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Reverend Apocalysis: Reality Surpassed Fiction

Chapter 4 - Just One More Day

If one day you wake up and discover that your monotonous life suddenly turns into a tower of uncontrollable emotions, from contemplating how to survive until the end, what kind of story comes to mind at that moment?

When you find that the streets are filled with the undead, just close your eyes at the top of a building and try to breathe deeply because you might discover that in that contaminated city where you lived for numerous reasons, after this catastrophe, you can breathe better.

In a biochemical apocalypse, what attitude will you adopt to face it? What mindset will you use to welcome that special change in your life and how will you confront the days ahead?

No matter what, all stories can be simulated from one point to another.

I believe that when one day you learn that this Biochemical Apocalypse is due to the fact that the human race dared to play with a power they cannot control, would you do something by then? The answer is a resounding no; no one would do anything because they can't do anything.

Everyone had forgotten, just a few weeks after spending almost a whole year in quarantine due to a pandemic, the entire world rejoiced when it was discovered that an effective vaccine had been found against the dreaded virus called Covid-19. But in the dark web, everyone called this virus Aion because Cronos was synonymous with world leaders, and Kairos was a title reserved for what was to come.

If you are cultured enough, you will know that Aion, Kairos, and Cronos are gods. But what do they resemble? Well, they are the gods of management and leadership.

It is known that Cronos is represented as a mature man who devours everything and everyone, including his children, to maintain his power. He is the god of sequential, chronological time that inevitably passes. It is the "tic-tac" time that irreversibly and linearly leads us toward our future.

He is the god we turn to when we set goals, make action plans, and implement them. When we act under the auspices of Cronos, past actions become obsolete upon reaching the goal. Then Cronos demands that we set new goals, indifferent to whether we are satisfied with what has been achieved or not.

Meanwhile, the 'tic, tac, tic, tac, tic, tac' of the clock measures how mortals approach death, urging us to succeed and control events, our lives, and those of others.

In short, these are humans. Everyone does their best to maintain power and have much more than at one point we stop rationing what is right or wrong, what is good, and of course, what is bad.

So why do we call Covid-19 Aion? Very simple, that is the name of a God who does not need to devour anything to be eternal. The virus we fell victim to crushed us, stomped on our faces, and left when it wanted. It entered our bodies uninvited, killed our relatives unexpectedly, and disappeared completely from our lives as if its power had not been lethal enough.

So, many thought, what this world needs the most are opportunists, conspirators, and geniuses.

When you have to face the threat of death at any moment and anywhere, and fight against the teeth and claws of the undead, will you ever feel tired and want to shoot yourself, or will you continue to fight?

When you start playing hide and seek with the undead, can you imagine that one day the undead will also play hide and seek with you?

When an undead becomes self-aware like a child and develops intelligence, is it an undead or a human being?

When a flower, a plant, or an ant is given the characteristics and life of an undead, is the world dominated by the living or the dead?

Indeed, it is often like a cliché from a bad movie to say that the most terrifying thing in this world is not some kind of undead in an obsolete Zombie Apocalypse, mutated monster, or extraterrestrials, but the human heart.

If one day you discover that in this crisis-ridden world, what you need to guard against the most are not the things affecting the world, but those hiding in the shadows like you. Yes, you will feel lonely, but that is the price you have to pay to survive.

In a matter of months, humans developed a supposedly effective vaccine against Covid-19, began mass-producing it, and sent it to different parts of the world, forcing people to take dose after dose, vaccine after vaccine. It became a requirement at work, school, and even to take a taxi.

But what if you thought that this vaccine is purely a business to make money, reduce the population, and have absolute control over the world? What would you think?

If humanity's alternative immortality is achieved at the expense of becoming undead and based on the fear of pain, is anyone willing to give up their current life and become infected?

As the days pass after the world governments lifted their restrictions at airports, will you start traveling as you did before? The answer is as simple as a straightforward yes.

After a few months, no one cares; everyone forgets and enjoys watching others' lives on the internet. Much more interesting cases are created than a pandemic, and the past is buried as if millions of people had not died.

In the end, even someone like me is just as simple as the others, only concerned about simple things like whether I can write the next day, if lightning will strike me right on the head when it rains, or if my heart, due to some unknown disease, stops beating.

When our destiny is led by a human taking the stance of Cronos, there is very little we can do to avoid things. We are weak, fragile, and at the same time, we are the ones who cause the most harm.

The moment your destiny is intertwined with this world, you become the future of this world.

When nothing can harm you, when you become a hero, when you are enveloped in everyone's glory, you become just another part of this world. But when one day you discover that the enemy you will ultimately have to face is yourself, how will you feel at that moment?

What you are about to feel is my experience in a world where the undead walk, where human naivety can be seen everywhere I go. As an ordinary person, how do you expect me to understand the world's corporations, catastrophes, and what is about to crush us?

When the time comes, all of us will face what is to come, but in the meantime, let's be happy with the little things we have at our disposal.

