41. Lands of the Red

Scavengers were not at their best during these days, but the much known fact about them has been that even when they were not good, they are good enough to be evil; it was something which was always present in their blood since they turned. A lot of factors are said to contribute to the origin and the existence of the Scavengers, and the strongest of them have been the wars with their side-effects, the weapons used and the war crimes which had happened more than anywhere else at these wastelands. It was a place of human atrocities and hopelessness; the same had indirectly lead to the practice of black magic and all kinds of sorcery because science had ruined their life with no hope to escape from the pain and terror. There were similar wastelands at many other places, but none like this one which has spread through the lands and survived until now causing fear everywhere – its an achievement no other land could come up with, making this place the one true wasteland, the only area which could claim that title without second thoughts.

The Reds as they were called by many groups of people who stayed outside the city and no longer existed, the rivers of blood that they created through the heart of the wastelands made sure that the name stayed for a long time. Acheron had once come up with a decree to eliminate them all, but they still survived. But the same couldn’t be said about the team which he had sent to finish them off. It was one of the worst situations that a commando operation had to face. Some people still stay that the commandos still survive, in the form of Scavengers, while others say that they had been fully eaten and no part of them remains.

Acheron decided to let them stay then, because they were confined to the wastelands, and he could execute his prisoners by sending them to these lands of the red. The place proved to be good burial grounds as well as the place of execution. The grounds stained by blood were part of the poetry and fictional novels written by the authors of the city for quite a long time. They were the kind of works which brought them instant awards. With not many people left living around the wastelands due to the climate change and the presence of strange creatures, the Scavengers could always be there even with less humans to feed from.

Jack and Noah continued to walk, with eyes following them. The scenery was beautiful even though it was inside that limited space. There were yellow flowers hanging from the top and light reflected from the top provided a special view. The number of eyes following them had only increased in number. They could hide themselves really well, but they were very close to the two friends. They talked to each other using signs.

“And the big journey continues! I have never walked so much in my life! This is now officially my record” exclaimed Jack.

“Are we to continue walking like this? With no real aim and with no idea where we are going?” asked Noah.

“I guess so. It is best option around here as of now, and it should work at some point” replied Jack.

“This doesn’t seem to be good enough to get us to a possible end; seems like a case of eternity” said Noah.

“Even eternity is just a word; it has to end unless that goes as a fairy-tale, those sweet little stories which the kids used to read, but are of no real use in the current world; we are learning it the hard way” said Jack.

“We can continue walking, but even this much of eternity is a little too much; we are not immortals – it has been a long time since our journey to this situation began” added Noah.

“Well, you will see that this is not that long as you think it is, as there is no such thing as we have only a limited amount of land in this area – the land can’t stretch by itself, and we are walking straight” said Jack.

“I will hope for the same. There is nothing else to be done anyway. It is not like we can be Scavengers and do what they do. That would have been more fun and with a better reason” said Noah.

“There is a lot negative in your thoughts right now, you know; it only gets worse. Maybe it is the problem with the your artificial blood group or something” added Jack.

“It is ridiculous. My blood is not artificial; I never used artificial supply there” claimed Noah.

The Scavengers had already reached three quarters of the digging even though they never knew that they were getting close. They had their mind set on only one thing here, and they were all prepared for their most basic need, to feed. They just couldn’t remember when was the last time they managed to feed. But this was the day on which they would come up with a date, and that would be this particular day. Scavengers were not people without spirit, especially when related to things like these. They were more determined than a common man on these days. These were among the worst of times for them too, but they had more hope than the humans themselves.

To be continued…

40. Our Souls to Take

“This should have a certain secret buried deep somewhere inside. It is kind of twisted and with the smell of adventure” exclaimed Jack.

“Lets go. We shouldn’t stay here just because of some curiosity which has the ability to kill us both” said Noah.

“You sure about not checking this out? At least a part of this one? Don’t you think that we can take something interesting from here” asked Jack.

“There is absolutely no chance; not even with the latest weapons of Acheron. It is too much of a risk, especially at this time. To add to it, you always had a special skill in falling into traps” said Noah.

“Okay then. Maybe on another day when things get at least a million kilometres close to being perfect. That should relieve the pressure up-to an extent and there can be simpler adventures” replied Jack.

But all of a sudden, a hand came out of the well and grabbed Jack. There was so much strength in those hands and it had blood dropping right out of the wounds of the palm. It held firmly, and with a lot of difficulty, they managed to get rid of it. Soon, the rest of the creature also came out of the well. It was a dark creature, with what seemed to be its own shadow hovering over it. Another creature followed it out of the well, and others also followed. A series of dark clouds emerged right on top of their heads. The eyes of the creatures turned red, and blood started coming right out. They began to make some scary noises which caused thunder in the clouds.

“The scavengers; the scavengers of the dark! Those things which were named after that spaceship! They are really here!” yelled Jack.

“Yes, I understand. But what are you doing? This is not the time to stare! Run!” screamed Noah.

“Yes! We are going to die! Run and run fast!” Jack continued yelling.

