Eden At last

To The Surface

Just in his reach was a wooden board, he grabbed it firmly and then paused and closed his eyes to make up his mind. All of a sudden, he ran towards the mink, leaped in mid air and pressed the board right into his head furiously. The board smashed his head but on the contrary, the board was broken into pieces and his head showed barely any sign of pain.”Alfred what are you doing here?” a low voice echoed in the room.”Saving you … what do you think…huh? Now what are you waiting for … run … now”, said Alfred while he maintained his distance from the mink’s slimy body. The mink jerked its lower torso and then twisted his upper body. It looked directly at Alfred and then the part of the board he was still holding to. It gritted its teeth and Alfred dropped the wooden piece and grinned. Matthew had well escaped in the situation. But Alfred couldn’t, he was busying having an eye contact with the beast. He tried to prepare his body for a quick dash but he was fear-stricken by the glowing red pupils of the Mink. But then the mink didn’t care if he was feared or not. It made some sort of battle cry and then paced towards him. That’s when his adrenaline kicked in and he started his much needed sprint. The mink galloped in the trail like a bull in rage, one which would do in a competition called ‘running of the bulls’.

The mink’s heavy weight in fast motion created a huge momentum and potentially whatever crashed with it disappeared for ever. In some sharp turns, the creature would slip and hit the side walls damaging and threatening the core structure of the building. As a result the falling of the cemented slabs would increase causing great difficulty for Alfred to dodge them. Yet he was swift and would get past the obstacles with ease. The other dwellers who had been anticipating Alfred weren’t much happy to receive a guest. In fact, they looked horrified to a point of a nervous breakdown. No wonder, the creature was a large blotted beast with a huge belly (probably the result of all the dwellers he had gulped). He was coming close to the exit posts, where the rest of the crew were waiting. So if he goes there he will lead the mink to a whole new bunch of flesh. Alfred was going blank, how could he possibly make the beast to halt. The mink was slow, but steady. While Alfred was running away from the Mink, Bill called, “I will engage it, and you lead them to the exit”. Without much of a thought Alfred slipped away into the guard post while Bill distracted the Mink to another trail. Alfred led the other dwellers to the exit; they climbed a stair case to an elevation where they met a huge metal door. The door was only to be opened by a key card that not all the dwellers possessed, but Bill did. Before Alfred would slip the card into the lock, he realized that Bill was still engaged with the mink. So he passed the key to Toni and asked her to lead them away while he brings Bill with him. Alfred climbed down the staircase to the bunker.”Bill…Bill…” he shouted. Just then Bill dodged a huge chunk of debris thrown at him. “No … no, you go away… if I don’t hold him back he will follow us to the surface”, yelled Bill. Before Alfred could accelerate away, someone hold him tight. He tried his body to get rid of the force, but then it only multiplied. Several hands were holding to him dragging him against his will.”Life always gives you two choices… doing it the right way or the wrong way. But then, there lies a choice inside you to pick between the two. The choice you make, is what makes you… yourself”, Bill breathed difficultly but shed his breath only after he completed his sentence. And further then none of them were fighting any more, they just let their body drift… away.

Their eyes met the last time before both of them smiled and bid farewell, internally. The moment the crew left the Bunker, the whole building collapsed like an explosion underneath the ground. Strangely enough Alfred’s mind was vaguely silent, while the other souls were elevated, chattering and cherishing the joy of the horizon and the creations before it. The guilt was mighty and the gravity felt irresistible, resulting Alfred to kneel down his hands numb and his eyes barely looking at the bunker remnants. Tears rained silently, one by one without much of an external weep… though internally no one could tell. After a distant gaze from the rear, Toni and Milo walked to him and sat beside him without much of a notice. But they couldn’t tolerate seeing Alfred suffering internally, they had never seen him in such condition after their brief yet deep friendship.”I thought, I could undo my mistakes, and look I made a mistake again.” said Alfred bleakly.”None of this was your fault, not even a misdemeanor”, Toni exclaimed. None of them said a thing further, only observed how the building had been destroyed and heard the chatters of the people behind them. Moreover they sat like hopeless folks, who haven’t got a present in Christmas.”Alea iacta est… the die is cast” said Milo in a grave yet bold tone; very unlikely of him muttering sense in Latin. But then situation makes even the lamest of dog to run. “We do what we must do”, said Alfred in a sombre tone. Though his tone faded, one could see passion in his eyes… of revenge.