Split from Utopia

“No!” Naipotu shrieked in horror as Kashmir’s hands slipped from her grasp and she went hurling into the abyss.

“Kashmir! Kashmir!” She yelled frantically but she could no longer see or hear her wife. They shared telepathic energy and were able to sense each other but she could no longer feel her either. Naipotu felt nothing but emptiness. She looked around, her vision still slightly blurry from the debris ridden sky. The sky that was once a vibrant pinkish orange, now appeared to be dark purple.

“Kashmir,” she mumbled while rubbing her throbbing eyes. She blinked but could still barely see her own two hands in front of her. With shaky legs, Naipotu tried to stand. “Ugh!” She grimaced, as pain shot through her bruised body. She hadn’t realized she was hurt until that exact moment. The adrenaline from the initial shock must have worn off. She took a deep breath and exhaled as she tried to stand again. “Ow!” She cried out as more pain shot through her body. She looked around again. Her eyes still wouldn’t focus. That, along with the debris floating and the dark sky, made it impossible to tell if there was anyone else out there.

She closed her eyes as tears streamed down her face. There was a loud humming sound. She hadn’t noticed it before but it seemed to be getting louder. She opened her eyes and wiped them again. She knew exactly where the humming was coming from, her ears. They were ringing. Maybe they had been ringing since the explosion and it was something else she had blocked out until she lost Kashmir. She didn’t want to accept that Kashmir was gone. Kashmir had always been there for her and was all that she had left in the world until now. The chaos that swept upon them, had come without warning. The newlyweds were laughing and joking until the ground seemed to be ripped from underneath their feet. They went from having a picnic in the park to fighting to stay together. Naipotu fought back but she wasn’t able to win.

She closed her eyes again. They were burning. She wanted the tears to stop flowing but she couldn’t stop crying. How could she pull herself together when she was in the middle of destruction? Even the air smelled different. She wished she would have been strong enough to hold on to her love. Kashmir had been the strong one. "Why? Not my Kashmir." Naipotu wiped the snot from her nose with the back of her hand. She was so tired and had no reason to fight anymore. The soreness in her body was starting to wear her down. She fought through the pain and shifted her weight. The rigid ground was uncomfortable but she was in too much pain to try to stand again. Her mouth was dry and her lips were cracked. She winced as she licked her lips. The taste of dried blood and dirt filled her mouth.

“Can somebody help me? Please? Anybody?” She cried out to no avail. If there was someone else out there, they were more than likely hurt too. Maybe they were unconscious. Naipotu had never been so scared in her life. She was starting to become more and more anxious by the second. She didn’t know what to do so she threw herself to the ground and cried for what seemed like hours.

“Get up! Naipotu! Hurry! You must get up now!”

She rose up quickly once she heard the familiar voice. “Kashmir? How did you? Where did you?” Naipotu couldn’t believe her eyes. Somehow she could see clearly now and Kashmir was standing directly in front of her. Kashmir had a slight smile on her face but worry was present in her eyes.

“I…I thought I lost you. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to let go of your hands but I couldn’t hold onto you any longer. Help me up. It’s my leg. I think it’s broken.”

Kashmir outstretched her arms but just as she had seemed to appear out of nowhere, she quickly disappeared.

“Kashmir!” Naipotu desperately cried out in a hoarse whisper. Her heart was racing. She panicked and felt as if she could no longer breathe. She flailed her arms around as she gasped for air.

Naipotu jumped up and opened her eyes. She let out a deep breath and brought her hands to her chest. She was still wearing her necklace. She was relieved. The heart-shaped locket held the very first picture she had taken of Kashmir. She rubbed her fingers across it and smiled. The lockett had been her only source of comfort. That was until she went to sleep. She had been having the same recurring nightmare for three months now but it was more than just a nightmare, it was a painful memory. Naipotu along with billions of others, had been separated from their loved ones. Most of the bodies had not been recovered and were presumed to be lost in space.

On Earth, Padparadscha was known as a rare Sapphire gem but unbeknownst to men, it was also a planet billions of light years away from Earth. It was once considered a utopia to all of its inhabitants. That was until the catastrophic explosion had split the planet in half.

Naipotu lived in the city of Yburen and was one of world's top scientists. She and her colleagues had yet to discover what caused the explosion and were unaware it caused the planet to completely split in two. Before the sky went dark, Padparadscha was completely run off of solar power. Luckily, most of the plants retained water and were able to adjust to the darkness so food and water wasn’t a problem. Naipotu’s eyes took a few days after the blast to adjust. For some, their eyes had taken a few weeks to adjust and the rest were relying on others to get around in the darkness.

Although Naipotu was sure she would never find Kashmir alive, she had an ounce of hope in her. That ounce was all she and her colleagues needed to work relentlessly towards creating a new power source.