“Thanks man. Do you know what happened to the electricity?” Johanna’s male neighbour asked the staff.
“We don’t know much. We think the lightning fried everything.” The staff' said. “I need to distribute this candle. So if you don’t mind I just have to leave.” The staff left the scene.
“Okay ...” Johanna waved her hands and then she got inside her room.
Johanna closed the door behind her and suddenly all the noise people making just disappeared. She walked near the bed and she fixed the candle on the table and she yawned. She is really feeling sleepy now.
Sound of thunder shifted her gaze to the small round window. Johanna climbed on top of the bed and looked out through the window. It’s very dark outside but she could see lightning hitting the water outside. The purple and blue coloured lightning bolts are moving through the air at high velocity like a rain of fire.
Johanna shifted her gaze to her room. The small room had completely lit by the small candle light. She dropped to the bed and she allowed her head to rest on the pillow.
Then she blew out the candle and put on the blanket over her body. With the thoughts about Billy, she closed her eyes.
* * * * *
Chapter 8 – Aaron
2026 June 29, Atlantic Ocean, Ship Harmony
“How are we supposed to cook in the dark?” Aaron asked.
“Don’t worry. Light will be back soon.” Jenny said.
Aaron and other cooks stood in the darkness waiting for the light to come back. They can hear the scream of customers. Customers are really pissed off. Most of them were in the middle of the eating when the light went out. It seems that whole of the ship had lost power. Outside rain fell heavily. Aaron could see the lightning, hitting the water, through the small windows on the walls.
A moment later Amber came inside the kitchen with a handful of candles. She lighted the candles and fixed them all across the kitchen. Another staff fixed candles across the dining room.
“Come on, hurry up with the dishes. We have to feed only a few more.” Amber said.
Aaron, Jenny and other cooks quickly got back to what they were cooking. Aaron started to pour soup in bowls. Amber quickly took the prepared dishes from the counter and served them across the dining room.
Aaron looked at his watch and it looks like his watch had stopped working at 11:30.
“Shit.” Aaron said himself. “Jenny, what time is it?”
Jenny looked at her watch but sadly her watch is also dead. “Mine is dead at 11:30.”
“What? Mine also died at 11:30. Does the lightning affect watches too?” Aaron asked.
“Not that I know of.” Jenny said.
Aaron and Jenny put their cooked meal on plates and bowls for about half an hour. The candles have done a great job in keeping the darkness at bay.
“Okay guys. We are finished for tonight. You can all go to your rooms.” A tall man came inside the kitchen and announced.
“Thank, god. Finally.” Aaron said himself.
Aaron quickly cleaned his station and after that he went outside the kitchen. He took a candle from the kitchen and he slowly paced towards his room in the candle light. On the way he saw Jenny starting to enter her room.
“Hey Jenny, do you need a mate to sleep with you tonight?” Aaron asked smiling.
“You wish, dump ass.” Jenny muttered and went inside her room and she closed the door with a loud thud.
“There goes the friendly talk, Aaron. Nice try.” Aaron said himself.
His room is near the kitchen so he quickly reached his room. Aaron turned the knob on the door and got inside his room. He fixed the candle on the table and immediately took off his clothes and took a towel from the shelf.
Aaron entered inside the shower room and took a quick shower. After that he wiped away the water using the towel and paced towards the bedroom. He put on a nice pair of sweat pant and shirt.
Aaron spotted his phone on the table and he took it and pressed its power button but no response.
“Forgot to charge, I guess.” Aaron said himself.
Aaron felt really tired. He took his daily pill from the drawer and tossed one on to the back of his throat and he drank water from a bottle swallowing the pill. Every night he have to take his medication. It’s these pills that are now extending his life or he would have died already. He placed the phone on the table and blew out the candle light. He then lie down on the bed. With the thoughts about Jenny he closed his eyes.
* * * * *
Chapter 9 – Allen
2026 June 30, Ship Harmony
Allen woke up with the sound of the ship hitting somewhere. The whole ship vibrated and the walls creaked. Allen sat up in the bed and looked around. Books on the shelf had fallen down and the table is misplaced and everything in his room seemed to be out of place. It is still night time, may be early in the morning. Looks like electricity is still out but everything inside the room is faintly visible because of the fluorescent material lining the wall.
Allen stood up and walked toward the silhouette of the door. Allen traced his hand along the door for the knob and he found it in the middle portion of the door. Allen turned the knob and peeked outside. The hallway is empty and unusually quiet.
Allen closed the door and went beside the small window. Outside darkness is still roaming. He saw nothing unusual through the window but the storm looks like had faded away. No sound of thunder and no lightning bolts. Everything is eerily quiet.
Did the ship actually hit land? Or did it hit some rocky area? But based on the sound he heard and the force he experienced, it looked like the ship had fallen somewhere, but the question is, how is that even possible?
Allen immediately took off his clothes and put on a pair of jeans and a shirt. Then he took the candle from the table in his hands. He don’t have a match box to light it but there will be people with match box in this ship. Allen opened the door and went outside. He almost stumbled in the darkness but he got a grip on the wall.
