The Heavenly Tale - Nameless God's

Chapter 8's

Faith reaches the city as sunlight begins to dim the orange. He walked through the rubble of buildings and broken roads that were scattered dangerously. Here and there are pieces of iron and glass fragments. Crumpled and charred cars he could find everywhere. Buildings that have been unglazed, collapsed in several parts, until completely flat with the ground coloring the right left. This was a sight he had not seen in the city before. It was true that the cities he had previously passed through were also destroyed, but with the dense build-up of buildings and streets in the capital, this scene was much more chaotic.

He had not found a single human since his foot touched the capital. This capital did not feel like a capital with its gripping silence. Even so, he believed that he would find a batch of survivors somewhere. After a long while of walking, he finally smelled a human existence. No, not kissing, but listening.

The voice of a weak woman sounded out for help from the surroundings. At first he hesitated where the voice came from, but after he stopped his steps to eliminate the other sound disturbances, he was sure the voice was coming from behind him. He held on to the strap of his bag tightly. The voice came closer, and he was sure it was real. But, after being fixated for a while listening to the voice, the girl suddenly accelerated her steps away from there. When at some point the voice did not disappear, he ran. He got into one of the partially collapsed buildings at a crossroads. He climbed up the ruins to the second floor of the building. Luckily the second floor of the building was not completely damaged. There was a small triangular section that he could occupy. He went inside and stood away from the unglazed window, temporarily still turning his back on the window. He set his breath quickly, then turned his head quickly to the window.

The voice just disappeared. He boldly took one step towards the window, but then he stopped his steps. No, he had instead abandoned his intentions for fear of danger coming. He was trying to keep his promise. So, she decided to sit down and put her bag away from the window. He will rest there.

After rolling out his blanket and eating a little of his provisions, he took out the equipment he had brought from the results of his previous trip and began to occupy himself. He wrapped his shoes in duct tape, replaced his long-sleeved sweatshirt with a dark-colored turtleneck, wrapped his hands in gauze, then hid his long hair inside a moss-green skullcap. All this time he had never prepared himself like this as he had always been with Master Spirit and his umbrella. Now that he was alone, he had to protect himself better.

The girl leaned against the wall while looking at the sky that was beginning to gray outside. He then realized that all this time, the sky had never displayed stars. For a long time he had not seen the stars. He felt the cold of the night begin to spread to his bones, and he immediately put on his jacket and blanket. Before long, an odd darkness began to color the earth. The only light he could see was the moonlight, although he did not know where the moon was at the time.

Outside, the girl heard the sound of dogs howling with a voice that sounded in pain. He stared out the window without moving. After all, the voice sounded odd, he did not want to see it even though a part of him was curious. So he chose to roll around in the blanket, turning his back on the window. That night, I don't know how long he closed his eyes until he actually slept.

When I woke up the next day, it was the eighth day in a 11-day barrage of Judgment Day. Faith proceeded to the town in the coastal area according to the man's instructions. That is, he must lead to the suburbs of the capital that directly border the coastal city. It was likely that he would not pass through the center of the capital, but covered around it. He brought a map from his previous trip and he would travel following the map. He had read it last night and remembered it, so he no longer read the map.

After jumping down into the streets, he walked amidst the deserted streets for quite some time. No matter what he did that day, he had to be careful. After noon, he reached an area where more skyscrapers than the area where he had spent the night before. He was walking at a rapid pace while paying attention to the surrounding chaos when suddenly the figure of a teenage boy with floppy hair appeared several tens of meters before him.

The girl stopped, as did the teenager who seemed to be heading somewhere. The two stared at each other from a distance, no one spoke for a few seconds.

“Are you human?” the first question that came out of Faith's mouth shocked herself. Is it because he was too long with the man not human so he began to doubt that everyone he met was not human?

“Are you human?” the teenager asked.

“Iya, I'm human,” replied the girl.

The teenager nodded. “Good. Where are you going?”

