Dying Humanity

by Sourav Deka

  As months passed by, I was on the brink of giving up. There was no way we were going to get rid of him. I needed to come up with a plan, with a solution but my mind didn’t work.

  *****************************

  I was once sitting at the edge of a lake. It was a new territory that Jonas took over. He sent me and Nia to work there. It was evening time with the orange sky above us and the sun was crossing its horizon. Some birds were chirping on nearby trees and a dog was sipping water from the lake at a distance.

  Nia was wearing her blue shirt and black jeans. She came and sat beside me. “Trying to kill yourself again?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “I know you won’t let me.”

  “Yes, I won’t,” she grabbed my shoulder. “This is not over, Ross. We will find some way one day.”

  “I don’t know,” I gulped. “I have lost my motivation to live. All I wanted is to have a normal life with my family. When I finally got it, I lost them again. I have no one,” I lowered my head. “I am back to being an orphan again.”

  “That’s not true. You have Aaron, you have me. You have everyone in the camp who loves you.”

  I pressed my lips. “I am sorry that I brought you here. I shouldn’t have………………………”

  She put her finger on my lips. “No, don’t be. You told me the truth and I didn’t believe it. You tried to help me, Ross. You didn’t know that Jonas took over the camp.”

  “Maybe this is the punishment for my sins.”

  “Sins?” her forehead creased. “You didn’t commit any sins, Ross.”

  “I did. The immortal drink that you know, I killed for it.”

  Her eyes widened. “What?”

  “Yes, I killed people to unlock the treasure and get the seeds. I killed innocent people, Nia.”

  “When?”

  “Didn’t you watch the news before the apocalypse? I was famous.”

  “Oh, I didn’t use to watch the news.”

  “The immortal drink which can cure any diseases, Michael, Aaron and I found it.”

  “That drink which can heal anything?”

  I nodded. “Yes, for centuries people didn’t find it. But we did,” I looked up at the orange sky. “I killed a lot of people for it, Nia. They didn’t deserve it. They were innocent people who had a family.”

  She paused for a minute and then took a deep breath. “It was in the past, Ross. Let it go.”

  “I should have been dead, not my parents, not Michael. It should have been me,” I stood up. “They paid for my sins.”

  She stood up and grabbed my cheeks. “No, Ross. It was not your fault that they died.”

  “It is. It should have been me. I should be dead.”

  “No, Ross, you can’t give up.”

  I took her hands away from my cheeks and walked towards the lake.

  “Ross, what are you doing?” she grabbed my hand.

  “Don’t stop me, Nia. Let me go,” I said softly.

  “No,” she came close towards me.

  “I should die and get it over with.”

  “No, Ross, you can’t give up,” she grabbed my arms. “I know you are not a bad person. Whatever you did in the past has nothing to do with the death of your parents.”

  “It has everything to do with all the deaths, with the apocalypse,” I gulped. “If I wouldn’t have found the seeds, Ambrose would have never made the reanimation drinks and this wouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

  “Ross, don’t do this,” she gazed into my eyes. “I love you.”

  I felt breathless by hearing those words. I haven’t heard them in a long time and I didn’t expect those words would come out of her mouth. “You do?” I asked.

  She nodded lightly and kissed me. “You have me. I won’t leave you. You can’t give up hope, Ross. Hope is what keeps us going. I know Jonas is invincible but we will find a solution one day. We will defeat him.”

  “How?” I looked away. “There is nothing that can defeat him. He has that magical watch.”

  “Everything in this universe can be killed, Ross. Evil like Jonas has an end, you will see.”

  I left her hand. “No, we lost. Everything is lost. The real evil is me and it should be killed.”

  “No, Ross, don’t.”

  I didn’t listen and walked towards the middle of the lake pushing my legs against the water. I looked up at the sky one last time and dipped my head in the water. I wanted to end my life and get over with it as I had lost hope. There was nothing for me in this world. I can’t suffer anymore. I wanted it to end. At least now I would see my parents again. Maybe I would ask them for forgiveness and to those people whom I killed.

  CHAPTER 19

  Nia tried to talk me out of it. She tried to show me that there was hope. But I didn’t listen. It was over for me and I was ready to die, ready to be free from this wretched world. She kept coming after me in the lake. That girl just didn’t give up. She survived alone in the city, got raped, survived animals. She was way stronger than me and wasn’t ready to give up on me. I was dipping my head in the water feeling the water going inside my nose. She wiped her tears. “Ross, you can’t,” she cried.

  I was drowning in the lake ready to die, but I saw something that has drawn my attention. There was a coffin at the bottom of the lake locked with a lock and chains. The weird thing was bubbles were coming out of it. As I was drowning, my vision became blurry and I passed out in the lake. Nia swam towards me and took me to the edge of the lake. I was unconscious. She gave me mouth to mouth and pressed my chest trying to save me. I regained consciousness after a couple of seconds of her trying. I coughed and spat out some water.

  “Oh thank god!” she sighed.

  “I saw something there,” I said, breathing heavily.

  “What?” she wiped some water on her face.

  “There is a coffin at the bottom of the lake,” I said, getting up.

