Cleanse

The XX Times read: “There was a massive eruption of high-energy radiation from the sun’s surface that caused an electromagnetic disturbance on the earth. This catastrophe has wiped out almost all of civilization. The extreme sun rays have burned skin off of bodies, and burned through eyes into brains killing everyone but 6% of the population. Only the healthiest that could sustain such injuries survived.” The 6% of the population still alive do not look like the common human because they do not have flesh. Their skin is of charcoal color with a flaky texture. Their eyes, because of being exposed to high-levels of radiation, have turned into black, sleek pits. These people were alive, yet completely blind. Since these people were not blind prior to this occurrence they needed to rely on their other senses which, after some time, have become stronger because of their vision being gone. All of their senses have bettered, and gotten stronger. They have grown to have a keen sense of hearing specifically. This sense became so strong that they could hear sound 3 miles out from their current location. Having this attribute in particular, has helped the people survive easier when looking for different.  

Most of the people that remained,lived on one hemisphere of the world. For the past few months they came together to work on surviving. It became extremely hard to grow crops with the harsh situation the earth found itself in because of its arid, cracked nature. The weather was now erratic and the survivors had to endure sand storms that would nearly blow their homes away on a weekly basis . Breathing had become harder and each day more and more died because of the sand in their lungs. The doctors that were still available were trying to come up with a breathing device that will help the survivors. In the meantime rags covered their nose and mouths. Water around the world became scarce. The oceans had all but dried up and the water that was available had to go through a process in order to become drinkable. Deep wells had to be dug in order to have some drinkable water, and distributed amongst the people. Water became the number one priority of the gatherers, it has become so scarce that the survival of the inhabitants of this earth is a huge concern.

About a week ago the gatherers found an area of the earth that had drinkable water 3.1 miles out from their homes but the section of the ruins is plagued with storms such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and monsoons. A few of the gatherers got too close and were sucked in never to be seen again. Because of this, the gatherers are afraid to risk their lives to go back but they realize something has to be done. A group of four gatherers have gotten together to create a plan of how they should go about getting water from the dangerous source. They were aware now that they could not walk too close to the collection of disasters so they had to find a way to access the water from a distance.

“So what do you guys think we can use to collect this water?” Gatherer #1 said.

“Hm..well it needs to be something we can use from a distance..uh how about-” Gatherer #2 said.

“How about a vacuum!! Like a big one!” Gatherer #3 said.

“I was thinking more of a tube that goes underground that connects to the bottom of the disaster area, that way we can directly collect water. And lots of it.” Gatherer #2 said.

“I kinda like the vacuum idea more, sounds a bit less dangerous.” Gatherer #4 said.

“Are you kidding me? Mine is so much bett-” Gatherer #2 said.

“Nothing gets done when we fight. Think about the big picture here guys. Look, #3 and #4, you guys work on building a vacuum. And have it done by tomorrow morning!” Gatherer #1 said.

“I will help you think out a plan for this tube idea.” Gatherer #1 said to Gatherer #2.

Gatherer #2 smiles in reply.

The four gatherers go about creating their plans to getting this water for the people. Everything is completed by morning and so the four set off to the calamity site.

“The trip should only take about 40 minutes if we keep a constant speed.” Gatherer #1 said.

Gatherers #2, 3, and 4 *groan collectively* in response.

The road to the calamity site was not easy, there were many obstacles along the way, cars that were abandoned, debri from burned homes that no one was able to rescue people from. Their senses were very keen to the smells of rotten animals that never made it through the initial catastrophe and others who died afterward from their injuries or starvation. Everything was so dry. The journey seemed longer than 40 minutes but, after a hot trek, they finally got to the site. Upon arriving, the vacuum that was created was set up by all four gatherers. They attached the vacuum contraption to a massive tank to be filled with water that they brought on wheels along with them on their journey. In order for this to work they have to get dangerously close and slowly push the long nozzle towards the storm. They discovered that if the nozzle was pulled up high the four of them could hold it tight enough for it not to fly away so that is what they did. For the first 5 minutes it was working. The gatherers were so excited that they hugged each other. But then the storm became stronger. They held on with all their might and even used a rope to tie around a tree to help them. The tree was no use. The storm pulled the vacuum from their grasps, uprooted the tree and pulled it into the storm.

“Gatherer #4 watch out!!!” Gatherer #1 said.

Gatherer #4 turns to look behind him after hearing what Gatherer #1 had said.

Gatherer #1 gasps.

One of the gatherers was in the tree’s path and before he knew it, the tree knocked him in the head and dragged his body into the storm. The others ran for cover away from the storm site. This death was so disheartening to the group. Not many people are left, and to lose another person was devastating.

“Hey watch out with that hole!” Gatherer #2 said.

“Oh shi- thanks!” Damn…*sigh* Gatherer #1 said.

Gatherer #1 was in love with another gatherer whose mind was striking. She was so intelligent and beautifully determined no matter what. She always fought to get her way, and never backed down from a challenge. She was optimistic. She was sly when it came to him. Carefully choosing her words, so that what she said pulled him in. All qualities that Gatherer #1 adored. He saw some of these same qualities in himself. He was one to think highly of himself and so he naturally wanted the same qualities to be thriving in the person he chose to call his own.

