Loud: Turmoil

Chapter 7

'Our exploration for the Pariah has reached no new information. The journal has been lost. No copies of it were made (that's how confidential we wished to keep it). Unfortunate for us, because now every claim and discovery we've ever made, has disappeared. What could be even worse for us, is if somebody else has found the journal and kept it to read. After all, it's entertaining to read about the end of the world - that would surely captivate anyone. I write now in this journal, which feels more like a diary when I write my thoughts in this way. The rest of the group were expected to fly back, but only four have, and the other some are staying with me with the prediction that the end is coming near. One who left the state wanted to see their family before everything would collapse. The other three guys left because they just don't believe it's true. The one thing that keeps me sane is Jackson. He's the only one that trusts me and backs me up when I talk.

Ugh. We're all going to Hell.'

"Hey, Flip. You're gonna wanna see this..." Jackson was looking out the window, staring with a bemused look. He almost seemed frightened. Flip looked out, and there was a rumbling sensation that was approaching... someone was running up the sidewalk. This person was very tall and appeared extremely and oddly long. They blended with the dark, but one thing stood out. It was the white hair on top of their head. They rushed by and it sent a rush of wind past the trees outside. It wasn't something human - or at least, anymore. The drawing from the journal popped into his head. T̴̢̼͎͎̙̼͕̤̣̰̰͍̙͔̝̐͐̃̒̓̏̃̕H̴̨̭̝͍͓̠͖͎̑Ę̸̳̟̼̣̺̺̮̻̿̈̐̾͗͗̚͝ ̴̢̦̪̜̍͑̽̊͝͝͝Ą̶̢̟̗̘̘͈̱̻̲̯̜̈́̎̐̾̏̀̊̓̑̔͘ͅN̷͉̟̠̞̭̬̉̌͆͂̊̑͋̂̀Ǵ̴̢̧̨̹̼̗͎̪Ȅ̴̟̻̦͕̻̌͆̈́͘͜͝͠L̴̡̢̟̘̘̖̩̄͆̍̌̋͛͑̒̀́͋́. It has to be! It's uncanny! That face, it's unmistakable!

Flip clapped his hands together. He wasn't happy that the angel had made its appearance, but rather that this moment had confirmed his beliefs, and that he was not delusional whatsoever. That creature... "We have to follow it!" Jackson shook his head with disbelief. "Are you kidding? Tell me that we just saw the same thing out there, Flip! That thing would kill us both! You're crazy!" Flip was already fidgeting in the closet for his camera. "You called me crazy before, but now you've seen it! Now you understand! You've seen what I was talking about this whole time! You see that it's real now!" Flip hung the camera around his neck and winked. "Come on, Jack. This is what we've been waiting for. It'll lead us to the Pariah!" Jack held an angry expression. "Damn it. Let's go."

He ran with an extremely long stride, and it would horrify anyone to confront the beast. You'd think the angel was an inappropriate name, because this being clearly had no holiness, and surely no relation to God. It spoke in grumbles and growls that were unintelligible. It growled and howled into the sky. Something was coming. The breathing was getting louder. The realization was apparent to everyone.

P A R I A H

...

你好, hola, hello, هتاف للترحيب, नमस्ते, হ্যালো, olá, привет, こんにちは, ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ।. The world spins, and it turns and it turns and it turns and it turns! Praise be. I speak universally, so all will understand me from all places. Now, we begin judgment. On mothers and fathers. On children and elders. On the poor, and the rich. I never have felt so lovely. But soon... so lonely. By Jove! Carpe diem! A celebration for the sick as they soon find their closure. Believe me when I say you all were so great in your lives. Even the lustful and those driven by their avarice. How I dawdle! Blessed be, holy me! So... where is my angel?

The voice's echo dimmed. The creature that had been Lincoln, leaped high into the air and unveiled its wings. It circled in the sky with wide rotations, before ascending into a hole in the clouds. Then, many began to burn. Those who didn't, the people who crafted the most horrible crimes... they were strictly devoured and pulled limb from limb by the angel. This reigned true for six days. God had created the world and the heavens in six days, and in the same amount of time, it was to be destroyed. There was no order, there was no plan to much of it, it was just the carnage and evisceration of mankind and animals alike. They predicted the end of the world: 365, 500, 800, 1000, 1525, 1600, 1666, 1700, 1805, 1941, 1967, 1999, 2000... so many dates you have to skip some for people to stay and listen without becoming uninterested. Every day people thought they were closer to the end. To some logic, they were right. Here it is, it was getting closer.

God bless this world. God bless our world. Trust in God. Trust in our God.

And so, it was here. This was it. This was the end. Everyone perished. Billions of people, trillions of animals and insects. Nobody in the end was worthy of perfection. They all made mistakes and they would continue to make mistakes. They were not perfect. They were not worthy of God.

The end.

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But what about Lola?

What about Lola?

She ran away. Did she not achieve anything? She just dies? Isn't that a boring ending? There's no hope or morals to it! That end was so abrupt and rushed! What a garbage story. It went nowhere. There was nothing to it. I think it barely had a story at all!

No. This is the end of this story. The world's story. We've not discussed Lola's tale in full yet. So sit down, and let me tell you the rest. There are details that I'm sure you'd want to hear. Lola does die. Everyone dies. Nobody is safe, that is realistic, no? That's what happened. That is the truth of the story. That is the poetic injustice of the world. Lola, though, is a symbol of false hope - isn't she? She hoped those fireworks would elate her family and remove them from their depression. But as you've read, that did not work. Instead, it exacerbated their despair.

Okay yeah, I get it. But you said there are more details about Lola's story.

Yes. It's not very interesting since you know what happens in the end.

I'd still like to hear it.

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Okay. If you wish.