The end of the world has begun.

It was pandemonium: people running amok, pilfering shops, breaking into houses and doing nasty things. Some were still seeking a means of escape and fleeing to elevated areas. Others were simply praying for salvation.

Yoona was inside a movie theater when news broke out of various calamities-earthquakes shaking cities, tidal waves engulfing islands, volcanic eruptions covering towns, landslides burying people and tornadoes crushing houses-obliterating this planet called earth.

People inside the theater rushed out as the roof started caving in. Children were wailing, adults were yelling and everyone just kept on pushing each other.

Despite the racuous noise and the shaking ground, a girl was rooted to her seat, sleeping soundlessly. Her best friend was beside her, pale and panic-stricken. She was about to rush out when she realized her best friend was no longer beside her. She returned to their row of seats and found the sleeping girl.

"Jessica! Jessica, wake up! We need to leave before the theater collapses!" the best friend yelled on her ears. Jessica simply grunted and turned the other side.

Jessica, you leave me no choice. The girl picked up a drink and overturned it on her friend's head. 

"You are so dead, Stephanie Hwang!" The previously-sleeping girl woke up revealing such a venomous glare that you'd think it could slice through your skin. 

TIffany had already rushed to the exit in fear of HellSica. "Sorry Sica, it was the only way I could save you." 

"What!?" Jessica looked just in time to see a falling piece of wood. She was in too much shock that she wasn't able to avoid it. She closed her eyes, preparing for the impact, the impact which never came. She then heard the sound of wood crushing against bone and raised her head to see a girl limping to her side.

"Hey, are you fine?" The girl asked Jessica.

Jessica looked at her anxiously. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

The girl just smiled at her then pulled her along outside the theater before debris fall on them. Jessica was literally dragged, but she didn’t complain when she understood the urgency as she took in the theater that was already falling apart.

When they got out of the building, she tried looking for Tiffany amidst the confused and frightened crowd. When she noticed a fist still gripping her wrist, she turned around to find the girl who saved her still holding onto her. Suddenly a wailing girl hugged her.

"Oh my God, Jessica. I thought you were gone. I thought you were buried underneath the cinema. I'm so sorry I left you. I thought you'd come after me. Why'd you have to be so slow?" Tiffany was rambling and sobbing, but Jessica managed to hear all of it.

She lightly slapped Tiffany with her free hand. "And now you're blaming me?" She gushed with a teasing grin. Tiffany just continued rambling on and on about how sorry she was as a continuous stream of tears flowed on her cheeks.

“Sorry to interrupt you, but we really need to leave.” Yoona said as she eyed the collapsing structures around them.

Tiffany returned to her senses. "Wait who's this?"

"Oh Tiffany, this is...

"..Yoona."

"Yeah, Yoona. Yoona, this is Tiffany. Tiffany, she's the girl who saved me." Jessica introduced them cordially.

Upon looking at Yoona's face, Jessica noticed blood seeping through the side of her head. Her hands moved mechanically as she gingerly cradled her head and took out a bandage to place it on the wound. "I'm so sorry. This is because of me."

"Don't worry about it. I'm ok."

"Yoona, you don't look one bit fine."

"Jessica, I think your friend is the one who isn't fine." They both turned to see Tiffany lose consciousness.

"Oh gosh, I forgot she has a fear of blood."

"Put her on my back, quick. We need to leave as quick as possible. We might get crushed anytime soon."

"But, you're already limping Yoona. I should carry her."

"Jessica, we can't waste time on arguing. Just trust me please." Yoona pleaded in a soft yet sincere voice.

"Wait, where are we going?"

As Jessica was placing Tiffany on Yoona's back, a nearby lamp post fell and it broke into pieces. It made Jessica unconsciously let out a dolphin-like shriek.

Yoona, unable to cover her ears with Tiffany on her back, winced and started walking to her car. She was supporting Tiffany with one hand and the other one was hanging onto Jessica loosely. 

