Paradise At A Price

In a dimly lit, cluttered living room, a group of terrified family members huddle together. In the center, a man kneels before a young boy who has a glowing green mark on his forehead, representing a "Chosen" hero.

 

The Explosion

Barry was violently woken from a deep slumber by the rattling and shaking of the house. He was unceremoniously thrown out of bed by the violence of the explosion. At first, he thought he was still watching the movie he had been viewing before he fell asleep, but the giant orange ball showing through his window told him that the explosion was real.

He hurried downstairs and saw family, friends, and relatives gathered around the TV. He edged his way to the front; no one noticed him. Everyone was glued to the TV set listening to the announcement. He could see his tight buddy, Romeo, weeping. He paused and wondered what would really make Romeo so upset that he had to cry. Mind you, Romeo was a hard nut to crack—a tough guy who could face anything and come out as the winner. Seeing him cry seemed to raise the stakes. Barry ignored Romeo for the moment and headed to the TV to get a view of what was going on.

The Announcement

It seemed the news had been put on replay because he could hear the same thing over and over again: "Earth has been invaded. These are the last days of the ending of the world. Everyone is on his own and may face what is to come next. The survivors of the culling will be the ones to proceed to paradise. This information is from a pamphlet that fell from the sky with no other instruction: just survive the coming days and enjoy paradise."

The Gathering Before the Horror Started

Barry swore as he listened. When he was sure no other message would be given, he hurried to Romeo. "Rom! What is going on?"

"I don't know, man. This is the ending of the world," Romeo replied.

"Says who?" Barry asked.

"That announcer keeps saying it."

"So, why are you crying?"

"Not for myself, man. It is for my two kids."

"I don't get it. You are here; you can be there for them."

"The announcer says each individual for himself."

"When did you start obeying rules?" Barry asked. "I can see the gloomy look around... that damn explosion just ruined my sleep."

"What do we do?" Romeo asked him.

"Gather everyone around. I need to say something."

Romeo was glad to be doing something. He shouted for everyone to be quiet and listen to what Barry had to say. The family knew Barry as a survivor and hoped he could give them a hint on what to do to survive. He had faced many hurdles and come out unscarred; maybe this was one of those things he could help them with. Very soon, there was a general quiet as everyone focused on Barry. They could hear small explosions going on in the background, but no one cared for now; everyone wanted to survive.

Barry could feel the weight of everyone’s gaze focused on him. He laughed inwardly; they used to call him good-for-nothing, and now they wanted to listen to him. He cleared his throat and began.

"I was just having a nice sleep—a nice, dreamless sleep—when I was woken by that damn explosion. Hearing that watery announcement, I can only say that before anything happens, those who play this kind of game like to destroy morale so they can win. You look afraid and you have no idea what to do. That is the kind of situation chaos thrives in. Chaos can make you lose your morale and any sense of purpose; it can make you have doubt and wonder if you are capable. But hear me out: you will survive. As long as I draw breath, you will survive. But first, you need to kill that spirit of low morale. And secondly, just get prepared. Stock up and get ready for any surprise, because I see blood flowing soon."

"Is that all?" a voice asked.

"No. Get weapons and set a very good defensive barrier around the house. We will patrol and watch each other's backs, and then we will prevail. Trust me. Whatever this world-end throws at us, I will squash it with my fist if necessary."

The Argument

"The announcement says each person is on his own," a voice said from the back. "I can't stick around; I want to survive."

"Who's that?" Barry asked.

A man stepped out of the crowd—tall and imposing, with a square jaw and deep-sunken eyes, gray hair just peppering his temples. "I said that," he snarled. "I can see you are all a bunch of sissies. I can't put my survival on a kid who is too troublesome to know his right from left."

"Ha, Mr. Pinch the growler," Barry said as he saw the speaker. "You may say what you want to say, but I have got experience."

"Don't listen to him! He will lead you to your doom. All of you need to get out and be on your own to survive."

"Including the two-year-old and ten-year-old kids?" Barry asked.

Mr. Pinch was quiet at that, but he recovered quickly. "Yeah, the announcement says each person is on his own."

"Okay, you can leave. And anyone who thinks Mr. Pinch is right should also leave. I can't have saboteurs about now, can I?"

Mr. Pinch and a few of the people around started making their way toward the door. At the door, he stopped and looked at them. "I hope you people will survive and I hope this fool doesn't send you to hell."

He turned back with the rest of the people around him and stepped out. As he stepped out, the door clicked locked. All those who were with him outside were suddenly frozen; they couldn't move, but they could hear and see. They were immobilized by a force beyond their control, and at that moment, the announcer's voice could be heard.

"Good news: we just got another pamphlet. It seems we are being monitored. Here is what the pamphlet says: 'The gates of hell are real, and the forces of good and the forces of evil will clash. Evil will release a number of beasts and underworld monsters, and the forces of good will release the same number of heroes, and they will clash. The rules have been changed. For those who are indoors when the gate opens, a hero among you will be chosen to represent the force of good. And those who chose to leave the group: you have been chosen as the preparation sacrifice. For this is a war of blood; it is a war of good and evil, and people with no compassion can never enter paradise. The gate is open. The monsters are out. Defend yourselves, and those who are indoors, watch the kind of monsters you see that attack those outside. Learn, and fight for good.'"