But one day, she  asked something of him that he feared she would ask of him someday. A child. He kept telling himself that she would not and could not be that stupid. But she was to him. He thought Why would someone ever think it is a good idea to bring a child into this awful world? Because of the state we are in, we have to fight for our lives! And he told her this, but she did not care. She wanted what she wanted and that was that. But he did not care either. He cared about what he thought was best. He tried to talk this through with her but nothing seemed to change her mind. They bickered for weeks on end. She threw things at him, and even said “I’d kill you!” on multiple occasions. This hurt Gatherer #1 a lot. So much that he actually considered going against his previous decision upon seeing how hurt the love of his life was. But after deep consideration, he remained in the same mental state, and continued to refuse her request. After some time she began to get quiet. She kept to herself mostly due to her sorrow. This made Gatherer #1 weary, but he did not change the situation, and he felt it was the worst mistake he could have ever made in his entire life. She walked right out of his life forever. Three days after she left, he found her dead in a hole.

“We can not let Gatherer #4’s death get to us too much because we can not give up. If we give up, that means death for everyone and we can not have that. We need to reconvene and come up with another idea fast. This is a risky job, and we need to prepare ourselves for these types of situations. We need to be strong. And move on quickly.” Gatherer #1 says to the group. But is it truly that easy?

The remaining gatherers get back to their homes safely. They collect the encampment people and announce the new death. Everyone is numb upon hearing the news and do not react much. They are used to death. Everyone except one. A new comer, that the gatherers found one day while making their way on their journey to discovering a water source. She was young and beautiful, and Gatherer #4 and her had taken a liking to each other. They quickly became fond of each other and created a big family without thought. Gatherer #4 had 5 children with her, and she is devastated. Gatherer #1 saw this. He watched her for some time sob uncontrollably and felt completely indifferent. He understood that losing someone you love is painful, but he felt that she was dumb because of the mistakes she has made in bringing children into this world. One of her children ran up to him.

“Why is my papa not here sir?” the child asked.

“He is dead.” said Gatherer #1.

The gatherers take a moment to themselves to collect their thoughts and then they regroup to talk about the next plan. They decide to add more people to their crew because they all can agree that it is important to be stronger this time around. They believe that having more people, more minds, will help them be able to be efficient with planning and getting the job done as fast as possible.

“So what’s the plan guys? Does anyone have any ideas?” Gatherer #1 said.

“How about we try my previous idea regarding the tube?” Gatherer #2 said.

“But how are we going to make a tube stable enough?” Gatherer #3 said.

“Gatherer #2 and I thought about having the tube go underground and arch towards the disaster source. This way the tube will be able to access the water from underneath.” Gatherer #1 said.

“Also, this way no one will get hurt because we will not have to be anywhere near the area where we can get harmed.” Gatherer #2 said as he motioned towards the group.

“Yeah I think that is a good idea, but what if the tube lifts up? We need to have something to hold it down.” Gatherer #5 said.

“Yeah!” Gatherer #1 & 2 said in unison.

“How about metal pegs? We can drill them in and push them into the ground through the entirety of the tube.” Gatherer #3 said.

“That’s a great idea!” Gatherer #2 said.

“Alright, let’s get to work.” Gatherer #1 said.

The gatherers collectively build the massive tube that is to go into the ground at the site. They add 180 metal pegs to the bottom portion of the tube; needing one of the gatherer’s to crawl through it placing the pegs down while another goes behind him to drill them in. Another gatherer follows suitly checking to make sure all the metal pegs are drilled securely. Gatherer #1 monitors this whole process, making sure everything is done properly. The gatherers collectively lift the large tube and insert it into the gargantuan tank on wheels where the water will be held. They stand back and applaud at their creation. They then gather the necessary digging materials and the little bit of water they do have for this next trip. They cover their faces with thicker masks and head out to the disaster site one last time. The weather is surprisingly calm this evening for the majority of their trip, with slight amounts of grains of sand filling the atmosphere. A slight wind builds up the closer the group of gatherers get to the hazardous site. Small drops of water collect on each of the gatherers mask as they move forward. Each of the gatherers are holding the tube over their heads with their arms extended at full length. They are walking one by one, behind one another between where the pegs are placed. A gatherer is placed at the back pushing the tank on the wheels that is holding the base of the tube slowly, keeping in consideration the pace of the other gatherers in front of him. Gatherer #1 walks in front of all the gatherers bringing the load, holding the digging materials in a huge sack on his back. He is left with his thoughts. His mind keeps wandering to his the woman he loved unwillingly. He thought of the way his heart skipped beats when he had sight of her. He always immediately grew happy seeing her smile. Her eyes radiated with warmth that melt his heart each and every time he was in her presence. He craved to feel her in his arms again. He loved her with all his heart. His morals simply got in the way of their relationship because they both felt differently about certain things. But he wishes that he would have just put them aside for the sake of her feelings and desires. He wishes he could have just given her exactly what she wanted, exactly when she wanted it. He wishes he could have just gifted her the damn child. He would have just had to work a little harder to be able to provide for him and that is all. So why couldn’t he see this before when it mattered most to the both of them? He grew angry with himself every time he thought about how selfish he was towards her. Every bit of him ached just to have her be on this earth again. A tear stained his cheek.

