"This is CNN breaking news. Reports of fires and small explosions coming about abruptly in Chicago have just begun pouring in about ten minutes ago. The fires coincidentally occurred at the same time when unidentified aircraft were detected to be flying within Chicago airspace. The Mayor of Chicago has announced that it is highly unlikely that the two events are related and advises that the public not be alarmed. He adds that the medical and fire departments are working hard on putting out the fires and sending the injured to dedicated facilities outside of the city, and should the blazes persist, a mass evacuation programme would take place for all residents in Chicago," a news presenter spoke over the television, which everyone was crowding around.

"Stand away from the TV," I ordered as I walked back to the living room from the window.

The guests, of which most continued to stay where they were despite my instruction, turned to look at me for a moment. One of them raised an eyebrow while another frowned. Eventually, they turned back to watch the news. Only a few stepped away from the television.

"Seriously, you guys. Don't stay near the television," I told them once again.

"Well, why not? We need to check the news for updates on whatever is going on," a guest questioned.

"Yeah. Like, what the hell is even happening? There was literally a guy outside the apartment running around while he was on fire, and we don't know why. So why don't you just shut up for a moment?" another one disregarded my remark rudely.

"Well, I don't know why this is happening, but I'm pretty sure I know what is happening," I stated.

And with perfect timing, a socket that was connected to a room heater blew, which caused a small fire on the wire.

"That's what is happening," I said, glancing over at the burning heater and pointing my finger at it. I was confident that I knew what was going on without needing to understand why it was happening. The reason for it just wasn't important.

It was essential enough to know that the electrical appliances were the ones that were causing casualties all over the city.

Before I began my announcement, I made sure that the heater fire was put out. Thankfully, Jake rushed over to the bathroom, grabbed a pail of water and a toothbrush, used the end of the toothbrush to turn the socket off and splashed the water all over the fire, which caused it to dissipate and die down.

As such, I began speaking again. "Now, I want all of you to move away from that television now, and I'll tell you why," I said calmly.

The guests finally stayed quiet and compliant, stepping away from the TV stand altogether, with some even retreating further back into the room as a precaution.

"Look what has happened so far. A toaster malfunctioning, the gas pipe for a stove igniting, a light fixture sparking a fire and falling, a refrigerator door blasting open and a heater catching on fire. What do all of these have in common?" I asked everyone.

"They are electrical appliances," Zoe answered promptly. It was clear that she probably understood what was going on too, so I nodded at her.

"Exactly," I continued. "These appliances malfunctioned around the same time and have just caused three potential deaths and one injury. Now, look out of the window. What do you see outside?"

The guests all turned their heads to face the scenery outside—the ugly scenery that included burning cars and clouds of smoke erupting from buildings. It was an unpleasant sight, just as unpleasant as what was going on in the apartment we were in.

"As you can see, whatever is happening to us is also happening to everyone else in this city. The malfunctioning of the appliances here doesn't make it an isolated incident. It's everywhere. So if you think the paramedics and police officers are going to rush over to serve you when you're injured, then I'm to say that you're wrong," I told the stubborn guests off.

"It's been fifteen minutes since you called them, so why aren't they coming? Hmm?" I questioned them.

No one dared to respond. They were very afraid that I was right, and I myself were too. I seemed hardy and bold on the outside, but inside, I was just a nervous wreck. However, I knew I didn't have time to cry out loud and be emotional, so I kept strong so that everyone would do the same too.

"Because there are too many damn fires across the city! This whole metropolis has turned into an inferno with people still in it, and there are just not enough paramedics to help every single injured person here! So the best you can do is to prevent yourself from getting hurt. Now, I don't want anyone going near the appliances until I cut the power out," I ordered every single one of them.

Meanwhile, Jamie politely raised her hand to speak. I nodded my head, gesturing for her to begin.

"I have a question," she started. "The news said that there are unidentified aircraft flying within the vicinity. Is there the possibility that it is causing all these appliances to ignite?"

I closed my eyes for a moment. The mayor had claimed that there was unlikely any relation between the two events, but I myself couldn't say that it wasn't a possible theory.

