Until The End Of Time

Chapter 21. A new world

The wooden bench was situated on the hill under the shade of a giant magnolia. The tree had been there for God knew how long, thriving with multiple palm-sized white flowers and healthy branches. Around its roots, blooming wildflowers attracted all kinds of creatures. Butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds flew around, celebrating life.

It was spring, or it must have been. The man watched the crystal-clear, curving river not too far down. It reflected the blue sky and fluffy white clouds. His mind was full of wonders.

Who was he? Why was he sitting here? Was he waiting for something or someone? Where was "here"?

The man felt a deep longing and impatience in his heart. He wanted more, but more of what—or who? He didn't know. He just stayed there, getting lost. Nothing to do and nowhere to go.

The weather was beautiful. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the warm breeze on his face. This must be what a mother's womb felt like. But how did he know what it felt like? He didn't.

His head hurt, so he stopped wondering. This was better. No more thoughts.

But wasn't someone talking to him? Calling him? Who was this person? Did he know them? He felt that he did, but he wasn't certain. The voice was comforting and nostalgic, so he sat here day by day under this tree, waiting for it.

Today, as usual, he waited. He sat on the bench for hours, but nothing happened.

Where was that person? Why weren't they talking to him?

He became impatient and upset. The voice was not here. No one talked, no matter what he did or how long he waited.

Then, he realized.

This beautiful, calm world that he was in? It never had a sound.

***

Kye hung up the phone and watched the construction in several parts of Ayham. It happened around the clock these days. The city center was still a crater filled with rubble, but life had crept back. Eastwick, her old neighborhood, as well as others, would completely transform. New houses would replace the container apartments where Kye had grown up. And the best part? People who used to live there, such as her family, wouldn't have to pay a dime.

Kye was still searching for her mom and Nick. She had been for the past six months, with the help of Naomi and Ruby. Finding two people in a sea of hundreds of thousands of displaced souls turned out to be next to impossible. The identification system had become useless when Raphael destroyed it and stuffed everyone into camps like cattle. There were many missing pieces and discrepancies. Many people simply disappeared. Lost in transition.

The horrendous conditions of these camps were what worried Kye the most. Michael had cured her mom of asthma, but the poor woman's health had never been the same after Kye's dad died. A concentration camp filled with diseases, no clean water, and no food in the middle of the winter was as good as a death sentence. Nick would be no better. With his explosive temper and not-taking-anyone's-shit attitude, the boy would get in so much trouble. Humans were one thing—Nick could easily fend for himself—but angels were a different story.

Kye had called the temporary processing center every day, sometimes twice or thrice a day. She had driven to multiple camps every day, but like needles in a haystack, her mom and Nick were nowhere to be found. Lately, the city had transferred all calls from families of missing people to an automatic answering system, so Kye hit a dead end there. She only knew that whoever was alive likely stayed in or near the camps due to the destruction of the city's infrastructure. Naomi had set up many shelters there. However, neither her mom nor Nick had called or come looking for her. Kye didn't want to think of the worst, so she pushed on. It was the only thing she could do to keep herself busy and distracted from Michael's condition anyway.