I'm a nerd. Deal.
It’s been a while since I posted
anything story-wise. I figured I would let you guys see a bit of my newest work
(they’re multiplying, I know). Hopefully, I can get a good portion (if not all)
of it done over break. Here’s hoping.
This is the beginning. I seem to
start out with some really annoying main characters (in my opinion). Hopefully,
most of them turn out semi-decent by the end. *shrugs *
Anyhow, on with the story.
You can listen to this while you
read, if you like epic instrumental background music. If not, that’s ok too. At
the end is a song that is sort of the theme for this story. Sort of. Some
lyrics fit more than others, but you’ll get the gist of it.
Happy reading.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Promised Land
“Is this worth dying for?”
Eden stared at the brown parcel in
her hands. Visions of her journey thus far plagued her mind as she searched for
an answer. How much had she lost just for her to end up here? Had she gained
anything at all? Here in the midst of the enemy’s clutch, she was defenseless.
Yet something nagged at her, eating through her very core. Something that
screamed, “It doesn’t end here.”
Eden continued to stare as tears
filled her eyes. “I’m not giving up.”
The Promised Land: War of Change
(Part 1)
“There’s nothing to eat.” Eden Teknia
poked at the food on her plate: mashed potatoes and some sort of meat masquerading
as chicken. It was lunchtime and the university cafeteria was full of noisy
students, just like it is at noon every day. Eden wasn’t tuned in to the
conversation of her friends, having lost interest a while ago. With a sigh, she
shoved the plate away, stood up, and walked to the grill, looking for a burger.
She impatiently picked bits of
fluff off her brown long-sleeved sweater while waiting. It was mid-October, but
this week had been the first time Tennessee weather decided to agree with the
calendar. Eden wouldn’t normally have minded the weather change, but she was
still getting over a cold and the low temperatures weren’t helping any. When she
finally received her burger, she was disgusted to find the meat patty charred.
As if it weren’t bad enough that she had a headache and wasn’t feeling well now
the school expected her to eat charcoal?
“What is this?” Eden demanded of
the cook. She continued before the man could answer. “This is completely
burned! I’m not paying $20,000 a year for burned food! Why do you even work
here? Never mind, I’m getting something else.” With a sharp motion she set the
plate on the counter and stormed back to her table.
Eden tapped her friend Mary on the
shoulder. “Hey, I want to go to Taco Bell. Can you drive?”
“Sure,” Mary replied in a somewhat
hesitant voice. Eden pulled on her jean jacket, grabbed her backpack, and
headed out the door. Fifteen minutes later, Eden and Mary sat in the lobby of
the girls’ residence hall, munching on delicious tacos and quesadillas.
“How did you do on your psych quiz
this morning?” Mary asked between bites.
Eden crumpled a taco wrapper into
a ball. “Bombed, like always. The teacher has no idea what he’s doing. He makes
the quizzes overly complicated.”
“Have you settled on a major yet?”
“Nope. I thought about Education,
but I don’t think I can handle being in a room with a bunch of snotty brats
every day. ”
“That’s a little harsh.” Mary
refrained from mentioning that she was an Elementary Education major. “What
about a lawyer?”
“Like my dad? Nah, too much
paperwork.” Eden took a sip of Mountain Dew before continuing. “I like the idea
of being a doctor, but that requires a lot of science classes.”
“Whatever you decide to do will
require a lot of classes.” Mary checked her watch to keep track of time. “I
have a 1:30, so I better get going.” Grabbing her backpack, Mary waved as she
headed out.
Eden collected the trash and threw
it away. She slung her backpack onto a shoulder and walked back to her room, her
headache having decided to abate for the time being. On her way to the second
floor, her phone rang.
“Hey,” she answered.
“Do you want to try explaining the
two Ds first or should we skip straight to the F?”
“Why don’t we go over the two As
instead?”
“Don’t be smart with me.”
“Love you too, mom,” Eden muttered
as her headache returned. She stayed silent as her mother ranted about
responsibility. Eden took her time getting to her door at the end of the hall.
Her mother was about finished when Eden unlocked the door and stepped inside
the empty room. She let her bag slide off her shoulder and onto the floor with
a loud thud.
“Listen, mom,” Eden said at last,
trying to get off the phone. “It’s only midterms, I have plenty of time to
bring up my grades before finals. My afternoon class today cancelled and I have
a headache, so I’m going to take a nap now. OK?”
There was a long pause as Eden
heard her mom sigh on the other end. “Honey, I just want you to do well.”
“I know.”
“I’m sorry you’re not feeling good.”
“It’s ok.”
“Are you coming home for
Thanksgiving break?”
“Yes, mom.” It was hard for Eden
not to sound annoyed, but she was glad her mother wasn’t angry any more. “Can I
take a nap now?”
“Oh, right. I’m sorry, honey. I’ll
let you go. I love you.”
“Love you too, mom. Bye.”
Eden hung up and flopped onto the
bed. Though it wasn’t quite as soft as her bed back home, it was welcome reprieve
from a stressful day. Eden didn’t bother taking off her shoes or jacket. She
didn’t even bother setting the alarm. She curled up with her soft plush turtle,
pulled a comforter over her head, and fell asleep.
It was dark when Eden woke up. It
wasn’t a sound that woke her, but a smell. It started out as the faint smell of
wood burning, like a campfire, but then it grew stronger. So strong that she woke
up choking on smoke.
Eden rolled off the bed with a
painful thump and crawled to the door in panic. Tears stung her eyes as she
tried to see through the smoke. The door was already open and Eden heard a lot
of noise in the hall.
Unable to stop coughing, Eden stood up and ran to the
nearest exit, down the stairs, and outside. She collapsed to her knees as she
continued to cough. The air smelled worse outside than it did inside. It was a
foul odor, similar to the smell in Eden’s biology classroom. The same stench
her classmates jokingly referred to as the smell of death. It burned her
nostrils and clogged her lungs. The noise Eden heard in the hall was also
louder outside. All Eden could make out was garbled shouting and an uneven tapping
sound.
Rata-tata-tata-tat. Shouting. Tap, tap, tap. More shouting. Rata-tata-tata-tat. Eden’s cough dwindled to
a wheeze as she struggled to breathe. She stood up and tried to keep walking. She
stopped when five figures dressed in camo surrounded her. Every one of them wore
a gasmask and each one held a gun pointed directly at her.
~*~*~*~
Here's the theme song, as promised. Like I said, this will give you a basic gist of the story.
~ Never Alone ~
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