Mr. Pinch’s eyes bulged. He knew he had made the wrong decision. Just as the announcement ended, they were unfrozen. He stood there a moment until he heard the growling of things that weren't natural. He wet himself and hurried back to the door, but it was no use, as a force beyond human had taken over the door. He banged and screamed, but no one could help him.

Those who were inside watched as the beasts came into view. Some people fainted when they saw the monsters. They were huge, with claws as long as a one-year-old kid. They had thick scales and a tusk just below their eyes. They had lean forms and moved very fast. They watched as one pounced on Mr. Pinch, and they could hear his scream, which was cut off as fast as it had started.

After the beasts had done what they were released to do, they disappeared into a thick mist that just appeared out of thin air. Then the announcer’s voice came out again: "A green light will appear on the chosen forehead in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... watch those around you now."

The Chosen

After the countdown, everyone turned and started looking around. No one could see any green light on the forehead of those around. They were just about to take a relieved breath when Romeo turned. He was hoping to be with his kids and to thank the creator who had deemed it fit to protect them when he saw the green light on his ten-year-old son Brooklyn’s forehead. He screamed and rushed to his son as everyone gathered about. He couldn't help it but started crying. "What cruel game is this? How can a ten-year-old be chosen to face those monsters?"

"Calm down," Barry said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Romeo slapped it away. "I should calm down? How dare you say so to me! Look at the kid—just ten. What can he do against monsters like those we watched a few minutes ago?"

"Calm down. It is not over, and there is always a way out of a situation like this," Barry said.

"What other way? The rules have been laid; you heard the announcement." He raised his face upward and screamed, "YOU'RE A TWISTED MONSTER AND YOU CALL YOURSELF A FORCE OF GOOD!"

The Twisted

Barry’s heart was heavy. He felt the pain of his friend; no parent will ever dare to let anything happen to their kid. He looked at Brooklyn, a sweet kid who always had a word for him: "Uncle, are you a troublemaker?" How he loved them like his own! Although he hadn't had a kid yet, they were his no matter what. He sighed and then he made up his mind.

"I WILL TAKE HIS PLACE! I TRADE MY LIFE FOR HIM! HE IS JUST A KID AND INNOCENT! I WANT TO TAKE HIS PLACE SO HE CAN HAVE A HAPPY EVER AFTER WITH HIS FATHER AND BROTHER! GIVE ME THIS WISH!" he roared.

"So you wish, and so it shall be," a voice said. "This has been a test to see who is compassionate enough to risk his life for another. You have proven you care for others. The force of good needs a caring leader who puts his people first before his own life. Welcome to the ending of the world’s final test. Every victory you get will send two people to paradise. The clock is ticking; there is no going back. Your participation is the door that will lead your friends and family to paradise. Let that be your motivation. Let it guide you; as you survive, so shall they also."

The First Fight

Barry was glad he had chosen to take the place of Brooklyn. He felt relieved to know he had done one thing right. His heart swelled with pride when he saw the raw emotion in Romeo's eyes; he hoped they would be the first to be taken to paradise if he won. It was a big "if," but what no one knew about him was that he never followed rules. Those who follow rules end up six feet below.

He had survived the "hundred poison desert," a place where your life is measured by your steps. They had been given rules and he never stuck to them. It turned out the rules were just to see who was bold or obedient. He had chosen to be bold—to laugh at their rules. He thought about that specific rule that said, "Don't drink water until you have walked a thousand steps." Imagine—in a desert, under a burning sun. He had drunk his water after just twenty steps and nothing had happened to him, but those who obeyed the rules ended up dying of dehydration.

Soon the voice came on again, and this time it just said, "Chosen, step out and face your evil. Think of any weapon and it will appear before you."

Barry stepped out after a hug and encouragement from the people. He ruffled Brooklyn’s hair and told him to be a good kid in paradise. He stepped out and he could feel the cold air; he could feel his soul splitting and an evil trying to drag one part to hell. But he could see—he guessed—a white cloud figure knitting his soul together. He laughed. "So we fight the physical battle; they fight the spiritual battle."

He felt the ground tremble and looked up to see the monster that had taken Mr. Pinch coming his way with full force. He grinned and imagined a bazooka forming in his mind, just as the voice had said. He imagined his own having fourteen guns, with each having different ammunition: bomb, supernova blast, meteor blast, and the like. To be honest, he thought, "I pity that monster."

He squeezed the trigger and the full force blasted the monster head-on, and it was disintegrated. He laughed as the voice said, "That was not part of the rules."

"Well, I always bend the rules to stay one step in front. You can complain all you want, but I can never follow your rules. People's lives depend on me, and so does my own life."

"Very well," the voice said. "Go in and choose the two to enter paradise."

Barry went in and chose Brooklyn and his younger brother, Barry Junior. He was still grinning, imagining the furious voice, when he received a hot slap on his head.

"Wake up, you fool! Your interview starts in an hour's time."

Barry woke with a shout. It was a dream. It was a dream.

"Get on with it! Your interview, Barry."

"What about your kids, Romeo?"

Romeo just shook his head. "Barry, I have no kids yet. Get on before you're late for your damn interview."

"Wait... it was a dream?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Romeo said. "The interview is in an hour."

And at that moment, a mighty explosion rocked the house. They could see the huge fireball from the distance. Even from that far, they could feel the heat, and Barry whispered, "It has begun."

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