Prologue and Part 1: War of Change

The Promised Land: Prologue 

“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.”

(Part 1)
War of Change

“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 as 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 cashmere 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 $27,000 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 class, 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 midterm week. I have plenty of time to bring up my grades before finals. My afternoon class cancelled and I have a headache, so I’m going to take a nap and do homework when I get up. OK?”

There was a long pause before Eden heard her mom sigh on the other end. “Honey, I just want you to do a good job.”

“I know.”

“I’m sorry you’re not feeling well.”

“It’s fine.”

“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 now. I love you.”

"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. 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.