Two days had passed in quick succession. After the incident, Syf had returned to his home and was now quietly spending his time, pretending that all was usual. There was nothing wrong with it; after all, what else could he do but wait it out? People were having difficulty coming to terms with what had happened.

  “Sigh, it seems like my day won’t come anytime soon.” He was feeling perturbed and pissed off, all because of these changes, which had disrupted his life and left him feeling hopeless about the future. And now he can’t even commit suicide. Because the time had passed, and he had to come to terms with what he was trying to do and the repercussions.

  He quietly shook his head. This wasn’t the time for it. There were still five golden days left for him to decide. And that decision could fall either way.

  Syf sat up on his heavily dysfunctional couch and went to the cupboard. Opening it, he found three packets of instant cup noodles and some jerky, which he had purchased just yesterday. Looking at the remaining stock of items, he came to a decision.

  “It’s time to go home.”

  And so Syf went packing his stuff with all his meager possessions because he knew he wasn’t returning to this city anytime soon. There were a few of his clothes, a handful of books, mostly novels, and some photography books. He unplugged his mobile charger, whose wires clung to life with tapes and prayers. Lastly, he opened the almirah and took out his last possession. The most precious among them all.

  The camera. His gaze seemed to be transfixed on the thing, and slowly he turned around.

  “Should sell it soon.” He wasn’t in the mood. He quietly packed it among all his possessions.

  “Now that everything is packed and proper. It is time for the homecoming of the prodigal son.” Syf chuckled, calling himself out with that name. That was also a webnovel he had read in his spare time. And what a treat that story had been. At least in that story, the main character was a superhero who hid his identity from the world, protecting others.

  The rain was continuously pouring, even after two days had passed. Syf knew it wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. Maybe it was a hunch from the voice.

  He wore a hoodie to cover up his bandaged shoulders. Syf didn’t have to bother with the treatment. As soon as he was leaving the building, the staff saw his wound, and they offered to help. There was nothing wrong with getting a free treatment. However, the injection had stung him, and putting antiseptic on the cuts for cleaning had just made it worse. It still stung, even now, but it was less noticeable.

  He went out in the rain with all his possessions and without informing his owner about it. It wasn’t like the owner cared for it. After giving the room for just 200 dollars, the owner often came just to collect his payment. His room was a cheap possession, and with the world ending, nobody cared about it. At least he didn’t.

  Speaking of the world ending. His sister had immediately called him as soon as the voice in the sky had ended, followed by his parents. He had to convince them for an entire hour that he was fine and all and hide the other things.

  Holding onto his umbrella like it was his lifeline, he smiled. It felt good talking to them all at the same time on a conference call.

  When he reached the train station, Syf found it mostly empty except for a few people who were holding many bags like him. The whole world seemed to be going toward their homes. When he reached the ticket counter, it turned out to be empty, so he just waited for the train to arrive.

  Fear was etched on every face he could see, in the tense expressions and the way their bodies moved. Like there was an enemy lurking in the corner waiting for them. Here was the thing: Syf felt none of that.

  If dying was inevitable, what was the difference between dying now and dying then? Might as well wait.

  Okay, that’s too many “dying.” Syf had to keep his mouth in check; otherwise, he was in for a long talk with his parents back home.

  The train came by silently before stopping on the platform. There was a noticeable difference between those coming out and those boarding the train. There were many eager to board it. The coaches were mostly empty, so he went around and chose a seat with a window. It wasn’t a private coach, so what he was doing was visible to all the passengers.

  Among all that sat around him was a family with a little kid. The kid was playing games on his console. Not to say he felt jealous of the kid or anything because of the console. However, it was the expression of his parents that drew his attention. They felt dead inside. Worry was visible on their faces.

  Syf took out his earphones and started his long-journey playlist. The slow tunes became a lullaby. As the train picked up its pace, Syf, too, started to find the whole thing comforting. And slowly but surely, he drifted off to sleep.

  He woke around 3 hours later, as the lights had turned on, and the coaches were a little fuller. But there was more luggage than the people around. Others around him were engaged in watching their favorite TV shows and whatnot, but mostly it was the news, with the president addressing the common folks.

  As he understood, every single channel was streaming the same depressing shit. Only some were there who were talking about battling the alien thing. Some even went as far as starting a religious group with the deity called the Great Light. They were a bunch of jokers who didn’t think through things. Often making light of the issues.

  Syf was more amazed by how the whole country had forgotten about the scam as if it were an ancient thing. He was aware that as more time went by and when that freaking trial finished counting down, people would come around, and the fact would then hit them harder, along with the world-ending thing doing its work in the background.

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  After a few more hours, he was bored and was trying to look outside the window. It was almost night, with most of the folks already asleep, some going to sleep, and those few who were still awake, like him, engaged in their phones. The windows had mostly turned translucent with the chill of the rain outside. Bit by bit, Syf started to feel chilly.

  Seeing that no train staff were there to attend to their needs, Syf stood up and went to the locker containing stuff. He came out holding a few snacks and a blanket. He sat cross-legged and wore the blanket around his body like a monk’s scarf. He went munching on the snacks, and soon his eyelids started feeling heavy.

  Syf woke up again at midnight to the loud cries of a child. Through his blurry eyes, he watched as people sleeping nearby turned on their light. It was the same kid he saw before. The parents were consoling their child; the kid seemed terrified.

  “Mom hic—I—monsters in the dream.” The child said between hiccups.

  “Don’t cry, baby. Monster won’t come here. See, there are so many people.”

