN.
I KNEW WHEN THESE NUMBERS REACHED ZERO THE CORE WOULD STOP SPINNING.
THE WORLD WOULD END.
THE PROPHECY WOULD BECOME TRUE. THE NUMBERS ARE STILL THERE.
NOW I WILL RELAY THEM TO YOU. COUNTING DOWN.
37 DAYS, 12 HOURS, 33 MINUTES, 53 SECONDS.
37 DAYS, 12 HOURS, 33 MINUTES, 50 SECONDS.
37 DAYS, 12 HOURS, 33 MINUTES, 47 SECONDS.
37 DAYS, 12 HOURS, 33 MINUTES, 44 SECONDS.