CHAPTER 1
The Sad Man
It is said that the best trait of the human mind is being oblivious to what it
shouldn't perceive. It is because of this trait that humanity has survived so long
without perceiving what lies beneath its birth and its ongoings. The gods that
may dwell beneath and the precursors that came before.
It was the 3rd day since the Rapture. Well, it is called the rapture because no
one knows what to call it. On the fateful day of 25th October 2005, a majority of
Humanity suddenly howled out in Screams of pain with Howls of billions
covering the globe. A few who witnessed it and survived were plagued with
nightmares for the rest of their lives. As in front of their eyes, people for some
even their loved ones suddenly grew out branches as the sounds of bones
breaking and their screams filled the area. Their faces taking a queerly calm
expression as they turned into unliving walking talking abominations. Their
sounds human but words far from what the human larynx was ever meant to
utter. Branches twisting their bodies in unique ways with the only similarity
between all being the branches sprouting from the back and forming a vague
shape of wings from Michelangelo's works and the unnatural expression. For
those who witness them after their transformation, know that these things
aren't alive.
Eric was laying in the pouring rain next to his daughter. Or her grave that is. He
had come in West Arvada with her, severely wounded. She had died that very
day due to blood loss. He had been grieving ever since. She was buried in a
Marked sight near Block A away from the others. Mama Luna came up and sat
next to him. "Come inside, you will catch a cold like this. She would want you to
live you know." Mama Luna was a sweetheart. She was a 70 something year old
woman who had lost her husband to cancer long ago. She was the self
appointed caretaker of the settlement she was the head cook and cared about
others like her own children. No one knew how she survived the rapture. "Just
a bit more. I want to stay a bit longer" Eric replied. Luna sat beside Eric and
placed his head in her lap "I didn't have anything the rapture could take from
me but it left me alive. I think I still have a purpose to serve in this Broken
God's world. I didn't have any children before as tom passed away before we
were ready. But when I came here and saw the bodies of all the children, I
knew others have lost more than I ever did. Tom although he lived short, at
least I internally know that he lived to the fullest. Those kids couldn't even get
to enjoy their first pint. I think I said too much, my point is that if the world let
you live if only a bit more, live it and don't waste it sulking. I think Ellie would
have wanted it too." She looked down on Eric. Even though it was pouring
heavily, she knew he was crying as the tears looked like drops of crystal over
the pale muddied face in comparison to the dirty droplets of rain. "Now get up
and come inside, I made some roast, it's not much but I hope you like it and sip
it down with the weird tea you guys are drinking now." Eric's expression
changed as a slither of smile came up on his face as he nodded. "But first, you
need to get cleaned. You have been sitting in the mud too long." "Yes Mama.
Which way were the showers again?" Eric inquired. It had only been 3 days
since the rapture and he wasn't accustomed to his new abode. "Over there my
dear." Luna pointed to a building to the right. It probably used to be the gym for
the school but now it was just used for showers and storing supplies. "Thank
you, Mama." Eric tried to mutter but stuttered and choaked on his words. Luna
just nodded as she walked off.
Eric started walking off to the gym but turned around as he realized he forgot
to take a change of clothes. Eric walked towards his assigned room. Each
survivor in the place had been given a private room. Eric's room was on the 3rd
floor, 2nd to the left from the staircase. He had placed a sign saying 3-2L on the
door as it seemed fitting for some reason. He opened the duffle bag he had
started with as he left with his daughter, Ellie when the rapture began. It had a
few sets of clothes for the duo and a few essentials that he had packed in a
hurry. Eric ruffled through the bag and took out a pair of t-shirt and pants.
While going through the items his hand came across a familiar texture, not any
cloth but one of a plastic raincoat. As Eric picked up the small yellow raincoat
in his hands, a mass of memories fluttered into his mind. The memories of his
daughter's second birthday and her first one without her mother. Eric's wife
had passed away half a year prior to when Ellie turned 2 but had prepared a
gift for her before she died so the child would have something to remember
her mother by. A yellow raincoat. For practical use for a short and to remind
Ellie that things don't last forever. Its better to get as much use out of them as
possible in the current and always live in the present. As Eric pondered how
the coat might have gotten there, he thought of the possibility that Ellie must
have put it in the bag when it was time to leave. She never went anywhere far
away without it. And as much as it was meant as a lesson for Ellie it was also
proving as a lesson for him. To always live in the present and focus on what is
there in life. But the realization and consideration of the fact that now both his
wife and his daughter had died was as if a speeding bus had hit him straight on
and its impact leaving Eric collapsed on the ground as his body felt weak with
grief. Collecting himself, he stood up, picked up his clothes and started walking
off to the showers.
