Burn (Part 2)

Something about this place kept bringing me back.

Once more I stood in the caves where I had found Ishara's inscription. It wasn't clear why, but I had been coming back up here once every few weeks, spending hours staring at the words on the wall.

The shadows danced as the light from my flashlight rolled around on the cave floor. The moss that had covered the walls glistened and the rough stone seemed... welcoming, somehow.

***

One day, I fell asleep there. and I dreamed the most surreal thing. 

I caught a vision of the asteroid hurtling towards Earth, and I saw the spaceships carrying people lift off and drift into space, barely escaping the chunks of rock that flew from the collision.

And I was on the ground.

I was on the Earth, the ground crumbling and collapsing beneath me, fire everywhere. I simply stared at the space ships, hundreds of eyes on me and the destruction around.

Why was I alone on the ground? Why wasn't I in the ships with everyone else?
Then I heard a voice.
"Stop. Stop them. This cannot happen."
I looked around, but saw no one through the blazing flames. 
"Who's there," I called. "Who's there?"
"Stop it....," came an answer.
Shivers ran down my spine. I could FEEL the breath on my ear, as if a soul itself was whispering to me.
"Stop what?"
"You can't leave. You cannot alter time. Stop them...," the voice insisted. 

And then I woke up in a cold sweat, remembering the dream vividly. Every detail in every flame, every breath of that voice I heard, every spaceship leaving Earth... I remembered.
And it was then that I noticed something I didn't till now. 

A hole in the wall near the round, Just large enough for a hand to slip through, almost covered by moss. It was almost invisible, hidden from eyes more concerned with the inscriptions above it.
Sliding my palm carefully into it, my outstretched fingers touched a smooth stone tablet. 
I curled my hand around it and pulled it out. It was ebony black, about ten inches long and six inches wide, a finger thick. And it was engraved.
The engravings on this were of the same language as that on the wall. Having studies the language obsessively ever since discovering the inscriptions on the wall, I could fluently read and write in this strange and forgotten language.

Do not trample with destiny, it said. Do not trample with fate. What is supposed to happen must happen for a reason, so do not try to change it. 

I sat there for who knows how many hours staring at the lines on the tablet. Who had left this here? Was it Ishara or someone else?
I recalled my dream. Strange that this stone tablet I find in a small hidden opening just moments after I wake up conveys the same message. Pondering over this, I realized something.

The Bhavishya girl, Ishara, by warning us had attempted to change fate. If we were all destined to die, then that should be what happens. Ishara was just a young girl, and she thought she was doing something for the greater good. But that's not it. We can't try to escape the apocalypse. 
I had to do something!

But then I thought. Didn't the Bhavishyas use their eyes to avoid danger? Isn't tat also changing fate? Then why now, why was it bad now?
I was confused.

***

For days and months on end I mulled over this dilemma in my head. The dream recurred almost every day. I had hidden the stone tablet in my backpack and smuggled it out, keeping it to myself and not breathing a word of this to anyone, not even my family.

But the effects had begun to show about eight months later. Depression had taken hold of me.

I didn't know what to do. The wheels were already in motion for the spaceships to take off a few weeks before the supposed doomsday date. How can I possibly put a stop to that? Simply telling people we were all destined to die anyway and we shouldn't try to save ourselves won't work. That'll only make me the enemy.

***

Seven days before the spaceships take off. 

Fifty eight of them had been built, each the size of a small city. People were slowly loading onto them, into cramped spaces where they would live now, at least until a new planet had been found fit for civilization, which hadn't happened as of yet. People were advised to take only what they need: some clothing and essential belongings. No furniture or heavy equipment. Just one small suitcase per person, plus a small bag for family requirements such as medicines and cosmetics.

Meanwhile, every major agency on earth had taken up a warehouse on every spaceship to ensure the citizens can use their products until stock runs out. Mostly, however, the warehouses were used for food and water. Four of every species of animal, plant, insect and fish had been loaded into a special ship. Space suits were made for at least a thousand people, in varying sizes just in case someone had to commute from one ship to another or had to step out into space for a while. There were even a huge greenhouse, a hospital, a few schools, scientific labs, and other common necessary amenities in every spaceship.

Basically, extensive planning had been made over the last ten years and nearly everything had been thought of. Every situation, even the most absurd and rare-case ones had been thought of. 

I was in the caves again. In a another two days it would be my family's turn to board the spaceships. But I was still wondering if this was right.

The dreams were more vivid now, and there was a more almost hysteric urgency in the voice I heard. The caves, once comforting, now had a slightly agitated atmosphere. But this was the most calming place at the moment, and I was drawn to this spot. The nearest spaceship, which my family would board, was a few kilometers away. 

It was completely normal routine for me to sit there quietly for a few hours and fall asleep. That day was no different.

It was then that I suddenly had a new dream, entirely different from the other. 

***

And that's part two of Burn! Part three, the final part, will be up shortly, maybe in a few days. I hope you enjoy the story so far! I hope it's interesting. Please leave a comment below, and share it with your friends if you like!