Allen stood on the narrow hallway and thought which way lead to the second floor. He then decides to move in the path on the right side. Allen slowly moved forward with his one hand tracing through the wall. It seems that everyone is sleeping and no one seemed to have heard or experienced what Allen did when the ship hit somewhere.
At the time he reached the second level Allen saw a light coming from the dining room. Allen quickly followed the light and reached the dining room. He looked inside through the glass window on the dining room wall. It looks like there is someone inside who had lighted a candle. And Allen could see that this person inside the dining room is sitting in a chair, may be waiting for someone to show up.
Allen opened the door and got inside the dining room. The person looked in Allen’s direction and the person turned out to be a woman. Allen slowly walked toward the woman.
“Hello, did you happened to hear any sound such as the ship hitting somewhere?” Allen asked.
“In fact, I was awaken by that sound. I strongly believe that the ship had hit somewhere. The whole ship vibrated at that instant.” The woman said.
“But based on what I have experienced the ship looks like had fallen somewhere.” Allen said.
“I was thinking the same, but how is that even possible? We are in the middle of the ocean, floating. How could the ship be fallen somewhere?” The woman asked.
“So what are you doing here? Are you waiting for someone?” Allen asked.
“No. I am alone. I did had a friend sleeping in a nearby room but her room turned out to be empty when I woke up. In fact the entire portion where I slept was empty. No people in the rooms. I decides to come here for a match box or a lighter to light my candle and thought that someone would be here. Then you came.” The woman said.
“What’s your name?” Allen asked.
“Johanna.” She said.
“I am Allen” Allen said.
* * * * *
Chapter 10 – Aaron
20
26 June 30, Ship Harmony
Aaron was in the middle of the sleep when the ship hit somewhere. The whole ship vibrated and walls creaked. Aaron almost got thrown away from his bed. He immediately stood up and opened the room’s door and he peeked outside. The hallway is completely empty and quietness greeted him.
It’s still night time and everything is covered in darkness but Aaron could make out the form of things in his room faintly. He spotted the lighter on the table and with that he lighted the candle. The whole room immediately got illuminated by the light.
Aaron quickly changed his clothes and after that with the candle in his hand he went outside. On the way he checked his watch. That’s when he remembered that his watch had died long ago.
“Damn it.” Aaron muttered.
Aaron slowly opened the door and stepped in to the corridor. He then slowly paced in the direction of the kitchen. At the time he reached near the dining room he saw a light coming from the dining room. He quickly reached there and opened the dining room door and he stepped inside. Aaron immediately saw two persons discussing on the far corner in the candle light. When he closed the door they looked at Aaron.
“Hey, do you guys know what the hell happened to the ship? I heard sounds of ship hitting somewhere.” Aaron slowly paced towards the two people.
“We don’t know what had happened. In fact we are here seeking answers.” The man said.
“What is your name?” Aaron asked.
“I am Allen and this is Johanna.” The man said.
“I am Aaron. Come on, we should go to the upper level and maybe we could go to captain’s room and ask him about this personally.” Aaron said.
“Okay.” Allen said.
The three of them slowly walked outside the dining room and they paced towards the upper level.
Finally they reached the upper level and are welcomed by people who were standing on the upper level in the candle light.
There are more than twenty people in this level. All are whispering each other. Aaron can’t make out what they are whispering, but based on the sound most of them are in panic.
“Hello. Do you know what the hell happened?” Aaron asked a nearby man.
“Well the ship had stopped moving and we thinks that there is no water where the ship now stays.” The man said.
“What? How is that possible? Did we hit land?” Aaron asked.
Johanna and Allen looked at the man for answer.
“We think the ship hit the land. Come on I will show you.” The man led them to the edge of the ship with a candle. “Look closely.” The man dropped the lighted candle outside the ship.
Aaron, Johanna and Allen carefully looked. The candle hit the ground instead of water. A cold wind howled past them. Aaron looked at the land before him. They are supposedly on a beach.
“Did you ask the captain about this?” Aaron asked.
“For that captain is not home. In fact many people are missing. We checked most of the rooms but they all are empty and so is captain’s room.
People stared outside the ship. They could tell where they are only when the sun rises. Aaron looked at the starry sky and thought about what shit went wrong.
* * * * *
Epilogue
2026 June 30, Ship Harmony
The sun slowly rose from the horizon illuminating the land and the sky.
People on the top level of ship Harmony couldn’t believe what they are seeing. They are surrounded by desert, or is it under the water only that all the water had flowed away in to some unknown place? Or did continental drift happened in the middle of the night and water had flowed away sinking another part of land but it looks like sand is very dry because the wind whipped up sand in a distance. So it definitely is a desert but the question is how did they arrived here.
People couldn’t say what is true. They can see snow covered mountains miles away.
Aaron looked at the sky and he couldn’t just believe what he is seeing. Sky is pinkish and he could see stars.
People stood there staring at the desert land with questions and panic.
To be continued…
Episode 2 - The Desert
Prologue
2026 June 21, Unknown Location
Kevin woke up with the taste of sand in his mouth. He slowly opened his eyes and with the help of his hands he sat up. He looked at his lap and massaged the back of the head trying to process where he is. Then he looked around. To his surprise he found himself in the middle of a desert.
