Beneath Calm Waters

It came from under the lake—the unspeakable, writhing mass of black scales and revenge. My people had stories about them, but I could scarcely believe they were real, the serpents of Mother Nature. In the stories, they were the heralds of change, but now, they are the bringers of death. The lake surged around the undulating being, the water receding from the shoreline as it continued its ascent from below. I couldn't believe what I was seeing—neither could Isaac, my significant other, who stood spellbound beside me.

A shining silver "eye" met my gaze, and I fell to my knees, gripped with a searing pain like a skewer through my skull. My mind was seized by insane imagery, with never-ending forms, I could barely comprehend. My voice tore from my throat in response to the stimuli—Isaac crumpled to the ground beside me. The darkness swallowed me.

When I awoke later and the haze of my broken mind cleared, I found Isaac dead. His hands still beside his head, and his face bearing echoes of agony. My heart fractured within my chest. Not several hours before, he had said he loved me and gave me a silver, heart-shaped locket still hanging around my neck. We were supposed to go back into town to celebrate, but this would not happen now. The serpent's zenith, with its radiant silver eyes, still rose high above the swirling void beneath it. It stayed there at the surface of the lake, with the endless depths below it, watching over the land with no signs of stopping. There was a throbbing in my head, a small voice whispering incomprehensible words to me at the back of my mind, and terror shaking my limbs to uselessness.

I crawled to Isaac and brought him into my arms, closing his eyes and holding him against me to protect what was left of him. I closed my eyes and turned away from the water. I was ready for the thing to lurch forward and take me up into its massive jaws. I heard the water roar to life as the thing moved. This is it, I thought, I'm going to die. It was moving closer to me. For one fleeting moment, I felt it; a piercing stare and hot breath from directly behind me.

When the teeth never came, I opened my eyes and looked back out toward the lake, catching the last glimpse of the creature descending back beneath the water. Why was it leaving so suddenly? Did it not have more to do with us? Before I could finish my thought, the last of the creature disappeared beneath the waves—it never came back after that, and hopefully never will.

When I returned to the town, carrying Isaac on my back, I was greeted by a grizzly scene of death. My people, those I had grown up with my whole life, all lie dead in the now deep red streets. Those that didn't appear to die from the pain seemed to have died from self-mutilation or homicide.

I carried Isaac back to my house, knowing that my family likely met the same fate—they did, and the scene was no less gruesome. The grief came in an insurmountable wave, and I finally broke down and cried. I clawed at my face, tore at my eyes, screamed until my voice left, and I finally collapsed in a heap. I slept for several hours amidst the horrible scene. When I woke just before midnight, I set about preparing their bodies for burial. I cleaned them of all the blood, dressed them in fresh clothes, and finally shrouded them with linen sheets. They now rest in the front yard beneath a weeping willow, which I tend to every day.

When I searched for food and supplies, I was shocked by the carnage in the city. The city people were not spared the same fate my town was; in fact, the aftermath was much worse, and the casualties far surpassed my ability to imagine. I had not seen death on such a scale before, and for the very few survivors, of which there were three, they were equally as stunned. The shock had made each of the survivors crave isolation when in similar circumstances, humans would be expected to band together. I couldn't blame them for their choice, as I was also experiencing the same conflicting emotions.

I couldn't bear the thought of journeying any farther, so I ultimately chose to stay at my home. Maybe it's a foolish choice, but what else could anyone do? Where else could we go? The corpses were many, and one can only handle so much death. I know I can't mentally handle driving to even larger cities and seeing this scene repeatedly, and potentially in much greater numbers. I chose to remain behind in a familiar environment, surrounded by some semblance of comfort. A place of memories. I know I could start fresh, maybe relocate to some place where there are no corpses, but why bother? How many of us are left alive?

Everything I knew was gone. Everything humankind created, everything we fought over, everything we fought for was gone. Did any of these things really matter in the end? In the space of maybe an hour we were wiped from the face of the planet, save a few scant survivors. I'm sure there are others out there who are alive, and I hope they stay well away from here.

Sitting on the front stoop of my home, now weathered by time, I see the distant lake rippling gently in the afternoon breeze. To any passers-by, if any, this place would seem a haven amidst the desolation of long-abandoned cities. They may take refuge here, unaware of the slumbering force of nature far below its placid surface.

This lake will serve as my last haven. Age has long since made her mark, and I am exhausted after all I have experienced. I am unable to tend the willow anymore, and it has grown far beyond my capacity. My home will likely pass on to whoever settles here next should there be any.

Those who come later should be thankful to be ignorant of the madness that ensued and hopefully learns from us. This is my belief, after years of thinking about the apocalypse—Humans never stopped to listen to the Earth's cry for help, and as ridiculous as it sounds we ultimately paid the price. The Earth was merciless, terrifying, and swift in her vengeance. What remains now is a paradise, and balance is restored. We are no longer at the apex of perceived superiority—Eradicated from our self created pedestal, and we are inferior in the eyes of Nature.

I haven't felt tears of bittersweet happiness in my entire life. I'm thankful that, in the end, I was able to come this far. The locket will remain with me, and so will this testimony. If there should be others who find it, may it serve as a warning from someone who has seen the fall of humanity. Isaac, my world, I will find you soon should this not be the absolute end.

My body is tired. All that remains is to sleep.