Open Heart {Under Revision}

Chapter 7- Down Jamaica Plain

In order to protect my ears from bleeding further, I shirked away from the window and grabbed my phone from the bed to flick on local news channel. The network did its usual dunderhead attitude before setting right. And thankfully, that thing outside was breaking news of this hour.

Putting my earcords, I listened to the reporter.

"We are coming live from Jamaica Plain where a rally has mysteriously showed up!" the camera turned behind the reporter and I could clearly see some of hoardings these protestors were holding.

I felt my brows touching hairline.

The protest was arranged by a doomsday cult...because the world was ending?

Like a doomsday-freaking-cult. Like the people who prayed apocalypses to happen, reasons unknown—most probably so that they could whisk off their busy and ill-natured lives into paradise. Apparently that was what happening just down Jamaica Plain where I lived. Grrrrreat. Just great.

"No one is confirmed when it actually started but people have reported to have seen gathering members of this so called doomsday cult standing as early as 3 am in morning. The cluster became a congregation by 4 and by the time it was 5, they had blocked this part of neighbourhood—not permitting anyone to venture out from their houses!"

For a minute, I sought my head heavenward.

Was this even for real?

I pinched myself to feel and knew that it was very real. As if my life couldn't be dramatic— my neighbourhood was closed off since 5 am in morning by a violent flame-throwing doomsday cult who apparently were also my saviour because hey, how the hell was I supposed to go to train station when these people were threatening to skin everyone alive! I mean—whoa, whoa, whoa—Lord Apollo, thy have your mercy upon me but I was so, so narrowly saved today from getting fired.

The reporter's voice continued, "Here, I have one of their members with me, Mr. Shepherd—what would you like to say to the world about this bizarre arrangement you've just made in middle of a working day!?"

The man grabbed the mic and screamed through his red-painted face, "We are ENDERS AND BEGINNERS! What we speak is absolute truth! It has been spoken that the world will perish in great flood, not mere two days from now!" a wave of howling went through those lunatics, "THE GREAT FLOOD will kill those who are not us! This place has been chosen to build an arc, and that is what we are going to do! We must not wait a moment more but start constructing the vehicle of our salvation, our redemption against our deeds upon the earth! For GOD HAVE MERCY on us all but we ENDERS AND BEGINNERS will never wither just like you all!!!!!"

Good lord.

The next part of news was paused because Dr. Ines Delarosa was calling me in. I panicked when I saw there were five missed calls from her, starting from 6:30 till this hour!

"Hello!" I called in and danced back to window so that the shouts of people could be heard generously.

Ines' vapid voice came in, "Charlotte! Where the hell are you?! Have you seen the time! You were on ER rounds today and one of your patients requires a surgery which you haven't fixed! This is absolutely irrespo—"

"Ines! Ines!" I injected, "Have you seen the news?"

"What news?!" she barked.

I parried away from window, "Turn on some news channel! I've got this huge menacing rally in my neighbourhood since 4am and they are not budging a meter away!"

"What?!"

"JUST GO AND CHECK THE NEWS!"

A few moments later, "You live in Jamaica Plain?"