Everyday - Bon Jovi

  

I’m still not sure what I think about the color change. Don’t get me wrong, I love the purple, but it’s been blue for so long that I’m still getting used to it.

Well, it has been a good Spring Break. I spent half of it on a mission trip to Charleston, MO.

Monday: Spent the day door knocking and asking people if we could have Bible studies with them.

Tuesday: Cleaned out basements, houses, and windows or the elderly.

Wednesday: More door knocking and service projects.

We also went to Lamberts and Boomland. Both are awesome and I would recommend going. My favorite part was fellowshipping with other Christians. Also, stepping outside my comfort zone and trying to get Bible studies with complete strangers was pretty cool. I was terrified at first, but I was starting to get the hang of it at the end. I had never really done any door knocking before, so it was good experience.

In other news, I like making video game-themed jewelry and some of it found its way online. (Shameless Advertising) https://www.etsy.com/shop/SavvyGems

Also, I’m not exactly one part ahead. I’m mostly done with the next part and I’m still working on it, but I wanted to get this posted.

Hey, this semester is passed the halfway point. It’s all downhill from here, right? …. Right? …maybe?

Here’s another part of the story.

~*~*~*~*~

The Promised Land: (Part 7) Toy Soldiers

Eden sat on the ground with her legs crossed. “He took all our gear.”

“Including my best artillery,” Caden lamented.

Shiloh held up his hands with his index and middle fingers touching and waved them apart. After a moment of silence, Caden turned to his brother. “You could have saved the bacon, you know.”

“We have bacon?” Eden asked.

“Not anymore. Now that that’s over with…” Caden stood beside Eden and extended an open hand. “Can I have the package back?”

Eden reached into her pocket and pulled out the odd parcel. She stared at it for a few moments, turning it over in her hands. It wasn’t all that big, maybe six inches in length. It felt like a sturdy box beneath the brown paper wrapping, tied with hemp twine. Eden’s curiosity grew as she wondered why Caden tried to hide it from the soldiers. She looked up at Caden for an answer, but found him glaring at her through crimson eyes.

“Can I have it back… please?”

Eden held the package close and leaned away from Caden. “Why is it so important?”

“That’s none of your business.”

Eden pointed in the direction of the vehicles, steadily becoming upset. “You knew those soldiers would kill you if they found out we had it. If I’m traveling with you, it IS my business! I deserve to know!”

Caden remained stoic, his voice void of any emotion. “You don’t deserve anything. Now give it back.”

She stood up and backed away with a brazen glare. “What if I don’t want to?”

In a split second, Caden drew his handgun and leveled it with Eden’s face.

“WHOA! Hey now!” Eden jumped back and raised both hands. “Put that thing away!”

Caden made no move to lower the gun. In fact, he hardly moved at all as he spoke in a firm, calm voice. “Not until you give it back.”

His apathetic command scared Eden more than his irritated smart talk normally would.

“Fine, keep the dumb box! Take it!” Eden’s hand shook as she held out the package.

As promised, Caden didn’t put the weapon away until he had the parcel back in his possession. His eyes didn’t turn back to black until after he had the package either. As soon as he had it, he loosened up and spoke with his usual sarcastic flavor. “I knew you could be reasoned with.”

He handed the brown object to Shiloh, who had come closer to the pair after watching the events unfold from a safe distance. Shiloh tucked the parcel into his case and slung it over his shoulder. He then pulled out a small, electronic device from one of his pockets. Shiloh tapped it a few times and showed it to his brother. Caden nodded and looked at Eden. “Shall we keep moving?”

“Are you kidding? I’m not going anywhere with you!” Eden said with her hands balled into fists at her side.

Caden shrugged and began walking away. “Your funeral.”

Shiloh lingered behind his brother and motioned for Eden to follow.

“Thanks, Shiloh, but there’s no way I’m hanging around a PSYCHOPATH WITH A GUN!!” Eden shouted the last part to make sure Caden heard her.

He kept walking, but still replied. “I’d hate to be in your shoes when you come across wild animals. Or bandits. Or more soldiers, for that matter.”

“At least they’d treat me better than you do!” Eden folded her arms and turned her back to them.

“Wanna bet?” Caden muttered.

Eden gazed at the wilderness around her. Rolling hills of brown grass and black splotches of dirt spread out before her. The trees that weren’t broken were bare, black branches reaching to an overcast sky. The clouds were not as green as they were back at Freedom. Here, they were more of a steel grey color. Except for the wind and crunch of Caden’s boots on the ground, silence enveloped the scene. No people. No birds. Come to think of it, Eden hadn’t seen any animals at all. Her imagination kicked in as she wondered if they were all killed off or if they mutated along with the humans. Speaking of humans, she wasn’t thrilled about the idea of running into more soldiers. Her last two encounters did not leave a good impression. She was thinking about why people in the future seemed so fond of pointing dangerous weapons at her when she realized Caden stopped walking. 