"Well, the news said that it was unlikely, but I can't say that you're wrong. However, whatever the case, the most important thing right now is that the electricity being supplied to this apartment be cut off immediately," I responded. "Everyone, stay calm, and stay away from the appliances."

After ending my speech, I quickly walked towards Zoe. "Zoe, where's the main circuit breaker? I'm going to turn the power off," I asked her, knowing she knew her house better than anyone else.

"It's near the front door. I'll show you," she replied before bringing me to it.

I stared at the wall that she was pointing at. At first, I didn't see it, but after a while, I noticed a gap in the wall. I didn't know how to open it up, though.

"You have to press this thing in and then slide it up," she demonstrated, although I didn't need to learn since she had already done it for me.

"Ah, thank you," I said.

"The main switch is here. I might as well just turn it off for you," she pointed out before reaching for the switch.

Seeing that made me nervous, as I thought it wasn't safe for her to touch the switch with her bare finger.

"Wait," I held her wrist, stopping her hand from touching the circuit breaker box.

She stared at me, confused as to why I stopped her from assisting me in cutting the power.

"It may not be safe. You know how all these "certified-safe" appliances have been going crazy so far. We should use something made of plastic to switch it off," I warned her.

She nodded her head. "I think that's a good precaution," she agreed to my suggestion.

"Jake!" I shouted across the room, which was somehow loud enough to catch his attention despite the loud commotion and panicking that came from the guests in the room. "Get me the toothbrush you used just now!" I told him.

He then came running over with the toothbrush before handing it over to me.

"Thanks," I said before touching the circuit breaker switch with the bottom of the toothbrush and pressing down on it. I heard a clicking sound, which told me that it was off. As such, the power for the entire house was cut, and the room quickly went dim. All that was shining into the apartment was the dying light of the setting sun and the moonlight from the crescent moon.

The power cut also meant that the television wouldn't stay on anymore.

"I'm sorry, everyone. I know it's pretty dark and uncomfortable here, and the television and Wi-Fi aren't working anymore, so you have to see the news from your phone now," I addressed the guests.

Some of them sounded disappointed, as heard from their negative remarks, while others were highly relieved that there was no longer the risk of getting injured or killed by the appliances.

"Guys, look at this!" Jamie exclaimed as she held up her phone to show everyone. "This is from the WGN-TV website. They say they're evacuating The Loop and Near South Side first, and they'll move on to Lincoln Park and Near North Side next!"

And so, everyone immediately hopped into the website to see the announcement for themselves. Even I did. And it was true. We were going to be the second group of people to be evacuated from the city. The announcement documented that the rescue would be carried out primarily by trucks but also by helicopters if necessary.

Upon hearing the news, some guests ran to the door, desperate to get out of the terrible situation and be rescued. However, I couldn't let them go.

"Stop there! It's too early to leave the apartment!" I blocked their way by standing in front of the door.

"Why shouldn't we? It's safer downstairs than up here," the guest retaliated.

"Weren't you the one who said someone was on fire, running around outside? Who knows if he had set the corridor on fire? It's best to stay here until it's our turn to leave," I warned them.

Instead of replying rudely again, the guest sighed and walked away, murmuring, "I guess you're right." The other guests who were with him followed and returned to the main area with him.

After an hour of waiting, it was finally our turn to be evacuated. It felt like a really long wait, but evacuating almost everyone in two dense communities within sixty minutes was faster than expected.

Before any guest could push their way out of the ruined apartment, I blocked the front door once again. Unexpectedly, no one seemed so desperate to leave this time.

"Adam, check if the corridor is clear," Jake requested.

And so, I twisted the doorknob gently and pulled the door inwards slowly and carefully. I could sense the faint smell of smoke somewhere in the hallway, but it wasn't that distinct.

I stepped out of the apartment for once. Being the first one to do so wasn't very pleasant, however. The corridor smelled the same as the apartment—probably even worse. The smell of smoke lingered in the air, although it wasn't choking.

What was more terrifying were the three bodies that lay along the smoky hallway.

I quickly hopped back into the apartment and shut the door for a moment. I took a deep breath in and exhaled calmly. I told myself that everything was all right, although it obviously wasn't. Once again, I had to keep myself calm if I wanted the others to be too.

