The Last Light

Ravi looked around him at the devastation the earthquake left. Like a gaping wound, the earth oozed out debris and soil. His heart felt crushed, very much like the scene he found himself staring at. Why didn’t I listen? Blaming himself for not heeding any warning as many anticipated the end. He reached into his pocket and opened the heart-shaped locket. Once a pleasant token of devotion, only now to be a painful memory of what once was. How can life change so quickly? All his loved ones were gone or missing. As far as he was aware, he was the only one left behind.

Like scattered seeds sprouting from the soil, people slowly started to emerge from being buried alive by the consuming earth.

So alone.

He felt so lonely. It was just him, no one familiar to reassure him that everything is going to be okay.

Ravi didn’t believe in anything. He was a self-made man. He trusted his abilities and his efforts supported him well throughout his life. With an engineering degree and a successful career now well and truly behind him he felt like nothing really mattered anymore.

Many said that the end would come like a thief in the night but Ravi always thought these conspiracies were far from logical and dismissed all the talk of late. How was it possible that only some have survived? Where are all the bodies of the others? Swallowed by the earth? Taken by an unknown source? All he remembered was the blinding light and the earth violently shaking.

Hopelessness weighed on him like an unwanted companion. Where to now? He made his way to the nearest person, who seemingly was just sitting in a heap staring into the distance with arms hanging lifeless at his sides. Now that was a sight of hopelessness. Ravi’s dry sense of humor surfaced for a brief moment but was quickly rebuked by the seriousness of the matter.

He walked past a paralyzed bird with a broken wing, unable to get up. Ravi made the mistake of making eye contact with the poor thing, as the bird looked at him with begging eyes. Feeling like he needed to explain the callous action as he just walked past, he looked at the bird and said, “I can’t help you, I’m sorry.” He felt sad as he could see the cry for help in the bird’s eyes. Destruction and loss have become almost a daily event as the changing world groaned as if in labor.

The small town Ravi moved to since his divorce was a means to escape and start again. A new beginning he thought. The picturesque little town was known for its cobblestone roads and friendly folk. Six years in and this couldn’t be further from the truth. This abandoned town only had a small remnant of people left, who were the ones you usually stayed away from. He remembered this old lady who would greet him every morning as he grabbed his coffee before starting his day of thinking and overthinking. Where is she now?

What was supposed to be a new beginning was indeed a new beginning of something but definitely not of a good life as he’d hoped. The friendly town was a facade for some highly secretive activity, all happening underground and after sunset. Chanting and screeching and groaning were night noises that replaced all other soothing nightlife sounds. He feared the approaching dusk, where good turned to bad and light indeed became tangible darkness. He wanted to leave but paralysis would kick in as soon as any attempt was made. He felt like a captive of something or someone. His life started to take a downward spiral since the move and reflecting on past regrets became his main pastime.

The paralyzed bird reminded him of himself.

Ravi approached the man only to find him impaled by a pipe that shot op from the earth during the earthquake. It will be dark soon, was his first thought as he left the dead body, not pain or sadness or mourning the dead, but of concern and fear for his own life.

The ground has buried anything it could and Ravi wondered if dusk would be different today than all the other years of torment. He felt like he was under a spell, only to briefly snap out of it long enough to question his existence and past mistakes, to then be drawn back into a reality he desperately wanted to escape. He was open to any new reality anyone has to offer that would make some sense and give him some peace.

Peace. When was the last time I felt at peace? Just another thought without an answer.

In the distance, a beating sound started that drowned out the silence. What now? What else could go wrong? The rumbling started in the distance and the vibrations could be felt under his feet. What is that? The thick mass in the distance was fast approaching. Run. I need to run!

A childhood memory flashed before him as a little boy in India. He remembered his mama yelling to him to run as men came to take her away. She shoved the locket in his hand and pushed him in the direction he should go. He just kept putting one foot in front of another until his chest closed up and his legs gave way. Lying face down in the dirt, in an unknown part of town, he blacked out. He woke up to strange new faces and a family who have taken him in. He never saw his mama again.