"I'll explain later, let's just get to my car first."

--------

The drive to the airport was eerily quiet. Jessica was busy checking on Tiffany and Yoona was focusing on the road.

"Why exactly are you helping us, Yoona?"                    

"Would you rather I leave you both there alone?”

“You didn’t exactly answer my question?”

“Jessica can we chat later, I'm a little preoccupied as of the moment."

Jessica was incredulous with Yoona's reply, but accepted it nonetheless.

Along the way Jessica succumbed to slumber in the backseat with Tiffany. She woke up when a white blinding light shone on the car.

"Yoona, what's happening?" Jessica sleepily mumbled.

"Just stay down, both of you."

Yoona suddenly pulled over and turned off the headlights. She got off and headed back towards the trunk.

"Where are you going?"

"To hide in the trunk. Police might interrogate us and stop us from crossing the border." Yoona said matter-of-factly.

Jessica suddenly opened the door and pulled Yoona inside. Without warning, she suddenly pulled Yoona close and lied down, allowing Yoona's hair to cover both their faces. She snuggled closer to her neck and moved a bit to conceal Tiffany from the light going through their windshield.

Once the light disappeared, Jessica slowly pushed Yoona away from her. Yoona lost balance and landed on the floor with a hard thud.

"What the hell was that?" Tiffany grumpily asked.

"Well, Yoona here had a lame idea to get the cops off us. I just thought of a more convincing way to get them to leave."

"What was lame about having the car appear empty?" Yoona asked as she lifted her body off the floor of the car.

"For one, an empty car would be more suspicious, right? If they saw it was occupied and people inside were busy then they wouldn't bother us, right?" Jessica stated with a smile akin to that of a Cheshire cat.

Tiffany replied with a look of disbelief while Yoona was trying to let the blood that rushed to her face go back to her body. Yoona was fanning herself yet she still looked beet red.

"It did work right?" Jessica was obviously asking them to agree.

"How was I to know cops were dumb enough to buy that? I mean come on, the world is ending. Would you expect rational people to be engaging in such an activity?”

Jessica was still waiting for their assent.

“Yes it did, Jessica. Now that we're all fine, you may now go back to sleeping and I'll go back to driving." Yoona surrendered. Jessica gave her a smile and seemed pleased with herself.

"I'll drive." Tiffany suddenly volunteered.

"You sure you can? Are you fully awake now?" Yoona was concerned.

"Yes, I've taken quite a long rest already. I’ll take the wheel."

"Okay, I'll just stay in the passenger seat if you need to sub and to keep you awake."

"No need. Just sit in the back seat. I'm not comfortable driving with someone beside me."

"That's just weird, Tiffany."

Tiffany finally sat in the driver's seat and started the engine.

"Where to, Yoona?"

"You gotta drive 15 miles more and then when we reach a fork, you turn right and drive until you pass by the first hill."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Hi guys, I'm still here" Jessica suddenly intervened while waving her hands in front of them.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot" Tiffany chuckled "Scratch that, I actually just assumed you were asleep."

Tiffany got a smack in the back of her head and then she stuck her tongue out at Jessica.

"Tiffany, keep your eyes on the road!" Yoona warned.

"Yoona, chill, we're the only ones on the road."

After a few minutes into the drive, Tiffany noticed that neither Jessica nor Yoona were talking. She heard soft breathing and looked at the back to find Jessica’s head on Yoona’s lap. Both of them were sleeping soundly, Jessica was lying down while Yoona was simply sitting up.

Tiffany then the radio with announcer blasting "Breaking News"

"An 8.3 magnitude earthquake shook Thailand an hour ago and an impending tsunami may hit the shores a few minutes from now. Meterologists can not explain the current chain of events that is sweeping the world.”