The talk with Mama Luna had helped clear Eric's mind a bit although it was still
running through thoughts. "She is truly a good person. Even in these times all
she thinks about is others. She has been alone for long but all she cares about
is others. Truly selfless." As Eric came back to reality, he was standing in front
of the shower area. His thoughts had enveloped his mind so much that he did
not realize when he had covered the distance between his room and the gym.
As he extended his hand to clench the handle, the door swung open revealing a
man of medium stature and a good build. Eric immediately recognized him as
Mark, the second in command and the military genius of the West Arvada. Mark
too seemed to recognize Eric as he said "you're the guy whose daughter died
right?" Hearing those words which seemed to come from a place of insolence
put Eric in a sour mood and as he did not want to start a verbal stand-off, just
controlled his urges to shout and uttered "yes". Mark realizing his mistake
quickly said "hey, sorry didn't mean to put it that way I just hope you are taking
your time to cope. You should probably socialize more. It won't take the blunt
force of trauma but it will help you divert your mind a bit. I would advise you to
come to the meeting tomorrow. We are planning something not per say exciting
but it gives me the thrills." Eric now a bit more relaxed replied "I will try to see
what is going around tomorrow and will be sure to attend the meeting. Thank
you for letting me stay here I owe you bunch a lot." Mark grinned, said "it's
alright, west Arvada is now your home too" and walked off. Eric was thankful
as he started to feel guilty about not helping around the settlement more. "I
will start my work from tomorrow and try to socialize more. Maybe I should
also check out the meeting. It might take my mind off Ellie." Eric stepped into
the shower as the cold embrace of water started washing off the murk, he
shivered at the ice-cold temperature. As the world had come to a halt so had
the amenities people had taken for granted as they towered atop the animal
kingdom hierarchy. Things such as electricity and hot water were no longer a
normal part of life. Eric just took the grievance and completed his shower.
At the dinner, Mama Luna and her people had prepared a boar that had been
roaming by and some bread. There was also the weird tea everyone had been
talking about. The tea smelled as horrendous as a rotting corpse yet had
people going amok over it. "Has the humanity come this low that even this
wretched tea is getting to people because there is nothing left to enjoy the
taste anymore." Eric took a sip. The tea was quiet opposite to its smell. It tasted
fine and smooth like an alcoholic beverage yet it was sweet and a bit jarred.
Although it did leave a bitter aftertaste in the mouth. The person next to Eric
suddenly opened up and said "you know I am the inventor of that tea. I found
this edible plant and a few mushrooms growing nearby and from my camping
experience I knew they were full of nutrients and a full meal if made into a
stew." Eric nodded with his mouth full as the person kept going on "I tried to
first make it into a combined stew but that tasted horrendous. Then I saw the
blender and came up with a perfect technique to make something delicious yet
filling from it. You see the mushrooms and plants are ground up and then dried
to make a fine sheet of batch which is then broken into smaller pieces and
made into tea. We also add a small number of spices to satiate the buds" Eric
listened as the person kept babbling about the tea and food. The food was of
course good as it always was with Mama's cooking.
Eric finished his food and went off to sleep. As he was walking by, he heard a
man complaining about the frequent headaches everyone was suffering from.
"Yeah, the headaches we get when we sleep" Eric wondered. They carried no
cause and no effect, just terrible pain as people slept or tried to. Maybe it was
due to the cold or maybe it was something else. Whatever it was due to it made
life just a bit more miserable. Eric climbed up the stairs to his room and laid
down on his bed as the pain took over him. Suppressing all urges to give way
and break his skull Eric tried to sleep but when he couldn't, he just gave up on
the sleep and went out to take a stroll. This seemed to work as the headache
faded away in a quick succession "this is weird. Everything is weird now. The
angels, the deaths everything. I haven't even seen an angel properly but the far
sight was scarring enough. How do these things even exist. Why did this even
happen." The thoughts gripped Eric as he took a stroll around the closed off
gates, the park and ultimately arriving at Ellie's grave. He looked around and
found a few flowers which he picked and put down on the grave. Eric sat next
to the grave and in a hushed tone said "I will socialize a bit tomorrow. Try to
get to know the people around. I will try to find a purpose. People say that you
would want that. I hope they are right." Eric placed his head on the stone and
dozed off not caring about the seething pain in his head.
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