Ravi just put one foot in front of the other and hoped that it would lead him to safety once again. He was much faster now and covered more ground quicker, but it was no match for the man-made army that was fast approaching. Steel bodies and grotesque beasts gained in on him with only one agenda. Destroy.

He has only seen these creatures on the news. A proud moment for the man who claimed it would be an army that will protect and serve the people. Most tax-payers happily supported and funded this venture, eager to experience the benefit of an ever-present protector. Unless protect and serve means kill and destroy, Ravi had no intentions of trusting this approaching enemy.

He was trapped in a reality that he had no way of escaping. His mama always said to be content in whatever situation you may face but he was sure that she would pardon him for complaining and wanting out now.

Goodness left the earth with darkness lurking around every corner. One of Ravi’s favorite topics to think about was to compare good against evil and how evil can only be defined by the existence of goodness. Who made good ‘good’ and where does good come from? And why is evil so overtly persistent to vanquish good. These were questions he had no answers for but his friends had theories and explained them to him but their opinions and strange ideas served him very little as his factual mind could not grasp the idea of it.

The beating hooves became loader. Ravi’s worried mind kept pace with his thumping heart and racing feet. Why am I fighting to stay alive? Why am I running? What is this need of mine to not fall prey to this enemy?

Despite his imminent fate of defeat, something in him propelled him forwards and Ravi knew it was because of something his mama used to say. “Eternity has been placed in our hearts, my son. Life is a gift and death is a door and we don’t get to choose when we walk through this door.” She would often dab a little oil on his forehead and mumble something. He doesn’t know why she did it but he soon became very accepting of this ritual since the fragrant oil and the warmth of her touch was so soothing.

His foot caught on something and he came to a crashing halt, face down in the dirt. Would I rather be trampled to death or tortured when captured? More pointless questions plaguing his mind that will leave him with no option of either. The enemy will decide his fate; it’s not up to him.

Exhaustion kept him from getting back up. His only effort to stay alive was to make himself as small as possible, so he crawled up in a ball. Would they mistake me for a rock and go around me or will they just trample over me? There was nowhere to hide, apart from burying his face in his knees as he wrapped himself into a ball with his arms. “Help me!” was his silent request to anyone who could hear. But there was no one around.

The earth convulsed and a wall of dust and rocks shot up from the depths of the earth, depriving Ravi of even the slightest amounts of breathable air. I’m going to die from dust inhalation! I’m going to suffocate to death! Out of all the options of dying he had so far, he did not know which one was worse.

Silence and clouds of dust consumed the air.

The sudden quiet surroundings made Ravi believe that he’s gone deaf or that he might be dead. His mama believed in an afterlife. She used to say that to be dead on earth just meant you are alive somewhere else. Coughing jolted him back to reality as he struggled to open his sandblasted eyes.

Am I dead? Ravi wondered as he uncurled from his fetal position. Where did the beasts with their riders go? Ravi took a moment to gather all the strength he had left to try and stand up. His lungs hurt with every breath and he could see blood on his hand. He felt his head to find the source of the warm sticky blood, seeping from his brow.

An enemy was chasing me? Wasn’t there?Confusion set in as he could not make sense of the sudden change of events. Did I indeed get the help I’ve asked for?

The dust cleared and the earth has changed shape again, only this time to form a canyon between him and what used to be a fast-approaching army, now swallowed up by the betraying earth.

Despite the cool night breeze picking up, Ravi felt warmth all over his body as if someone was pouring warm fragrant oil over his head. Peace flooded his being and he felt fear leave his body as an inkling of hope started to well up inside him. Was I shown kindness by someone?

He looked up at the sky and saw the stars appear as the sun shed the last light for the day. He realized that some things didn’t change. He was so focused on the passing earth only to be robbed of taking solace in the things that remained.

Birds flew overhead to find a resting spot for the night. Not paralyzed and not begging for help, but flying high with their sweet song carrying a promise. Ravi looked ahead and followed the path of the birds’ flight and felt safety beckoning in the distance.