Faith hesitated for a moment. “I'm heading to the city center. I heard there was help there.”

The teenager was complaining. “Aw, you don't expect. Two days ago the center of the capital was destroyed. The only place that survives right now is around you. No more will help you.”

“Oh...” Faith sigh. “Do you know where the survivors are?”

“Yes, I'm heading there. You want to come?” bring the teenager. The girl agreed and she followed the teenager. “Where are you from?” ask the teenager.

“I walked as far as three cities to reach this place.”

The teenager looked surprised. “And you survived?”

“It seems so,” replied Faith.

“How about the earthquake and poisonous fog? Or hail? Or land collapses and flames overflow? Or kidnapping every night? You didn't experience it?”

The girl weighed her words. He had never experienced all the disasters with those incredible names. But he did not know how to answer the teenager without arousing suspicion, so he chose his words carefully. “I experienced earthquakes, poisonous gases, and volcanoes erupting. I always rest inside an empty building every night so I don't know what happens during the night. But everyone seemed to disappear from every city I passed by. And every night there is an unnatural cold.”

“Oh, I understand. I remember now. The disasters in each city may be different. I saw three days ago the coastal city was hit by a huge tsunami and the whole city was destroyed. The water did not reach here, but part of the capital's border area with the coastal city was damaged. Maybe now the water has receded, but I haven't seen it since three days ago. If you want to see, I have good binoculars and we can go to H Tower. The unfinished tall building was still standing even though in some places it was damaged.”

The girl opened her mouth as the teenager spoke. He said the coastal city was hit by a tsunami and had been devastated. Then how is he going to get there? A clutter and a sense of doubt appeared in his heart for a moment. “I... sorry for everything,” the girl then spoke.

“I too,” says the teenager. “There is no explanation from anyone what disaster is happening on earth. I think it's doomsday.”

Hearing him, Faith gave him a fleeting look of pity while smiling. “I think so too. But you said there were survivors, right? Isn't that good?”

“Who knows this is not over,” the teenager replied. His face did not show any sadness, only stating something he could think of at that moment. “You said you wanted to go to the coastal city, right? If you're really going there, be careful. I'll check with binoculars again later.”

The girl smiled. “You don't have to trouble yourself.”

“Well, at this moment we really have no one else but a neighbor. There is nothing we can do but survive and help others.”

The smile that adorned Faith's face widened. This young boy was young but his mind was already broad. The girl secretly admired the spirit of the teenager.

They arrived at a 6-story building that was once clear in white paint. The building was already damaged on several sides, but it was still worth occupying. The teenager was honest when he said he would take her to the survivors. Dozens of people appeared to be active outside the building, most of them carrying boxes filled with canned food or drinks from the stroller. The rest are carrying items that look good even though they are dirty or scuffed. There are also those who carry clothes in the stroller.

It was the first time Faith had seen this many humans. He was stunned and looked at the busy people with widened eyes, but the teenager invited him into the building and he had to follow him immediately. They went up to the third floor. On each floor, there were groups of people gathered in the middle of something that looked like a former campfire. Some of them are still on and the rest are dead. Some people are busy tinkering with things, picking clothes, opening food boxes, cooking something over a campfire, and some are sleeping. The same scene was on the floor where the teenager was carrying the girl. They sat at the end of the room farthest from the window, under the stairs. There lay some items such as blankets, pillows, clothes, even cutlery. The small campfire scars that burned the floor were near their feet.

“Sit down, you can rest here.” The teenager said while pointing to one side. He stood across from the girl. “We don't have much here, and we're trying to hold on to enough. There is a realization in each person that they want to survive, but they cannot be greedy. Too bad lunch was over. I'll find you some leftovers. If it gets dark, we'll eat again but I'm sure you'll be hungry now.” Just as the teenager turned around, he met another man with blond hair. “Oh, bro.”

“Ben did you find what you were looking for?” the man asked.

The girl and Daniel shake hands while the teenager leaves. Daniel was sitting nearby, his face friendly yet he looked tired. “What's your name?” ask Daniel.

