The World God Left Behind

CHAPTER ONE

“I’m sorry to leave the two of you alone like this. Forgive me and look after our daughter for now on, Nathan”. I woke from a dream that felt like I was reliving it, I held my hands to my face and started crying. The dream I had was of my wife, Maria, who passed away 2 years ago from heart failure on our bed. This dream was the catalyst that had broken me down to more tears, replaying my tragic memory in my head. After Maria’s death, I had to put on a strong and brave front for my daughter. Emily, who was 6 years old at the time, cried her eyes out shouting “Mommy!” out loud as this is her first time feeling having a loved one ripped from your life. I told Emily” What you’re feeling right now is grief and sorrow because you truly loved your mother with all your heart. And she loved you with all her heart, so don’t forget this feeling. “After grieving for half a day, I’ve gone outside to gather some stones to make into a circle. I’ve made a circle large enough for one person, then I proceeded to gathered some white sheets and with Emily’s help we wrapped up her body in white sheets. Afterwards I carried Maria’s body outside with Emily behind me towards the circle I made and placed her inside the circle. I grabbed a candle and light up the match to ignite the candle, then I tossed the candle in the middle of the corpse and flames momentarily consumed her completely. Emily was still crying and hasn’t stopped since her death hours ago, as if she was crying for both our sakes. On the inside, I was more hurt and broken-hearted from not only losing my wife, but a best friend that I’ve known since childhood. After revisiting them memories, I looked up at the sky that bleeds red of hopelessness. Next to me, my daughter Emily was still asleep in her sleeping bag like a true angel she is. If only there was a God in this world, then I wouldn’t be so torn up losing my wife. And now I’m on the verge of losing my precious Emily to the same heart failure that took her mother. Which I’ve decided to take Emily with me on a journey to the black market where they can find a doctor that can save her life.

CHAPTER TWO

Weeks prior, Emily started complaining of chest pains, and shortness of breath. We went to see the towns doctor to get her examined. After his examination, he brings news I wish I would never have to hear again in this lifetime, “I’m afraid Emily is dying from heart failure. I’m sorry, Nathan”. Just those words and everything felt like time has stopped all around me. I asked the doctor “how long does Emily have?”, he replied “about a month at best". Nathan muttered to himself “if only we’ve took better care of this world, God wouldn’t had abandoned the world and left us behind to suffer.” when I was 10, my father told me the story of how this world became the hell it is today. In the past, this world was so vibrant and as beautiful with life all around. Trees, as high as you can see and waters covering the ocean floors with countless numbers of life under the sea. The human population was over in the billions at the time, and we’ve felt the presence of God in our lives when we pray seeking his divine love. In 2071, all that came to an end when the world unleashed its wrath upon its inhabitants for 7 days and 7 nights with no remorse. Earthquakes that cause buildings to be torn down crushing the many lives under its rubble. Floods carrying away countless lives only to drown underwater in seconds. And thunder raining down from the heavens without mercy, In the Bible it’s says God created the world in 7 days, now the world has created destruction in only 7 days and nights like the world was showing its wrath. For decades, people were trying to rebuild its ecosystem through planting vegetables and finding a reliable source of water. But the world denied them from receiving such a blessing that no plants or vegetables could be grown ever again in this world we call hell.

