One Last Thing

It turns out unending life means only unending tragedy. This place – this cruel New World – is a deranged farce. While it is true that Death has lost its teeth, there are a thousand ways the island will take from you. From the cracked and broken minds of those unfortunate enough to suffer the ages to the fraying souls of the Lost, one thing is clear: nothing lasts forever. Not even here. And worse still than any other doom is the Corruption: a parasitic curse that saps the will, dominates the mind, and steals the body. Yet there is one advantage to a life made hollow: fear has abandoned me. Whatever comes; whatever torments await me at hands of the Corrupted, it will no doubt be a welcome reprieve from the ever-present yearning for what I once possessed. Love. Family. Honor. Dignity. Peace. All gone. All ripped from me like coins by a cutpurse. When Yonas made his offer, I knew: it was my last chance to save what’s left of my soul from oblivion. To keep my body from wandering this God-forsaken land, an endless torment for those still clinging to what remains of their humanity. But I wonder how long my hate can keep me bonded to this cruel world. I suppose time will tell, for it is all that I have left to give. -Judithe Owens