  A line etched between her eyebrows. “Coffin?”

  “Yes, it was locked with chains and a lock. We should bring it up.”

  “Who cares what’s in the coffin, Ross? You just tried to kill yourself a couple of minutes ago.”

  I stood up and went towards Reena, Ben and Norman. They were working inside the wooden house next to the lake. Nia also followed me.

  “Guys, I need your help,” I said.

  They saw me and Nia drenched in water. Our clothes were all wet.

  “What happened to you? Are you two swimming?” Ben asked.

  “There is a coffin at the bottom of the lake,” I said.

  “Coffin?” Reena said.

  “Yes, bubbles were coming out of it. There is someone inside.”

  “What?” Reena shook her head. “That’s not possible. We are here for hours. We didn’t see anyone dumping any coffin at the lake. No one can survive there for so long.”

  “No, there is someone. I know it. Please, I need help man. Come on!”

  Ben looked at Nia and gave a confused look. “What happened to him?” he asked.

  “He just tried to drown himself. I saved him,” Nia said.

  “What? Why Ross?”

  “You know why, Ben,” I took a step forward. “Guys, please help me take out that coffin from the lake. Someone is struggling there. We shouldn’t waste any more time.”

  We all went outside and walked up to the lake. Ben and Norman dived into the lake to find out the coffin. After a minute they came out with their clothes soaked up in water.

  “Yeah, there is a coffin,” Norman said, breathing heavily.

  “But how are we going to bring it here?” Ben said.

  “I have an idea,” Reena said. “Get the ropes.”

  We tied the ropes with a truck’s back. Ben and Norman grabbed the ropes and jumped into the lake. They tied the coffins with the other end of the ropes and got out of the lake. I was in the truck ready to pull out the coffin from bottom of the lake.

  “Did you tie it tight?” Nia asked, running towa
rds the truck.

  Ben nodded. “Yeah, it should do it,” he looked at me. “Ross, do it.”

  I started the truck and drove forward. It took a lot of power.

  “Keep driving, I think it’s working,” Norman said.

  I kept pushing the accelerator. After a couple of minutes the coffin was pulled out of the lake. I stopped the truck and ran towards the coffin. We broke the chains and the locks and opened the coffin.

  “Oh my god!” my eyes widened. It was Bristy and Sam. They were dead inside.

  “We are late. They are dead,” Nia said.

  “No, they will be back,” I said. “They have their body spelled.”

  Nia’s forehead creased. “Body spelled?”

  “Yeah, like Jonas’s people. As Stan is a warlock, he did some spell which can bring them back if they die.”

  “How do you know they did the same spell?” Reena asked.

  “I know them,” I said, putting my hands on my waist. “They died before. Jonas killed them. I guess Jonas locked them up as he knew he couldn’t kill them,” I took a deep breath. “Oh god! All these months they have been dying over and over in that coffin. I can’t even imagine what that may feel like.”

  “A complete torture,” Ben said, eyeing at the dead bodies. “When will they come back from the dead?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. We just have to wait and see.”

  We took out their bodies from the coffin and lay them on the ground. After a couple of minutes they woke up.

  “We are……..we are……..,” Sam spitted some water and looked around. “Outside………….Ross??”

  Bristy was breathing heavily. “Oh god! It feels so good to breathe again,” she said, looking at the orange sky.

  Sam tightened his jaw. “Jonas…………I am going to kill him.”

  I leaned down and put my hand over Sam’s shoulder. “Tell us what happened.”

  “We were at his camp. After a couple of days he and his men showed up and killed everyone. Bristy tried her magic, but Jonas was magic proof as Stan did some spell on him I guess. So we tried to run, but his men captured us.”

  “Then?”

  “He knew we can’t be killed as our body was spelled. So he locked us in a coffin and dumped us in the lake to die over and over again.”

  I sighed. “That’s why we never found you.”

  “For how long you two were there?” Nia asked.

  “I don’t know,” Sam scratched his head. “We just kept dying there every couple of minutes. When did we go missing?”

  “It’s been months, Sam,” I said. “You two have been locked up for months.”

  “What?” Bristy widened her eyes. “What else happened?”

  We told them everything that happened after they went missing, from Jonas’s taking over the camp to Michael’s death.

  “How can you people be so stupid?” Bristy said. “He has that watch?”

  I nodded. “That’s why we haven’t been able to defeat him. He is invincible.”

  “No,” Sam shook his head. “There must be a way,” he looked at Bristy. “There must be some spell to destroy that watch. It was Aivor’s, right?

  “It’s an ancient watch, Sam,” Bristy said. “Ronald gave it to Ross’s mother to protect it.”

  “Ronald?” I asked.

  “The leader of Aivor before me.”

  I nodded. “There must be a way. Think, you two are from Aivors. You should know how to destroy that watch. If you know something, tell us.”

  “Trust me I want to kill Jonas as much as you do. But Ronald never told anyone about that watch, not even your mother. He just asked to hide it so that no one ever finds it.”

  “Call Jensen,” Sam said. “I heard he knows a lot of stuff, right? He has been helping Savors for centuries.”

