Day 1 of 3

Everyone dies at one point in their lives. Kim Kardashian will die, Barack Obama will die, even Betty White can die whenever she feels like it. And now I will die in three days, this goes for the entire population because of some meteor thinks it was a good idea to destroy the world. I am a twenty-year-old college student with a full life ahead of me. If only I used it on better things instead of watching ghetto fights online and eating unhealthy for most of it.

The entire world has quit their jobs to spend their remaining days with their loved ones, but I can't do that. I'm in college in Chicago while my family lives all the way in Oregon. The roads are blocked with abandoned cars and a plane hasn't left since the bad news. Also, the signal is off worldwide, so no phone calls can go through either. Now I'm stuck in my dorm with my friend Grace watching reruns of 90s cartoons.

While a great percentage of the world loots or kill themselves, we jokingly make problematic remarks at each other sharing an old couch. An occasional "Oh look, Charlie! It's you!" Is thrown by Grace every time an unappealing black male is on the screen. And I would do the same every time I see a masculine woman on screen. Yep, that's our friendship. I guess friends until the end is taken quite literally at the moment all because some dumb rock wants to be so close to us for some reason. NASA, where you at? This is your job.

By a shocking burst of entrance my other best friend Courtney shouts with three walkie talkies in her hand. She was always the mom of the two of us. Ever since we met her freshman year of college, she would patch up my bruises. Now that we are roommates she makes sure we are safe and having fun. "Get up you two! We are about to set off for our final adventure on this earth. You can do literally anything you want with no consequences, but you choose to watch old Pokémon. You can shoplift, you can steal a car, you can even catch an STD if you're feeling saucy. Wink wink. Everyone must get up now and say one thing they always wanted do in their life, but never got the chance to do so." This surprising approach from Courtney only makes us laugh louder than usually. The same person who stops us from cursing in front of her pet turtle is telling us to catch a sexually transmitted disease. I think I like the dying Courtney better than roommate Courtney. Alright. Where can I sign up?

"Okay, I'll take this challenge," Grace says sarcastically. "My only wish is to find my one true love." She flutters her lashes mocking every cheesy princess known to man.  "Maybe my prince will be waiting outside with my tiara and ecstasy."

Grace stands abruptly to bow like she's Cinderella, but Courtney's face is as straight as a line.

"Check. Charlie, what's your final wish?" Courtney hands Grace and I a walkie talkie.
I take on Grace's approach to say a wish as silly as possible. I swiftly stand from my couch into a military posture. "I want to be a leader of my own mini country. I would have my own peasants that listen to everything I say. Is that wish good enough for you Court." I salute and she nods her head in agreement.

"I guess It settled now. On our last three days on earth, we will find Grace the love of her life and make sure Charlie become the second black president. But first, we will do what's on my bucket list. As you may know, I love any type of animal. So my wish is to pet my favorite animal: a tiger. It's going to be a challenge, but we do live near a zoo with no guards telling us what to do. Grab your camping gear and meet me in the car in thirty. Go!"

Confusion fills our brains with what Courtney has become. The once super mom now wants to pet a giant human eating cat. I mean getting eating by a cat can't be worse than getting smash by a giant space rock, so I guess it is alright. Just me and my two best buddies Courtney and Grace. And Courtney's pet turtle Grandpa. He's family too and we can't leave family. Grace and I rush to grab anything that is needed to go camping. I still don't understand why Court left the two people who never went camping in charge of getting all of the essentials. Tent, Check. Three sleeping bags, check. A taser just in case a giraffe wants to go one-on-one, check. Everything is set and done. Off to the Chicago zoo.

We drive as far as we can on the empty street until we get to the blockage that stopped everyone from leaving Chicago. Apparently, when the news came on about the meteor, Chaos broke loose and everyone fled from their cars leaving the roads packed with stranded cars. The only thing we can do now carry everything on our backs while we walk a mile to the zoo Courtney desperately wanted to come to. To keep our mind off walking a mile with heavy equipment strapped to our backs is singing the theme songs to our old favorite cartoon. We jam and dance our way through the warm Chicago air into the open entrance of the door.
   
