The Final Run

The day began peacefully and quietly, but everything suddenly changed without warning when a powerful earthquake struck. The ground shook violently, causing several buildings to collapse. People panicked and ran frantically through the streets, overwhelmed with fear.

At the fire station, firefighters quickly prepared to respond to the crisis. Their hearts were filled with concern for the safety of their community. Rod, who was at home, prepared to go to the station, but before doing so, he made sure his parents were safe.

"Mom, Dad, I need to go. There's an emergency at the station." he said.

He tightly hugged his mother and father.

And when he was about to leave, Rod looked at his parents again and said, "I love you both." After saying this, he quickly left.

Upon arriving at the station, he quickly boarded the fire truck and immediately headed to the area most affected by the earthquake.

In an area severely affected by the earthquake, there was a person trapped under the rubble. His cries echoed, calling for help. Rod, filled with determination and courage, hurried to the scene of the tragedy.

"Don't worry, we're here! We'll help you!" Rod shouted to the person, always ready to serve and save lives.

However, while he was under the rubble, "BRA AAAARGH…" suddenly the large wall near him gave way and collapsed on him.

His colleagues rushed to rescue him immediately, but the rocks were not easy to remove, and the injuries were extremely severe.

"Rod! Rod!" shouted Captain Ramirez, filled with concern and apprehension for his colleague.

As his colleagues struggled to rescue him, he approached them and said, "Guys.. Guys, I'm okay."

But it seemed they didn't notice him until the rocks were removed by his teammates. It was then that he saw them lifting his lifeless body.

"W.. What?" Rod said to himself.

At that moment, he felt a strange anxiety, realizing that he had passed away and was now just a soul.

Until….. "Wussssshh." It seemed like a fast wind passed in front of him. Then, he heard a voice from behind him saying, "Mister, come with me."

When he looked, it seemed like a black angel was reaching out his hand, seemingly taking him to a place he didn't know. In his dazed mind, without hesitation, he followed along.

It seemed like a white hole emerged and they entered it. Then, a flash of light appeared to him. As his vision slowly returned, he saw a long line of people, of different genders, ages, and races.

After that, he was placed in the line by a black angel who came to get him.

"What is this? What is this line? Where am I? What place is this?" he asked himself.

"Sir. Excuse me, sir," he called out to a man in front of him. He wanted to ask questions, but he was being ignored.

As the line continued to move forward, he noticed only a few people entering the large gate, while most seemed to be taken by some angels and placed elsewhere.

As he approached the gate, he noticed someone sitting in front who seemed to be making decisions about where the people in front of him would go, with what appeared to be a book as their basis.

At this point, Rod had an idea. "Is this what they call the final judgment for the souls of those who have passed away?" Rod said to himself, feeling nervous. "There really is heaven and hell," he added, swallowing hard.

As his turn drew nearer and nearer, he finally saw where those who were not allowed to enter the large gate were going. It was a circular portal from below where souls not accepted into heaven were being dropped.

"That looks like hell," he said to himself.

And as he saw it up close, his hair stood on end. The sight and the voices coming from there were horrifying. It seemed like a hellfire engulfing souls, where even though they were submerged in the fiery pit, they could not die, so they felt the suffering intensely.

At this point, Rod almost cried out of fear. As there were only seven people left ahead of him in line, he slowly conditioned his mind, as if he already knew what his fate would be.

Until his turn came. Before him, thirteen people ahead of him were all dropped into hell.

Rod stood before the old man in white.

The old man spoke, "Rod. Uh..." and seemed to be searching for Rod's name in the book he held.

Rod suddenly spoke and said, "Rod Rodrigo, sir."

The old man looked at him and said, "Hmm, 90% of those who die and come here have no memory. Looks like you're adding to the remaining 10%."

With Rod saying his last name, it meant that his memory had not been lost.

"You know, Rod, some envy souls who retain their memories, but for others, it's considered a burden."

"However, having memories as a soul is not a basis for where you'll end up," the old man added.

"Alright, you can enter to the door of heaven." said the old man.

Rod's eyes widened in surprise because he expected to be dropped into hell since he knew deep down that his entire life had been filled with evil deeds.

The old man noticed this and said, "Are you surprised?" with a smile before continuing, "Do you remember a year ago? In prison, on a Sunday. That evening, you prayed tearfully and asked for forgiveness for all your sins right?"

"On that night, you accepted the Creator as your Great God and Savior. That was the day you let Him into your heart and declared that He would lead you," the old man added, smiling.

Rod suddenly swallowed and said, "Yes, that's right."

"But.." Rod said, still seeming incredulous.

"You know, Rod, it doesn't matter what your past was. What matters is that you had the opportunity to change your character before you lost your life," the old man said with a smile.