“We are here guys! Gear up!” Gatherer #1 said.

The gatherers collectively dig a wide hole in the ground deep down. The gatherers tie bungee cords to themselves and to the leveled ground. They drop into the ground to dig more so that the passageway is able to reach the bottom of the calamity site. They dig furiously, desperate to get to their desired goal. But they still move carefully enough so that they do not drink their full supply of water before they are completed with the job. As they approach the water source from underneath, the soil gets a lot softer and easier to penetrate through. The gatherers that are below the surface ask the gatherers at ground level to pass the tube down to them. As the tube is being slowly pushed down the hole the gatherers dig the remaining distance to get to the water. The tube began to brush the back of their feet just as they punctured a hole through the soil in front of them where water began to trickle out. They shouted with joy at the site of water as they started punching the soil desperate for it. It drove them mad having access to so much water they danced around grabbing each other with wonderful success in their eyes. Too much water began to come at once and swept them off of their feet and into the air. They gasped with fear not realizing what was going on until it was too late. The tried with all their force to get their feet on the ground so they could run up to surface. They flutter about the water crazily nearly drowning. Some of the gatherers grabbed onto the metal pegs to brace themselves against the ferocity of the water. That was a big mistake. They were electrocuted viciously and when the water hit them, it made it all so much worse for them. Each of their bodies convulsed too and fro unable to let go of the metal peg. They died. The gatherers running shrieked for help but no one above could hear them over the sound of the water and the convulsing storms beyond them. They waited patiently for a sense of assurance from the gatherers that were down below. After some time, Gatherer #1 heard the screams.

“Holy sh- do you guys hear that?” Gatherer #1 said.

“Hear what?” Gatherer #7 said.

Gatherers from below scream.

“Damn it.” Gatherer #1 said.

Gatherer #1 looks down the hole. In the first moments he does not see anything. He lays along the ground and grips onto the rim of the hole that was dug by the gatherers. He waits and waits. He begins to hear the screams louder but they are still inaudible. He cranes his neck downwards into the hole to try to get a clearer listen to the cries down below. All the other gatherers around him do the same; stretched out along the rim. They grip and listen.

“Throw the rope down!” Gatherer from below said.

Gatherer #1 grips the edge of the circle until his knuckles turn white, craning his neck further into the hole.

“Did you hear what they said?” Gatherer #7 said.

“Uh..no” Gatherer #1 said.

“Throw the rope!!!” Gatherer from below said.

“Oh wait, I heard the word ‘throw’” Gatherer #1 said.

“Yeah me too. But throw what?” Gatherer #7 said.

“Hmm..” Gatherer #1 said.

The gatherer from below approaches the opening and is now audible to the gatherers up above.

“Throw the rope down to me now!” Gatherer from below said.

Gatherers collectively launch themselves towards the bungee that is attached to the ground. They fling it with all their might downwards into the hole through the opening in the pipe. They can hear the water coming hard and fast. They see the cord catching and tumbling about so they assume that the gatherer from below has the cord attached to him. Or maybe he does not.

“Gatherer #1, we need to connect the tube to the tank to fill.” Gatherer #7 said.

“Not yet.” Gatherer #1 said.

Gatherer #1 is calm and waiting with anticipation to see when is the right time to connect the tube to the tank. The water is rushing louder and louder yet they still do not see if any gatherers are going to make it to surface in time. They wait. The gatherers breathe heavily.

“Damn where the hell is he?” Gatherer #7 said.

The gatherers from above say nothing. It feels like centuries are going by while they wait.

“Yell if you can hear me!” Gatherer #7 said.

There is no response from the hole aside from the pounding of the water. Gatherer #7 moves to the end of the tube, grasps it, and moves towards the tank.

“I am going to plug it up. They are dead down there, and we need this water.” Gatherer #7 said.

Gatherer #1 is frozen in place. He does not want to lose another member and is holding on to the fact that they could still be down there. He sent down so many men to dig. He feels in his heart that it is his duty to have no casualties, but he knows in the back of his mind that Gatherer #7 is right. He sighs aloud frustrated because he can see the water now and not a body.

“Connect the tube.” Gatherer #1 said.

The gatherers returning with the full tank of water danced and praised the whole way home while Gatherer #1 lingered slowly at the back of the group in deep sadness. Yes they have water that they can survive with for months and months, but he kept thinking about all the people’s lives that were loss trying to get access to this source. He took it to heart; and felt it was entirely his fault.

As the townspeople collected around the water and chanted, he walked towards the deep hole where his lover was found. He sat on the rim and let his legs dangle inward. He sobbed uncontrollably and no one heard a sound. He called out for her, choking on his tears. He did not want to be this sad anymore. He wanted it to end.

Gatherer #1 jumped down the hole, and there were several snaps that the town never heard.