Ascenders: Rising From Zero

The Will to Survive

It is theorized, scientifically, that the Brain is the last organ to die. All other organs begin to fail, each one fading off and failing to support the biological machination of human flesh and blood but the brain remains, seconds later, fighting before giving in, eventually.

This was not any different in Bayo's case.

HONKKKKKK....

Was the last sound Bayo heard before his body went haywire. In a flash, the world tumbled over and over, fading off only to come clearer for a few seconds. 

'God... God... No... No... Stop!' Bayo screamed mentally.

At the corner of his vision, he saw the old security guard screaming but not for long as darkness began to fade in gradually.

 He gasped after it appeared he reached his maximum height and then began to tumble down. He felt all shades of sick as his insides  spun round and round.

'No... no...no... somebody... anybody... help... anything to grab... please' Bayo panicked mentally as adrenaline pumped into his blood, reminding him that he was going to fall hard and heavy.

His body crashed heavily down on something hard, intense pain tearing through his body like hot knife followed by a complimenting Crunch of breaking bones.

'Aaaaaaarghhhh... No... I can't just die like this...' Bayo's head burned hot reacting to the immediate pang of headache.

He was thirsty too.

He screamed or attempted to, only to muffle out exasperated gasps. 

OGod!

His mind went on hyperdrive. He gasped, trying to move his hand to feel his face but the hands wouldn't budge. Just about then, a second sound ripped his ears, sending a series of sharp burning pain into his eardrums.

He grimaced, turning with great difficult to the source of the sound. In a flash, he saw what had hit him. It was a heavy duty truck

Before his dimmed vision, the tires of the truck squealed,slowing down some extent although the overall speed of the truck was not affected.

Bayo's instincts screamed danger. Panic filled his lungs as he tried to scramble himself. But time was not his friend this day.

The left tyres smashed into him, rolling over his body as he passed from tyre one to tyre nine, a bloody paste of flesh and bones.

Bayo's Vision faded.

Finally.

The darkness that edged at his vision earlier totally clouded his senses. He felt his body being disembodied as they were being removed one after the other.

Was this how people died?

No!

He shouldn't be thinking of death. 

'I have to survive. No... no... this thing... I can't... just go like that.

Not... not made it ... yet... 

She ditched me because of money... 

I just can't leave...

Not made mother... proud yet...

My dreams... I'll never... talk rhymes because I'm dead?...

No. No.. No...

I can't... just die... like this...

This is injustice. 

Shade... she has to pay...

Is there even a-a God? 

I-if... there is, please, don't make me go...

Second chance...

I swear... I'll focus... more...

Oh... oh... who I'm I kidding?

T-there's... no... no... Me?

Begging God?

No, that will mean I'm a loser...

I can't... can't... lose

I refuse it!

Wait...

Please... God... Jesus... Allah... Buddha... Amadioha... Ogun... Obatala...anyone... I mean any god... help...

I don't ... 

deserve...

to die like this...

If there's truly... truly... a god...

No...

Whichever God is listening... please... pity my struggling mother...

I... I have many...many things to right...

Haven't... written that novel yet... 

The... world will never... never... know me...

I can't just die...

No...

Please...

No...

No...

no...

-no

-...

...'

Bayo thoughts raced like the whirlwind, each one trying to suppress the other as the most important, increasing the pain that coursed through his whole self. His consciousness groaned in total regret as he began reviewing each and every of his life choice.

The chances he never took...

The opportunities he lost because he was scared...

The sacrifices he made for love...

Stupid love...

He remembered stealing his struggling mum's money just to impress Shade, knowing he had an irresponsible father that cared less about him. 

The guilt bore heavily on him now. 

God!  He had been so insensitive.

But he could right it all now.

'I just...just... second chance... please...'

No...

He flashed back again, to the time of Shade and Wale sharing quick kisses.

The thought of that treacherous act made him ache with anger and hopelessness.

How foolish...

But..: why did he have to act so immature too?

Why didn't he just take it with a pinch of salt?

Instead, he ran...

Stupid me!

Running to my death.

The scene vanished and another replaced it. He saw his father battering his mother without remorse, in the kitchen. Her screams rent through the kitchen.

Just in the corner, he saw little him, crying and swearing to make it rich...

Rich enough to give his mother a better life...

A better life...

But how was that going for him, now?

The flashback cleared now. Immediately, he remembered, seeing himself at a construction site with his mother. He watched as she trudged along with laborers, carrying a pan of sand, granite and cement.

All in a bid to make ends meet... 

for him...

'Please... whoever is listening... for my mother's sake... Give me a second chance...

I can't just die like this, Pleaseeeeee...'

Bayo pleaded as his consciousnesses began fading off.

For a brief second, he heard the sound of people alarmed and sirens wailing.

But that was it...

All he saw was pitch darkness with no sense of feeling.

He felt himself floating off, his memories fading away as he waltzed into a body of darkness.

Emptiness...

Bayo was dead, finally.

A blurb of energy floated in a spot, the only source of illumination within the pitch darkness about. The radiance from its glow diminished greatly only to suddenly become revitalized with an outburst of pulsing energy within the blurb.

The raidaince returned now as the blurb of energy swisher and sloshed about.

A smaller blurb of black miasma began drifting towards it from the pitch darkness of around. The miasma blurb floated closer, shooting out tendrils of shadows to the bigger, light emitting blurb.

The shadows trailed, only to get vaporized by the Light blurb.  This action seemed to make the black miasma stop as if it were considering its chances.

After a short while, the blurb of energy began to fade again. In response, the black miasma stirred and suddenly bolted for the Energy blurb.

The black miasma slammed into the energy blurb suddenly. As a result, it splattered generously all over the energy blurb, as if trying to consume the energy.

Seconds later, the miasma recoiled as another weak but sudden outburst of energy pulsed through the blurb.

The black miasma folded itself now into a ball, sized smaller than the energy blurb it was trying to consume.

And as it was very close to the weakened energy blurb, it sent shadow strands upon strands, attempting to envelop the entire energy blurb.

It seemed like it was progressing for a while until the shadow strands began vaporizing once more , forcing the miasma to send more shadows that streaked across the blurb.

A seemingly Stalemate.