“Faith. But you're free to call me anything, whatever.”

Daniel turned his back honestly. “What are you?” he paused for a moment, and the girl nodded. “Alright Faith, nice to meet you. Did you really walk as far as three cities?”

“Ya.”

“And you survived?”

“Ben asks the same thing. Ja. Fortunately I survived, and the disaster that befell the city before was different from the disaster that happened here. I don't know why I survived, but here I am,” replied Faith.

“Did you come to the capital to seek help? To be honest, on the first day when a big earthquake followed by a full day of fog appeared, I heard some people contacting their relatives. They asked relatives to come to the capital because here at that time the government and social services were still helping. We still had electricity, water, and gas at that time. But now all that is gone,” Daniel said.

The girl nodded. “I understand. I'll continue my journey to the coastal city.”

This time Daniel squeaked a little. “Did Ben tell you that the coastal city was hit by a tsunami?”

“Yes, but I'll stay there. I guess, I kind of promised I'd be there.”.

Daniel nodded his head and said, “It's okay, don't force yourself if you can't say it. By the way, you're on your own? Is your family or relatives here?”

“No, I'm alone. Is Ben your brother?”

“Oh no, we meet here. He was a brave boy. She did not know her family was safe or not, because at that time she was in the city center with her aunt. Her aunt did not survive either. He could not return to his house because the path to it was cut off, so he decided to wander here until he arrived here.”

A small sigh came out from Faith's mouth, her eyes wailing. “And are you alone?”

“Yes, I live and work here by myself, all my family live in other cities. I'm stuck here with Ben, too. But look, even though everyone here lost, they found a new family here,”.

The girl smiled. He had only met 2 more humans since the grandmother, and he had already found good people who were willing to teach him a lot of positive values. He feels lucky. “What was your previous job?”

“I'm a psychiatrist,” Daniel replied. “And you?”

“I occasionally become a household assistant and babysitter. Bottom line of the jobber.”

Because the girl was smiling, Daniel could not help but smile as well. “But you have a high fighting spirit,” he praised. “I'm sorry, but I want to rest before it gets dark. I have to be on guard tonight. If Ben comes back, can you please tell him to wake me up before my watch starts?”

Faith remained silent for a long time as Daniel fell asleep. He felt uneasy when it came to being mysterious while his interlocutor showed no threat. But instead of him being mean and suspicious of people, he just wasn't used to it. Meeting new people and actually talking to them opened up new horizons for her, only for that alone she was so grateful.

He had no light, nor the firmness he saw from Daniel or Ben. He only does what is in front of him and he can do it. She grew up in an orphanage, the figure of her baby was left at the door of the orphanage without a parent's identity or a reminder of her parents. With just that in his mind, he thought that he was unwanted. As teenagers, their orphanage has financial difficulties, and older children have to work to support their own lives. He worked since the age of 10 years, undergoing various kinds of odd jobs. A few years later he came out of the orphanage so that his room could be used by other children, and he lived. He regularly visits orphanages where he is big while giving his hard-earned money as much as he can. Two years later he was taken to another city to find work, so he went there. He worked in several places for several years, benefiting from living in the basement, warehouse, or attic where he worked. She doesn't remember what day it was, but she remembers one day she was kidnapped. Living in a basement and only being allowed to receive sunlight every few days, she tried to do the calculations, and concluded she had been kidnapped for over a month. The day he managed to escape from the basement was when the earthquake occurred. When he managed to crawl out, he had already arrived at the doomsday.

It was not something he could tell, at least to others he did not know. But then, he always lived life like this on his own. It's not that he doesn't have any friends, he's got some former bums and ex-friends of his kind that he considers close friends. He told them many things, but it also took time. Now when he's away from the orphanage and his best friend, he wanders into another city, gets kidnapped for a month and never again meets the people he knows, then came the day of the apocalypse and the people were dead, he had no one else.

