One day after tomorrow

One day after the end

Chapter 01

Carolina was sitting on the porch of her house, she had a basin of water in her hands where she was scrubbing some clothes, she was tired and her body was as hot as it seemed to bear it, taking a break and looking at the blue of the clean and sunny sky that conveyed that the heat would continue without the relief of rain, which was not common in the city of São Paulo, but that year things were different and she looked at the dry clay on the ground cracked due to the heat; that was a common scenario in the northeast of Brazil and not in the big metropolis.

She rubbed her arm across her face, wiping the sweat from her forehead and remembering her past, "How I miss" she sighed to herself "living several seasons in one day", the sigh gave way to a smile when she remembered how confusing it was to wake up on a sunny morning, go out to work and after a few kilometers come across a rainy and cold day, as it used to be in big cities, before things started to move out of place and everything started to change, she missed of the life he had before, regretting not noticing the importance of details and not appreciating more what now did not exist.

That was yet another day in which the heat bothered Carolina, she also missed the air conditioning that in the near past kept her cool wherever she was, whether in the car, in the mansion or even in the huge office she had on the top floor of the most expensive building in São Paulo, where it overlooked the entire city.

Carolina leaned her back against the wall, pulling the basin between her legs, that was now the source she had to cool off, because even the simple stone tank she had in the house was rationalized due to the scarcity of water and the demand for the use was so great that Carolina preferred to move things forward, but for her this was not the biggest problem, but the fact that most people gathered in that place, making it one of the noisiest and most invasive places in the house, unlike the porch from the front, where no one wanted to be afraid of being surprised by some thief, or evolutionist soldier, without even having time to manage to hide from death, but for her it was better to take that risk than having to interact with the rest of the people who lived in the house with her.

She rubbed one side of her blouse, remembering once again the past, as it never crossed her mind to have to one day return to doing any kind of menial service, as she had many employees for that and sometimes it seemed unbelievable that that life in months it was gone. Carolina leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes, traveling in her memories was the only thing she could do in those days to survive. She remembered how important she was with her social clothes and her high heels, at that time she could eat all the best and didn't skimp on her desires, buying extremely expensive things to satisfy her ego and not her hunger, and now the each day that passed he ate only what was necessary to not die of hunger, remembering when he had the treatment he wanted for his body, the exterior that many looked at and desired while his heart closed more and more to everyone, hiding in itself the that it was real to pass on an image of a firm and independent woman capable of achieving what she wanted only with her effort and ability, making this image real over time, leaving the importance in her feelings, but now that image of an iron woman did not interfere nothing and she didn't understand how to deal with herself and the people she had to live with, she remembered the time it took to get her empire and everything she sacrificed to get it, of how many hearts he broke in half with his greed and as much as he had lived years of a luxurious life and missed the life he had, now he realized that all those years did not help at all in his current life, in his hammock in a room with five other women, she saw that not even the knowledge in which she had invested so heavily was helping her at that moment.

Carolina often had the impression that she was tolerated because of the religion of those people, she didn't know if she was a loved or desired person in that place, but she tried not to care what people thought of her stay in the house, because she didn't have to where to go and that group of people, even though believing in strange things for her the safest thing she had ever seen, even though their belief put her at risk, as they were people persecuted due to the ideology they defended, she understood that the world lived in a moment of great upheaval and thought that maybe it would take years for that upheaval to heal and if so, thinking that the fact that one person was breathing after the great war was enough to be at risk, noting that the world had more people like her than like the people who lived in that house, people had lost more than material goods in the great war, most lost achievements, dreams and people they loved, the country that was known before Due to his mood, he now carried in his chest the pain of the internal and external destruction of the people that he cruelly lost without even having a chance of defense; but the mass destruction of lives and places was not enough, the war was something so cruel and intense that it even reached nature, harming the ecosystem and everything for which many countries killed, going to their homes in peace and leaving the people with nothing. Caroline understood the revolt that those people felt because she also did not conform, after the bombings the internal struggle for survival began, revealing the character of many, where groups were formed according to what they had in common and formed new families that with the strength that they had fought to defend what they thought and also to survive, the cause was broken and Carolina knew it, she understood that without laws there were no limits and what was right for her could be wrong for someone else. She feared being alone for her life and stayed with them just to not be killed or raped elsewhere, she also knew that it was difficult to eat with them, but that alone would be more difficult, so she stayed, said little so as not to destroy anyone with all the instruction he received before being expelled from the group, he also appeared at meetings so as not to imply that he disdained his faith and, deep down, he preferred that more people believed in the love they believed in than in the anger that people conveyed.

Carolina's thoughts and journey were interrupted by the creaking of the gate being opened, running in a daze behind the empty and dirty water source she had beside her in the weed-covered backyard, leaving behind the basin with the clothes, feeling her heart throbbing so aggressively that it made her chest hurt, generating the feeling that she would die right there, having a fit before even seeing who was entering, but thinking of a way to warn those at the bottom of a possible invasion. The region where they were, was dangerous and the large house located in the middle of a forest, in the place there were no other residences in sight, but rumors that that space was empty because of the supernatural beings that inhabited, circulated and frightened people and people. away from that area. No one who lived in the house had seen one of these beings, but rumors described them as great bloodsucking beasts, people said that in the past they hid from civilization because they were smaller in number, but since now everyone lived in small groups, these such bloodsuckers were attacking and killing more and more human beings. Carolina had never seen one, but feared they existed, preferring not to risk trying to find out if they were real or not.

