Kintin shows up and screams when she sees her brother. I pay no heed to her pain and watch the astonishing event. They are preparing to die instead of doing anything and everything in their power to save themselves.
“This is madness,” I say a little too loudly. Somehow, through slow movements I get to my feet. “You have everything you need to get out of this place, but all you do is sit around waiting for the Universe to reveal the things that you’ve have already seen.” My mind is reeling now. “You said you are here to be of use to the Universe. You are the Universe. What have you done in regards to its prosperity? Nothing, not a single thing.”
“What would you have us do Saved?” The woman speaks. “We cannot breathe outside like you do.”
“But you have machines that can filter in oxygen from the plants, and half a boat waiting to be completed. You just have to figure out how.” I move away from them. “There is an island that I am going to find.” I point to my chest. “When I find it, I will come back for each one of you, not because I have to, but because I am able to. That is what I’ve learned from you and your Universe. I am able to.” The voice continues to chant my course. Feed me, love me, live for me.
Aches riddle every centimeter of me, but I hobble away with confidence holding me upright. I know, no, I feel, that their belief in the Universe holds some truths, but so does God. The Universe is me, is us, it prospers on purpose, on love. And God’s bible gives me moral commandments that staunch suffering, not a guaranteed ride to the afterlife. Together they fill a void that I didn’t realize was empty.
These people thought impasse was their answer, but now they have lost several servants because they allowed another to rule the voice in their head. Not me, until I cannot muster another breath, I will not stop living for my God the Universe. This world is dying but the one of the island might be vibrant. Somehow I will deliver his servants to his home, and there we will begin a new, more conscious life.
“Saved?” Naveen calls out to me. “Take Purity with you.” I look to see her holding a mask in her hand. The first sign of a new dawn. “I can’t watch him slip away.”
The boat barely holds me, but I will not deny her wish. Purity will sail away in search of the island with me, even if it’s the last thing he does. Dr. Nu lifts his son and we ascend to the surface. All is quiet now, all is peaceful inside. I know that God is not in a book or ethereal place, but all around me. His words of feed me, love me, live for me repeat joyously in my head. My chi is now wide open.
Chapter 9
We drift in the water for hours, maybe days, the food is nearly gone, and Purity has been making weird guttural noises since this morning. I adjust his position and still the cries persist. I’m almost out of options when something bumps us. We’ve hit land and I never noticed. The boat nearly tumbles on its side before I hop out and right it. I look around but all I see is black smog. The air is thicker here; it’s almost hard for me to breathe as well.
“Don’t move!” A voice shouts. I freeze and raise my hands in the air. “Slowly lower yourself to your knees.” I do as the voice says. Rough hands lock my arms behind my back and tie them together. They drag me off my feet and away from the boat.
“No!” I scream. “Purity, you must help Purity. He is paralyzed in the boat.” I kick and struggle, but they hold onto me.
“If you follow us we will help your friend,” the voice says. I immediately calm down and settle to a walk. I can barely make out the others hoisting Purity out of the boat before someone from behind shoves me forward.
The door makes a hissing sound and we walk into whiteness. The floors are pristine, the lights are too bright, and the suits the captors are wearing resemble the great white bears of Garden Home. Only, these bears walk up right.
No decor litters the walls, it’s just blazing white. Another door hisses open and we walk into a large circular space. There are a plethora of chairs outlining the place, rising so high I can barely see the top. The floor is made of some hard brown material I’ve never seen before. It has many small circles etched into it.
The doors behind us open and Purity is brought in. They lay him gently on the floor and I rush over to him. He’s still breathing, but his eyes keep vibrating. “It’s okay Purity, these people are going to help you.”
Just as I soothe him the floor clicks and opens. A box forms around him and blue lights go back and forth. I bang on the top, it opens and a protrusion knocks me off my feet. More noises come from the floor and straps lock my extremities down until a box covers me. A vacuum snatches away all of my clothing. I attempt to free myself but the restraints glue me to the floor. “Help?” I scream to no avail. Lights move up and down my body. A piercing pain explodes in my brain, and I convulse. Then it stops the box recedes and I lie there naked as the day I was born. What was that?
As the shock slowly fills conscious thought, I crawl over to Purity who too is fully naked. He lifts his hand. I stop. The other hand raises, and then his knees bunch. He turns his head towards me and for a moment just stares. Purity smiles so bright, my heart doesn’t know what to do. He pushes himself to his knees. His eyes stay on mine as we crawl to one another like two tigers greeting.
“Thank you,” Purity says.
“You’re better?” I ask.
“Like never before.” He remains grinning. I want to touch his face, but he touches my hand. A feverish warmth grips my gut and below. I don’t know what to call it, but its pain and euphoria and I want more of it.
“Separate!” A voice shouts and we bulk away from each other. The both of us scramble to our feet. Even though there are clicking noises coming from the floor and a wide opening appears. I cannot help but look at Purity in all of his glory. He does not shy away from my gaze, but returns it. Fire thrives in his expression like a need to consume. An invisible string snares us and he smashes his lips to mine. Nothing touches but sensual sensation. “I said separate!” The voice hollers again. Purity slowly draws away and gives me an amused look. My face warms and I look down to the side. He kissed me, someone kissed me.
A man and a woman sit in large gold chairs. Their hands rest lazily on the arms of the chair and they glare at us through their masks. The slim man in tight fitting white suit stands up. “I don’t know who you are or where you come from, nor do I care. You have landed in my world and therefore you belong to me.” He begins walking down the steps. I see nothing but Purity. “It proves my theory there are more of us out there.” He stops in front of me. “You, whatever you are, are not welcome in Serenity.” He turns to Purity and I touch my lips. “You my boy, may eat at my table. It has been a long time since I’ve seen such an unpolluted genetic makeup as yours.”
Purity moves away. “Saved is my friend. We stick together.” The man frowns.
“Forgive me son, I gave you the impression that you had a choice. That is not the case. Choice is how the Great Cleanse occurred, we gave too much freedom.” He pulls Purity to his side. “There is no reason to remain among pollution if you can avoid it.” Purity attempts to twist out of his grip but I shake my head. We don’t know what these people are capable of and he just got a second chance at life. A life that his actions show could include me.
The man mounts his mobile floor and the two of them gaze at me. “You are a defect, here at Serenity we weed out all impurities,” the woman says looking at me. With that the ground underneath me opens and I free fall. No fear quenches, no anger arises, all I can think of is that single kiss. So when I crash into the ground there is no pain or confusion, I’ve been kissed. The lights dim, numbness follows, but emotions prevail. I readily succumb to whatever is packaged.
Chapter 10
“Get up!” Someone shouts in my ear. “Get up!” I hear even louder. My eyes open then shut after the bright light burns them. Is this the Universe? Something slaps me across the face and I jump off of the table I had been lying on and land in a crouch on the floor. Its cool solid touch feels like places on Earth. Slowly but surely I adjust to the pristine light. A girl with waist length silver hair has a beautiful green eye and a blue eye. Her dress hugs her curves and flows around her feet. “It’s about time you woke up,” she hisses. “You show up and disrupt all of my