Most people would sympathize with his life and praise his courage and passion to keep fighting to this day. Actually, it was all overkill for him. For him, it was all because he had no choice. He must live what is in front of him, or he dies. He would rather fight than die in vain. She was grateful that her parents would give birth to her, and did not kill her immediately when she was born. He thought that even if he was unwanted, being given the opportunity to taste the world was already a gift. His courage was triggered because he did not want to waste the life that had been given to him, therefore his courage was firm. But it was not something grand as the hero or pioneer figure did, but rather something that became a must for him.

But then when he met these survivors, he felt that everyone had their own courage. Ben, who lost his family and cannot return to where his family chose to survive and seek refuge. Daniel, who was a practicing psychiatrist in the capital, certainly with a high salary and a very prosperous life, did not complain or lose his positive spirit when he had to live hardship with others, he said, it may be very different from his old lifestyle. He saw the light within each person, and although the girl felt she did not have the same light, the warmth within each of those lights manifested into the same thing.

When night falls and Faith accompanies Daniel at his watch, he has the opportunity to ask what has always been a question mark for him.

“What happens during the night?”

Daniel, who was sitting next to the girl, stared into the fire from the small bonfire in front of her. “We didn't know at first what happened, originally we just gathered here together since day two. The next day, many of us disappeared and no one knew why. Believe me, we were more numerous then, but no one saw anything happen. We wandered, then we realized that the bodies of those who died, which we had gathered for us to bury, also disappeared. There were no signs such as footprints, blood spots, or certain objects, so we did not understand. At night, some of us stood guard because they wanted to know what was going on, but they also disappeared the next day. At this point, we knew something was happening at night at the ground level, because those who lived on the second floor and beyond were still in their respective places. Did Ben tell you this incident?”

“He calls it kidnapping at night,” replied the girl.

“Yes, we call it that because this only happens at night. After that, we set the night watch, but no one is allowed to go down to the first floor or out of the building. We want to know what happened, what took people away, even the bodies of people. That night, we know, I know because I stayed up all night, and after that I even had trouble sleeping. Every night, a mist appears above the ground, we believe it is a bit gray. The fog hung low above the road surface. Then, another mist appeared that flowed like a snake on the sidelines of the gray fog. They moved in and out, like hundreds of black snakes walking together. Then we heard a hiss like a whisper coming with a black fog. Gradually the sound increased, and deafened the ears. We closed our ears, but the sound went through our ears. The voice did not go away so we tried to get used to it while peering and seeing what was going on. There, is a horror in itself.”

Daniel stopped looking to take a breath. “From the sidelines of the black fog, we can see the skeletons of humans and animals laying on the street. No, it was more like the remains of a corpse being gnawed at. Pale and rotten dead bodies were gnawed here and there, showing their bones here and there. Sometimes there are parts of the body that are still intact, sometimes there are completely exhausted bones. There was a corpse that was intact part of his leg, but his chest was already a large hole, there was a whole head but his whole body disappeared, there was a twisted and broken body here and there, here and there, there are only parts of his body. It was the biggest horror of my life. The bodies looked so horrible, giving us all nightmares and the fear of closing our eyes. The sight and sound lasted all night and only stopped when sunlight appeared. But, when we realized that no one else had been bothered by the suffocating noise all night, we asked and they said they heard absolutely nothing! Did they sleep so soundly that they missed such a terrible sound?”

Faith was stunned to hear Daniel's story. This is what ‘monster’ is called by grandmothers who lived in the city before. This is what Master Spirit wants him to avoid. It was not a form of natural disaster as he had imagined, but a mystical terror that humans could not explain and understand.

“You'll be on guard tonight?” the girl asked after listening to Daniel's story carefully.

Daniel nodded slowly. “So no one gets out of the building for any business. Of course I don't want to go down there or find out what the mysterious fog really is. I don't know how, but you're lucky to have survived so far.”

This is also a question that everyone deserves to ask. So, how did the girl survive?