Half Dead World: Book One from the Apocalypse Tales by Adrienne Hargrove (little readers txt) 📗

couldn’t see what was right in front of my face. I am engrossed in my own thoughts when I notice Lucius is now sitting next to me.

“It is easier to see the truth after death. The living world provides you with so many distractions. It is not hard to understand how people miss it.”

“How do you always seem to know what I’m thinking?”

Lucius laughs a soft sad laugh. “I have been here for a very long time. Even with time ebbing and flowing at its unusual bent, it has still been a very long time. It has enabled me to learn a lot about human nature and the direction of people’s thoughts.”

“How do you not get discouraged? Why are you so sure we get a second chance? I mean, what if this is all there is? What if we are stuck here for eternity? “

“I am sure because he was here, and he told me so.”

“He was here?”

Lucius smiles broadly and if I didn’t know better, I would think he lit up just a little. “Are you familiar with the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus?”

“Of course, it is one of the more unbelievable tales in the bible.”

“Well let me assure you of its validity.”

“When he died, he came here, to the lost souls and he preached to us. For three days everyone heard him, people from all religions and all backgrounds. We all saw him and heard him claim he would defeat death and that we must choose light over darkness, life over death. At that time, his statements seemed metaphorical because the in-between was not divided by lightness and darkness. We were just lost souls roaming endlessly, watching as the world carried on without us. Before the separation we could see all the hidden kindnesses of people, but we could also witness the great evils of mankind. When he came many of us automatically believed, because he brought a light that we had never seen in this place. Being in his light brought such profound peace and joy. To this day, I still cannot fathom how any soul would choose to turn away from such a feeling. To be known better than you know yourself and still loved so completely. But there were those who did just that. Their hearts were so corrupted by evil they mocked him and turned their backs on him. Even as they watched him go back to the living, they would not be swayed. They turned their ridicule to us, his followers, trying to plant seeds of fear and doubt. They said that the “so called Messiah” had abandoned us and that it did not matter if he lived because we were all still very much dead and always would be. He stayed with the living for forty days and in that time our world became incredibly turbulent. There was a feeling like the energy before a hurricane: When the planet and the people all seem to collectively speed up and then hold strong for this huge unknown force to slam into the atmosphere. Everyone could feel a change coming and the two sides argued endlessly to win over the undecided. Then, it happened, and our part of the world was transformed. The day he ascended, we all watched as his light moved to the heavens, and as it did our world was bathed in a strange opaque golden hue. For hours we saw drops of glittering, golden light fall from the heavens to the earth. We watched in amazement. Then, I heard a whisper in my ear, even though there was no one around, like quiet little reminders of his word. You must choose the light. Follow the light away from the darkness. It became clear I was not the only one to hear the whispers as all the followers began speaking what they heard. We knew we were meant to get to the light and began trying to convince the others to follow us. And that’s when the darkness manifested. It came for some quickly, like a black hole swallowing them up instantly. For others, the darkness came in sinister tendrils of black mist that slowly wrapped around them, and dragged them into whatever dark oblivion they now reside in. Every soul, regardless of if they believed or not, instinctively knew the darkness was evil. Everyone that was not taken by the darkness fled to find the beautiful drops of light that we saw falling from the heavens. What we found were disciples, they had become vessels of the light. When they preached, the light spread, and we found more safety. Throughout the millennia the light has grown and spread all over the world, but so has the darkness.”

I sit staring at the giant, intricately carved, cherry wood cross behind the pulpit until I hear Kirra’s dad, enter the room.

“Kirra, honey, let me take you home. It’s getting late I think you should try and eat a little something and get some rest.” I look outside to the full darkness and realize time has been playing tricks on me again.

Kirra stands up and turns to her dad with swollen red eyes. “Dad, I don’t think I can eat or sleep. I am just so worried about Haven. She didn’t believe, she was a good person, and she was like a sister to me, but she couldn’t see the truth. Why would God let this happen, if she just had a little more time, I know she would have realized the truth. I… I can’t bear to think of her suffering.”

There is a pit in my stomach and a knot in my throat. I know if I could make tears, I would be crying. But all I can do is stand there and watch as Kirra sobs into her dad’s chest.

“Shh…Kirra. Calm down sweetie. You don’t know what happened the night of the accident. None