As they both started running, the creatures followed them. They were not that fast, but running through this type of ground was rather too difficult. They fell down and slided to a cave below, which lead to an unknown water-body.

The creatures stopped on the way and screamed. The greenery was splendid out there, and they climbed on to a rock. It was more like a huge cave with a lot of space inside, as if it was another world out there.

“Now, we are surely not where we should have been. We don’t even know how to get back” said Jack.

“At least that much is clear; well, only that much is there to be known. This place might have stayed a beautiful mystery for so long in a universe of chaos and destruction” said Noah.

“This is a strange place, isn’t it? Especially considering the fact that we are directly below the wastelands which stretch a lot further. This is the kind of place that comes in the dreams – yes, there were such places in mine, more than once.” wondered Jack.

“Yes, and that too underground, and still the air feels so fresh here. There is nothing negative about it” added Noah.

“I see a lot of insects around here, which is strange. They were all supposed to have been mutated and turned into something else. Scientists from our place would really love to explore here” said Jack.

“There seems to be another kind of existence here, different from ours. I am surprised that Acheron hasn’t discovered and claimed this area with all his technology and unlimited amount of resources. This should be like a top priority place for him. Just guess what all he could accomplish with a location like this” said Noah.

“There are limitations even for him; and that is the same reason why we are still alive. He just can’t be the all-powerful dictator that he keeps claiming to be – that should be really painful for someone like him. But he will be here sooner or later, that is for sure; that much is greed for resources which can’t be satisfied. This surely seems like the home which a lot of people had written in the books; the one from the long lost past” added Jack.

Surprisingly, there were singing birds and smaller animals which were supposed to be extinct. The place reminded them of something which existed long before the wars had started. It was the kind of green with peace all around, and there was no cause for fear. The situation of horror had left them. Four eyes stared at them from between a crack in the walls of the place, and as they started walking through the straight path which lead to nowhere, the eyes followed them with a certain amount of enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, at the top, scavengers had no idea where their preys had gone. They had started digging with the bones of their victims, and even as they had no clue, had reached a quarter of the way to the newly discovered world of Jack and Noah. Scavengers were the kind of creatures who desperately wanted more and more preys, but there were none for quite a long time. They were the ones who made a pact, and that too with their own kind and also to the darker versions of evil. They were the true predators of the wastelands, and they were the rulers of their lands. They wanted to remember how awesome it used to be, when they were hunting, and hoped for their days of terror to return in style. They kept digging with the bones of the dead, and soon, they had reached half way to the other world underground.

To be continued…

38. Terror Unleashed

The creature which came out of water seemed curious as well as angry. It kept looking at Noah and Jack while making attempts to follow them. It was huge and had a tail which it used to hold on to a tree on the side of the rocks whenever it lost balance. There seemed to be a lot more of it under water. It also kept making a strange sound all the time and spit a green liquid. A group of mutated crows welcomed that noise from the top, right out of the wastelands.

“It is dragon terror. This is not good at all. We are lucky to have started climbing early enough to avoid this one” Jack shouted.

“What on this planet is that? I have never seen this particular creature. It is one scary thing. It has huge horns with long and sharp fangs” Noah yelled as he looked down.

“It was one of those animals created by the scientists during one of their special experiments to make the perfect creature which could be used as the expendable assets during the last war. There were unconfirmed reports that some of them were captured and kept in special prisons until feeding them became a problem and they were released to some forests” Jack made it clear.

“Isn’t it the thing which was called the demons of war because they could stand almost all weapons held by the soldiers? Didn’t they also call it the dark death because the creature attacked mostly at night; midnight to be more specific?” Noah asked.

“Yes, the same; it preferred darkness, a cloudy day also served the creature. Most of the civilian casualities of war were also caused by these creatures because they couldn’t be controlled that well. But they could be unleashed on people because the basic program was like that only” Jack confirmed.

“So, why is one of them here? Did the authorities send them here? I don’t see why they are wandering around” Noah wondered.

“Well, this was not exactly where these things were to be sent. But you know the government; the only thing which they do better than anything else is to keep lying to us. It is like a special skill that they possess. I do feel that this had a lot to do with the wildlife being in trouble, not just the floods. It is an almost impossible task to survive when a creature so terrifying and strong is unleashed against the balance of nature” Jack sighed.

“It does seem to thrive in water too. The creature is really skilled to do more than one thing. Can it get to us?” Noah asked.

“I don’t think that it can get to us from there. Thankfully, they had agreed on not giving these creatures human arms. It was actually on the list of things to do earlier, and we can be really glad that they didn’t in the end” Jack said with a sigh of relief.

“It does seem to be trying though. It really wants to get to us it seems. There is fire in its eyes” Noah said while looking down.

“Yes, it is a programmed predator and wishes to unleash chaos and destruction. It has to kill all the time, and I am sure that it hasn’t got somebody to attack for quite some time. The basic needs are not satisfied here. I do feel sorry for it due to the programming, but lets keep climbing up so that we don’t give this one a chance” said Jack as he kept climbing.

