The Apocalypse Game - Chapter 1

            The horizon was a monochromatic scarlet, cascading down in a river across the barren land strewn with pyramids of corpses. Ponds of stinking, dead crimson under these corporeal hills fed into the transcendental stream, slithering together into the distance with a frightening sense of tranquility.

            The place was kissed by death. The forlorn field was long abandoned by bushes, trees, and any other family of vegetation, naked under the derision of the sky; but now, it donned a ghastly gown capable of rivaling the blushing dawn. As if disgusted by the hideous price paid for such a stunning garment, the sun veiled its smile from the infernal world.

            I gaped at the crimson field, and retched at the stench of this atrocity. A light breeze swept past, chilling me to the core with its heartless embrace. I pulled my blazer tighter and attempted to tame the strands of hazel silk waving wildly around my face. Through watering eyes, I detected a lone figure erected amidst the plane of surrendered martyrs, moving as if floating, towards the elevated altar which I stood upon. Its long robes were white " pure as snow, untainted as the wings of an angel. I dabbed away the remaining wetness blurring my vision and refocused on the heavenly silhouette.

            It was flying now, leaping past ranges of rotting mountains and tributaries of scarlet nectar. A waterfall of inky blackness flowed as if a cape under a silk-covered cap, which in turn was white as the rest of it. Flitting on the field of flesh, it was a butterfly; the opposite of ugliness " graceful, beautiful, an envoy from utopia. Within the next second, the snowflake landed on the palm of the raised stone.

            Stretching out a hand, the mysterious visitor lifted the flowing veil protecting its unworldly beauty.

            I drew in a sharp breath at the stunning scenery unraveling before my eyes. The lustrous plate donned lips with a bloody scarlet trumping the crimson in the distance; a nose strong and delicate as if carved out of polished marble; and skin that was smooth and watery as if glazed over by a layer of transparent gloss, threatening to break on touch. Then I met that pair of eyes, and slipped under its witchcraft " alluring amethysts emanating a haunting glow, they must have hooked away souls of empires. The creators certainly favoured some more than others.

 “It’s a quiet place, isn't it?”

A shiver shot down my spine with every word. The voice was a transient call, viscous as molten chocolate, at the same time limpid as the twinkling melody of a newly awakened river. It was a song of a single morning dove, at the same time a tribute by a cherubic choir. It was a mixture of good and evil, the prayer of the angel and the temptation of the devil. Until that moment, I did not believe there existed such an unearthly sound.

 

The expression of shock on my face must have been quite amusing, for an enchanting curve broke out across those perfect lips. Acknowledging my prolonged hesitation, a familiar warmth exploded behind my cheeks and sprawled across my face as I struggled to summon a decent answer. It probably sounded like a frog’s croak after its antecedent.

“Uh… What?” Was all I managed to formulate. I subconsciously berated myself for such an incompetent response, and hurriedly took another shot at a recovery, “Are you human?”

I regretted that attempt the moment those syllables escaped my lips. The tactful and composed rhetorician I had known for half my life had dissipated with the sun, leaving behind a dumbfounded, stammering teenager futilely fighting to establish an acceptable impression with a godly being poising with incomparable brilliance at an arm’s length away. Dialogs previously prudently contemplated and thoroughly tamed before being released were now jumbles of what I would have ruled as utter “idiocy” which completely bypassed the brain.

Dear Lord, I sighed in despair, this person must think my brain is rusted…

The smile widened, and a soothing chuckled resonated around the two of us.

“Human… What an interesting question;” Those infatuating eyes locked onto mine, “You can say so. I am the son of two mortals, after all.” He took a step forward, and my heart quivered with the strengthening aroma of roses emanating from the figure closing in.

“What… What do you want?” I stepped back uncomfortably, “I mean, what are you here for?” Escaping the firm grip of his gaze, I took in a deep breath and struggled to keep a clear head.

He frowned at the recovered distance between us and continued advancing forward.

“Oh Alice, no need to be nervous…” He was only a step away, whispering into my forelocks, “Tell me what you see.”

I shifted awkwardly and hesitated to answer.

Taking the last step, he casually hooked my waist with one hand and lifted my chin with the other, forcing my vision back into his powerful trap, “What do you see in the field? What disgusted you?”

“I…” My cheeks must have matched the colour scheme of the infernal fields, but something in his eyes pulled the reins on my galloping pulse, “It’s simply terrifying. Did all of them died in war?” I stared into those bottomless amethysts and rested calmly in his embrace, gradually rediscovering the articulate diplomat I was used to embodying.

“Yes… War. But there is more to come.”

“More? What do you mean?”

He sighed and dropped the gaze, eyelashes lush as willows temporarily shielding those penetrating eyes, before stepping aside to reveal the revolting cemetery. As if unwilling to depart from his beauty, my eyes reluctantly moved to survey “hell on earth”. One hand still resting on my back, he gestured with the other, “Disease will swipe through the land, famine will take away millions…This is the inevitable ending to all of humanity.”

I turned to him in alarm and met the eyes already fixed on me, “You mean we’re all going to die from this?”

“No…This is history…”

“Oh good.” I huffed out a sigh of relief.

“…But it will happen again very soon.”

He watched with eyes of pity as I choked on the remaining air in my throat and stumbled at the last half of his sentence. The smile rippled across those crimson lips again and he stooped down to eclipse the distant horror. Now close enough to feel the heat of his breath, my cheeks rediscovered their shades of scarlet.

“If it frightens you, don’t look.” His fragrance was intoxicating now, and the deepest violet in those lustrous eyes suddenly donned a darker murk, “But if you don’t look, who’s going to save them all?”

“What? Who?”

“Don't worry Alice… Sleep now… Let them be.”

Raising a snow-white palm, he covered my eyes. The world around me submerged in darkness and his voice was all that was left.

“How do you know?”

“When you have lived long enough, and seen enough of everything, you will know...Whether you like it or not.”

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

I will try to keep updating once every week... But it may mean slower updates for 'Underground'.

Comments, suggestions and constructive criticism are welcomed!