CHAPTER THREE

Just as I was about to leave the doctor’s room with Emily, the doctor grabbed me on my shoulder suggesting he has something else to say to us. “To the south of town, there’s a black market where a doctor name Reinero resides. I know him for years now and he might be able to save your daughter.” Hearing this I grabbed Emily’s hand and said “Thank You” to the doctor and left the doctor’s office. When we got home, I told Emily to get her backpack and pack enough for a few days, and that we would set out my dawn. I also back my things and as soon as morning hit, we set of on the journey south to the black market. After 3 days of long traveling through the harshest heat, we’ve finally arrived at our destination at last. The air around the entire place was as eerie, and gloomy that it felt unwelcoming to even enter it. I hold Emily’s hand and said “Don’t let go of my hand, no matter what ok.” Emily replied “ok, I won’t let go”. Afterwards we began walk inside the market, and inside Emily and I saw things that were on displayed that was appalling and sickening to the core. Lungs hanging on wires, barrels filled up with hands of any size. A sign that reads “Meat Stew”, that’s lumps of human flesh boiled down to make stew, and the stench of it was as awful as the stew itself. For decades, finding food was becoming impossible with so few animals left in the world now. Out of desperation for food, they turn to digging into Graves to eat the remains of the deceased. From there, people became full at last, only to have fallen so low that were reduce to cannibalism, without no human morals left for any of us. Me and Emily are not fortunate enough to maintain our morals in this world either. Any prayers or miracle you seek from God will be left unanswered because God has abandoned this world to leave his to our own demise. If God did return, could he rebuild a world that’s so far gone or burn the world down killing us all?

CHAPTER FOUR

I asked the nearest vendor for Reinero, and they pointed us to a red door all the way in the back of the market. We walked to the back and as we arrive in front of the red door it reminded me of that magical door from Narnia I read in a book as a child. And just like the book, behind this door lies hope that can keeps the two of us as a family. I knock the door a few times and a voice at the outside said “come in, come in “. I turned the knob and inside the room was all neat and clean. All of the doctor’s clothes was all white, except of his stethoscope around his neck. We stand there for about a few seconds when he spoke again “I’m Doctor Reinero, how can I assist you today". After introducing himself, I told him how my wife passed from heart failure and that my daughter also has it too and that she only has a month left at best. Reinero looked at Emily and told her to lay down on the operating table so he can check her heartbeats. A few seconds later, Reinero told me “She only has a few days left before dies, I suggest a Heart transplant surgery for Emily. I can get one ready in minutes, but it comes at a risk. I don’t know if the body can accept the new heart and it might get rejected down the road. Leaving her to die somewhere between a few months to a few years. Knowing this, do you wish to proceed with the operation or not”. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath for a moment to collect myself, then I answered “Yes, please do everything can to save her, doctor.” Reinero smiled and replied “I promise to do everything in my power to do so”. He instructed me to wait outside while he operates on her without distraction, while waiting outside I look at the red door in front of me once more, thinking of the magical door from “The Chronicles of Narnia” book I’ve read. And that when the door opens again, I get to embrace my daughter with open arms forever more.

FINAL CHAPTER

Today is Emily’s 14th Birthday, and instead of saying happy birthday I’m saying my goodbyes to my daughter. Earlier when I walked in about to give her a present, she was laying on the floor with her eyes opened not moving an inch. I rush towards her trying to Revive her, but she still didn’t move. Tears came rolling down my eyes to her cheeks, accepting the fact that Emily’s dead. I cried and screams in anguish, like the world I’ve known is dead and gone. the pain of losing my daughter hurts me much worse than death itself. I stayed like this, cradling her in my arms for a while then I got up with Emily in my arms and lay her down in bed. I grab a candle from the kitchen and sit next to her in a chair. Before I light the candle to say my goodbyes to Emily, I picked up her present and said “Happy Birthday, Emily.” With tears coming down my eyes, I opened the boxed and it was a gold heart-shaped locket, I put it around Emily’s neck and afterwards I opened the locket. “ it’s a picture of you, me and your mother. We three will be together always and forever.” After I said these words, I sat down in the chair next to Emily’s body and picked up the candle and light it with a match. Then I set the candle on Emily’s body at it begins to spread its flames around her body. As I watch her body burn to ashes, flames start to engulf the entire room and I close my eyes to wait for my end to come. I thought of Maria and Emily, both of them waiting for me for me on the other side when everything went black and complete silence.

Then I was in front of a red door once again, I reached to open it and see Emily and Maria waiting for me inside. They both greeted me “Welcome Home,” I truly was home at last and I step inside the door and hugged my family with warm embrace. The red door closes behind me, never to be open again. It didn’t matter if the door remained closed forever, because all I need is my family and that’s all that matters to me.