“Those mutated crows seems to be waiting for our death. I have known them during one my journeys through the graveyards” remarked Noah.

“Yes, they are the products of the wastelands. These birds are another reason why we should try not to get injured or murdered. Don’t stop or slip. Also try not to make them interested in us by looking at them in the eyes” said Jack.

Noah and Jack reached the top to face the wastelands which seemed to extend with no end at all. They looked down to see the dragon terror making one final attempt to get on the rocks before turning back and diving into water. They were relieved as they continued through the wastelands which had so much of abandoned buildings and remains of war as well as failed scientific discoveries. There were skeletons of humans as well as animals which were not buried. Most of the human remains seemed to be in cages or had parts of them in chains seemingly making it that of prisoners. The soil was red in colour and the vegetation was only somewhat there.

“I have heard people saying that the soil here tasted like blood, and I surely don’t want to test that” Noah said.

“I can confirm that. I know people who did” Jack replied.

The rain had stopped, and it seemed that there has been no rain in the wastelands for a long time. The clouds seemed to stop outside the boundaries of the wastelands for some reason. But a river coloured dark red was going right through, flowing into what seemed to be a well with a sign which said “Please make sure that you do not come near the well”. The soil was wet and at some places, it was rather too sticky. Noah and Jack went near the well and looked down only to see the darkness and nothing else. Jack thought about having a look by going down through the ladder placed on the right side, but Noah reminded him that they have kilometres to travel and they had to do it quick.

To be continued…

37. Rain and the Woods

As the guards were going through their duties and the trucks from the city had covered more than half kilometres towards the area, they walked through the forests. The rain continued to come down strong. The cleared path to the coast went through the middle and it was used by the vehicles which always kept inside the fences and prevented any creature or random nomads from the forest from entering inside. The security department of the city was really concerned about someone who is not part of their plans entering what they called the perfect world. Noah and Jack made sure that no scout vehicle could find them as they kept going further away from the road. There was thick vegetation all around and it made things difficult, but it was always going to be tough, and it was better than giving any chance of being captured.

“There is water everywhere on the ground. There is only this muddy water with some leaves and branches and nothing else” said Noah.

“This area is known for floods. We have read in the newspapers about the floods which have happened here in the last few years, which brought the water up-to a height of a four-storeyed building. They say that it is partially responsible for the death of most of the wildlife here, and the remaining animals travel to the wastelands which is at a higher location” said Jack.

“How can we believe all which were written in those newspapers? You know the media better than I do, and you have even been an indirect part of one such firm. They are just part of the government propaganda and I believe that we already agreed to the same long ago, didn’t we?” asked Noah.

“Well, we did. But in this case, if they were involved in anything happening around here, they could just write it down without trouble. They have already made it clear that all their activities in the forests were for capturing the rebels who were trying to destroy the city and their righteous way of life. So, they never really needed the floods as a reason. They could always use the excuse of the rebels as no common civilian from the city will be coming here, and we can be sure about that” said Jack.

“There can always be partial truth, because it is not easy to keep something hidden forever. Everything comes to light, one way or the other. You can’t hide everything from everyone forever, because in the end, we are humans with the ability to think and a certain amount of curiosity, no matter how much of brainwashing happens. We actually have many examples for this throughout the history” Noah came up with his opinion.

“As of now, it seems clear that there will be some flood, even if it is not that much heavy. We will need to find the high grounds at the end of the forest. We can’t be sure how early it will happen if the rain keeps falling down like this” said Jack as he started walking faster, ahead of Noah.

“This water level is coming up too fast. I didn’t even know that this was the rainy season, and this might be the first time that it rained so hard during this time of the year. Well, after all those destruction which we had given nature, asking for seasons has been a bad idea from a long time ago” remarked Noah as both of them started running through the forest.

They could feel the trucks passing through the path on the side of the forests, as these trucks used the most powerful engines available; the hovercraft mode was on because of the flooding which sent water through the paths – it meant that the trucks were now moving slower. The dual technology was limited to the trucks going outside the city because the pumps made sure that the world inside the walls was never flooded, and the elite class never really requred these vehicles. So they could be slower and of lower level technology. This technical side also meant that the trucks could go at their full speed only when they were fully trucks. The paths were actually located at a lower level than the forests, because it was made on the same elevation as the deserts and the wastelands which were lower areas. The hovercraft technology was needed, but an advanced one was yet not provided to the departments working outside the walls of the city unless they were part of a military wing. The guards will have to wait more with the flood worsening every minute. Jack and Noah felt confident that they could actually be aroung the walls of city by the time the trucks returned after loading the people and the goods.

The situation was not going to get any better. The thunder and lightning made sure that there was a certain amount of fear in the air along with the lowering of temperature which had happened. There were no animals on their way, even though some birds were seen flying around, but they had also gone now. The two stopped to see that a rock stood before them and what was on the other side of the forest. They said in their minds that it was the wasteland which came after the forest, and they started climbing the slippery rocks from a side which was not that steep. The rain came down stronger and the water level behind them had risen to almost their own heights. The cadaver of an animal was floating on water towards them. The water behind them turned into red as waves of blood hit the rocks. Jack looked behind to see eyes under water at a spot where blood made way for something else. He called for Noah as the bright eyes came out of water.

