In the Aftermath

Chapter Six

Chapter Six: In the Aftermath

"There's no way I'm going inside that thing!" Ethan announced firmly. 

In the few minutes that transpired, the fearful and controlled atmosphere that enveloped the crowd had only escalated, much like the seriousness of the quakes coming from above. Everyone's faces were cold, hard and mostly confused. It was like everyone was holding their breaths for something, waiting, Ethan thought.

"Mr. Blunt, I assure you that it is safe and I would just like to point out that you pretty much have no other choice," Mark said, urging the boy to enter one of the Eden machines.

A sense of dread overcame Ethan. For much of his life, the phrase you have no other choice seemed to haunt him with every breath he took. He remembered when he got into fights with his parents when they told him he couldn't do something because it would interfere with his studies. What is life if one can't make their own choices? he wondered.

Bound, chained... Trapped.

Trapped in a place one does not wish to be. Like inside this stupid machine.

Ethan clenched his jaw. "Don't push your luck, man," he said to Mark. "I am very close to losing it, so I suggest backing off of me."

The doctor seemed ready for his comeback and to start turning the wheel of arguments once again but he was interrupted by a more gentle voice.

"Ethan, please," the boy's mother said. "Don't do this right now."

The sight of his mother surprised the boy. Her image had only deteriorated since the time when the two were inside the limo: her usually-flowing black hair now stood up in random places, giving her head a messy look, and the fear in his mother's eyes reminded Ethan of a prey being hunted. If he was on edge right now, Ethan wondered how bad his mother had it.

He gulped in fear and looked at the dauntingly blue water inside the Eden machine. The liquid was going to turn into ice along with his body and preserve it until the worst had passed. It was his survival. 

But, there was something inside him that prevented him from diving in. Was it fear? No, who would fear their own survival? Was it because he had given up on his life? No, he wanted to live. Then, what was it that acted like a wall that prevented him from choosing to survive? 

Ethan knew the answer. Why were they so special? 

It was guilt.

"I'm sorry, mom," Ethan said towards his mother. "I just... can't."

The sobs of his mother followed his final word. Then, like the light at the end of the tunnel and with the most perfect timing Ethan had ever known, a familiar low voice broke through the sobs.

"Hey!" the voice said. "I'm the only man whose supposed to make your mother cry!"

Alvin Blunt's towering and uniformed figure appeared right beside Ethan's mother. He looked very formal and official, a symbol of authority and hope in a sea of worries and fear. At the sight of him, a smile momentarily replaced the fearful look on the mother's face as she hugged him tightly.

"It's okay, it's okay," Alvin cooed. "Everything will be fine."

Ethan ran towards his parents as fast as he could. "Dad," he said, "what took you so long? We had no clue what in the world was happening!" 

"Well, I was trying to tell you earlier but you kinda hung up on me," Alvin answered his son with a small smile on his face.

If there was one thing that Ethan liked about his dad, it was this. The indifference in the face of danger. When all else fails, Alvin Blunt would be smiling and joking around with his son. Ethan had to smile back.

Then, he let the seriousness return. "What the hell is happening, dad?"

Alvin had a far look in his eyes, like he was gone thinking about something Ethan did not knew. "I love you, you know that right?" he asked. "I'll explain everything in twenty years."

"But, dad, what about the people on the surface?" Ethan asked. "What's going to happen to them?"

"They'll find a way."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The blue liquid inside the Eden machine felt freezing cold to Ethan. A tube was placed in his mouth to circulate oxygen through his lungs, Mark explained, so he could breathe even underwater. Inside the pod, he felt weightless and, ironically, free. It was as if a ton of burdens have been lifted from his shoulders. He was going to survive.

From underwater, he watched as his mother prepared to dive inside her own Eden machine with the help from his father. Ethan had to smile at the sight of his parents "playing around" like they were little kids. The sight was as rare as it was sweet.

A tap on the glass of the pod broke Ethan out of his reverie. It was Mark, asking if Ethan was ready with a quizzical expression on his face.

With one last look towards his parents, Ethan nodded to confirm that he was prepared for the deep freeze.

Mark returned the nod, gave Ethan a thumbs up and went to work on the controls of the machine. 

All of a sudden, a commotion towards his mother's machine distracted Ethan. There was a frantic look on Alvin's face and Ethan had no idea what was happening. Some people went over to where the machine was and Ethan watched as the same shocked expression filled their faces. 

Something was wrong.

"Wait!" Ethan tried to shout, but being underwater meant that only bubbles went out from his mouth. What was happening with his parents?

A few seconds later, a small explosion confirmed his doubts. The controls for his mother's Eden machine spontaneously burst into flames. Even underneathe the water, Ethan heard his father shout with a fearful "NO!"

But, Ethan won't be able to find out what really happened. As the commotion grew worse, the boy blacked out as his body froze inside the pod. Mark punched in the buttons and the machine started to work. Ethan's eye lids started feeling heavy. It was then that it started.

A long, cold slumber.