Chapter 9: Multitude of lights

Chapter 9: Multitude of lights

'No. Someone, please make it all stop. Please.' Martin looked at her mother and his siblings. There appears to be no one powerful enough to aid him.

'Where are the police? There are so many gunshots, yet not even their shadow is present.'

"Daddy," Annie abruptly ran to his motionless father, and her mother could not reach her in time. "Bang!" another soul departed from the house.

Just like that, two living beings succumbed.

Martin became so dumbstruck that he thought that all that had been happening were just mere illusions. His father, now dead, as well as his sister. He felt so frail as his knees started to fail him. Then, he felt hands holding his back as well as an embrace of warmth. A bead of liquid dropped on his forehead and followed by another bead, and so on. It was his mother crying silently, for she knew that Bing already forsook their life.

"My children, close your eyes. Soon, it will be over. I promise you. It will not hurt." She closed her eyes and tightly hugged both Martin and Luther in her maternal loving embrace.

She could not hold onto Annie, but she could do it to his remaining angels.

Luther stopped crying, and his face portrayed a brave front. He does not want to wail and let his mother worry more. He closed his eyes and waited for the time of their culling, and another, "Bang!" was heard.

A strong force hit his back. More correctly, her mother was shot. Their strong façade buckled in as Theresa kneeled.

Though feeling slightly dizzy, her grip was firm as ever as she tried to cover her children from the view of the weapon. She could not protect her husband nor her sweet Annie. But this time, she will make sure she can protect the remaining children she has. 

Or at least she tried. She remembered the time of her pregnancy. 

All of her pregnancies were difficult and long. But they want to have their children, so she did her best to deliver them. Even when she was having Luther, for she almost lost him. Now, death is imminent, and she is watching her children die, just like how a candle lost its light in front of a wind. 

No wonder people gave maternal instinct with loud applauses. It was genuine and more potent than what they had said.

With three more shots, Theresa's body gave in. No matter how deep her determination is, no one will stay strong after being shot four times.

Her strong desire to embrace her children hasten the flow of blood coming out from her body.

Councilor Bing watched everything calmly. She was just like an audience watching as the drama unfolded. Her hand gestured her men to stop shooting as she waited to hear the final breath of the poor mother.

A few more minutes passed. "Tuck," Theresa dropped dead with her children still in her embrace. No soothing denouement could make her pass away comfortable, though she wants to hold on. Her body said otherwise.

As the remaining eldest person in their household, Martin knew what to do.

Raul pointed his gun at the two brothers, "Who should I kill first? Will it be the older or, the younger?" And he twirled his gun around.

"Oh. I know. Bang!" Before Raul pressed the trigger, Martin twisted his body and covered the whole surface area of his younger brother.

Being greatly annoyed that another target saved his prey, he wantonly shot his gun all over Martin's body until no bullet was left.

"Tsk."

Luther was paralyzed. Her mother beside him is dead, and his elder brother is dying. Without looking at Martin, he knew how painful being shot is. He is afraid to feel the pain. He is worried about feeling life gushing out of his body when a bullet is drilled into his young figure.

His previous bravado is now gone, washed by the fear of pain and death.

"Do not worry, bro. Hehe... Huuhh... I will not let them kill you. I promise... uh." Martin found his hidden strength and did not let Raul kick him aside and shoot his brother.

Kicks and punches rained on his body, but the responsibility of a big brother drew out his potential. After a series of more vigorous blows, the already tattered and bloody body began to feel numb. But with a hearty shake of his head, the eldest clinched to his already short life.

He smiled at Luther, and Luther looked at his brother, and tears shadowed his eyes. The pain of losing someone... no, everything is a feeling that nobody can explain, not by wailing, crying, shouting, and even by dying with them.

Full of vexation, the other members also shot Martin. At most, eighteen bullets entered his body, 'A little bit more. I need more time.'

He thought that a long time passed for other people or his neighbors to find the strength to call the proper authority to help them. More time is what he needs.

"Bro. It's okay. You can now rest. I will follow you and Annie, mommy, and daddy shortly. We will be a happy family once again. Let us leave this unjust world," Martin heard the voice of his brother.

The timid voice he usually used was now a determined one. Not afraid to be shot; not afraid to feel pain; not afraid to die. He knew that after all this pain, he could, once again, join their dead family.

"You can now let go. You already saved me from hesitation. I am now resolute," he could not see his younger brother's face because of his losing focus, but Martin knew he was smiling. Smiling, not because of happiness, but because of the relief of being alone.

Martin thought for a moment. 'Maybe this is for the best.' Then he smiled, "Then... good-bye... bro." liberation from the pain freed him.

As his hidden power slowly faded away, he seemed to see his parents not far away from them. Everything fades away just like a tide receding from the coast—no more goons, no more dead bodies, and... no more.

He saw Annie seems to be happy and relieved, far from her crying wretched face previously. They were wearing all white, just like what they usually wear for their Sunday masses. They have a happy smile and radiant glow. Their hands were beckoning him to their flock.

Luther does not seem to be around, 'Maybe he will survive, I hope.'

Martin found his 'body' walking towards them when suddenly a long call of his name reverberated around. The voice was husky and deep that one could mistakenly think it may come from a long history.

He then realized that his surrounding had come to an abrupt stop. All the blurry silhouettes of evil men stayed still and his family just like when a clock stops ticking.

This whole room was encapsulated by something that looked like a colorless fog that made everything halt. Even the lightning strike was like a painting, immobile in the dark sky.

The voice came from everywhere and at the same time nowhere. He tried to gaze around, but he knew no possible person was present with that kind of voice.

With another, "M...a...r...t...i...n," the colorless fog solidified, and a speck of rainbow light appeared in front of him. One turned to two, two to three, and three to more until everything he could see was rainbow light.

Martin was scared and spooked, so he tried to hasten his steps, but his body was glued to the spot. He cannot move. The specks of light looked attracted to him as they started to gather around him.

"What an aggressive light you all are," He thought out loud.

Martin looked at his smiling family. They were no longer beckoning him over. Instead, they were just standing there wearing their most genuine smile. It appeared to Martin that his own family was giving him their blessings.

Blessing for happiness or blessing for something else, he does not know.

As moats of rainbow light divided numerously, they covered all of his body parts and seemed like transferring his body to somewhere unknown to him. 

Slowly, his arms faded away just like the specks of light it was attached with.

Chunks and chunks of his parts were waning into nothingness. Will he go to heaven? Will he go to Hell? He knows not.

Everything that had transpired looked like a long time but also seemed to happen just in an instant.

He felt hopeless for his future, but with the tiredness of all that had occurred, he left it all to his fate. With a smile, he embraced the mysterious void. But before his consciousness was completely cut away, the sounds of siren and barks of a dog found their way into his fading ears.

For the last time, he smiled at the world.

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In a very faraway place, supporting no planet nor any life, a part of the void moved and seemed smiling. After a few more moments, everything returned to normal.

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A mossy murky giant clam stood on a coral of million miles in height, surrounded by an endless ocean, abruptly opened. The space inside is more prominent in size compared to what can be seen outside.

An older woman sitting on a black pearl tapped her coral staff slightly on the shell's floor, then her figure twisted into bubbles and flew away into the distance amidst the rumbling thunder.

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Floating with no destination in a mysterious place, a long black-haired naked beautiful woman painted on a canvas with lifelike eyes suddenly moved, and her gaze looked into the distance, and the painting's course changed. When she opened her lips, a pair of fangs waived to the world. A colossal portal was opened right in front of it and entered it before the portal fully reached its maximum height.

A new era is fast approaching.