To be continued…

36. Through the Sea

There was no relief as the wind was strong and the ship struggled to keep its path. It kept moving left, but the journey forward was also happening despite the strength of the wind. Noah and Jack made sure that they were hidden well enough as the checking on the ship continued as if it was a regular procedure. But there was no safety guaranteed with this one. It took the ship seven days to find land, and it was not exactly where it was supposed to stop. There was huge jerking around as Noah and Jack held on to all which they could until the ship stopped moving. There was land, but not that area of land which they needed.

“This is a special announcement for all categories of people on board. We were facing terrible disturbances in the sea, and it has been a very tough ride. We have tried the best as we could, but the struggle was too much. The ship has been damaged beyond repair. It can travel no more as we have rammed it here. So please get down here and move to the city with support. It is only a few kilometeres from here, and the guards from the city will be arriving in a few hours; we have also signaled the outposts here. You can also choose to wait here because the trucks will be coming to take the cargo” the announcement ended as Noah and Jack looked at each other.

“It rarely works according to the plan, right? Here, we are stuck outside the city; not even close to our destination. This journey is to be delayed until further notice, it seems” said Noah.

“Well, this might be the best thing to happen at this time, if you ask me. I am taking the positive side of this one” said Jack.

“Please look into your special screens to find a written record of what was previously said. There will be no more repetitions and do keep the major points in mind. There are dangers awaiting you if proper care is not taken. Don’t try to walk all the way to the city; this is a serious warning and not to be taken lightly” the announcement made a short-lived return, but Noah and Jack didn’t care at all.

“You mean to say that this is something which will help us. But now we have no chance to get inside the city through those guards and the strong walls. They will also have the ultra-modern security equipments, even better than those which they have inside the city. Getting in won’t be that easy as getting out” Noah had his doubts.

“I would say that this has given us a better chance. If we had gone directly to the city port, they might have identified us with ease, and could have executed us without even a trial. It is their strongest area of control where their great dictator is not present. They easily find people and kill them” confirmed Jack.

“But can we make it through these forests and wastelands all by ourselves? We are not trained for that kind of survival. Waiting for a pick-up from the city will be like a suicide. They are sure to search for identity cards because this is how the immigrants usually arrive. So, the end seems to be certain whichever path we decide to take here. Is there even one right path remaining?” asked Noah while looking outside.

“We can find a way. Have you watched a movie called Rani Padmini? It is an old movie which go back to the year 2015 or 2016 – it is from before 2020, that much I am sure about. The danger is the same everywhere, and we just need to have the courage to face it. Giving up shouldn’t be an option here because it is not what we are. The forests are easy with almost all the dangerous creatures already hunted and killed. We can keep ourselves away from whatever remains. The wastelands along with the desert will be difficult, but there is a way through the sides, even though there is the talk about a curse. I don’t believe in that and most of the sane people won’t. It might not be easy, but we will surely get through. We are better than many others, and there are people who have survived these troubles as well as the curse, even though they had no real motive as we do” assured Jack.

“First, we need to get out of here. Time to get to the land taking the very first step. The journey needs to officially begin at some point of time somewhere here; staying here becomes less safe every second. The number of hostile people will increase and the ship will go down” said Noah.

“I don’t think that these people are thinking about looking around. They seem to be focused on their priorities related to the ship and the cargo. The risk is very low right now and we can make use of this opportunity” said Jack.

As the crew were busy taking the goods out of the ship, Jack and Noah jumped into water and started swimming around the place towards the other side of land. The guards from the nearby outpost also arrived, and with their machines, tried to make sure that the ship doesn’t sink. As the ship almost finished unloading the cargo, they had reached the other side. The message said that the trucks from the city were half way there. The dark clouds had started and the rain began its business making things more difficult. The ship finished its time, but it hadn’t sunk yet.

To be continued…

32. Ships and Humans

The ship was anchored and ready with a connection and pathway made to the harbour through the virtual gate. The lesser guards came out of the ship to fill the old war machine with supplies again, and also to fine something for themselves. There was not really anything of interest there, but the guards had been to worse places. They had found meaning right among the corpses of their own people as well as the mutilated bodies of their enemies. It was something with which they were good at.

Noah and Jack climbed abroad while the last guard had gone to buy a smoke. They were not the first illegal immigrants to board the ship, even though they were not illegal, but true citizens of the city. So, the sensors on the ship were not going to detect them as illegals, even though the city would, with their latest databases calling their names as the convicts as they were surely the most wanted ones now.

“So, we might reach the city after all. The sensors didn’t detect us. The ships don’t upload the data from the city. It is a good thing” said Noah.

“Still, it will change the second we go through the security at the city harbour” added Jack.

“It has to be well-planned, or we are going to die” said Noah.

“We are not just going to die; we are going to be brutally murdered” corrected Jack.

“You know how to make things sound worse” said Noah.

“We should choosen to stay inside those baskets. What we are doing is the worst idea ever” said Jack.