He looked over his shoulder and said, “If you’re not coming, I want my coat back.”

Pursing her lips and deciding once again to stay with the crazy drifters, Eden shoved her hands into her pockets and marched toward Caden and Shiloh.

“Thought not,” Caden muttered as he and Shiloh resumed walking.

They went along for ten minutes or so before Eden cautiously spoke up. “So… that box… If it’s so important to you, why didn’t you just shoot the soldiers? Or keep driving? I mean, when armed soldiers drive up, you chicken out. But when it comes down to a helpless girl, you pull out a gun. I don’t get it.”

“It ‘s mandatory to give any vehicle bearing the national flag the right of way. I was trying to keep us under the radar. I was hoping they wouldn’t stop.”

“But they did and the first thing you do is hide the box.”

“You do realize it was nine against three, right?”

“So?” Eden rolled her eyes. “That’s only a three to one ration.”

“It wasn’t worth it,” Caden said as he kicked a rock in his path. “Blood upon blood doesn’t help anyone.”

“Didn’t stop you from aiming a gun at me,” Eden said with a sidelong glare.

“For the record, I wasn’t actually going to shoot you.”

“Pfft, like I’m going to believe that.” Eden struggled to keep anything excessively rude from escaping her mouth.

Caden shrugged as he walked along. “I don’t expect you to believe me. I just thought it was worth mentioning.”

“What about that guy back there? He pulled a gun on you and you didn’t even blink.”

“He wasn’t going to kill me.”

“How do you know?”

Caden hesitated for a moment before answering, “He was a different shade of blue.”

Eden recalled that the commander’s uniform was navy blue. “What does that mean? You kill them based on fashion choice?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” he said with a sigh.

“I could if you explained it.”

“You still wouldn’t get it.” Caden increased his pace so he was ahead of the two. He didn’t say anything more, just kept walking.

Eden exchanged glances with Shiloh, who had been walking beside Caden up to this point. Shiloh shrugged and some of his silver hair fell into his eyes. Eden thought back on the discussion between Caden and the weirdo.

“It’s because I’m a Pure, isn’t it?” she asked finally.

Fireside Dance - Oz soundtrack

Midterms already?! No wonder I already feel like being whisked away.
I'm not even halfway through the story yet! Close, but not quite. Actually... scratch that, not even close.

I'm still staying a part ahead, but just barely. These last few weeks have been fairly busy.

Oh look, a new character.

The Promised Land: (Part 6) The Final Solution

Caden’s eyes narrowed to dark slits when he heard the question. “What are you?” she asked, as if he and Shiloh were objects of contempt or creatures to be feared. The same response any Pure would have. Caden didn’t realize he expected her to have a different reaction until he found himself disappointed and slightly irritated. “Just like everyone else,” he thought.

“Untouchable,” he said aloud, absently staring out at the dry fields.

“Excuse me?” Eden asked in a timid voice.

Caden sighed and turned to her again. “We’re different. Shiloh and I are Infected, but we’re more than that. Some of those who survive the disease live with certain…”

“Consequences?” Eden finished for him.

“Side effects.”

“So… being diseased gives you super powers?” Eden mulled over the thought. That had to be the gift Shiloh told her about.

“That’s one way of looking at it,” Caden said in a somber tone as he turned back to watch the scenery. “As I said before, Jericho is still a good distance away. Please don’t feel obligated to talk the entire time.”

“But what if I-”

“Don’t. Please.”

Eden pouted as she huddled inside Caden’s large coat. She considered digging through the backpack next to her, just to see what was in it, but decided against the notion. Being shot by an angry fifteen year old wasn’t exactly something she wanted to check off her bucket list. Being bossed around by the kid was bad enough. “Still,” she thought, “I need to try NOT irritating the guy with the gun.”

An hour passed without a word on either side. Eden was just about to fall asleep again when she heard Caden whisper, “Trouble.”

Eden bolted upright and looked around. In the distance, Eden could see several dark vehicles approaching. Caden exhaled and ran a hand through his dark hair. “Pull over.”

“What’s going on?” Eden’s wide blue eyes darted back and forth between the vehicles and Caden. Shiloh turned the jeep off the road and parked. Meanwhile, Caden turned around in his seat and rummaged through the backpack in the backseat. He pulled out a pair of headphones and tossed them into Eden’s lap.

