A New World Part 2

Although my name meant First nor was I the first son or first in anything in my life. I was just a guy living a mundane monotonous life, A 27-year-old disappointment, No! I am wrong.

I was just someone following society's norms. Having formal education, finding a normal 9-5 job, nothing informal like being a vlogger, writer or something else informal, cause for those are of course not real jobs in the eyes of society, I mean if I did tell my parents I don't want a formal job, I want to pursue writing or perhaps vlogging they did flip out immediately and think I have gone crazy and asked me

"What are we gonna say to others when they ask what your son does? He is a writer, a vlogger?"

before they took me to a psychiatrist. Whatever it might have been, they did try to find the root cause behind my wish to do such a thing before getting rid of it or worse, abandoning me.

Since I was a child I didn't have my own will. I lived by the will of my parents, I did what they told me to do, what they wanted me to do without ever questioning it. I lived my life like they wanted me to, I tried to be an ideal son for them.

But of course, in the end, I was just someone they could brag about. In the end, when I did not do well or my performance went down I would get yelled at, lectured, and reprimanded.

I never rebelled like my brother, but in the end, I couldn't live up to their expectations either, getting compared with others constantly.

I ended up going to a Tier 2 University, graduating from a tier 2 was the best I could do. After graduation, I became a Permatemp at an IT consultancy firm. Although the pay was not good nor were there many benefits. It was still better than not having a job.

My life consisted of waking up every day, taking a cramped train to work, getting yelled at by the boss, then returning home late at night. That's how I had been living since I was 22, it's been like this for the past 5 years.

In the past 4 years, I haven't gone home, Since the day I left home when I was 23.

"Please get on the truck we would now be moving to a camp, you would get food and other supplies there."

A man in a green camouflage uniform with a megaphone announced this before 2 others opened up the truck's door and helped people get on the truck.

"Please get on the truck," the girl with the clipboard said to me before leaving.

After taking a look at the line, I also joined the line to get on the truck. One after another people got on the truck, those who were old or having difficulty getting on, people who were in the line who helped them get on, women, children, mothers with infants, those of who kept crying for their loved ones they had lost and many more, there were all kind of people from all walks of life, Who didn't know each other but aided each other, those of who stayed behind waiting for the next truck so others could get on this, those of who shared what little food they had to others and many more like this.

Perhaps we get to see this kind of selfless act of kindness only at times like this.

There might not have been much space in the truck, but everyone adjusted so just another person could get on. I was one of the last to get on the truck thus I got to stand by the exit.

We took turns after turns avoiding rubbles and blocked roads, sometimes we even got out and cleared pieces of rubbles that had fallen on the road from the trucks carrying them ourselves, but when we got on the main road that leads to the still-standing part of the city it looked surreal you could truly understand the magnitude of the situation, Although I had previously seen it on the news looking at it in real life was an entirely different thing, how the mile-long stretch of road that I couldn't even see the end of, one side stood tall towers and other side looked like a warzone.

By the time we reached the camp, it was already sunset, as soon as we arrived we were made to stand in separate lines for both men and women, then they did everyone's medical checkup one after another everyone went into a room where sat a doctor who took vitals and stuff and noted them down, then we were asked to fill up a form, asking our ID numbers, name, address and if we have received the reward from the system.

Then we were asked to move along to the next room which had two doors. Everyone stood there in a line waiting for their names to be called one by one and they were stamped and asked to go through a door but of course, it was not the same door for everyone for those who said yes to receiving a reward from the system they were asked to go to a door different than the rest of the people. As for me I moved along the line and went through the door for those who did not receive a reward and was given basic amenities like a toothbrush, a pack of toothpaste and spoon, etc in the next room.

Before we were shoved into a giant hall, That's where everyone stayed under one giant roof, I sat along with few people I had accompanied in the truck here, the bell rang and they declared it was time for serving dinner asking us to form a line, one by one everyone took a plate and some amount of sausage, rice and soup was served to everyone, it was not a buffet rather more of a ration, But at the end of such a tiring long day who would not like what they are given?

So, everyone ate it pleasantly without any complaint, it was not like they could do much by complaining either.

In just 2 days the world had changed forever for many their plans and their futures were gone, as for many new futures were created, but what kept people going on was hope. the hope that they would get their life back or start anew, for those who had lost someone they could only move forward and perhaps start anew.

For the guy who was singing, playing his guitar in front of the fire, or the ones who shared their stories or played board games, they did not know what was to come tomorrow.

What kept everyone going was hope, just in a day the world was new. Something completely different, If the hope were to be gone what is going to happen?

As I went to bed, I closed my eyes.

[initiating...system]