“Well, there was that opportunity, and we had to take it”.

“But what if we can’t hide well enough here? If we were hidden inside the baskets, we would stay hidden until we reach there” Jack added his opinion.

“What if one of them opens a basket? There is no guarantee about the transport which goes from here. The guards are also tired and hopeless people. They will surely look to take something from the baskets for themselves. The city is happy to have anything from this part of the world, and so they will not check for everything. They will just see if the goods are inside the packets and that there is no contamination”.

“What if we could have gotten into a basket which is under every other? We could sneak away the second it goes into the system for security checking”.

“I doubt that. Yes, it was the only idea when we couldn’t go through the guards. But we could just get in without trouble. So this is the better idea. We can get a disguise and get out of the ship when the guards set foot there. It is actually a simpler thing. We won’t get locked in the baskets, ship cellars or the security wing if this goes on in the right way”.

“So, there is a right way for this?” asked Jack.

“Yes, I am thinking about it. I hope you do too” said Noah.

“Considering the condition of this ship, I wonder if we need to get down on land at all” murmured Jack.

“Well, it is pretty much terrible. But this has been enough for so long, and I expect it to complete a few more journeys”.

“You are not the expert. Actually, you are not the expert in any of these. Neither was that ghostly thing. What was his name again?” asked Jack.

“It was something with three letters, and all those letters were the same”.

“What is this? You are coming up with a puzzle?” asked Jack.

“No, I just can’t remember. I was always thinking about the next move and I forgot this one” said Noah.

“Yes, it was TTT. I remember it now. He talked about too many things, and now we are here, with lessons learnt from a ghost who doesn’t even expand his initials. What kind of ghost tells people his initials and not the name?” asked Jack.

“Well, I don’t know any other ghosts, and I am not sure if they follow a protocol related to their worldly or spiritual names”.

“Do you know that the chance for our deaths has just increased because we are standing here in the open surrounded by guards and the ghost won’t really mind that?” asked Jack.

“I am fully aware of the situation. But we have to complete what we started” said Noah.

“I agree to it. But I am tired. I have less hope these days. May be we should have waited. There is no revolution in the city as we had hoped. I am not sure about it any more.” said Jack.

“Still, we are not done yet, and neither is the revolution” said an optimistic Noah.

“We will know the truth soon enough, but lets just hope that we will be alive to know that” said Jack.

The ship sounded the horn seven times. It was getting ready to leave. The time given the former soldiers to wander around and collect what was need, was over. There was not much of the time provided, and most of them usually had to hurry. There was chance of a storm and so more time was cut from the schedule. The guards rushed back to the ship with the supplies and the products which needed to be at the city. The big baskets were taken into the ship on trolleys.

The guards assembled at the main deck area and attendance marking was done. The head count was once again correct, and a signal was given to the captain for the ship to start its journey to the city. The ship had its own problems, and it slowly started moving after jerking for a few minutes. It struggled to get the engine back working again, and after fifteen minutes, it manages to be back to being normal again as it moved towards the homeland where it was created. The storm was coming closer from the right side, and the ship was sliding towards the left.

To be continued…

29. Of the Butcher

At the centre of their new world, there was the shop of the butcher. He was the biggest entity out there and he was running the greatest firm around. It was not legal, but this was certainly not the Imperial Firmament. The man whom they called the butcher was a former right hand of Acheron who lost his left hand to one of his battles, and had it replaced by an older version of robotic hands which worked fine for a man who spent his time cutting meat. Noah and Jack knew that this might be the best option for them.

“Yes, thats all which we need” finished Jack.

“Are you both completely out of your mind? You have absolutely no idea what you are asking me. Do you have drugs and alcohol all the time?” asked the butcher as he cut the meat of a random creature into two.

“I don’t understand why you would think so. But we really need to get back there. It is a matter of life and death” remarked Noah.

“Yes, it is quite a big thing. To be frank, it is bigger than any of us” added Jack.

“I don’t care if you both of you die. Who are you? Where do you come from and why? What is your problem? One day, I see you here and now you don’t want to be here. Why did you need to come here if you need to go to the city? People just don’t go to the city from here. What is so difficult to understand here?” the butcher wondered.

“It is a long story. Can we just get to the city with your help?” asked Noah.

“Just like how you transport those illegal things?” asked Jack.

“I am the butcher, not your transporter. I am doing the only profitable business here these days. Well, we can still prepare all the meat which Acheron has banned right here and smuggle them. But smuggling people? Not my kind of thing. It might bring his troops here. Why would I take that risk? Am I dumb? I don’t think so, not as of now” added the butcher.

“They won’t know. Just let us in a packet” requested Noah.

“Or basket, may be?” asked Jack.

“It is a risk. Do you know that human flesh is not yet banned there? If it was banned, I could have just got you there with ease. There is only the demand for banned things, and there are so many of them. This ban is actually a positive thing for me. No, not in my box of banned items; it will annihilate my reputation if there was any”.

“I don’t think that you are coming to a point here” said Noah.

