Chaos

CHAOS

It was 2074 when the world watched as India’s population was scrubbed out of existence by a new strain of the Kala-azar Plague, or what they called the Black Fever. After witnessing how rapidly it disseminated, the other countries began weaponizing it. By 2077 the world was at war, and all countries bombed each other with the weaponized version called Kala-azar 3.0. There was only one problem; it annihilated everything it landed on, not just people. The shelf life of the Kala-azar 3.0 virus was only six days, but that did not matter because, at the end of those six days, the grass, trees, and animals, were all gone. 90% of the human race were infected, and they died a slow, excruciating death. We regarded them as Ragers because the first three weeks, they were full of uncontrollable hysteria and had incredible strength. During that time, the initial panic and starvation generated riots and home invasions. When you looked around, all you saw was devastation and death. Ragers would annihilate anything that moved by beating them until life was gone. It was a dangerous time. Sawyer was only four when the Ragers came. He hid in the barn and could hear the screams of his mother as the Rager beat her to death in the kitchen. Her screams habituate his every sleep. Since then, Sawyer has been roaming the country, fending for himself.

It was now 2087, ten years after The Kala-azar World War, and the survivors were structured into five classifications, Techs, Settlers, Scales, Aimless, and the Primitives. The Techs were people selected before the Kala-azar war. The scientist occupied the underground bunker where they bred animals, made medicines, and grew crops. There were only 10 of these bunkers within the United States. Once a week, they would deliver food on the lift. People received one loaf of bread, five potatoes, and a gallon of water from their underground spring. The Techs lived like royalty, but everyone else was barely surviving. At first, the survivors attacked the bunkers trying to get the food, but they quickly learned that heavily armed insurgents guarded the bunkers and that if they attacked, the Techs would not provide any food for weeks. Now nobody dares to try and attack the bunkers.

The Settlers are the ones who established the settlements trying to build some society. They constructed these settlements around natural water wells, always under lock and key. The Settlers forged the rules for these settlements, and they made sure they would benefit greatly from them. If you wanted or needed anything like food, gadgets, or even to settle a fight, you would go to the Settlers to resolve the challenges you were facing. The more merchandise you had to exchange, the additional water you received, and the time you had to convince the leaders to help.

Scales were scavengers and the bottom feeders of the new society. They were immoral people that would befriend you, deceive you, and kill you from behind to snatch your belongings. The Scales only existed to satisfy their own selfish needs. If you wanted something without the Settlers knowing, you would ask for a Scale. But their help always came at a high price.

The Aimless were the people still searching for someone or something that they lost before the war. They still had a sense of morality and humanity. The Aimless were the only symbols of what the world used to be before the war. There were not too many left, but Sawyer fell into this category. He had wandered the country three times over the past ten years searching for merely one thing, a heart-shaped locket.

Lastly was a group of people calling themselves The Primitives. This group was cruel, untamed, savage, and cannibalistic people driven by bloodthirst and asserting their dominance over others. Their leader was a guy by the name of Chaos. He was an insane individual, and people speculated that he used to be a Rager that somehow managed to survive but resided in the rage mentality. Chaos believed that magical power came from consuming the warm, raw heart of his victims and that it would maintain his invincibility. The Primitives would prowl the settlements at night, scanning for the suitable victim to snatch. It had to be someone strong-willed, and that would perhaps withstand the prolonged torture because Chaos believed that the longer a person fought to stay alive, the longer his strength would linger after consuming the heart. The folklore from the settlements says that if you see Chaos, it is too late because he is already taking the soul from your existence.

Sawyer had passed the settlement named Mecca numerous times, but he would never enter because it was known for possessing the most Primitives. But this time, he decided to enter the settlement because this was the only location he had never searched for the locket. Sawyer figured going in once, and if the locket was not there, then mentally knew at least he had searched everywhere. While inquiring around, he obtained information that Chaos wears a heart-shaped locket with his dog tags around his neck. Sawyer started spreading the word throughout the settlement that he was looking for Chaos. He knew Chaos would send men to seize him if he was calling him out.

Sawyer saw some men harassing a beautiful teenage girl in the alley and decided that he would intervene. Sawyer said to the men, “I think you should leave the girl alone!” but when they turned to look at him, he realized that the men were Primitives.

The taller man of the two responded, “Well, if it isn’t a do-gooder. Maybe this do-gooder needs a lesson on knowing his place.”

They did not like being told what to do, so the two men tried to attack him. But Sawyer was fit for a 14-year-old boy. He trained and practiced fighting every day but also, being Aimless was training enough. It takes a lot of endurance to roam the country continuously and fight off Scales all of the time. The Primitives were astounded that this boy was winning the fight, so they whistled for reinforcements. There were seven now, and Sawyer fought hard, but eventually, they captured him.

The Primitives brought him back to their territory, a cave system where all the Primitives inhabited. It was dark, and the stench of death and rot filled every inch. They chained Sawyer to a rack that sat in the middle of an enormous pit. Fire and human bones were surrounding the pit. For three days, those seven men beat and tortured Sawyer, asking him questions about what he saw in the other settlements while he was wandering the country. Chaos watched closely from the shadows, studying the boys’ strength and durability. The Primitives wanted the boy to give in and tell about the other settlements because they were growing weary.

But all Sawyer would say was, “I hear Chaos wears a locket. “and “I want to speak to Chaos.” Chaos was highly impressed with this 14-year-old boys’ physical strength and willpower, so he came to the pit to finish this remarkable boy off. As Chaos walked into the pit, Sawyer thought to himself that there was a hint of familiarity about Chaos, and he attempted to look through all the tattoos and scars that encircled Chaos’s body. Then Sawyer recognized him. Chaos stood there and peered at the boy.

Sawyer was on the verge of death and could now barely speak, but he uttered “Locket.”

Chaos replied to the boy, “Who do you believe you are to ask me about this locket? Nobody speaks about this locket to me!” Chaos gestured for one of his lackeys to give him a blade. He stuck the dagger into the boy and whispered to him in his ear, “I want you to know that when I cut out your heart, I will take my initial bite as it still beats in my hand. I will devour every morsel of your essence that is trying to escape your body.” Chaos thrust the blade deeper into Sawyer’s limp body and proceeded to say, “And while I eat my snack, what name should I assign to this do-gooder’s heart?”

Sawyer looks at Chaos, and with his very final breath, he says, “You called… me…. Bug, dad!”

Horrified, he stared harder at the boy because no one knew he called his son Bug. Only Chaos knew that he would tease his son by saying that the name was after a bug called the Sawyer Beetle. But he was actually named after Tom Sawyer because his mother was a fan of Mark Twain. Now looking at Sawyer, he could see his wife’s eyes and his wife’s face in the boys. He thought to himself, “How could this be? She told me before she died that the Ragers killed Bug and took his corpse for food. I should have still looked for him. Why didn’t I look for him?”

He looked at his wife’s and sons’ images in the locket that dangled around his neck with the dog tags. Chaos realized that if he had Bug by his side all these years, he would never have chosen this dark path in life. He just wanted revenge against all the people in this new society for taking his family. Chaos wanted to die, but being fearful of death, he would not take his own life. However, he now realizes that the rest of his existence will be a tortured one. He snatched his son’s heart and consumed it, reasoning that at least Sawyer would be a part of him eternally.

Chaos wept.