Last Regrets

[Day 7]

Day 7

Everyone was quiet. Not a word was uttered. Even Michael never wailed. The Devil of Silence had spread its wings over them and banished all sound. The dungeon was mute. So much so that even a blind man would be fooled into thinking it was empty. Hazy figures lay here and there; one would’ve passed them off as unburied bodies.

They had run out of all the supplies. The last water bottle, shared amongst them, was finished, with Michael being the priority. Garrett never took any. Neither did Nate.

Both the men were lying down inside the wreck, their feet in opposite directions and their heads almost touching, arms spread on their sides. No life was left in their weak bodies. They lay there, heavy-lidded, staring up at the ceiling. Their faint breaths were inaudible. No more energy to talk or move could be spared. All ideas and conversations took place inside the mind only, and even though the lips never moved, the words were heard loud as ever.

Food. He was far ahead of that zone now. The hunger didn’t linger any longer. His senses were the only ones left working his entire body. The thoughts of cannibalism had knocked his door once or twice, but he ignored it. To think his mind would succumb so low. In fact, he doubted whether it was there any longer.

Each waited quietly for the life to seep out of his body. There was no need to tell the other. Fate had revealed itself to them long ago.

Why me? As much as Nate despised this question of life, he was forced to ask it. Not ‘Why us’, but ‘Why me.’ What had he done to deserve this? Selfish thoughts had started to plague him again. There had been a point when he was almost hyper to get out of here. Ready to do anything, even leave everyone behind, just so he could breathe again. That reclusive phenomenon didn’t last long, but the after effects of guilt it left were still quite dormant.

Nothing had changed. Nothing, the bitter thought jabbed Nate. He didn’t save anyone. He wasn’t able to save Anna. He wasn’t able to save George. They were right in front of him…and he remained powerless. He remained pathetic. Why, he had even dared to hope! When he knew what end they were going to meet. David was right: they were all going to die. No one was coming. No rescue team. It was just them, stuck in there. Alone. Waiting for their bodies to descend to the bacteria.

No.

A voice spoke to him.

‘…what…Garrett?’

‘What….what…?’

‘You …said something…’

‘No…’

You’re a coward.

The hallucinations had kicked in. His time wasn’t far now. Nate chuckled weakly. He was tired of waiting. He just wanted to leave. The sooner, the better.

'There's a voice... in my head...'

‘Cool…’, Garrett whispered with as much strength as he could muster.

‘We’re cowards….Garrett. Big cowards…’

‘Tell me…something…I don’t know…’

‘We’ve got a woman…. and her…baby there…and two young boys…’

‘They’re gonna die….Nate.’

No.

Nate chuckled.

‘The voice in my head….doesn‘t agree.’

‘Tell it….to shut up…’

You’re not going to die like this. You’re pathetic.