  I pressed my lips. “I tried many times but he didn’t answer.”

  “What about Michael?”

  “He tried too……..but no answer.”

  “No, he comes when it is necessary,” Bristy said.

  “I know,” I bit my lower lip. “But we need him now more than ever, and he didn’t show up. Earlier we used to go to some special places if he didn’t come when we called, but now we can’t do that.”

  “But we heard you can call him anywhere.”

  “I did a couple of times. But that’s on him. Sometimes he shows up, sometimes he doesn’t.”

  “Call him now.”

  My forehead creased. “What?”

  “Yes. Try now.”

  “What difference will it make?” I shrugged. “I tried several times, but he didn’t answer. Why will he answer now?”

  “What’s the harm in trying, Ross?” Sam said.

  I nodded. “Okay, wait,” I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “Jensen, I call on you.”

  Nothing happened. I looked around. “See, he is gone.”

  “Try again,” Bristy said.

  “Jensen, where are you?” I said.

  There was no sign of him.

  “Focus, Ross. You are not focusing. You have to keep a clear mind.”

  “I……..am……………”

  Bristy grabbed my arm. “Look, I know you have been through a lot. Your mind is flooded with thoughts. But we need a solution. Take a deep breath, focus and call him. Feel like your mind is trying to connect with him.”

  “I have a clear mind.”

  “No, there are thoughts. Forget everything and focus only on him. He lives in a different dimension, Ross. He died. To reach him you have to completely clear your mind, completely.”

  “I tried this, Bristy. I have tried hundreds of times before,” I lowered my head. “But……………..he never showed up.”

  “Listen to me,” she looked into my eyes. “You can do this. How badly you want to kill Jonas, huh?”

  I clenched my jaw. “Very badly, you can’t even imagine.”

  “Then call that ghost. Focus, Ross, focus,” she patted my shoulder. “You can do this.”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. My mind was flooded with thoughts. I relaxed and felt the air going in my lungs. I tried to visualize that Jensen is trying to contact me. For a couple of seconds I stayed silent and tried to calm my mind. “Jensen, I call on you,” I said. “Please, I need your help. This is very, very important. Please, Jensen. Show up.”

  “After a long time, Ross,” a voice said.

  I smiled. My heart filled with joy. It was him. He finally showed up. “Jensen,” I looked around.

  “Yes, Ross. I am here,” he replied.

  “I tried to contact you so many times. You……..you…….. never showed up.”

  “I only show up when it is necessary, Ross.”

  “Necessary?” my forehead furrowed. “My parents were killed. Michael is killed. Wasn’t that a necessary time to show up?”

  “No.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “What?”

  “Yes, everything happens for a reason, Ross. I didn’t create the apocalypse. You went after the seeds, killed Ambrose’s father and he created this apocalypse. Jonas made a camp, became a dictator, all these events are connected. I didn’t cause it, you did. I only show up, when it is necessary, when there is a solution I can provide.”

  “So their deaths mean nothing to you?”

  “No, people die every day, Ross. It’s not my fault that all this happened,” he sighed. “Bad things happen. It happens all the time.”

  “So now you can help, right?” Bristy said.

  “That depends,” Jensen said.

  “Depends on what?”

  “Depends on your effort and execution.”

  “We will do anything to kill Jonas,” I clenched my fists.

  “So hungry for revenge, aren’t you, Ross?”

  “Please, he has to be stopped,” Nia said. “If you can help us then help us.”

  “Well, the main problem is the watch. If you can destroy it, you can easily take him out.”

  �
�Destroying the watch?” I said. “I couldn’t even steal it, how the hell can I destroy it then?”

  “I know.”

  “And about his men? They keep coming back, Stan has spelled all of their bodies. They just don’t die.”

  “I know. I have a solution for both of your problems.”

  “Tell us.”

  “The camp has gotten bigger in the previous months. Now you have about five hundred thousand people. I know a spell which will draw power from people. You don’t need all of them, even ten thousand people will do.”

  “Okay, Sam and I could do it,” Bristy said.

  “No, it’s not that easy. You will need blood of about ten thousand people, don’t worry just a few drops.”

  “Ten thousand people’s blood? That will take a lot of time.”

  “I know. That much blood will create a lot of energy. It will be enough to destroy the power in the watch.”

  “Great,” Bristy raised her chin. “Let’s do it then, tell me the spell.”

  “Wait, there is also a catch.”

  “What?”

  “Whoever does this will lose their magic.”

  Bristy gulped and paused for some seconds. “It’s okay,” she said. “I don’t care. I just want him dead.”

  “Yes, we want to kill Jonas no matter what, even if it takes our magic away,” Sam said and grabbed Bristy’s hand. “He made us die over and over again for months,” he clenched his jaw. “I don’t care about my magic. I just want him dead.”

  “How will we get the blood from ten thousand people?” Nia said. “That’s a lot of people.”

  “We can do this,” Reena said. “If we work together, we can pull this off. I am sure everyone would like to give a few drops of their blood if it helps to kill Jonas.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, everyone hates him. They will give their blood willingly.”