Inside smells like death in despair. Since all of the zoo keepers quit their jobs, the animals had to survive on their owns. By the smell alone you can tell most did not make it, but this does not stop the smile of Courtney reaching her ears. She jumps and giddy for the final wish to pet Tigger the tiger. Still not sure if it's alive in the first place. She runs and skips and Grace and I follow. I'm already tired, so all I want to do is leave her to sit down, but I can't leave her at this moment.
   
"Slow down Court!" Grace yells.

"Speed up! My turtle is going faster than you."

Grace and I stand in front of the deathly tiger encaged for the remainder of his life. Too weak to do anything dangerous, but you never know. Even with their rib cage slightly showing, that does not mean they're aren't packing heat. I have seen enough fights online to know that you should never base strength by how they look. Even if the tiger has no energy, muscle, or will to live, it can still rip Courtney apart wherever she is.

"Can you two hear me." Our walkie talkies activate. "I'm inside the tiger cage. I'm going to sneak up behind it so I can touch it. If I die make sure my funeral is lit. Oh. Make sure Grandpa has a front row seat if he doesn't die with me."

From a distance, you can see the insane Courtney in an all black spy attire. Her puffy natural hair is tucked under her dark hood to make her look like an alien. In one smooth movement, the tiger stares behind him to see the goofy looking Courtney. I can feel our heart beating faster than the Floyd vs Manny fight. Courtney stands breathless as if the tiger won't notice a silly looking black girl paused on one foot. Grace turns away to not see the death of our friend while I watch to try to help in some way. The tiger stands up weakly and turns her sight. He cracks his neck and stretches his jaw. Sweat pours from the traumatized woman. Even Grandpa the turtle is hiding in his shell. Minutes of pausing pass and Courtney is still alive. The tiger appears to be too weak to even attack and get food. He slumps down in front of her and lay there from Courtney to get a quick rub and run. First, wish down, two to go. That was enough death defying action for today, so we decide to camp out in the empty gorilla encasement. We snack on the popcorn sold at the zoo, tell fake ghost stories and sleep. May our next adventure take place tomorrow.

Day 2 of 3

"BEEP!" Goes the gorilla alarm. Day two of our final adventure before everyone perishes from the attack of the space punch. Either Grace or I will get out last wish even if we weren't serious to think of a real one. I wake up to see Grace and Courtney woken up already climbing the trees. Grace's long golden dreads flow in the wind as she swings from the ropes.
   
"Get up Charlie! We have to find Grace her true love before doomsday. We don't have much time so we need to get out of here asap." Courtney yells on top of a tree.

The warm moist air wakes me up with a passion. The relaxing sounds of leaves sifting through the movements of my friends. Even with the world ending in a couple of days, this moment is probably the best I've ever lived through. Smiles stretch across the fake forest with ambition. I stand us still in a daze and silently walk out alone to get the adventure finished.

"I'm off to find Grace a boyfriend."

Outside of the gorilla pin, there is a lot more people out than yesterday. It's almost like someone famous said they were here and others followed their way here. Many families walk in small groups to the empty grass area. Some people are teens who are having their last fun with people their age while some are in wedding attire. Today is almost the last day and Mother Nature must be trying to give us a gift. The bright cloudless sky blows crisp warm air in Chicago. Kids laugh and play even with the horrible sighting of the animals. In many areas of the zoo, people are getting married before they die. The list ranges from old people in wheelchairs redoing their vows to kids to their first crush getting married. With the family watching, this is perfect timing to find Grace a boyfriend.

I run to nowhere with Grace and Courtney following behind. Smiling going person to person and trying to bring more excitement to this situation. Grabbing young girls by their hands to dance with them to the tacky zoo music. Moms kiss me on my cheeks and throw flower petals in enjoyment.
   
"Who's here is in the male species and are in their twenties. I have a nice single woman waiting to get swooned!" I scream to anyone who would listen. Grace aggressively tries to stop me, but I will not listen. It's her last wish and I will make sure she has it.

"I don't want a man Charlie. I was just joking." She fights with no repelling. Courtney sprints persons to the person searching for the right single man. Grace is too busy on the ground fighting Charlie to get up and stop Courtney. The equal fight between a short male and female entertains the viewers. We aren't as entertaining as the gruesome fights online, but it does give a laugh to the suburban families.  "Do you see that girl on top of the male? She is single and ready to mingle. What are you up to?" Courtney applies to a strange nerd type young man. Grace is too powerless to get out of the grip I have on her legs. "No! I don't like him! I don't like any of these guys!" She screams.