"Meanwhile on the North Pole, polar ice caps are melting causing several floods and an inundation of severe magnitude in the areas of Russia and Northern Europe. Animals have an unexplainable migration pattern towards the central area of Europe. They were observed to move in packs including varied species of animals. In Hawaii, dormant volcanoes have erupted and lava is threatening to engulf islands whole. In Australia, tornadoes have been destroying property and preventing people from evacuating. In Africa, heavy hurricanes have washed away people and logged trees floated ashore preventing rescue operations from occurring. In Japan, avalanches have buried people and property and several Japanese people have already committed mass suicides. In China, several structures have fallen over due to howling winds and an incoming superstorm. Governments all over the world are doing their utmost to provide evacuation centers and manage rescue operations. Majority of the affected, however, are making things difficult with their refusal to leave their homes. There have been several reports of people committing suicide or fleeing to the mountains."

Tiffany suddenly stepped on the brakes which caused Yoona and Jessica to propel forward and almost hit the windshield.

“Jesus Christ, Tiffany!” Jessica yelled as she went back to the backseat.

Meanwhile Yoona had trouble breathing as Tiffany was tightly gripping her neck with one arm.

“Where the hell are you taking us, Yoona?! I don’t wanna die in an unknown suburban place and get my body washed out into sea or lost underneath rubble.” Tiffany asked angrily.

“Listen,… can you please loosen your grip and let me speak?”

Once Tiffany let go, Yoona replied hoarsely. “Okay, we’re going to an area behind the mountains where an underground chamber lies. We go miles beneath the sea and reach a submarine which my father had built for me years ago.”

“Wait, how about your family? Where are they? Aren’t you taking them with us? I mean I don’t find enough reason for you to take us. We’ve just met and I honestly don’t think we deserve salvation more than other people out there.” Jessica reasoned out.

“Jessica, quit being melodramatic, will you? Can’t you just be happy and take Yoona’s offer. Don’t you think we’re lucky enough to have this opportunity whereas thousands of people around the world are already perishing?” Tiffany looked at Jessica sternly.

Tiffany had surprisingly forgotten their previous altercation and calmed down.

Yoona took this as her cue and moved onto the driver’s seat while Tiffany sat on the passenger’s seat.

They continued driving and turned right when they reached the junction. They drove until they reached the first hill and Yoona lead the car behind it. They pulled over and got out.

“Wait, how did your limp go away that quickly?” Jessica asked as she noticed Yoona could already walk perfectly well.

“It was just a scratch earlier. The wood didn’t really hit me that bad.” Yoona said quickly.

Jessica was suspicious, but just let the thought go. Much more pressing matters are at hand.

“Okay, you guys just follow me. I’ll address your questions later on when we are already in the chambers miles below sea level.”

Tiffany followed immediately but Jessica was still hesitant. She just had a gut feeling that something bad was going to happen.

Yoona led them to the base of a hill and led them to an entrance partially blocked by tall grasses and shrubbery. They went along a dark and damp tunnel with Yoona leading the way. She took out two flashlights and handed one to Jessica.

“Hey, why don’t I get one?” Tiffany complained.

“Tiffany, you’re in between the two of us. There’s light in front and behind you. Be content with that.” Yoona reasoned out.

“Hmph!” Tiffany could not find any rebuttal and simply stayed silent.

20 minutes have passed since they had been traversing the tunnel.

“Okay, I’m sorry, I need to speak up. The silence is creeping me out.” Jessica suddenly spoke.

“Thank you Jessi. I thought I was the only one.” Tiffany seconded Jessica’s concern.

“Well, if you find the need to. Talking won’t hurt. It may use up some of energy though.” Yoona replied.

“Yoona, how old are you?”

“Me, I’m 23.”

“Oh, we’re only a year apart.” Tiffany replied excitedly. “Jessica too.”

“What’s with the random questions Tiffany?”

“Well, I need to talk to get the creeps off me.”

“Okay.” Jessica deadpanned.  “Hey, Yoona, why were you in the theater all alone? Don’t tell me you watched a movie alone?”

“I did.”

“Really? I wouldn’t be able to watch movies on my own.” Tiffany butted in.

