Aren't We Playing God?

Never expect myself to be a good writer. But I write what I want and that's all that matters.

Image of Long Story Short Award - Fall 2020
Image of Short Fiction
“It has been three days since the search began, and we have yet to find the girl who is going to collapse the sky upon our heads. The president has refused to make any statement. I suppose all I have to say to you all right now is, may God bless us all.”
The girl guzzles up the bottle of liquid dad left behind for her before he died. “Drink this when the time comes,” he wrote in the small note placed beneath the bottle. “I hope you are happy with whatever you will be choosing.” There is also another bottle in the corner, with another note saying: “For our reunion!”, but she ignores it.
The girl walks outside the old wooden door. It is chaotic out there. But the good thing is, they are no longer chasing her. People are no longer seeing her. She is now invisible and is free to decide whatever she wants to do with her life, and with everyone’s lives, right now. Dad wanted her to be happy. But there are only two choices for her to make, and time is running up.
The girl was born with a devastating curse. When she reaches 18, the entire world population will die but her. The only way to prevent this Apocalypse is to make sure that she dies before her eighteenth birthday. Simple.
The world knows it. They have been chasing after the poor family for years. The girl’s parents sacrificed themselves trying to protect her. And now she is by herself, dealing with the advanced Trolley Problem.
Three hours left until the Apocalypse, the girl finally comes up with an idea. She creates two people with her imagination. One named Live, and the other named Sacrifice. Their name is what they desire. The three of them will be walking everywhere, and the people they see will be the “judges” who give Live and Sacrifice points for what they believe in. Who gets the most points win this so-called game and the girl will do what the chosen one desires. Simple.

One, two, three. Start.

On the beach beside the girl’s town, a small family is enjoying the time together as if it is their last, although it could actually be their last anyway. The parents’ hands hold on to each other as their two kids are building a great sandcastle not too far away from them. To the girl, the scene is out of his world, probably because she was never really able to experience this ever. It was perfect harmonies traveling through each of her senses.
Live 0-1 Sacrifice.
The girl keeps wandering for another while until she reaches a wide park. Opposite to what she just caught sight of on the beach, the park is far more than chaotic. People running around shouting at each other. There is a lot of wailing, crying, yelling, blaming, fighting, and yes, even blood. The girl doesn’t feel anything good about this kind of world.
Live 1-1 Sacrifice.
The girl decides to go to the city center not so far away from the devastating park. The big screen starts playing an announcement. “The president and his family have been evacuated to an underground vault, where he will be safe planning on how to keep us all safe,” said the reporter. “He will try all his best to eliminate the apocalyptic girl. May God bless us all.” Immediately, everybody gets down on their knees and starts praying, alongside some weeping of moms for their kids, or boyfriends for their girlfriends. The girl realizes that at least these people have someone to live for.
Live 1-2 Sacrifice.
About a mile away from the big screen there is the central cemetery that her family used to hide for days. She remembers moments when they sometimes wandered around the place, imagining that one day all three of them would be able to stay with each other. She misses them. She misses those warm hugs. She misses those lovely kisses on the forehead. She even misses those moments when they hushed to hold each other’s hands and run for their lives, because at least, they were together, as a family. She. Misses. Them.
Live 1-3 Sacrifice.
Only 20 minutes left until the Apocalypse, the girl goes back to the beach and sits right next to the family, who is now hugging and telling each other all sorts of stories and little moments they enjoyed the most in their lives. The girl looks up to the night sky full of memories. She never wants it to end, ever, and so she reluctantly gives Live one more point, though it is already clear who wins anyway.
Live 2-3 Sacrifice.
She runs back to the old wooden house. The bottle in the corner is shining as bright as a trillion stars in the universe. She holds it tight in her hands and her eyes close tight. She sees her parents waving at her from afar. “For our reunion!”, she cheers.

I will be happy right, Daddy?

Swoosh.
BOOMMMMMM.

“The president has made the decision to launch missiles around the world in order to save the world. But it seems like the girl is still out there and everyone is dying, one by one. God has abandoned us all. I am sorry...”
God has abandoned them all.
God has abandoned them all?
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