Rain's Reign

“BREAKFAST TIME!”

I wake from my slumber at the sound of those words, welcoming the ounce of gratification that food will bring me. I peel my skin away from the cool metal bar of my jail cell and try to rub away the stiffness in my neck. My eyes adjust to the sunlight shining in from the long rectangular window that spans the ceiling hallway between the cells on both sides. It’s the only source of light in this prison. I listen to the approaching footsteps that will bring me my meal and try, unsuccessfully as always, to tune out all the other voices around me.

“Help me” the voices say. Some shout, some moan, some cry, and some are outright hysteric. But I can tell which voice has been trapped here longer than others based on the lack of conviction in their plea for help. It’s as if they repeat the words without understanding them anymore, as if their tongues have gotten used to the repetition, as if the repetition comforts them. Maybe they’ve gone mad. Maybe they still drawl out those words to prevent themselves from going mad. I think I’m the only one who doesn’t speak. Not because I don’t want to beg for any kind of mercy that will give me freedom, but because I can’t. The last time I spoke was when I was screaming in horror as I watched my sister and my parents melt before my eyes. That’s right, melt.

---

My identical twin brother, Ibrahim, and I were helping Auntie Shai pick blueberries from her fresh garden when the downpour started. It was a welcomed rain after the five days of scorching heat we had had. But the relief it brought didn’t last long. We watched the madness unfold from the small front yard awning. My parents, Emani and Hammad, and my older sister, Aya, had just set out to go to the grocery store for some refreshments. Ibrahim, Auntie Shai, and I were glad the task hadn’t fallen to us. They hadn’t even made it down the block when the dark clouds suddenly appeared and unleashed the rain, starting slowly and then all at once. The first few drops hit my mother’s arm and she immediately swatted away the drops as if they had burned her. She scrutinized her left arm where the drops had fallen with confusion written all over her face. I couldn’t see what was on her arm from where I stood, but I didn’t need to see it to know now that it had been a burn mark. The sound of thunder had made me look up from my task and I don’t know exactly why I had kept watching. Maybe my mind could feel the tragedy coming on and was trying to alert me. I wish I hadn’t seen it. I wish I had been able to save them.

Before my mom was even able to fully understand that the rain had burned her, it began pouring. I heard the cries of pain coming from my family as they felt every droplet of water touch their lightly clothed skin. My dad’s immediate reaction was to throw his body protectively over my mom and Aya as they tried running for cover. But he couldn’t offer much protection as the burning pain forced him to his knees while he clawed at his back. My mom and Aya hysterically watched my dad go down while now trying to shield him with their own bodies. It was a vain attempt as the rain began pooling on the ground where he was kneeling. They all continued to reflexively rub wherever the rain touched their body, as if they could heal themselves. I watched as their skin became covered in splotches of red and then began sizzling off, revealing bones underneath.

“Hammad!” mom shouted.

“Mom,” Aya exclaimed. I could hear the agony in their voices as they tried in vain to shield each other, but I could see their resolve faltering and the sense of hopelessness taking over. There was no covering close enough for them to run to. The only thing they could do now was wait for the release of death as their skins continued to melt off.

Within a matter of minutes, it was over. The rain subsided just as quickly as it had come. Their bodies lay scattered across the pavement. I could no longer discern who was who. I could hear someone’s gut-wrenching scream. Auntie Shai was standing behind me with her arms wrapped tightly around my torso. I towered over her at six feet tall, but she held on with such force that I couldn’t move an inch. Ibrahim stood to my right with both of his hands bound firmly around my right forearm. They had been holding me back. I wondered how long we had been standing like that. And that’s when I realized ... the gut-wrenching scream was coming from me.

The next few days had passed in a blur. We ate, used the bathroom, and slept. Our water supply seemed to be unaffected, but we checked the water with the tip of our finger before using/ drinking it anyway. There was complete silence outside, no sign of any life. And although all the windows and doors were closed, there was an odor hanging unmistakably in the air. I soon identified it as the smell of rotting bodies. My parents’ bodies. My sister’s body. Every day I had to fight the urge to run outside and throw my body over what was left of theirs. It seemed surreal that someone could be so close to you, just down the block, yet so far away.

It rained twice in the following days. Both times it had been like the first rain; the sunny sky had suddenly become covered with unforeseeable dark clouds, as if they had been shrouded in invisibility and that shroud had suddenly been lifted. But this time the downpours weren’t accompanied by screams. I wondered if that was because everyone outside was already dead.