As a supposed leader, someone once told me that I couldn't escape the fate that the world has prepared for me. I just hope it's the best option that the remaining world can aspire to have... Perhaps I would be glad if it were that way.

...

Year 2022, a night like any other.

"Hey, what am I doing with my life playing with an unemployed guy at three in the morning?"

"Hey, idiot, show more respect to this old man because when I earn my first salary, I'll take you to meet the bad girls!"

"You've been saying the same thing for three years, can't you come up with a more believable line of words?"

"Hey, Anton, are you telling me you'll get a job just when you graduate from the course you're about to take? Let me tell you that thousands of people will graduate with you, and possibly each of them will have a better resume than you."

"Tell me, idiot, how the hell do those jerks expect me to have 5 years of work experience if all I've done in life is study and take part-time jobs to pay off the damn loan that has me by the neck?"

"Alright, see you later..." Anton shook his head as he hung up the call and took off his headphones. The first thing he did after that was stretch his waist, and when he saw the time, he only muttered, "It's time to sleep, tomorrow I wake up half-dead..."

Life during summer vacations is always boring, especially for someone about to apply for a university entrance exam the following year. Not only does he have to prepare, but he also has to apply like crazy for exams at the best universities within his economic possibilities and be lucky enough to receive acceptance from any of them.

Anton is the type of person who bets on all the opportunities he can get. Like many people, he didn't have high expectations for his future. Although he has good grades, that somehow hinders him from moving forward.

University life is a completely different level; right at that moment comes the crucial choice about his future. This filled Anton with stress, so he simply said, "If it doesn't go well, I'll join the army and aspire to rise as high as possible like my father."

The army is the only chance to aspire to something better outside of studies within the United States; it just changes the course of his path a bit.

Anton, who was getting ready to sleep, watched many news on his laptop, which made him open his tired eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things incorrectly.

"[Young college student sold a testicle for a sum of $35,000 to a private university just to buy a motorcycle that he won't be able to use in the next few months!]"

Anton's originally drowsy eyes narrowed as he smiled. Seeing such a bizarre news immediately made him feel a bit energized, and he wondered if anyone else was buying some good testicles.

"For these same things, God gave us two organs except the heart; that's the only one that's alone inside us..."

"[World Health Organization warns civilians worldwide that it's not the time to travel as a new virus called Z-ViraX has been discovered. It is cautioned that this new virus originates from India, and if appropriate measures are not taken, something very bad could happen again!]"

"Haha, I'll probably never be able to go to a battlefield if I become a soldier. At this rate, we'll die from a virus!" As soon as Anton finished reading that news, he checked the last message his father had sent him and was confused due to the extensive data information it contained.

"Father, more than 100GB in a single message? I hope it's not a virus; I have the latest photos of my cat, Mr. Whiskers, on this computer..." Anton started downloading the file and then went to sleep.

It's common for people with little knowledge of technology to have their phones filled with viruses, downloading adult videos on corresponding sites, or even something as simple as downloading a song.

...

Beep-beep! Beep-beep!

Anton got up at eleven, seven hours after falling asleep. After sitting down, he regained his senses and began his daily routine of washing his face and brushing his teeth.

Only then did he realize that his father hadn't returned from work as he usually does. Anton knows that his father's job involves traveling foolishly to different countries and being absent for weeks, but this time, he had exceeded the allotted time, something he had never done before.

"Don't tell me you have another family? Silly old man, you know I don't care if you remarry... It's been ten years since Mom's thing." After getting dressed, Anton left the house as he was hungry, and after that, he would meet up with friends before the senior year classes began.

Putting on headphones, Anton walked quietly alone down the street; he knew it was good to walk and get some sun since being locked up for a week might leave some repercussions later. However, the careless people, the numerous cars, and the indifference in their eyes made his tranquility fade into a strange feeling.

At this moment, Anton suddenly stopped. What he saw was a man halfway lying on the ground. To be precise, he was a beggar. It wasn't unusual to find them on the street, much less in a bustling and materialistic city. Although in a way, Anton lives in a quiet place, things like these can happen from time to time.

No one cares to see a man with clothes in tatters, barely recognizable as clothing, and his disheveled hair, lying on the street. To many, he gives the impression of being just a drug addict or simply a man who made poor decisions in his life.

The dirt on his body cannot be hidden. Living with that indescribable feeling, Anton couldn't describe what it felt like. He stopped and stared at him, trying to see through his bare eyes.

The eyes of the people walking down the street turned unpleasant when they saw this man. Anton was not far from him and stared at him. The beggar also noticed Anton's gaze, so he returned a look. By then, Anton finally discovered where this feeling came from, those eyes, so clear they seemed to reflect the whole world. The semi-reclined posture had a kind of stance that everyone seemed to ignore but was an absolute reflection of freedom.

After a while, the beggar smiled, showing Anton a meaningful smile. There was instinctive pain in his eyes. Anton did this very often; he liked to read people, at least he considers it that way. Generally, you can see a person through their eyes. A person's eyes often reveal a lot of information that most people don't understand.