  “Mom, I-I-am sc-cared.”

  “Don’t be scared; we are here for you.” The mother consoled the child, rocking him between hugs. The child’s father watched others around him with a dismayed expression. He fully expected others to express their thoughts, if not outright complain, but despite disturbing everyone's sleep at midnight, no one voiced any complaints. In fact, as Syf watched, a few folks came near the child and consoled him.

  “Don’t worry, kid. If anyone comes, this grandpa will take care of it for you.” One of the elderly said.

  “Yeah, we are pretty strong.”

  “See, you are not alone. And you are a pretty brave kid; I am sure you faced off the monster.” One fellow said, and apparently his wife wasn’t pleased with him talking about the monster, so she nudged him on his elbow.

  “You will fight with me.” The child turned around from his mother’s embrace. He had quietened somewhat. One of the strangers came forward and gave him some orange juice. The kid looked at his mother, asking for permission, who nodded with a smile. Looking at all the people around him, the child calmed down.

  “Of course, we will fight with you,” Syf said. Somewhere, he too felt inspired by the crowd.

  The kid smiled while drinking the juice. He was no longer terrified.

  Syf looked around, watching others’ expressions. Starting with the father and mother, who were no longer silent and uncertain like before but were actively thanking others. He noticed changes in others, too. Syf saw them with more open smiles and a willingness to talk. It also made him smile a bit.

  Soon, everyone went back to sleep. The child had single-handedly changed everyone’s mood.

  The next time he woke up, it was because light was streaming from his blanket.

  He turned around but found others talking. He tried to sleep, but with all the noise, he ultimately gave up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he found a face staring at him with curiosity.

  Syf was surprised to see someone standing near him. However, he wasn’t alarmed.

  “Good morning, big brother.” It was that kid. He was grinning from ear to ear. One could see a few gaps between his teeth. The kid was standing there holding a chocolate bar in his hands.

  “Good morning.” Syf reciprocated with a smile.

  “You want to eat chocolate?” The kid asked him suddenly, holding out the half-eaten chocolate bar.

  “Not right now; I need to brush my teeth,” Syf said with an expression of regret.

  “Oh.” The kid’s expression turned downcast. He went back to his parents, who were still sleeping around.

  Syf stood up with stiff muscles. He readily stretched a few times, letting go of some of the tension in his muscles. At the same time, he even got nature’s call, indicating that he needed to use the restroom urgently. Syf rushed toward the toilet section of the coach to relieve himself.

  This was his second day on the train, and with the train being on time, he was sure to reach his hometown by the evening. Syf hadn’t been back to his city in the past one and a half years. For one thing, the distance was too much. He had started yesterday at noon and would reach it by the end of the daylight. But this wasn’t the main reason deterring Syf from going home. Money was one of the main reasons, and even more so were his parents.

  He had left his studies against his parents’ will and reached this new and strange place to seek employment. A way to sustain his living. Well, it was also because he wanted to support his sister’s studied in whatever way he could. And although they didn’t say anything to his face, the resignation in their way of talking and their eyes still stood out significantly.

  That scheme had taken everything from him. It was his naivety to think he could make money just by investing all his savings in that token.

  After he was done with his deed, he went to brush his teeth and wash his face. He was already looking like a vagabond. But who cared?

  Reaching back to his seat, he found others speaking with each other. Last night’s incident had worked its charm on their entire mindset. And now they were ready to express themselves, even if it was just a little bit.

  The terrifying nature of the app and the strangeness associated with everything related to it caused much fear and confusion among the normal folks. So, with a table erected in between, 5-6 people had joined together and were engaged in conversation regarding the conspiracy and the voice behind the app.

  “What do you think the voice belonged to? It certainly sounded like any normal human being.”

  “Still, whatever that being is, it is not the resident of this planet. Did you hear his mannerisms? The way he kept talking about the Great Light and whatnot? Sounded like some kind of religious cult.”

  “Listen, folks, I don’t know if you agree with me, but do you think there is any chance that it was a conspiracy, a planned event by the upper echelon against us common folk?” One of the ladies said.

  “It’s too far-fetched, though. What would they want from us, threatening like this? And by the looks of it, if it is certainly a ruse, it would end by the week with more opposition against them.” The man sitting nearby confronted her, to which the lady seemed to be agreeing, although reluctantly.

  One of the elder people in the vicinity, who had been standing there and watching their discussion unfold, said suddenly, “Um, excuse me for the interruption. Do any of you think this was done by God? Like we know God exists, right? There can be a chance he is choosing warriors to fight against a demon legion, or maybe to select the ones with the pure from the earth.”

  That sounded the most far-fetched of them all, to the point that even Syf shook his head. The group had suddenly turned silent, overcome with awkwardness. The elder one didn’t take the cue and stood there waiting for them to say something. It was Syf who decided to break the silence.

  “Say it is the truth. What is the opportunity they speak of?” Although he looked the youngest among all of those sitting there, the others’ ears were surely perked by his question.

  “Is there any opportunity for us? What if the app and the expedition are a way to gain control over us? Like make us slaves.”

  “That’s evil. Slavery has been abolished long ago; this can’t be true.”

  “Who can say for sure?” Saying that, one man shrugged.

  “I can try and see what this is all about?” One of the bigger guys said. Throughout the conversation, he had remained silent, but suddenly he found the way to show off. Although it didn’t remain much of a showoff when the man suddenly opened the app and kept it on the table.

  Everyone was repulsed at the sight of the app, while some were terrified.