Three days later, Auntie Shai discovered the swollen purple burn mark on my shin. I must have gotten splashed while watching my family die, but I hadn’t felt the pain until now. It’s as if seeing the mark alerted my mind.

“It’s infected. We need to get you antibiotics immediately.” There was a fierce determination in her voice and I knew she would protect us at all costs.

“I’ll go,” volunteered Ibrahim, willing to put his life at stake for mine.

“No, we’re not splitting up. We’re going together.”

Ten minutes later, we were in the hospital six blocks from home. In spite of the June-sun shining down on us, we had worn thick sweaters, jeans, hats, boots, and raincoats to buy us enough time to run to the nearest covering in case it rained. The only sounds we heard were the sounds of our movement as we stealthily ran to the hospital, keeping our eyes focused on the destination and not the scattered bodies all around us. The hospital was the definition of a dead zone. It looked like the people inside had escaped in a hurry, which was odd considering the danger was outside. Shouldn’t people have been running toward the hospital, not away from it? Where were all the hospital workers? It was impossible to ignore the burned, decaying bodies lying all around: on the chairs, the stretchers, the floors, etc.

“Wait here. I’m going to run straight to the pharmacy and get some antibiotics. I know exactly what you need.” Auntie Shai was all business as she took the stairs up. She returned before any time had lapsed with a bottle of pills and some water. I took one pill, gushing it down with water, and pocketed the rest. We turned to leave, but my eyes lingered on the unmarred face of a girl seated nearby. The rest of her body was burned, but somehow her face had not been damaged. How had that happened?

She suddenly opened her eyes and I took a frightened step back. I had missed the slight rise and fall of her chest. She was still alive.

Her eyes focused on us before they began frantically darting from right to left.

“Get out of here! It’s not safe here! Go! Run!” she whimpered. I could tell it required tremendous effort for her to speak. I turned to Auntie Shai and I could see the emotions playing out in her eyes.

“What… what do you mean?” Ibrahim inquired.

“They’re always watching… They did…this.. to us. Sprayed us.. They’ll get you too if … you don’t hurry.” She struggled to get the words out.

And suddenly I was blind. No, someone had thrown a covering over my face. My hands were bound tightly behind my back and I was dragged into a vehicle. Hours later, I was removed from the vehicle, freed of my binds, and thrust onto a cold cement floor. When I removed the black cloth over my face, I found myself trapped in a jail cell.

—————

A black-clad body appeared in front of my cell with my food. I had stopped trying to see past the neck gaiter face masks they wore around their face probably over a month ago. I had stopped trying to awaken some forgotten sense of empathy. I simply focused on the tray and, balancing on my knees, hungrily pulled it towards me through the small opening under the bars. But the tray didn’t budge. I was perturbed, but I just wanted to eat. I had abandoned all sense of self-respect long ago so I tugged at the tray again, but the distributor held on with unrelenting force.

“Raheem”, the body whispered.

It was barely audible over all the voices surrounding me, but I heard it. My head jerked up to identify the source of that sound, my name, but my eyes only saw the reflective black glasses the distributers always wore. My own face stared back at me and I was shocked by the pale, sunken skin and disarray eyes that I saw. I blinked. Surely, I was hearing things.

“Raheem”, she gently called again.

She had spoken with such conviction. It was unmistakable this time. That voice, I recognized that voice. I had to be going mad. That’s when the glint of silver caught my eye. The heart-shaped locket hanging over the black shirt, right underneath the mask. It was insignificant enough for no one to notice unless they truly looked and it was small enough to hide behind her shirt at a moment’s notice. She had left it out for my benefit, I was sure of it.

Auntie Shai.

If I hadn’t been so dehydrated, tears would’ve been pouring down my cheeks. Every atom in my body threatened to crumble with the overwhelming feeling of relief that took over me. I wanted to jump out of this cage, wrap my arms around her neck, and hear her soothing reassurances. I wished I was small again so she could carry me out of here. I wanted everything to be okay again.

“Everything’s going to be okay.”

I wish I could speak.

“I’m getting you out of here. Just wait for my cue.”

She got up and walked away, just as abruptly as she had come, to grab a tray for the next prisoner. She didn’t spare me any looks as she passed my cage in her back and forth meal-delivering motion. Her necklace was no longer visible. I pulled my forgotten meal tray into my cage wondering if I had hallucinated the whole thing. I was desolated by the idea as I brought the piece of butter-smeared bread to my mouth and saw it. A key.

Auntie Shai’s words reverberated through my mind and I had no doubt they were true.

I’m getting you out of here.

And now all I had to do was wait.