Chapter 19: Hopeless

"Before I go on with this short history, let me make a general observation– the test of first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.

One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise. This philosophy fitted on to my early adult life when I saw the improbable, the implausible, and often the "impossible," come true." —F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Crack-Up

"There are far too many silent sufferers. Not because they don't yearn to reach out, but because they've tried and found no one who cares." —Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, and Grumblings for Every Day of the Year

"No reflection was to be allowed now, not one glance was to be cast back; not even one forward. Not one thought was to be given either to the past or the future. The first was a page so heavenly sweet, so deadly sad, that to read one line of it would dissolve my courage and break down my energy. The last was an awful blank, something like the world when the deluge was gone by." —Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

***

Once Grenoble and his men finished storing all of the food and dry goods he bought from every store owner to manage and prevent hoarding, they locked it up for the night. Tomorrow, the public market will be opened by him, and people can now buy what they need from the store but limited only depending on how many people a household has.

Tired, their whole bodies are aching from working all day, and their job was not done there. They all have to patrol the whole island, forming groups consisting of three people in order to catch the rampant maniac, psychotic killer.

None of them can complain because they agreed on participating and chose to serve the greater good of the island. For peace and security, Grenoble's group will apprehend the killer and put an end to the growing turmoil, and unfetter their mind from paranoia.

"You look tired, Grenoble," Doro handed a cup of freshly brewed coffee to the man and both took a sip to fend off that sleepiness looming around them. "Mr. Sergi didn't cooperate and decided to keep all of his goods for his family. We can't blame him, though. Under the circumstances, even I would think of doing the same. However, it comes with great risk."

Grenoble formed a total of 20 groups, having three people per group. While 15 groups were assigned to roam around, searching for the killer in the forest and town, the remaining 5 groups stayed in the same position throughout the night. And his group was 1 of the 15 groups that moved all over the island, hoping that they would encounter the killer.

Negative thoughts about each other were not uncommon. It can't be helped. When a helpless mind of a fearful person becomes enshrouded with fright and dread, their little brains would start to suspect and create disturbances in their own train of thought. An overthinking mind usually develops ill intentions and negative remarks to others, even if this person is their friend. Even a family would not be safe.

"A shallow mind with little to no understanding like Mr. Sergi would not understand how crucial it was to surrender what he had. I'm not invalidating the fact that he possesses comprehensive ability, but I am sure he will forget everything he has learned right after understanding a little bit of it. Geez... What am I saying?"

Grenoble sometimes gets carried away, uttering words of wisdom he himself does not know where he pulled out. He would always be fascinated by himself whenever this occurs, although he would feel quite embarrassed about it.

Doro chuckled a bit as the two of them took on a steep slope where they could barely maintain their balance. One wrong move could lead to crushing down a pit of thorny bush beneath them.

Why are they taking this path? Because it was a shortcut to the mountains and town, which was about ten meters long and five meters high.

While the lamp was being held by their index and thumb, their middle and index finger was gripping the cup of coffee that was half empty. Each step proved to be a hard one with their other hand gripping tightly on whatever thing they could grab onto.

"Well, drinking coffee while taking a shortcut seems to be a bad idea. It keeps you on the edge."

The two of them pretty much do it all the time. Both of them are already used to taking shortcuts.

It hasn't been that long since they left town, about fifteen minutes when a blazing outburst of fire wrangling declared itself to the Balmackians.

"Hmm? Do I smell of smoke or something is burning?"

At first, the wreaking steam of black smoke could only reach a far lower peak. But as minutes passed by, flammable things burning along with their whole month's stock of food and supplies thickened the dark smoke, thus setting other establishments aflame.

It was just a matter of time before the whole town became a huge raging pit of inextinguishable fire.

"Wasn't that where the supplies are located?!"

Alerted by the imminent problem, without wasting their time, both of them dropped the cup of coffee and instantly cleared the hurdle in one swoop. They went full throttle, as fast as they could to reach the town, madly hoping that they could still save some from the food storage.

Extreme fatigue and pain from all over their body were cast aside, washed away by their indomitable will to salvage what they could from the pit of the raging fire. Huffing, their breath barely enough to keep them standing on their feet, both of them eventually collapsed on their knees as people's demented cries rang annoyingly inside their ears.

"It's too late..." Doro muttered under his breath, watching the whole town get engulfed in the sea of flames with its defying heat reaching their whole body. "We're done for..."

The change in both of their expressions from being unbothered to greatly suffering from grief, pained by the sudden turn of events.

"Who would do such a thing...?"

"...is it the killer?"

"How utterly cruel, then."

And since no one knows what to do in the situation, every lost lamb, Balmackian, directly sought Grenoble, asking for solutions to the problem at hand. People came crying to Grenoble with dried tears on their faces, requesting assistance.

"Tell us, chief! What shall we do?!"

"How will we stop this?!"

"My son! My son, chief! He was still inside our house!"

Flooded with a barrage of questions and pestered annoyingly with their concerns and problems, Grenoble's mind did not want to process all of that. His mind wished for peace of mind in the tumultuous slavery of thoughts.

Patriotism or cooperative endeavor didn't die. Even though their lives were at stake, frightened by the uproarious sea of flames, Balmackians did whatever they could to put a stop to the destructive predicament. Each and everybody took whatever they could use to scoop water and hurl it into the pit of fire.

Futile... efforts alone were not enough to extinguish the hungry blazing fire engulfing everything on its path. When no logical way seems to work against a logical problem, those that believe in superior beings, gods start praying for assistance. While some surely always pray, others would only remember to call for their gods in times of dire need.

"Ahhhh!!! I'm on— fire! H-Help me!"

"Nooooooooo! How could this happen?! M-My wealth... My everything! It's all gone— in an instant everything vanished!"

It was when desperation turns into despair once all hope disappears in spite of believing that everything will be okay as long as they cling to the tiny glimpse of hope. A sliver of expectation that would turn things around and solve the problem on its own.

But was it really worth witnessing the mass succumbing to despair before a miracle happens that would lift their dead spirit back to life?

"Water droplets?"

Grenoble thought of the abrupt rain as the tears of the gods after they watched people suffer from great loss.

"Rain! It's raining!"

The rain came to uplift everyone's hopelessness. It was then that a heavy storm struck the island once again, slowly but surely extinguishing the contagious sea flames that enveloped the whole town to burnt rubble. It did come lat,e but everyone still found the strength in their hearts to be thankful and feel elation as their warm bodies turned cold from the heavy winds and sweeping breeze.

Because the town was quite far from the mountain's sealed entrance, the Sulten Tribe was not affected by the problem. Although they suffered some loss of crops from the heavy rain, it was still a win for all of them.

"Ohh, great prophet! How you have prophesied the fall of the monsters and the rise of the Warriors!"

"It's here! Pools of blood could be seen by my eyes now! Despair, the island of Balmack, for the start of a new era has begun!"

~