“You don’t have a reputation. You have been a merciless killer. You have killed more people for Acheron than all of his current guards combined – until he got rid of you” added Jack.

“Oh, yes. I won’t deny that. There was joy in it, but my products were all of top quality. Even as dead meat, both of you won’t qualify. There is a certain amount of minimum standards that I keep here. Are you of any use if dead? If not, you may move away from here because my knife needs a neck, and I see two of them”.

Noah and Jack wandered away from the butcher who went on dealing with the meat. His assistants were working hard to keep up with his work. It was a place full of blood, with different types of knives being hung on the walls. The place used to be a university long ago, and no sign of the same was remaining there.

“That didn’t go as planned” said Noah as they moved away from the slaughterhouse.

“We don’t have a backup plan” added Jack.

“May be we can ask someone else” said Noah.

“There is no other boat or ship that goes to the Imperial Firmament”.

“Okay, then lets not ask anyone at all” said Noah.

“I don’t like what you are thinking about. Have you seen the knives that these people use or the guns that await you on the other side? You want to go there as a corpse?” wondered Jack.

“I don’t think that we need to talk about dead people here. Lets just get into one of those packets and get out before the screened at the Imperial Firmament. If we can make out at the right moment at the baggage centre, it will all go perfectly”.

“What if we can’t get out at the right time?” asked Jack.

“Then someone else will have a perfect time period; Acheron and Bella can have the dance of death”.

“So, we are giving them the opportunity to get rid of us and have the final victory?” asked Jack.

“Yes, that is indeed the adventure part here” added Noah.

“Usually, people call it danger” remarked Jack.

“Here it comes. Have a look at the antique” murmured Noah.

The ship stopped on the side of the shop. It was a very old model of the heavy goods transport ships which were made for the Third World War. The advanced modes of transport were not allowed to stop there. This one ship was the only connection between the city and this part of the world. There was high security in the ship even though the soldiers having charge were of the lower class. There were many of them, as most of the troops had almost nothing to do in the city which was guarded by the elite group of Acheron’s military team.

To be continued…

25. Another World

“I have news for you” said TTT “Ever heard about Laga and a ship defying all rules of science and going to another dimension? It should be known by now”.

“Yes, that was a myth, right?” asked Jack.

“Myth? How do you define myth? Almost every story that has been fed to you since the invention of space travel has been a myth. They never tell you what they actually do. The first time they travelled to Moon, the only place they reached was the clouds. It is an adjustment between the scientists and your nations as they approve each other of being awesome and make fools out of people. Otherwise, make them show proof. Most of the space travel has been teleportation, and there is absolutely no cost for it. Do you know that they eat all your resources just because they wanted to make another Earth for the rich people here in another dimension, or for your scientific information, another planet?”

“But that is impossible. We have law and order” wondered Noah.

“There is no law of humans that can stand above the greed for money and power. It is where every good man is transformed into a demon. Tell me about that ship, what do you know?”

“According to the religious people, the ship crossed over to another dimension which is a part of hell and brought a demonic presence with it. But scientists claim that it was an alien life-form which had the qualities of a virus. Whatever it was, it affected people, both physically and mentally. Many people died, and the relations between nations worsened; the people started hating themselves as well as each other. The space program was cancelled and the expeditions were restricted to the nearby heavenly bodies” added Noah.

“Now, that is what I am talking about. But no, it was not cancelled. It had more growth, and scientists of the Northern Bloc worked hard to make it better. They were actually able to travel to and fro regularly and even clear an area in that dimension which was more of a suspended island in the clouds of that land. It was indeed hell underneath that but they could keep the demons off that huge floating island which floated parallel to the inferno below which they used for death sentences. Throwing people down has always been quite easy”.

“You are not serious, right?” asked Jack.

“I am more serious than a dinosaur facing extinction. They started a city there, and almost all the rich people paid to be transported there. Why shouldn’t they? It was a wonderful place, full of beauty and an abundance of natural resources. You thought that Acheron killed the other rich industrialists and took over their territory? He actually transported them to that new heaven above hell for a price. He was originally a leading scientist who later patented this technology. He became the teleporter guardian of Earth and they had to give up almost everything they had here, but no problem with that, as they could thrive in the other world which is basically free from all kinds of pollution. The environment there is so healthy that the life period of a human being is increased by staying there. Most of the diseases are automatically cured, and wounds are not painful with them healing almost instantly. They call it Valhalla, named after the Norse myth”.

“I always knew there was divide, but this is terrible” said Noah.

“Yes, but Acheron’s business is growing even with all of those people sent to that world. It is because he is taking in waste materials through the portals. They don’t want to throw off the waste materials down and anger the demons, which is why everything other than unwanted people, they send back to Acheron who takes money to pollute Earth further.The Acheon Industries also supplies them with fuel to make sure that the floating island has a cushion which makes sure that one day it won’t fall down. That should remove your doubts about rising fuel prices, or the price rise of anything”.

“Nothing can be done now? If he has influence beyond this world, I don’t think that our revolution meant anything. He can always ask for help from the other dimension’s superior powers. Our world will be further enslaved and might even have to pay directly to the other dimension. What’s next?” inquired Noah.

