Chapter
42
Classified
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I followed Thomas down a long and narrow corridor. It was dim, awfully cold, and the only light visible were slits of sunlight cutting through the many thin streaks on the metal, concave ceiling.
It was quite the beautiful sight. But it still didn't hide the pain that continued to pester me, the emotional distraught that was left after the disheartened reality that bashed across my face.
Is it strange that I feel hatred?
It is strange that my feelings of warmth, the comforting aurora of contentment, was replaced by this gnawing aggravation that nibbled and nibbled on my sanity?
I wasn't myself anymore. I was someone else. The me that I remembered, the one who loved Ms. William, the one who spent so much time with Amy, who made memories with Rebecca... enjoyed each other's company, embraced... kissed... he's gone now.
I'm but a hollow shell of who I use to be. I'm nothing. I'm nothing without them.
And they're gone... erased from my life... like that one final page, missing from a book.
I felt a cold tear run down my cheek.
I quickly wiped my tear away before Thomas noticed and turned it into another lecture.
Detachable attachment... blah, blah, and more blah.
Rees was gone by now too. He left as soon as we reached this unnamed place. And I'm glad he did. I was getting so angry at him.
"How much longer is this going to take?" I asked.
"We're going to the last concealed door. It shouldn't be too far now." Thomas replied, his voice cold and uninterested.
Not too soon afterwards, a door finally opened up.
A relief that made my heart skip a beat.
Oddly enough, as Thomas mentioned it was going to be the very last door, but regardless of his comment, there wasn't an end to the corridor that stood before us. The hallway continued on and on until it was lost with distance.
Thomas took a deep breath and faced me, "Take one last look down that corridor there Sam... it's the last time you'll see this place for a long time."
I felt an uneasiness wrap around my heart. A strange strain that I couldn't put a finger on... it was unnatural, supernatural... beyond captivating, it felt like an opposing force to the other positive emotions. What could it mean?
I rubbed my chest as a cool drop of sweat trickled down my brow.
So this is it. An ending to one thing and the beginning to something new.
What could this new be?
Will I miss the old?
Thomas took one step onto the elevator. He leaned against the back and crossed his arms.
"Sam, there've been times in my life when I questioned my very motives... what will they mold into? What conclusion will come to my tale... but it doesn't really matter in the end. You've still got your entire life ahead of you. Be sure to make it something grander than mine."
My eyebrows slumped at his words. One moment he's dead set on communicating the importance of keeping feelings in check: and then the next he's now explaining bits and pieces of his humanity.
Nodding, I took a step inside the elevator.
The door behind me slid shut.
"Thomas why does your mood change so much?"
Thomas slowly beamed a smile, "Sam I'm going to explain something to you."
Before he continued, I lifted my finger and shook my head.
"I've listened to so much in so little time Thomas. I don't know how much more I can handle... there's so much going on in my head, so many..."
"Feelings?" Thomas retorted.
I nodded.
"It's understandable Sam," Thomas's hand massaged my shoulder, "Sam please understand that I've always been here to help you. To see that your walk is as easy as possible. I've grown fond of you. You're like a son to me," he took a deep breath, "It pained me so much watching you go through what you did. It broke my heart, destroyed it... you didn't deserve what happened. Nothing that I can say can mend the damage that was done to you... but I hope that this little speech of mine gave you at least some form of consolation."
Something clicked in me. A feeling that I thought I lost after realizing I was now alone in this world... Thomas has been there with me through and through. He hasn't change, only I have.
And I now comprehend that.
"Thank you Thomas," I choked on my sob as my eyes started to water, "You don't know how that made me feel. It's like you healed my aching heart."
Thomas came over to me and hugged me, "Sam this new life that you're going to be introduced to will be much grander than anything you ever thought possible," he softly pushed me away and met my eyes, "You'll see Ms. William again, and Amy, and Rebecca. I promise you that."
The elevator doors closed and soon a ding had Thomas stepping back towards the opposite end.
"Please be patient and grab on to the rail. The elevator will soon depart."
Said a robotic voice.
Soon after I grabbed a hold of the silver railing, the elevator quivered.
"Next destination: the Ark."
I met Thomas's stare as his lips stringed to a smile, "You're going to love the Ark, Sam."
Moments Later...
As the double doors slowly opened, a warm light slit through the crack as it consumed me with such brightness that I was lost to the radiance.
"Prepare yourself to be wowed Sam, this will be the greatest thing you'll ever see
The double doors begun to slowly open allowing a bright streak of light to slit through and blind me. Moments later the bright light gave out warmth; one so soothing, like being snug beneath a comforter.
I still couldn't see a thing. The brightness was so overpowering that it looked like the entire door was one gargantuan stream of light.
I felt Thomas clutch my shoulder, "Allow your eyes time to adjust, Sam. This is real sunlight." Thomas said.
Real sunlight....
Not too long after he said that, my eyes started to adjust to the brightness.
Green, so much, green enveloped my sight... it was like some work of art started to paint itself before me. It started with the grass, prickling up and swaying gently with the pristine breeze that made its way inside the elevator.
The smell was different, so different, I couldn't even begin to describe its genuine uniqueness.
After the grass came to view, a gravel path leading to a forest-like area that with its shadow and grand-scale, swallowed the path whole.
"Welcome to the Ark. Your new future begins here, Sam. Go on, take a step into this new reality." Thomas said.
I took a step on the gravel, allowing the small pebble-sized rocks to grind beneath the sole of my shoes.
"Now Sam, this is a new chapter to your life. A new beginning. You'll love it." Thomas said.
I chuckled, "I-I hope I do." I replied.
"Hope is for unconfident. You're not that kind Sam."
For hope? I recall the conversation I had with Ms. William... oh so it feels so long ago. What is hope? An intangible unreality, something that isn't really there: an invisible object held by the frail in order to cling on to their lives.
Or at least that's what I got from the conversation.
And here and now, at the final closing page of my past life, that word comes back. Hope. Should I accept hope? Embrace it, because regardless of how abstract it is to some people, if you believe, and have faith, anything and all can be possible.
Does that mean that I believe in hope? More than likely. Because if we don't have anything to cling onto, if we have nothing to look forward to, if there's no reason to love again, than what's the point of living?
Don't know where to begin. The words that come forth my mind are sometimes undecipherable: but if you look harder, think about it just a tad bit longer, you'll understand that there's truth there.
Because truth can be put into anything.
Yet again, what if you can't understand it. Than my words have failed,
then these itty-bitty letters coming forth from my mind is nothing more than a memory that you might never recall.
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Closing Thoughts
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Thank you for taking the time to read this eBook. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
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As always, tell your friends and family about it.
Thank You
--
E. G. Roman
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