Standing there, she was relieved to see that it was Vagner who was returning with the small group of men who had left early. Carolina was part of that group because of Vagner who rescued her from death and loneliness, at the beginning of the attacks the rich received differential treatment and she paid for their security, but when the banks and large financial institutions were blown up the rich began to being poor and without reference to payment the protection ended, so one day lost and afraid grabbing her bags sitting and waiting for the end in the middle of those causes was when she met Vagner, since the beginning of the war he set up places of refuge and always went out to looking for food and people who wanted to receive Christ as their savior, he went out to preach the gospel, the gospel being something hated by the new society that emerged, he also rescued people who like Carolina had no one and within that context while Vagner ran away from a group of evolutionists who wanted to kill him and whoever was with him was, when he saw Carolina in tears, he didn't say anything, he arrived like a prince and taking her by the hand and helping with the bags, he pulled her forcing her to run with him from those pursuers. She didn't see where he came from, but Vagner later said that God told him to go that way to rescue her, that he had a purpose on the most difficult path, always calling her God's purpose. Carolina did not quite understand how Vagner managed to listen to the voice of God, but she observed that people believed that he had this direct and intimate contact with God, and he was not the only one in that place who claimed to hear the voice of God.

Many were Carolina's memories of this type of statement when things were still normal, she saw on television the scandals involving churches and people who took advantage of people's faith to take what they earned with so much effort, but at the moment it was so different, because none of those people had anything to lose, many like her had only their clothes and nothing else, not even the house they were in had an owner, no one had anything but their living body, so sometimes she came to believe that somehow some of them spoke to God, the vast majority being so different from the rest of the people, in that environment most wanted something in common, something that Carolina wasn't sure if it existed or if it was just a tale they were based on, because they believed and wished, more than their own wishes to go to heaven, for her to believe in something like that was difficult, but she did not question it and many times she even wanted to think how they thought. svam, believing that if he could, he would become a less selfish and lonely person, but it was difficult, everything that, even though it was good, seemed like a fable.

Carolina thought that Vagner was a handsome and different man, being a man of one and eighty height, brown hair and black skin, his beauty was attractive, but she didn't think that the two had anything to link them sentimentally, nor did she think that he he was her type and she his.

Vagner was centered on God, everything he said, did and lived was for God, unlike her who thought only of herself, not understanding that thought that existed, sometimes thinking that faith was a comforting illusion, because believing is a being that he was neither seen nor touched, but that spoke, manifested, felt and that everything was for him, it seemed even more crazy, she saw the bible they believed in, she knew it had been written by men, but believing that humanity was constituted from Adam and Eve and that same humanity would only be saved through Jesus Christ who had been killed many centuries ago was too much for her, thinking that those people were alienated, but she saw no harm in the face of the new life that everyone was forced to live, because there was no other option .

At that moment in life when groups of people formed to defend their existence, being faced with the ideology that they should love their neighbor as themselves was safer, because the police and the laws, rules and punishment that generated control no longer existed. and shame about human beings, so walking alone was asking to be killed or enslaved in the worst possible ways, that group asked nothing of her and she didn't expect anything from them, staying there and helping with some things, but always isolated, always listening the meetings that were held at night to share their faith and striving not to disrespect or offend anyone.

Carolina was with them long enough to realize that not everyone professed the faith the way they said, identifying some people who were bad and rough and even though she avoided them, there was always one or another that provoked her, she knew that the feeling that moved those women against her, it was the envy of a life that no longer existed, that had been destroyed along with the city's banks leaving her poor, she knew that the reason for her pain was the cause of being hated by those people, but a something had not gone away with the upheaval of life, which was her beauty, at least when looking in the mirror she could see herself and she saved with her life the few beauty products she had left and against that those women had nothing to do , for many years Carolina took care of her appearance, becoming a beautiful and attractive woman and there was no way to hide it, even though she did not wear short clothes and was not a vulgar woman, she knew that her curves caused envy for the where to pass. Also, whenever Vagner found a cosmetic, he gave it away, which was another reason for being chased by those women, but Carolina didn't care about them or anyone else who was there.

The difficulties of the place did not take away the security she felt for being there, their faith did not diminish the need in life to be part of a group, so she followed the way that life taught her to do, ignoring the people who came against her and striving to care for and benefit itself.

Vagner always tried to insert her into the things they did, but for Carolina it was difficult, yet he never gave up and always made her smile. She knew that if she went before, he wouldn't have a chance to even get to her side, but in that reality that beautiful smile he had sharpened her feelings; as well as the happy eyes and the attractive lips, but even in that reality they didn't make a couple. Vagner was more than a leader, a peacemaker, he took care of those people, being like a father, a direct channel between God and them, not even having time for himself, but being very happy and complete with this lifestyle he had adopted.

When Carolina imagined the two together, she always thought that if one day her thoughts became real, she would have to be the mother of all those people and that was not what she wanted. Killing in her mind any chance of being with him, even wishing that he found a woman who followed his lifestyle, but realizing that this was her concern and that of some women who insinuated themselves to him, with the intention of getting him. She believed that if he got married, she wouldn't create expectations of being with him and that way she would stay more time kept inside herself and safe.

CHAPTER 02

“I'm glad you're there” said Carolina when she saw Vagner come in with the group that accompanied him”.

“What are you doing out front alone ?” he asked trying to figure out why she was behind the fountain.

“I was just doing some laundry,” she said, pointing to the basin.

Vagner knew that Carolina was a lonely woman, but unlike her, he didn't think that loneliness was freedom, but a deep depression, he believed that she knew that, but that touching the wound he had in his soul would be something painful and suffering, that she didn't want to do it, even at the risk of never being able to socialize with anyone and not even be able to start a family, knowing that that was the price she carried in her heart for avoiding the momentary pain of healing her soul. But I thought that the most she could do was pray asking the Holy Spirit to convince her to allow herself to be healed by him.

“We brought plenty of water,” he said, poin