THE OBLATION

It has been raining for days now. It seemed these showers were pouring to drain the burning effect of the recent events that had destroyed everything around.

The days turned into nights and the cycle had been continuing for weeks now, but no earthling was able to decipher the time of the day. Human beings were finally shown their place in this infinite universe.

All the advancements and technology perished. It was back to the nomadic stage. Those who survived were gradually dying due to the aftermath of the event.

Chris was sitting in the bunker all bruised and dirty. The oxygen level had already depleted below the normal point, and he was not sure how many days more for them.

There had been a worldwide struggle to bring back things to normal, but time was the factor that was proving to be the biggest catch.

With the primary living condition falling below the critical level, it was difficult to restore normalcy.

A very pregnant Elena who had lost her daughter and husband in the recent events was lying next to him. It was just sheer luck that he and Elena were alive. His thoughts traveled eight months back.

He had just joined this new firm as a legal advisor and was there for the orientation and introduction. He heard a voice followed by a giggle near the water fountain. He had heard this voice many years back, a voice, very close to him.

He walked towards the svelte divine feminine figure standing in the corridor with her back towards him. ‘Elena!’ The name slipped out of his mouth automatically. The lady turned back with a startled look on her face.

“Chris! You?” “How come you are here?” There was a myriad of emotions on her face as the words spurred out of her mouth.

“What a pleasant surprise.” Chris was overwhelmed to see Elena after almost a decade.

But his expressions and happiness were not shared by Elena, as she bore a somber look, contemplating something.

After an exchange of a few more formal sentences related to the job and company, Elena excused herself.

For the next couple of weeks, Elena kept a conscience distance from Chris. Chris knew it was deliberate, but he was helpless.

He and Elena were in a steady relationship during their school days. They were the perfect couple according to all their friends. Even their families knew well that at some point in their life they might consider settling down together.

But an over carrier conscience Chris, could not value that relationship at that age, and he moved to another city for higher studies. Elena lost Chris and her mother, in quick succession one after the other, and went into depression. She somehow always held him responsible for all the fiasco in her life.

Chris realized his mistake at a later stage in his life when he could not find a single girl who would care for him and love him as Elena did. He tried to search for her, but it appeared as if she had vanished in the thin air.

Meanwhile, Elena also moved on, and in a haste to forget her past life she married Burt. Burt, who initially appeared to be a caring husband turned out to be a monster in disguise. She soon gave birth to Pearl, the only meaning her life had.

Her marriage was on rocks, but she still clung to that dead relation for the sake of her daughter and financial security.

As time passed, she took up a job to maintain her identity. It is where she saw Chris again.

It was a dark rainy evening. Elena was waiting for a cab as she had already missed her shuttle due to the extra work during the weekend.

A car honked beside her. ‘’Can I drop you somewhere?” Chris pulled down the windowpane and asked Elena politely.

“No! Thankyou!” Elena said affirmably. Chris took a deep sigh. “I want to talk to you. Please need this favor for the old time's sake.” Chris was almost pleading.

Elena thought for a moment and then walked towards the car. Still not sure, why she could not say no to Chris, after what he did to her.

She sat next to Chris. There were still so many questions, so many complaints, and the need to know why he left her.

Elena entered Chris’s apartment and was taken aback to see the souvenirs of their relationship still adorning a few walls and side tables of his bedroom.

Tears welled up in her eyes. She still loved Chris, there had not been a single day when he had not missed him. Whether it was a verbal abuse or a lovemaking session with Burt, it was always Chris who was there on her mind. She had accused and abused him so long, but the fact was she had always loved him.

“I could never find anyone like you. I was wrong but by the time I realized it. It was too late. I had lost you forever.” “I have paid enough for my sin.” “Elena! Please forgive me.” His voice became miffed with emotions and his eyes became moist.

The next few hours changed everything in their lives. Pearl had been out for a school trip and Burt was traveling for work.

It appeared as if time was never lost. All the delusions, pain, and remorse were resolved. Love won over everything else. A soft kiss gave way to moans and ecstasy of pleasure. She could never forget his touch, the way he made love to her, and their first encounter together. All the memories of those desires came to her mind and gradually she drifted away in that stream.

She woke up early morning and saw Chris beside her. His golden hair gleaming in the partial rays of morning sunlight. She kissed and caressed his bareback and smiled.

She reached home and was happy in her space. A burden of the decade had been fixed. She was occupied with her thoughts of talking to Burt about parting ways when the sound of the cell phone beeping broke her chain of thoughts. She simply rushed to the hospital.

It had been almost seven months. Her life revolved around taking care of Burt who was coming out of that fatal car accident that he somehow miraculously escaped.

Chris like a good friend had supported her in taking care of Burt as well as Pearl. Burt was still suffering from major paralysis.

Elena and Chris had retraced their steps and confined their relationship to friendship after the incident. But a major development had happened, Elena was pregnant with Chris’s child.

Their relation was stuck in a huge roadblock and both were equally clueless regarding it.

Elena had left Pearl near her dad and gone downstairs towards the gate to take certain things from Chris when the comet struck the Earth.

A huge blackout followed, with cries of survivors and bodies of the dead piling above and below the rubbles.

Chris shook his head as he came out of his thoughts. It had been two months; Elena has become lifeless and lost all the sparkle in life. Had it not been Chris, she would have perished months back.

The present situation was equally grave, the comet impact had been so severe that there had been a global loss in vegetation, leading to severe depletion of oxygen in the air.

The handful of survivors were alive just on the stored and meager oxygen available.

Curtailing of oxygen in the bunkers of the survivors had started. The governing agency was trying its level best to keep the survivors alive, but with each passing day, it was becoming difficult.

People had been asked to volunteer to leave access to available oxygen to support younger and finer humans or their families to survive.

It was time Chris had to take a call. He kissed sleeping Elena and planted a kiss on her womb and walked out of the bunker.