By the time he was still thinking, Anton approached.

"What's your name?" Anton asked in a very simple tone, without sharing the disdain of passersby, without condescension, without a trace of sympathy or pity.

"Curiosity is not a good thing, kid," the beggar said, limiting himself to this phrase.

This phrase really left Anton speechless for a moment.

"What do you want to know? Just my name?"

Anton didn't know what to say then. He had come here just for that look and wanted to observe the beggar more closely, so he really didn't want to know anything. He furrowed his brow slightly when he heard this question. He didn't know what to say for a while.

"Do you want help?" Anton said after a while. Even he didn't know why he said this. Sympathy? He's not someone who feels that toward people, maybe only towards cats, but he limits it to just that. Anton never portrayed himself as a guy who helps people out of pity; that, in his eyes, would be a rude insult to others.

"I can't save myself, how can you help me? Haha," the beggar suddenly looked up at the sky and laughed, the rough laughter made people who were already looking at him quicken their pace.

Anton turned around and left, without thinking about wasting time continuing the boring verbal tangle.

"Hey, most people in this world now live in dreams and will soon feel desperate. Young man, appreciate your last time living with the comforts you have; after a while, these will only be dreams." After saying this, the beggar stood up, with a delicate figure and hands behind his head, disappeared into the crowd.

Anton frowned, thinking that today a free man treated him like an idiot. He couldn't help but shake his head and laugh at himself. After taking a few more steps, he completely ignored the last words of that person.

As he walked, a light rain suddenly fell from the sky, as clear as the tear of a newborn. In this spring drought season, spring rain is as precious as oil.

A prolonged drought brings sweet dew, and a severe drought brings sweet rain.

Due to the sudden light rain, people's steps no longer seemed as slow and heavy as before. Walking faster generates body heat, and the rain provides a refreshing curtain of life.

In this dull place in the suburbs of Seattle, although the largest and most beautiful city is nearby, it remains a very boring place. Living near the city of Seattle, to be more specific, in the suburbs near the city, there could be many varieties of both good and boring things.

When Anton arrived in the city, his mood improved a lot. Walking under the light rain is always good for clearing the mind.

People come and go, lively, talking about their salary increases or the possibility of taking out a loan to buy their dream home. But when they pass by a man lying on the ground, all they do is turn their gaze away as if it were an unpleasant sight.

Anton turned the corner and was thinking about what to eat for lunch. At that moment, a woman was in front of him, not a girl, not an old lady. The word "woman" is more appropriate for someone in her thirties to almost forty.

Looking at her from a distance, she seemed incredibly happy. This is the first feeling everyone will have.

At that moment, she was in front of Anton at close range.

Of course, Anton was not looking at this woman with any other thoughts that someone might have because he knew the person in front of him.

Anton finally sighed wearily.

Why go this way? Why do you want to go out to eat at this time? Why are you hungry?

Anton smiled slightly, "Long time no see, aunt. Every time we meet, I can tell you look younger. Should I tell my father that an idiot is approaching you again? Well, since I haven't had lunch yet, let's chat next time!"

The woman in front of him was smiling, but when she heard this and saw Anton getting ready to leave, she frowned.

"Anton, stop!" A slight reprimand came from behind Anton, and by this point, he couldn't pretend not to have heard.

"Come on, aunt, can't we talk after I eat something and you sort out your urgent matters?" Anton smiled warmly and said in a believable tone.

The woman with chestnut hair and a well-maintained body looked at her nephew. The boy in front of her was the vivid image of her older brother, but after that, she showed a certain sadness mixed with anger. After thinking about certain unpleasant memories, she said, "Visit me more often. Your useless father isn't with you enough to know if you're leading a good life, and I even doubt you have enough money to buy food."

Anton thought after hearing that: "Do you still hate my father? Although I understand the circumstances, you're simply directing your hatred towards him for the accidental death of your husband on a dangerous mission they were on. You should move on, aunt; it's been five years."

Anton knew that his father used to work for a private security company, alongside his aunt's husband, who was his father's best friend at the time. To make a long story short, his aunt's husband died on a mission, and since then, his aunt has hated his brother for not quitting that job when she had asked him countless times.

But life was like that, the circumstances they were subjected to were something they could rarely predict. Anton's father, after that incident, resigned, joined a company that traded ham, and took charge of selling it in different states and countries.

The woman in front of him thought that his father never quit that job, which is why she hated him so much. However, she couldn't direct that hatred towards her nephew, so she said, "You can come to eat whenever necessary when your useless father isn't around. Don't forget I'm his aunt."

After saying those words, she turned around and left. "I hope you're not like your useless father; that would be really annoying to think about."

Anton watched her turn away and quickly went to eat, remembering something before she left. "It's just another day, aunt. If you don't move on, you'll be alone for the rest of your life, and that hatred will turn into guilt."