Born in apocalypse

"Mom! Rani! Surya!... what are you doing... Where are you? Tell me it’s a dream, what is going on..." Tears began to flow from his eyes as he couldn’t help but question the reality, he was in.

Time started flowing slowly as Dhruv’s mind began to throw one question after another, ’What is going on... Why did she say those things... had I done something wrong.’

Dhruv was so overwhelmed by the intensity of emotion he was feeling that he had forgotten about the fact that the world around had ended, leaving nothing behind. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

While he was still in a daze, something happened to his head.

Ahhhhh! Ahhhh!..

A pained cry left his mouth as the most painful headache one could imagine began to grow inside of him. The headache, despite being painful, brought him back to reality for him to be broken once again after witnessing it.

"W-What is going on!?" he couldn’t help but question the reality the more he observed the surroundings beside him...

’Why is everything just white...’ It didn’t take him long to realize that there was nothing here except for him and his thoughts.

He hadn’t seen it, but that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t anything around him... except for him and his thoughts.

A tentacle began to grow from somewhere within the void as it moved towards the unsuspecting prey. It didn’t take long to locate the target it was searching for.

Within a second, and the precision isn’t seen yet... it flew toward the head of a man floating in the middle of the void.

The void extended its limb to the man and began to suck something out of him. Just a single suck from the tentacles created a painful cry that traversed through the realm.

Ahhhhhh!!!!

Ahhhhhh!!

Grabbing his head, Dhruv rolled while floating in the endless void. As the monster continued to suck, the pain inside his head increased sevenfold.

Ahhhhhh!!

His eyes rolled up as Dhruv began to lose the battle of will. The whiteness in front of him started to fade as it was gradually getting replaced by blackness.

Suckkkk!

With the final suck of the tentacles, it sucked the last bit of his resistance leaving Dhruv with an empty shell. A moment later Dhruv finally lost his consciousness and dropped on the ground that wasn’t there.

The moment he became unconsciousness, something weird began to happen in the void. The whiteness was gone as everything began to get filled with reality once again.

From the outer horizon of the void, earth began to emerge. Like the partner they were sky emerges within moments as well. The sun wasn’t left alone either, and lastly, clouds made the place calm.

Instead of floating in the void, Dhruv was now lying on the ground... no one would believe it, but all this had happened within the period of just a single second.

Like a picture on a plain canvas, buildings began to appear on the barren ground and filled this realm with all types of colors and patterns. Not yet perfect it had made it a bit more comfortable to see... if anyone were to be here.

The eerie quietness didn’t last long as people began to form out of nothingness. Dhruv teleported from the ground in front of a hotel. With the help of that same force, his clothes got changed as every bit connecting to a moment ago began to get erased.

Although the people were formed, there wasn’t any soul inside of them yet... like everything, it wasn’t going to last forever as well.

In this still reality, something impossible happened. A lady’s hand reached out and touched a man on the shoulder as a voice rang in the realm,

"Dhruv, what are you thinking... you look quite pained, are you alright?"

The man turned to look at the lady behind him, his hair fluttered in the calm wind as a drop of tear escaped his eyes. Looking at her with a concerned expression, he opened his mouth,

"Yeah! Mom, I’m right. I was just overwhelmed by all this..." Dhruv said as he signaled around him.

He didn’t know why he had said that as there really wasn’t anything to be overwhelmed around... on the contrary it was quite the opposite. The only things expect for other people around him were, hotels... hotels... and hotels.

Reaching with her hand, his mom wiped the tear from his face and whispered with a gentle smile, "Don’t be... We are here to enjoy, and that should be our focus."

"Yeah! I will try to do that." Saying this, with his family he began to move toward the hotel.

Letting them stand on the side, Dhruv began to move toward the receptionist to get the room’s keys.

"Excuse me, Miss, can you check two room reservations for Dhr..." His words stuck in his mouth as he saw the woman in front of him.

"I’m really sorry; I thought you were the receptionist..." Dhruv quickly apologized as he realized that the woman, he thought was the receptionist was some poor lady who couldn’t see.

The lady behind the table thought nothing of it and replied with a smile on her face, "It’s nothing, my emperor..."

Realizing what she had done, she quickly corrected herself, "Ohhh! I’m sorry... That’s not what I meant; it’s just I’m really trying to get a role, and it looks like the practice effects had already begun to show itself."

’Then is she blind or is that white blindfold a part of the play as well?’ Dhruv thought as he observed the lady in front of him.

"I forgot to mention, the one in charge here will come in a second." She muttered.

"Okay, so can I know the name of your play or the place it will happen?" Instead of standing still, Dhruv tried to make small talk.

"How nice of you... and here I am who hasn’t introduced herself... So, my name is L..." Before she could finish, a voice interrupted her.

"How can I help you, sir." The real receptionist really came after a second.

"It’s about my room." Saying these words, Dhruv began to provide the details.

After confirming everything, the old lady handed out the two keys to him, "Here are your keys, sir."

Grabbing them both, he met with everyone else. Together they began to walk toward the lift. Midway to the lift, Dhruv turned back and looked at the reception table with a hint of curiosity...

’Uhhh! Why does Lyra look familiar...’ Thoughts appeared in his mind as he entered the lift.