“Yeah, that’s why I always get dragged to the theater.” Jessica added.

“Well, you enjoy sleeping there anyway.” Yoona couldn’t help smiling at the pair. Her task was only to keep Jessica alive, yet she opted to save Tiffany too. She knew Tiffany was somehow Jessica’s pillar and she wouldn’t leave Tiffany behind easily.

After a few more minutes they reached the end of the tunnel and arrived at a 20-ft high damp brightly-lit room. Once their eyes got accustomed to the light, they saw Yoona operating machinery and trying to lower the submarine hanging a few feet above them. Inside the room was a river located beneath the submarine. Yoona had successfully lowered the vehicle and was now packing some things into a bag.

Tiffany and Jessica simply stood there at a loss at what to do. When Yoona finished packing, she pressed a button and the door to the submarine opened.

“Girls, please get inside now.”

“Okay.” Tiffany and Jessica slowly entered the vehicle and waited for Yoona to get inside.

Yoona threw the bag into the vehicle and went back to the control board.

Jessica and Tiffany were surprised when the door suddenly whooshed close with Yoona left outside. Jessica suddenly rushed to the door shouting at Yoona, “What the hell are you doing?” Yoona couldn’t hear her though, but the guessed what Jessica was shouting about accurately.

Yoona simply mouthed take care and the submarine was suddenly submerged underwater with the two girls inside panicking on what to do. Aside from the fact that their guide left them alone in a submarine they don’t know how to operate, they were also baffled at the girl’s actions. They were very worried for Yoona’s safety and confused with why the girl decided to suddenly stay behind.

Suddenly a screen appeared at one of the submarine’s windows and it showed them the instructions on how to operate the machine. Suddenly a note popped out of nowhere. The note was from Yoona.

Hey, don’t you worry a single bit about me. I’m fine. Nothing will happen to me. Just trust me and follow the instructions on the screen. I know the both of you are afraid, but you just have to believe that all will be well in the end.

We may not be able to each other anymore in the future, but I know the two of you will take care of each other. Tiffany, don’t yell at Jessica too much and Jessica stop sleeping too much. It might get you in more serious trouble next time and I might be there to save you then. It was nice meeting the two of you. Keep safe.

-Yoona

The note left Jessica in tears, giving the responsibility to maneuver the vehicle all on Tiffany. Tiffany wanted to comfort her friend, but she knew there were more important things to do as of the moment. She carefully followed the instructions and managed to take the submarine to an underground cave where they stayed in more than a week. The instructions then told them to go back to the surface to check the water level.

During the whole time, Jessica was rather miserable and refused to eat. Tiffany somehow managed to convince Jessica to eat with her continuous prodding and the fact that Yoona’s effort would’ve been wasted if Jessica died due to starvation. Jessica ate small amounts of food. At the end of the week, the water level had gone down and they were safe to go back to shore. They entered a pod which was ejected and transformed to a small boat.

When they got to shore, they couldn’t stop the feeling of joy at their survival. They never thought they’d last this long. But they did, and it’s all thanks to Yoona.

After that short moment of joy, Jessica suddenly broke down and let all her emotions overcome her. Tiffany embraced her friend and tried to soothe her.

“Tiffany why aren’t you sad for Yoona?”

“I’m going to tell you something Jessica, but I’m afraid you might think I’m crazy.”

“What is it?”

“I think Yoona was your guardian angel.”

“What?” Jessica thought Tiffany was out of her mind.

“Well, she just came out of nowhere. Also, didn’t the note tell you that much? She said she was safe and she said she might not be there the next time you get into trouble.”

Jessica was left thinking. “Well, if that’s the case,” Jessica suddenly knelt down “thank you for saving me, for saving us. I can’t express how much gratitude I have for you. I hope you are well and I’ll always keep praying for you.”

Tiffany was glad that Jessica finally found peace. She obviously needed that. The two of them might not have seen her, but Yoona was there smiling and watching over them.