“Nothing can be done from here. You will have to go back. There is nothing here for you. There is a big chance that you might get killed here. But otherwise, people will get killed. The revolution has already begun, and the people of the tea are taking it to the elite guard of Acheron. A good number of lives are already lost in it, and Bella is contributing to it in the same manner, by torturing an killing almost everyone who are of your build, age and name. She is like hell’s child, but I won’t deny the fact that she has always been one. I have limitations of power in your city which is the successor to the Northern Bloc. Its unclosed portal makes me weak, and its connecton with the other world interferes with my supernatural powers just as natural as it would be in the other dimension. I shall be further weak as I go near that portal. For you Noah, I have something”.

“What is it?” asked Noah.

“Stay away from the fire that burns, and the further you are away from fire and closer you are to darkness, you shall find your ark which shall save your people from the flood not of water”.

“I don’t really get it. Just because his name is Noah, that doesn’t make him a prophet who can save a lot of people from a flood with an arc” added Jack.

“But I am not good at fulfilling destiny. Wait, where are you? Don’t go, there is a lot more to talk about. I am worried” screamed Noah.

“He is gone, dude. Now we have to go back there and get stuffed alive by Bella if what he said is true”.

“It is the truth. There is no reason for him to tell us all of this otherwise. He is real, and so is the portal, other dimension and the demons” exclaimed Noah.

To be continued…

23. The Descent

“I was born in the nineteen eighties, my friends. I have seen more that any of you shall ever would, because the world is coming to an end, and none of you shall live enough to see the end of it, unless you are the miracle itself. But unfortunately, you are surrounded by a group of people who find it easy to believe that the Earth is round, it revolves around the sun and the moon is Earth’s satellite without seeing them, and need proof for God’s existence. In this world of hypocrisy, isn’t it better for the universe to end rather than continue its miserable ignorant existence?” whispered the voice.

“Now, that is new. Seriously you mean to say that Earth doesn’t revolve and the moon isn’t Earth’s satellite?” inquired Jack.

“No, it never did and it shall never do the same. We were forced to believe the same in our science texts of schools, even as in the beginning we knew the truth that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The Earth actually never movied, and moon moves, but not as a satellite but as a part of the firmament”.

“No, they said it is so, and they have colonized the moon and they should know it better. We are a highly modern society and it is our right to deny everything you said” added Jack.

“See, I was only half true about what I said, and see your reaction. I am not supposed to reveal the secrets of the creation and the universe to you, for they are meant to be hidden. Some secrets are never to be revealed, and the pathetic experiments that you conduct shall reveal nothing significant. There is no science in what you do, for it is just magic. Most of what you do is dark magic which is directly obtained from the devil himself, and the white magic which has indirectly derived from the same. Just because the earlier magic vessels were renamed space ships, they do not make much of a difference. The scientists hide this from you and all of you believe in whatever they say unconditionally. They ever provide you with the proof in English or any language you know? They use equations and theories directly obtained from the other evil dimension. But without any proof, you are so much of a believer. Have they shown you all these things which they claim to have discovered? They can’t because, they don’t exist. It is a shame that God has to prove his existence while these so called fake discoveries and inventions automatically qualify as exact findings and people like you believe them blindly. It goes back a lot in time though, for earlier it was like the priests know everything and now it is like the scientists know everything. The scientists have replaced the priests, and this so called rationalism has developed into another religion, but there is no salvation this time, for you are just a random third rate creation which was an accident and shall end miserably with horrible death – thats what you believe in, right? Isn’t that what you live for, and isn’t what you get closer to the end each and every day in a miserable existence?”

“I do not understand it because I didn’t study more about science, but the scientists know it very well” said a confused Jack.

“Do you study God? Do you even know Him? How long have you been tied to this new fake religion propogated in the form of science? How many religious texts have you read? If you have that typical stubborn behaviour which prevents you from doing the same, why don’t you go through a little bit of Greek or Roman mythology? You can find some of those books in the cellar of this house, as Acheron doesn’t eat the books here”.

“But what would happen to my brilliant scientific…”

“Stop behaving like that. If you were to believe in science forever, you wouldn’t have been chosen for this revolution. Do you even know how much of a great past tea itself has. Yes, tea is divine and coffee is evil to the core. They used to call tea the elixir of life in the early ages. But its fall from paradise has slowly transformed it into a normal drink. Still, there is a lot of divine magic inside it which shall help you and your people in arriving at the right path towards glory”.

“Do you mean that we have to fight a huge battle” asked Noah.

“It is not a large battle on the outside, as most of it shall happen inside you. Ever heard about Kurukshetra? No matter how much you try to erase the same as well as the battle for Troy from the history using fake scientific evidences, they shall remain forever. They are the wars belonging to humanity before science took over and unleashed its horrors, not like your bloody world wars of this age, but as the battles of honour and righteousness. Let me tell you that Kurukshetra happens in your mind nowadays and you have to fight this battle of good and evil, knowledge and ignorance, truth and lies. Ever heard of chivalry? I guess not, for it was fading even during my generation of people”.

