Forlot: Not What I Am - Book Twenty

Chapter Thirty-Seven

My friends and the real worlders landed in two heaps in the hole. The ropes holding them in place loosened, and they freed themselves. They all stood, and Margie glanced at her shoes. More precisely, the floor.

"Uh, guys? Why is there water above our knees? And why is it rising?!"

Desiring to see what she was talking about, I got on my knees and gripped the edge of the hole to keep myself from falling too. I peered down and became terrified at what I saw.

As much as I wanted her to be wrong, Margie was correct. Water was in the hole and rising. Rising until it swallowed the real worlders and my friends up.

I felt a panic attack coming on, but this was not the right time to experience one, for the people whom I cared about were going to drown. I prayed a quick prayer to God to calm my nerves and help me, and while doing that, I could hear my anti chuckling in the background.

"What is the matter, Caleb? Too much of a chicken to save the main characters and the real worlders, so you are asking your God who is fake to assist you?" Anti-Caleb mocked me. "You delusional fool."

I finished the prayer, climbed to my feet, and spun my body around. Anti-Caleb was standing in front of the computer so that I could not get to it.

"Stop the water now," I commanded.

He seemed a bit surprised. "That is it? I bullied you, and you are not going to at least make the attempt of defending your God and your actions?"

"I will not waste my breath arguing with you. Arguments and forcefulness are not how to spread God's Word. Now stop the water."

He shrugged and let his arms dangle to his sides. "Sorry, Caleb. Once the water starts, it cannot stop until it fills that hole. By then, your friends and the real worlders will be dead."

I looked back down at the hole. The water was now at their waists. I swallowed a lump in my throat and turned my attention back to my evil anti. He realized how scared I was.

"Weak Caleb. He has no problem in believing in a God that does not exist, but cannot rescue his friends already."

"I cannot swim, Anti-Caleb. Not even in shallow water. I..." Tears formed in my eyes. "...I cannot swim."

Meanwhile, the real worlders and my friends - mainly the real worlders - were wondering what was taking me so long.

"Is that Christian guy going to save our bottoms or what?" the atheist asked the other real worlders.

"He was lying when he claimed that he loved the gays and feminists and anti-vaxxers and strict Christians and transgenders and flat earthers and people who believe in other religions," the feminist believed. "He just said all that to get us to obey him."

I overheard the feminist as plain as day and defended my so-called "procrastination."

"Sorry that I am trying to take the easy way out," I said sarcastically. "In case that you do not know, I cannot swim!"

"Hey, I am not a good swimmer either," the gay commented. "The feeling is mutual."

"You are an embarrassment to society, Caleb Night," Anti-Caleb bullied me once more. "You know why your own mother and father abandoned you? 'Cause you are worth nothing. You know why your girlfriend's parents despise your guts? 'Cause you are nothing like them. He walked up to me and whispered in my ear. "Do not even get me started on your girlfriend Cindy. On the outside, it may seem like that she cares about you, but on the inside, her heart is breaking."

He paused, allowing his words to sink into my brain, and continued.

"Cindy used to do whatever she wanted and had so much free time...until you came into her life. Instead of caring for her like a man is supposed to do for a lady, she has to take care of you. She practically is your slave."

I placed a palm on his chest and shoved him away. "You are lying! Your words are nothing but lies!"

"Cindy has been the one who took you to therapy, and she and you would spend about two hours - three hours if your panic attacks and anxiety attacks took a while to contain - throwing your lives away when you two could be doing something fun that normal couples do. But no, you force your girlfriend to be locked in therapy with you. How is that being a gentleman?"

I was crushed. Tears rolled down my cheeks. "Stop it," I whimpered.

"You are a burden to Cindy. Heck, you have been a burden to everyone in Forlot."

"You are such a liar!" Hansel shouted. "We love Caleb! We do not care if his skin is white or that he is a male."

"He is more of a Christian than most Christians!" Gretel yelled.

Anti-Caleb rolled his eyes and grinned at me. He whispered, "The only reason that they are lifting you up is because they do not want to hurt your feelings. They do not love you. Nobody loves you."

I stared at his sickening face for a moment or two - and punched him.

He was not counting on that.

Never in my life have I ever punched an individual, not even the people who treated me like a person without feelings. The truth is that I do have feelings. Just because I have anxiety problems does not mean that I am a moron.

My anti staggered back and rubbed his bottom jaw. I wiped my tears and adjusted my glasses.

"You are wrong about me," I said. "Someone out in the universe does love me. His name is God. Anybody can reach Him by praying and repenting. As for Cindy, she has been more free with me than with her own parents."