“What’s this for?”

“Just put them around your neck for now. Listen, I need you to do something for me.” He pulled a flat, square parcel out of his pocket and placed it into her hands. “I need you to keep this safe for me. Put it in your pocket.”

“What is it?”

“That doesn’t matter. If something happens to us, I need you take it to Jericho and find Ezra. She’ll know what to do.”

“If something happens? Who is she? What is this?” Eden couldn’t help but sound panicked. “What’s going on? I don’t understand!”

Caden took out various ammunition rounds from the bag next to Eden and stuffed them into his smaller bag. He checked the ammunition in several handguns and shoved them into his sack as well. Caden took his windbreaker off, slung the bag over his shoulder, and replaced his jacket. He glanced at the oncoming vehicles and turned his attention back to Eden. “Please listen to me. This is very important. Whatever happens, don’t say anything. Just do as I say and it will all be ok.”

Eden’s stomach flipped with anxiety as she looked back at the dark vehicles. “Promise?”

For the first time, Eden witnessed Caden smile. In the same manner Shiloh had done, Caden held up his right index finger to his lips then covered his left fist with his right palm. Before Eden could say a word, Caden’s smile disappeared as he nodded to his brother. Shiloh pulled his grey hood over his silver hair. Eden stuffed the paper-wrapped package into her jean pocket. It bulged a bit, but was easily concealed by Caden’s large coat.  

The vehicles turned out to be four black humvees with black and white flags on the front. Much to the trio’s dismay, the vehicles stopped on the road alongside the jeep and two soldiers from each vehicle got out.

For a few tense seconds, the three waited. The eight camo-clad figures aimed assault rifles at the jeep as a man wearing a dark blue military uniform and glasses stepped out of the first humvee.

 He walked to the jeep and inspected the passengers. He took off his hat, ran a hat through his dirty blonde hair, and put the hat back on.

“Well, well, well,” he said as he stepped up to Shiloh’s side of the jeep. “A bunch of delinquents taking a joy ride. You know, it’s illegal for children to drive a stolen vehicle.”

“It’s not stolen,” Caden piped up.

“Is that so? I have trouble believing that.” The man turned directly to Shiloh, but the boy kept his head down. “What business do you have in Jericho?”

Caden replied, “Just visiting.”

“I didn’t ask you,” the man shot back at Caden, but continued to question Shiloh. “Well? It’s rude to ignore people. Answer me!”

“He doesn’t talk,” Caden interjected.

“A mute?” The man tilted his head for a moment. “Must be a deaf mute. Look at me when I’m talking to you.” The man yanked the grey hood back and stood in stunned silence when he saw Shiloh’s silvery hair. “Oh.” He backed away and rubbed his gloved hand against his uniform. “Well that explains it. He’s a Diseased, ” he said with ease. “Out of the jeep.”

“But we were only-”

“OUT! NOW!” the man commanded.

The three scrambled out of the vehicle and lined up between the man and the jeep. In the clouded daylight, Eden noted that he only looked to be older than her by a few years. There was a silver star embedded in his hat and star shaped buttons on his uniform. As the commander walked down the line, Caden’s irises turned deep red.

“You’re a Diseased as well,” he said as he kept walking. He stopped in front of Eden and leaned in quizzically. Eden didn’t realize he was wearing glasses until his hazel eyes were staring at her through half rimmed spectacles. “And what about you?”

“Would you risk it?” Caden interrupted.

“Perhaps not.” The man stood back and looked over the motley crew. “Well, that’s a shame. We ran into your kind back in Jericho. It’s truly remarkable how much pain your people can stand. I couldn’t find it within my heart to leave them in such pitiful condition.”

He pulled out a pistol and stared at it as he continued. “It was in their best interest to relieve their misery. Perhaps I should do the same for you.” The man pointed the gun at Caden’s head.

Caden stood his ground, unflinching. For far too many agonizingly long moments, Eden feared they would all be shot and left for dead on the side of the road.

What felt like an eternity later, the man lowered the gun and chuckled. “Such nerve. You still have time before the sickness takes control. Enjoy that time while you have it. Meanwhile, I’ll be taking that vehicle of yours.”

He put the gun away and motioned to his subordinates. Shiloh dove into the jeep and retreated with his black case just as two soldiers pushed their way through to commandeer the vehicle. The man and the rest of the soldiers returned to their humvees and drove off with the jeep right behind them.

The trio watched the dark shapes grow smaller in the distance.

Eden, thankful the episode was over, shivered. “That creep just stole our jeep.”

Caden nodded. “Joke’s on him. It’s running on empty.”

~*~*~*~

By the way, happy Pi day.