DAY ZERO:

The sand was warm beneath her. The sun, beat down its golden rays over her skin. She soaked up every drop of that Vitamin D as the cool ocean waters licked at her legs and feet. The sun began to set, quickly. Too quickly, and the bursts of colors that painted the sky seemed to seep into the once blue waters, and turned them red. The frothy, crimson liquid washed upon the shore, and once more upon her limbs, coating them in a thick, warm liquid. Frowning down at the sight, she moved in what seemed to be slow motion. A hand, blurred through the dim light, came down to sweep over her shin, and smeared the sanguine paint from her leg. “Blood?” Her voice echoed, though her lips never even parted. In the distance, a song could be heard, slowly breaking through the sounds of the ocean, and drowning out the crack of the waves as they bathed the sand in blood.

“I’m all ’bout that bass, ’bout that bass, no treble..”

Her head swiveled from side to side, but the water was receding. “Wait..where are you going?” The words, once more uttered without a sound leaving her lips, speaking to the beach as if it was a friend. Again, the song rang out.

“I’m all ’bout that bass, ’bout that bass, no treble..”

The volume, too loud to ignore, stirred her from the peaceful state she was in just in time for it to completely unravel. The beach came to a screeching halt, and disappeared. The waves, gone. Nothing remained but the feel of the plush pillow beneath her head, and the annoying cry of her cell phone.

With a groan, her hand was tossed towards the device in a feeble attempt to silence the damn thing. “What now?” She grumbled, and dragged her exhausted form up to a sitting position as she collected the phone and squinted down at the screen.

Those 12 hour shifts at the hospital had been really weighing her down, and were harder to adjust to than expected. Upon seeing her boss’s name on the screen, and three missed calls, she groaned yet again. No doubt she’d done something wrong. With being so fresh from college, and having not yet developed her nursing skills entirely, she was quickly becoming the office screw up. A quick press of a button later, and the frantic voice of her boss was on the other line.

“Hel– ooh.. yeah. Ok, sure. Right now? Like.. right now, right now? Wel– Yeah. Be there in ten..”

The phone was disconnected and tossed aside as the young woman rushed about her room, and weaved about boxes labeled ‘asshole’, to collect a fresh pair of scrubs, her sneakers, and to brush her teeth. As far as she knew, it was just an extra shift of work, but soon she’d find out she was walking straight into hell…

DAY ZERO:

The sand was warm beneath her. The sun, beat down its golden rays over her skin. She soaked up every drop of that Vitamin D as the cool ocean waters licked at her legs and feet. The sun began to set, quickly. Too quickly, and the bursts of colors that painted the sky seemed to seep into the once blue waters, and turned them red. The frothy, crimson liquid washed upon the shore, and once more upon her limbs, coating them in a thick, warm liquid. Frowning down at the sight, she moved in what seemed to be slow motion. A hand, blurred through the dim light, came down to sweep over her shin, and smeared the sanguine paint from her leg. "Blood?" Her voice echoed, though her lips never even parted. In the distance, a song could be heard, slowly breaking through the sounds of the ocean, and drowning out the crack of the waves as they bathed the sand in blood.

"I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no treble.."

Her head swiveled from side to side, but the water was receding. "Wait..where are you going?" The words, once more uttered without a sound leaving her lips, speaking to the beach as if it was a friend. Again, the song rang out.

"I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no treble.."

The volume, too loud to ignore, stirred her from the peaceful state she was in just in time for it to completely unravel. The beach came to a screeching halt, and disappeared. The waves, gone. Nothing remained but the feel of the plush pillow beneath her head, and the annoying cry of her cell phone.

With a groan, her hand was tossed towards the device in a feeble attempt to silence the damn thing. "What now?" She grumbled, and dragged her exhausted form up to a sitting position as she collected the phone and squinted down at the screen.

Those 12 hour shifts at the hospital had been really weighing her down, and were harder to adjust to than expected. Upon seeing her boss's name on the screen, and three missed calls, she groaned yet again. No doubt she'd done something wrong. With being so fresh from college, and having not yet developed her nursing skills entirely, she was quickly becoming the office screw up. A quick press of a button later, and the frantic voice of her boss was on the other line.

"Hel-- ooh.. yeah. Ok, sure. Right now? Like.. right now, right now? Wel-- Yeah. Be there in ten.."

The phone was disconnected and tossed aside as the young woman rushed about her room, and weaved about boxes labeled 'asshole', to collect a fresh pair of scrubs, her sneakers, and to brush her teeth. As far as she knew, it was just an extra shift of work, but soon she'd find out she was walking straight into hell...