NYAC | 3min Read
Published on May 14, 2026
THE LAST DAY
THE LAST DAY
The world as we knew it had come to an end.
There was a huge blow of dust that smacked into my face, in the middle of a dry field. The
war zone. I held my rival’s collar in the air as I removed the knife from his back and tossed
him onto the uneven, fallow ground. There was a grunt of pain, and even though I couldn’t
see with the dust in my eye, I knew it was my enemy’s. After so many years of friendship
and fighting, I felt he deserved a few last words.
“If only you had joined me from the start, we would’ve made a marvellous team, and all this
would’ve never happened.
” I gestured out to the large extent of a deserted field filled with
bodies of dead soldiers.
“I- I-
” He stammered as blood reached his lips and he was coughing.
I continued to speak.
“Look around you. There’s nothing you can do or save now. This is what you get for the pain
you caused me. I took everything from you just like you took everything from me! The
villain never wins right? Well, it seems you’ve failed this time.
”
I could only see red now and my eyes burned, but even in his final moments, I couldn’t give
him the satisfaction of seeing me distressed.
“You thought you could be the hero?”
“For- for a while,
” He finally wheezed out,
“For a while, I thought you could be”
.
It seemed as though he put all his energy into saying those 8 words, because now, he was
dead.
The hero was dead. And I felt no remorse. There was a certain calm in the air.
I had won. My breath slowed down in relief.
It would all be worth it.
I looked around the war zone, the sweltering heat blazed down on all the destruction I had
caused. All for what? I remembered the reason why I fought and started to run, to find her.
I reached the cave after what seemed like forever. The dust in my eye was replaced with
sweat, running down my forehead. There was no one in the cave. Panic ensued as I looked
around in search of my daughter. My only living kin. A decision was made for her safety that
she would stay here, as I finished things off in the final stage of the battle.
Horror overcame me at the thought that I might lose her. I ran around in a frantic state.
The sun remained hot and the soldiers remained dead. I spent the whole day looking, until
finally I came upon a stream. When I reached close to it, the stream appeared red. Blood
red. Looking at the source of the stream, I rushed to my daughter. I kept her in my embrace
as the sun set, ending the last day of my life. Her midriff bled as I wept on her injuries, in
hope of them healing from my tears of guilt and regret. Her eyes were open and they
wouldn’t close, as if she knew her death was untimely. There were scars on my body from
the years of fighting but no scar cut deeper than this. I fought till the end of mankind,abused by power, all for her. Now, nothing else mattered except for the lifeless child I held
in my arms. Thousands of soldiers had died in my hands, but my daughter is the only one I
am accountable for. Humanity has fallen, yet I cry only for one death. None of this was
required for our safety. I pursued immorality for my victory.
And yet, I was never the villain until now. I finally realised what I had done.
The world as I knew it, had come to an end.