"Everyone, I need to warn you about this in advance. The moment you step outside the room, everything will take an even more grim and dark turn. It isn't better than what you just saw happening here," I warned them in advance.

"There's no need to beat around the bush. Just tell us," a guest responded.

"All right. There are... three bodies lying on the ground outside. I don't know whether they're really dead or not, but seeing that there are blankets covering them, which perhaps, someone had placed, they are probably dead," I broke the news to everyone.

I had initially expected everyone to start gasping and make quiet, nervous remarks to themselves or others, but instead, everyone kept quiet. Some nodded, staying calm. Others seemed to be sweating profusely, but they didn't show it on their face. I liked the atmosphere in the room. Everyone was going strong, and it helped me to be too.

"I don't think that's shocking at all. After witnessing the horrible deaths of the three in here, and after all that worthless crying and panicking, I think we've realised that there's nothing more we can do but move on from the hurt and pain," Jamie responded.

I smiled at her for a second before realising that it was probably not the right time to do so. As such, I wiped the grin away from my face within a few seconds. I noticed that it probably made my expression look sarcastic, but I was sure that Jamie had gotten my point.

"All right, everyone. Do not be alarmed when you see the bodies. Stay calm, move briskly towards the stairwells, and head down to the lobby. We won't be taking the elevators in case they malfunction," I directed the guests as I opened the door to let them out.

They all followed my instructions promptly and headed out of the door quickly so that they wouldn't slow down those behind them. Within a minute, everyone except Jake, Zoe and me had left the room.

"What are you two waiting for?" I asked them. Instead of following me and Jake out, Zoe sank down into a squatting position and began sobbing miserably. As soon as we heard her crying, we entered the apartment again and watched her.

"Amore mio, what's wrong?" Jake asked, imitating Zoe's position and squatting to talk to her more easily.

"Y-you know... we were going to live here happily.... We were supposed to have a great party today. But... but this stupid incident ruined it all, and now four friends are dead. I just wish this never happened!" she broke into tears again.

"Well, sometimes life isn't fair," I responded before Jake could think of something to say. "It will never be. But we just have to accept the losses and move on. It's okay to act like you're fine when you're not. And it's okay to reveal what you're truly feeling inside. But we all have to learn to take it in our stride and go on, staying strong. The brokenness in you can't overwhelm you. So please, stay resilient and positive for now until we get out of here, all right?"

Immediately, Zoe wiped her tears away and stood up boldly. Suddenly, there was a change in the atmosphere, and there was a change in her attitude too. It was clear that she figured that there was still hope for a happy relationship with Jake, in a happy life. All that they needed to do was to comply with the evacuation and get out of the situation.

"All right. I'll... I'll stay strong for now. Until this all ends," she said as she left the apartment and walked towards the stairwell, catching up with the guests who were already making their way down.

"How did you even come up with that motivational speech that easily? It worked with her so well," Jake praised me.

"Well, I was sincere and genuine about what I said. The truth would make anyone motivated to stay positive, even if the truth itself is negative," I answered.

"It's a wonder how you can still be single after so long," he thought.

"It's not that shocking, though. I'm probably the one that constantly rejects people because I feel that I'm too irresponsible to be in a relationship," I added.

Jake walked in circles around the same spot as if he were thinking about something. He seemed to be getting annoyed by my self-deprecation.

"Come on," he sighed. "Stop saying negative things about yourself. You're a great friend, a great therapist, and a great worker. You're better than you think you are."

I shook my head. "Like I said, the truth isn't always positive. I may be a responsible friend, but I don't think I'll be a responsible boyfriend. Even if I do make it up to the point of getting married like you are going to, I probably won't be a responsible husband. Friendship and marriage are very different, you know?"

Jake didn't reply, however. I guess he knew I was right, and there was nothing he could say to change my mind.

"Why am I even talking about this in this situation?" I asked myself, chuckling. "Come on, let's catch up with rest. I can't wait to get away from here," I hurried Jake, dragging him with me as I dashed towards the stairwell, motivated by the thought of finally getting out of the traumatic situation. Well, if only the story had ended there.

If only it were that easy.