The sun was searing hot as if someone had turned up a heat dial to its maximum setting. Nathan cursed himself for wearing a jacket on such a hot day. He was certain that ninety percent of stray gazes he caught were judging him like some lunatic. It didn't help knowing he wasn't feeling very well.
"Huff," he exhaled, fanning his sweating face with his hand. Fortunately, it wasn't much further until he reached the bus stop. This gave him a short while to distract himself from his misery. Children's laughter echoed down the street with the occasional honk of busy drivers trying to get about their day. The tingling scent of crisp, freshly baked bread plastered itself to the morning air alongside the mingling of chatter from those who enjoyed delectable cups of coffee at nearby cafes. Putting aside the heat, the day was perfect—clear skies stretching overhead like a blank canvas and a gentle breeze flirting with the trees.
A tender curve was just about to creep onto his lips when he noticed a mystifying dark cloud hovering silently above. At first glance, it seemed normal. However, a subtle flash from the cloud soon caught his attention.
Nathan squinted and shielded the fierce sunlight from his delicate brown eyes. He saw endless flashes of lightning fighting furiously inside the cloud, yet there was no hint of thunder.
"Wha—" Before he could utter a sentence, a chill cold enough to rival an ancient blizzard prickled every goosebump on his body. The hairs on his skin stood up as if they were part of an audience, and an awful sensation crept into his soul.
He glanced at a nearby elderly woman looking to cross the street—his feet springing into action without his command.
BAM!!
He dove into the woman's chest, pushing her into the middle of the road just before a powerful bolt of lightning collided with the spot where she had been standing with a deafening bang. For a moment, everything went black. His ears rang like wedding bells, and his head ached with the ferocity of a beating heart.
"Urgh," he groaned—a strange dissonance in his voice. "Are you okay?" He asked with no response.
Nathan slowly opened his dusty eyelids—his heart running against his chest. His gaze immediately met the rotting corpse of an old woman lying beneath him. Her eyes sunk beneath their sockets, and her skin blackened with the flavor of death.
"GAHH!!" He screamed, kicking the corpse away while he scurried across the barren red dirt on his behind. "W-What the hell happened?!"
He lifted his gaze, the world around him drenched in the red glow of the setting sun. Towers of smoke slithered into the air like lazy serpents, and crackling fires seared away at charred flesh for a nauseating stench, leaving a taste like scorched metal and ash. The earth beneath him was dry and thirsty, filling itself only with the blood of corpses that seeped into its cracks.
"The ultimate sacrifice!" A womanly voice whispered into his ear.
Nathan threw his head around only to see thousands of corpses decorated with spears, swords, and shields. Rotting hands stretched to the sky with fingers bent and crooked. Chariots of gold and iron lay scattered across the wasteland. Withering ashes of mothers holding their dead children in the failed safety of their bosoms slowly faded with the wind.
Above, ravens circled like endless storm clouds, cawing like a funeral choir. Some dared to perch themselves atop corpses, tearing away at eyeballs and rotting flesh.
An ocean of the god's wrathful wine.
"Young man? Young man, are you okay?!"
Nathan sucked in a deep breath, finding himself gazing into the old eyes of the woman he had just saved. He breathed in ragged gasps, his body drenched in sweat from head to toe. He looked around frantically, but the wasteland of death had already disappeared. Everything was somehow back to normal.
"W-What… What just happened?" He pondered aloud in distress.
"You saved my life! How on earth did you know I was about to be struck by lightning?" The old lady answered in surprise. "You don't seem very well, however. Are you feeling okay, son?"
Nathan could hardly get the words to leave his quivering lips. He covered half his face with his hand and steadied his breathing. "I'm fine… I'm just hallucinating from a high fever… Yeah, that's all there is to it. I'm hallucinating."
"You should get to a doctor. Let me help you! It's the least I could do after you saved my life!"
"No—"
Before he could politely decline, a small crowd gathered around, brimming with curiosity and confusion.
"Hey, kid! What the hell do you think you're doing to that poor woman!?" Shouted a man from the crowd.
Nathan scrambled across the asphalt, raising his hands in surrender, "No, wait, I was trying to—"
"Are you crazy?! Assaulting an old lady like that? Are you mental?"
"Are you blind? I tackled her to save her! She would have been struck by lightning if I didn't!" Nathan quickly defended himself—a slight rattle still present in his voice.
Confusion spread like a disease among the crowd—their faces twisting into every artwork of confusion.
"Struck by lightning with a clear sky?" Another bystander inquired.
"What? Are you serious? Did none of you see what just happened? There's a creepy dark cloud in the sky! Take a look for yourselves!"
Nathan almost had whiplash from turning his head too quickly in astonishment. To his disbelief, the cloud was nowhere to be found.
"You've got to be kidding me! First, you tackle the poor lady and then feed us a lie to get yourself out of trouble. You should be ashamed of yourself! You teenagers nowadays need to be thrown into a f***ing concentration camp!"
"That's going too far!" The old woman defended, cutting through the commotion like a hot knife through butter. "He's telling the truth. If it weren't for this young man, I'd be nothing more than a hot corpse on the sidewalk!"
"Aww, shut it, you old fart! Of course, you're in on this shit! If this isn't an act to get attention for you and your grandson's stupid social media clout, then you're just growing senile!"
The crowd quickly dispersed in a sour mood. The glares Nathan received proved just how annoyed they were at him for allegedly wasting their time. He released a long sigh, then pushed himself to his feet and brushed the dirt off his jeans.
"I'm so sorry, young man," the elderly woman apologized as she took his hand to help herself up. "People these days are so rude. They act as if they mean to help, but as soon as they realize it doesn't suit their agenda, they leave you to rot!"
"It's fine. I'm not bothered by what they think of me. I'm just glad you're not hurt," Nathan answered, evidently still shaken from the ordeal.
"What's your name, son?"
"It's Nathan."
"Nathan—a gift from God," she gleamed with an aging smile. "That's the meaning of your name. You've been a blessing to me today. Thank you."
Nathan opened his mouth to speak, but the words were stuck in his throat. He couldn't help but be reminded of the image of the old lady's rotting corpse the longer he stared at her. It was like looking at a living nightmare. "I'm sorry, but I should go."
"I see," she answered reluctantly. "I wish you had let me accompany you to a doctor, but I suppose it can't be helped. Young man, allow me to at least leave you with these parting words. Never change who you are. You are a fine young man! No matter the challenges that come your way, stay strong and never give up on yourself!"
Her words felt like a warm summer breeze. They blew across Nathan's heart with the symphony of a mother's lullaby—the anxiety and sickness he felt almost dissipating completely. "Thank you. I'll be sure to keep that in mind."