She swarms out of the grasp of the tiny Charlie to possible catch Courtney running guy to guy. Now we are all in a foot race with Courtney jetting trying to find someone to sweep Grace off of her feet, then there is Grace. The golden fit woman with her dreads flying through the wind with the angriest face ever shown. Then there is me. The guy behind laughing at her foolish wish that is backfiring on her.

"This is your wish! I'm just helping you get it!" Courtney stops and faces Grace. The crowds of weddings surround all three of us. Toddlers stare hiding behind their parents. "I don't want any guy here. I don't want any guy in general, Court." She begs. Old people are adding their words saying to let her find her own love. A quick silence fills the zoo with awkwardness. Grace and Courtney face each other with tears and the laws pull them closer into a graceful hug.

"Does this mean?"

"Yes." Grace interrupts smiling proudly.

The crowd surrounds us takes it upon themselves to grab her and congratulate Grace on finally being happy. Her frail body swings on the shoulders of tall strong men and women as they bounce to the music. Even the bride and groom claps in excitement for Grace. This deserves a party for days. The crowds of happy people do what our clique does and spends another night in the gorilla pin. Families upon families all in tents indoor tents for the almost in of world.

Day 3 of 3

I guess today is the day. In a matter of hours, everything we have ever known will be gone forever. In a couple hours all of the families on earth will be vanquished. No Grace, no Courtney, not even Grandpa will be here anymore. Today finally gets to us knowing that we can not even say goodbye to our families. Grace is walking around the trees with every color known to man painted on her face from the party. I'm just sitting on the ground with Grandpa and a young girl whose family slept next to us. Courtney is crying from the outside of the glass holding the gorillas back from the humans. She isn't visible, but I know that sound from anyone.

Just knowing that I'm not anybody's anything anymore makes me shed a tear. I wish I could just restart my life so I could remember to be happy all of my life. To not think so much about all of my mistakes and to just go with the flow. I didn't even get my last wish. It's not the time to remind my friends about my foolish wish before we die. So for right now, Grandpa and I will silently have a conversation reminiscing of the times I was ready to kick him out of my house. Every time he bit me got him one step closer to being someone's snack. Good times. I love this guy. I love everyone I care about. I love all the things I've done and regret nothing. I can not believe I came from the guy who stayed in his room all day to the adventurous person who spends a night in a gorilla's home with the best people on earth. Even if they suck most of the time, I love them.

"I love you, Grace!" I wail so she can hear me. She smiles and signs it back. "Oh look, it's you!" I point at the same muscular male that lifted Grace during the party." Remembering all of the old jokes we pulled on each other has Grace actually showing emotion and crying. She rushes over to give me my last hug. From our first hug being freshman year of high school to our last one sophomore year in college.

"You still look dumb." She whispers in this intense hug.

I can sense Courtney on the other side of the glass watching us still bawling. I knew her for only two years, but she is one my best friends right next to Grace. I knock on the black wall and sign 'I love you.' Nothing comes back until I heard a repeat of my knock coming back to me. Then a rush of footsteps running to the door inside.

Grace and Courtney simultaneously stand uniformly together in a military pose. They salute side by side to make my final wish come true. To become dictator of my own country. It isn't much, but it is the thought that counts.  Everyone now got their one wish no matter how dumb and jokingly it was. Courtney got to pet a tiger. Even if it was on its last limb on the life train. Grace found her true love, us. I now know that I won't be the person she marries, but she does think Courtney and I are her loves. Now I. I have my loyal servants for the remainder of my time on Earth. I can't make the law of everyone must watch old 90's cartoons or you would be kicked from my country, but this will do.

The puffy haired mom comes jetting again to group hug the two of us in a sad moment. Her eyes are redder than two apples. "It's happening now." She says mid hug. "I love you too."

"AHH!" Grandpa speaks, but we interpret that that means that he loves us too. A large boom engulfs the encasement and frightens the groups of people here. Goodbye, everyone.

This is the time. Live for the moment as if it is the last. Enjoy the little things as if they are as tall as towers. Always remember that the darkest nights make the brightest stars.