Chapter 14 – Do You Believe in The Calamity?

October 28th 2027 04:47

Inside the warehouse, people were entering the bus.

Odyssey was reluctant, but shared a look with Pov, then relented and passed the radio to Carrie. ‘Stall as much time as possible,’ he told her.

Could Carrie do that?

I hope she doesn’t just ignore Kez…

And… according to her expectations… she was silent.

‘Silent, are we? I’ll count down from three, if she’s not here by then, you won’t get to surrender. Three… two…’ Answer it! ‘one…’ For goodness sake, Carrie, answer!! ‘Ze—’

‘I’m the woman from the capital city.’

‘You could’ve replied faster. I was so close to finishing my count.’

Silence.

‘Not much of a talker, are you? Very well: let it be known that I accept a surrender. That as long as you’re willing to surrender yourself to me, willing to reveal your evil schemes in my city, then I’m willing to turn a blind eye to what my people have done. Suppose that this isn’t met, you should know that the death of many, their blood, will rest on your hands. What do you say?’

How is she supposed to stall this??

Pov tried imagining herself at the end of the line instead of Carrie. Imagined that she was trying to stall. And at this point, when asked like that, all she could think of as a response was either a yes or a no.

How is she going to—

‘How do I know that you’re telling the truth?’ Carrie asked. A question for a question. Nice.

‘You have to take my words for it.’

‘How is that trustworthy?’

‘It’s…’ Kez was about to give an answer, but he thought of something else. ‘What’s your name, woman from the capital city?’

No hesitation, ‘Pov.’

Me? Carrie, really?!

‘Ha! Nice joke. Can’t be that incompetent woman.’ Rude! ‘Let’s stop messing around. Truly, what’s your name?’

‘… Carrie.’

‘Alright, Carrie, I have a question for you: Do you believe in the calamity? That the world is ending on 32nd December?’

Pov could help Carrie. She should say yes. That’ll get them into a long conversation. ‘Carrie,’ she whispered, ‘say—’

‘I couldn’t care less,’ Carrie said.

What?

‘You… couldn’t care less? That’s the first time I’m hearing such an answer. Interesting. Elaborate.’

‘… It doesn’t have to be that far away. The world could end tomorrow, and I couldn’t care less.’

‘You’re one of those who don’t care if your end comes, do you?’

‘… More or less.’

‘Funny… I expected more from you. Sad to think that you’re just someone with a death wish.’

‘I don’t have a death wish.’

‘Why don’t you care then?’

‘Because it doesn’t matter.

‘The world could end in a month, in a week, in a day, or in an hour, I couldn’t care less. That doesn’t change what I’m going to do. Whether the world will or will not end doesn’t matter; I’ll keep doing what I want to do. That’s what matters.

‘Knowing the exact time of the world’s end won’t stop me.’

Carrie didn’t care, not because she was ignorant, but because she was just… focused on the thing that mattered to her. If the world, say, were to end in an hour, she would still just… search for food that tasted good, wouldn’t she?

Pov smiled.

That’s… a nice answer… Not due to how it had stalled enough time, but due to how… beautiful it was.

‘I see,’ Kez remarked. Did that answer touch him? ‘You—are someone from the capital city after all. Regardless of whether the world ends or doesn’t end, you’ll get to profit from it one way or another. As expected.’

Um… how did he get to that conclusion? Pov didn’t get it.

‘I changed my mind. I don’t need your surrender. I won’t turn a blind eye to this. You don’t need to know whether the calamity is true or false. Your calamity comes now. Good-bye, Carrie.’

And the line was cut off.

Outside, there was a march. Guards, ex-soldiers, securing the outside perimeter.

Pov got onto the bus. Now, only Carrie and Odyssey were left outside.

‘Get in!’ Odyssey ordered. Once they were in, the only thing left was for the driver to ram his foot on the gas.

‘Go and make your escape,’ Carrie said. ‘I’ll stall them.’

Wait, what?

‘With what?’ Odyssey asked. Good question, Ody. ‘No, more importantly, why? There’s no need for you to stall! Just get onto the bus and we’re hightailing it out of here! No need for you to die wastefully!’ What he said!

‘… I’d rather die than enter that bus.’

You…

‘You… did you sabotage this bus?!’ Odyssey accused.

‘No,’ Pov answered for Carrie. Sure, his accusation wasn’t baseless. If someone refused to enter this bus, the supposedly safe place, then one could assume that it had been tampered with. But… that response that Carrie had just given… That look in her pitch-black eyes…

You’re not someone who does purposeless things. There was no sense in stalling. If she just entered the bus, that was it. You didn’t sabotage this bus either. No, she wouldn’t do that. I know that response.

You’re… similar, like me. You…

‘You’re scared of vehicles?!’