“You were a lecturer? Did you post graduate on Philosophy?” asked Jack.

“So you are trying to come up with that typical theory that people who study science are better than those who study arts? How well have you shaped that theory thought the years, and how many engineers have you produced extra, multplied by infinity? How well did that help the crowning of science over everything else and ex-terminated most of the creatures while destroying most of the human world and its inhabitants?”

“We are science and we are technology” said Jack.

“You are walking nonsense, nonstop and useless” added the voice.

“I agree to both” said Noah.

To be continued…

21. The Summoning

“You didn’t talk about so much noise pollution being here” remarked Noah.

“It is not the usual thing. It is your area, of the supernatural. Why don’t you deal with it?” asked Jack.

“Or rather let me deal with it” murmured a voice.

“There is someone behind that wall, I told you” screamed Jack.

“You need proof for my existence, aren’t you the rational one, Mr. Jack who has recently turned the giant slayer?” the voice added.

The voice slowly turned itself into a form which resembled a face with the help of all the fog that came from outside. It was basically a humanoid shape resembling a snowman with a thin face. There was something which formed an outside layer all around it, and that was more like a covering which gave out blue light from nowhere. Noah wondered about the need to read more about the supernatural while Jack was thinking about how to make himself believe that it was not at all real, and this was a hallucination created as a result of the side-effects of the radiation which both of them are experiencing in the exact same manner due to something which might be explained by science a few years later, which he can easily make himself believe.

“You seem to be divided by beliefs, but united by a common cause. I have been noticing you for days. Its been a long time since someone with such a history visited this place. The usual visitors here are the brainless ones or the braindead ones. I am glad about your arrival, young people. I admire what you did with that guy named Acheron. I have always wished to leave this place and kick him, but I am bound this area by fate as well as by death”.

“Who are you?” inquired Noah.

“I am glad. You are the first one to ask that. Usually people ask what are you, and your friend here was going to start his question with ‘what’ too”.

“No, I was not” screamed Jack.

“Do you think I fail to know you, Jack? I have known millions of people like you, my dear stupid friend. I have listened to all that you have said in this house, but for the people like you, I don’t need to listen much. You are the hypocrite, a slave to the lies of rationalism as your friend had called you earlier. I know this intellectual slavery, for it is worse than physical slavery and death itself. It is the path to eternal damnation, and I won’t be surprised if you gain a direct entry to the inferno directly”.

“How can you judge me? Where do you come from? What kind of existence do you have?” Jack started shooting the questions.

“Yes, an answer is pending” added Noah.

“I am a soul who has been alive since the last century, and I have lived in human form from the end of the last to the beginning of this century. I am sure that I had a name, but I have chosen to forget it. But you can call me by the initials, which is TTT or Triple T if you wish to make it sound good. I was not born here, as I come from a land far away which was known for goodness even in its existence between pure evil, and it was the land of religion and spirituality until the imperial demons of the human world decided to take over or rather annihilate”.

“What do you mean by demons?” asked the curious Noah.

“That caught your attention, I guess. Yes, those demons of the human world. No, I am not talking about the half-breeds. They exist in our world, but my words pointed to those powerful people who are no lesser demons than the real ones, for they had transformed themselves into pure evil, of godlessness and immorality. It included a few of them among my relatives, and the rest a lot of random people. But they won, or rather they didn’t lose. They won nothing other than wasteland and corpses, and we won eternal life. What they are to lose is their soul if they were not claimed by the hell’s guardians already”.

“So you know demons” wondered Jack.

“Yes, we spirits exist in another dimension which is not hell to which the demons belong. In that case, you will ask about vampires and zombies as part of the supernatural. In that case, I would say that they are just human, and they are just people with disease. They are not dead people, and they can be cured, but not by science, as it is only faith that makes the same possible”.

“Hear that, Jack! There is so much hope for you” remarked Noah.

“Shut up, I am good right now” replied Jack.

“No, the cure is optional. You might need the side-effects of your disease in your journey forward, as it is difficult time ahead. I am not a soothsayer, but I am far ahead of you in the spirit world, and I can see things which you are not supposed to see. I am not restricted by a veil as you humans are”.

“You talk as if you know a lot, but you are still just a life-form without physical existence” said Jack.

“You talk about existence. How many of you actually exist? Do you think that by denying God’s existence and giving all the credits to your own existence, you achieve something more than a boost to your vanity which is the devil’s favourite sin? How miserable and hopeless are you even as you pretend to be so awesome so that you can pull more people into disbelief? I know that my existence troubles you as it decomposes your rational mind and brings to light that big lie kept in the ice cubes made out of your consistent disbelief. But that shall fade, and your mind is already half convinced that you have been wrong all the time. Now might not be the time to accept it, but such a moment shall surely come when you will denounce your own rationalism and turn to the Divine existence rather than your nothingness of nothing theory”.

Noah felt that the spirit had told Jack most of the things which he wanted to tell his friend himself, even as he felt negative about the impact.

To be continued…