7MARCH 18, 2004: THURSDAY - 3:33AM. The stars caught its first glimpse of Hell during the Holocaust, and so did humankind. It was not, however, humankind's last image of fear, pain, and death. The world once again set its emerald green and deep blue eyes on its second glimpse of Hell early Thursday morning.
It arrived like fire-lightning. It descended through the black canopy of space, scorching the darkness of the universe with its brilliant, gleaming orange light. There was hardly a soul that did not rest that evening, even the scientists normally preoccupied with making observations in their immaculate tower had locked their location up that night. The one night that the world should be awake, it had fallen asleep instead.
It happened when no one would expect it, at the very end of the cold rainy winter season and towards the beginning of the blossoming spring. Not even Joseph Tybalt, the blue-collar working young man that no one normally gave a second thought to, would have expected it. Whatever higher force roaming the boundless sky, however, was in an ironic mood that night. This unnamable being, whose existence remained unproven and yet its existence not ruled out, had decreed that Joseph would witness the most significant event in all of the universe's history.
"We have late-breaking news early this Thursday morning of March the eighteenth. An average citizen, Joseph Tybalt, sighted a meteor heading towards Earth approximately thirteen minutes ago on Axel Point," the calm, sophisticated tone of a vigorous female newscaster announced.
"I don't know, man," Joseph said during his interview. "I was just out here tonight. I couldn't go to sleep, you know? -Like, just having bad dreams and stuff, and I got up and I felt like going outside to get some fresh air. So, like, I go outside, and I see all the stars and I feel like I wanna get a better look at'em, so I drive up to Axel Point, the highest point you know? It made sense. And I just kinda sit there with my beer in one hand and I look at the stars. Then I see like this star moving. I thought it was one of'em shooting stars, but then it got a little bit closer, and it looked orange."
The newscaster continued, "The scientists in the Core Research Development Team, also known as C.R.D.T., have been stunned by this sighting."
"We don't know where it came from or if it'll actually collide with Earth," explained a gray-bearded man in a white lab coat. "There's no reason for any alarm."
The camera returned to the sweet-faced newscaster. "C.R.D.T. will continue impeccable research into the meteor now deemed the Axel Meteor, and as always, KASI10 will bring you the latest updates. This is Lia Evangeline for KASI10. Thank you and enjoy your morning."