The Zero Hour | #Wattys2016

Chapter 19 - Burning Bush (Part 3)

"...noch-noch-noch-noch," came the reply from his echo. "He keeps doing this!" Amadeus cried in frustration and kicked an innocent pile of snow nearby. The pile of snow erupted and scattered into small clumps, falling into the fiery pit.

Suddenly, the flames of the pit were extinguished. The purple hues of the evening sun also turned to darkness. There were no stars in the sky, only total blackness. Was it the zero hour already? It can't be. It was all too sudden.

It's weird, thought Amadeus to himself. I should be panicking but I'm not. Despite all the death, the sadness and the toil that he had gone through, all of his negative emotions seemed to wash away, only to be replaced by a feeling of peace that enveloped him. It wrapped around him like a warm blanket. Amadeus felt like nothing could go wrong, like time had stood still. In the silence, he had for the first time in the past few days, felt at rest.

He held out his hand in front of his face and wiggled his fingers. He squinted his eyes, trying to adjust to the darkness. Shades of black morphed around him but he still couldn't make out the shape of his hand. It felt strange sitting in the middle of pitch black darkness.

Suddenly a dim glow appeared in the middle of his vision, just a stone's throw from where he had been standing. Did the fire in the pit come back? No, this fire was different; it was powerful, yet gentle. It seemed to be burning some shrubbery. Poor bush, it's going to get burnt up to a crisp.

A few minutes passed as Amadeus tilted his head to study the burning bush with interest. That's funny, it's not burning up. It just keeps going on and on. This had to be one of the weirdest moments in his life. Normally having a short attention span, there were more interesting things to do than watch a bush burn on-and-on. Yet, Amadeus felt like he could watch this forever. He couldn't quite explain why.

"Amadeus," a voice said. It was deep and powerful, nothing like he had ever heard before. It was like a thousand claps of thunder booming at the same time.

Is that bush... talking to me? I haven't gone crazy have I?

"Amadeus." the voice continued. It could have very well been the bush speaking to him, but the voice was filled with such power and authority that Amadeus fell face down and cowered in fear. "Come closer."

Amadeus peeked up from his prostrate position at the burning bush, where the voice seemed to emanate from. It was beckoning him to approach. Curiosity got the better of him. He stood up cautiously, and immediately felt the heaviness of the atmosphere weighing down on him. He took a careful step, paused, and took another.

"Stop."

Amadeus froze in place and held his breath.

"Take off your sandals. You are standing on consecrated ground."

Amadeus' hands trembled as he removed his sandals. He continued to walk forward slowly, closer and closer towards the burning bush. The heaviness of the atmosphere increased with each step, and there was an undeniable presence of immense power. Unexplained warmth spread from his heart, sending heat to all corners of his body. He stopped two steps away from the burning bush, uncertain of what to do or say. Moments passed, but each second that ticked by in silence felt like an eternity to him.

"My child," the voice continued. It took on a gentler tone now, sounding like the sound of rushing water. "I am the One they call the Omega... yet others have called me the Maker."

The voice resounded powerfully and Amadeus took in each word with trepidation. He felt an ebb and flow of power radiating around him, bringing him to his knees. He hid his face from the powerful being, uncertain if he would manage to survive until the end of the conversation.