“What the hell! Where did all the water have gone to?” He asked himself.
His clothes are drenched in water but he couldn’t believe that he is in a desert. Did all the ocean water flowed away leaving this sandy land? Last thing he remember is that he was on water in the middle of the ocean, at night. He remembered Tim and Thomas getting crushed by a fireball and he do remembers the boat which sank in an instant after those fireballs collided with it, but the real question is how did he ended up in this desert from the middle of the ocean?
This is surely a desert because whole sand is pretty dry. Then he remembered the blue light which attracted him. It is the blue light that caused him to end up here.
Kevin looked at the scorching sun. Again to his surprise, the sky is pink! Where on earth is he, and where did the body of Tim and Thomas have gone to? Thinking about Tim and Thomas made his eye water. Tim was his only brother and Thomas was his uncle. Kevin suddenly had an urge to see his mother and father. They are all alone home.
“God, where am I?” Kevin asked.
Kevin looked around and found snowy mountain ranges about a mile away. If he stayed in the open for too long the sun will suck out all his juice. He need to find a human settlement and call his mother and father. He need to find civilization. The mountains are in front of him and his back side is filled with desert as far as his eye could see. His best bet to staying alive and finding a human settlement is towards the mountains.
Kevin thought about the possibilities of what might he would find in the mountains but if there are humans around here, they must be in a region around the mountains.
Finally Kevin made up his mind and started toward the mountains. He crested and climbed down sand dunes after sand dunes. He didn’t reached farther, may have passed about one or two kilometres, that’s when he heard a growl from his back side. Kevin stopped moving and looked back. Suddenly his legs shivered due to fear. About two or three dogs, or dog things, because these things are lot bigger than a regular dog, are running towards Kevin. Dogs are running with their mouth open showing sharp teeth. Kevin didn’t wait to think. He sprinted away from the dogs.
The dogs are so determined to capture him. Based on their looks they are not looking for a friend. They want to rip apart Kevin and eat him up. In a distance Kevin saw what looks like the wreckage of a small ship. Kevin ran at full speed towards the ship and he reached there just in time when the dogs almost caught him.
Kevin saw a man sized small hole in the ship and without thinking he crawled through the hole. He finally reached inside the ship. The ship is a wreck. No doubt about that.
Kevin could hear the desperate howl of the dog things outside. They are trying to claw at the ship’s wall but the steel wall stood intact. Kevin slowly walked through the wreck. It is very dark inside the ship but in the faint daylight Kevin paced towards the upper level of the ship.
What the hell is this ship doing in the middle of the desert? Kevin can’t think of a possible reason. His entire existence in this desert is questionable. All the cabins he had passed on his way to the top level are a wreck. Tables are upside down, framed pictures had fallen on the floor long time ago, totally a wreck.
In the nearby wall he saw a small window. He looked out through the window. The dogs are still there howling and growling. They really want to taste Kevin. A moment later the dog things ran away into the distance. That’s when Kevin breathed a sigh of relief.
Kevin looked at the sandy desert and thought wher
e the fuck he is.
* * * * *
Chapter 1 – Allen
2026 June 30, Unknown Desert, Ship Harmony
“Aaron, Johanna, we should search captain’s cabin. There may be clues about where we are. They note down movement of ship frequently, right?” Allen said.
“That’s a great idea. Besides these people don’t have any idea what to do.” Johanna said looking at the desperate expression of the people around her.
Nobody in fact have any idea what to do. They all are in the shock that somehow they teleported here in this scorching desert.
Aaron, Johanna, and Allen climbed the stairs to captain’s cabin and after they reached there Allen slowly opened the door and the three of them stepped inside the cabin. Cabin is very spacious and everything is in neat condition. Johanna and Aaron immediately begun their search. Allen walked around the room looking for anything good.
“Allen, look at this. A map on which they marked the progress of our journey.” Johanna said pointing at a map on the table.
Allen and Aaron immediately went near the map and started to look at the trail they had passed.
“They marked most of the places we had passed yesterday. We would have reached Haiti in one or two days.” Aaron said.
“What does this big circle indicates to?” Johanna asked pointing to a big red circle on the map.
“Is that what I think it is?” Aaron asked.
Allen tried to process all the information he had just seen. A little fear starts to crawl through his leg. “I guess so.”
“Guys, I don’t understand what you are thinking.” Johanna complained.
Allen cleared his throat. “According to this markings, yesterday we passed through the Bermuda triangle.”
“What?” Johanna asked.
“Look, there is a note captain wrote near the red circle.” Allen looked carefully at the map. “It says they lost power, and all electronic equipment had knocked out just after entering the red circle. It is right in the middle of the Bermuda triangle.”
“What is this Bermuda triangle exactly?” Johanna asked.
“You haven’t heard about it?” Allen asked.
Johanna shook her head.
“Well, it is a region in the Atlantic ocean where a number of ships and even aeroplanes had disappeared. Nobody heard from those disappeared ships and aeroplanes ever again. Some call it Devil’s triangle.” Allen said.