Part 24: Money Money

The Promised Land: 

(Part 24) Money Money

“You contacted the Atari?!” Caden looked about ready to punch Linus in the face.

“Of course not, Fireball,” Linus answered calmly. “No faster way to ruin business than to sell out your customers.” At this point he tilted his head and stroked his mustache in thought. “…unless, of course, the selling out carries with it a hefty amount of cookie dough.”

Caden’s fists turned white as they began shaking. “You cheating, lying, stealing-”

“Flattery won’t get you discounts.” Linus shrugged as he picked up a sucker lying on the ground and unwrapped it. “I thought I was being perfectly reasonable.”

“Only in your twisted head,” Cay spat, his face nearly as red as his scarf.

“It’s no fun being fair ALL the time. Right, Sugar?” Linus winked at Eden before putting the lollipop in his mouth with a smile.

Wrinkling her nose, Eden went around the counter and pulled Caden aside.

“I can take him,” he whispered, subconsciously rubbing his ribs.

“Yeah, because brute force always works.”

Caden looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Generally.”

“Look, you’re still healing from your last fight,” Eden continued with a different approach. “Just let me try. If I can’t talk some sense into him, THEN you can knock his brains out. Deal?”

She could see the teen mentally debating whether or not to agree to her plan.

With a huff, he said, “Have it your way.”

“Extra cheese, hold the lettuce,” she mumbled.

“What?”

“Nothing. Thanks, Cay. One more thing, can you lose the demon eyes? They kind of freak people out.”

Caden complied with a scowl. Turning around to Linus, Eden noticed he was picking up the fallen ammo clips and placing them on the counter. He was grabbing the last ones from the floor when Eden walked over. 

“Linus, was it?”
“Still is, Sugar,” he replied as he placed the last magazine on the counter. “Linus Beck. You his envoy?” he asked with a nod toward Cay.

“Nope. Here of my own accord.” Eden picked up Shiloh’s list from the countertop. “What’s the total of all the supplies on this list? I want a concrete number.”

The white lollipop stick moved from one side of his mouth to the other before Linus look it out and threw the clean stick away. He took the paper from her and started rambling off each item and its cost.

Caden retreated to the opposite side of the room and focused his attention on a mountain bike, which was held in place by various riggings against the wall. “Calm down,” he told himself, taking as deep a breath as his bruised ribs would allow. Deciding he needed to sit down for a bit, he leaned his back against the wall and slid to the floor. Cay’s head plopped into his crossed his arms as they rested over his knees. He vaguely heard Eden and Linus discussing product totals. “…two-week supply packs for 150, combo respirators for 60, hearing protectors for 20…” On the list went, but Cay’s mind had already drifted elsewhere.

He had about fallen asleep when a prod to his side surprised him. Shy was sitting beside him, eyebrows creased in concern. “You ok?” he signed.

“I will be alright,” Cay signed back. “Need sleep.”

After jerking his right thumb in Beck’s direction, Shy signed, “Color?”

“Grey.” After a moment of thought, Cay added, “Thanks for stopping me.”

Shrugging, Shiloh adjusted the violin case in his lap. Caden ran both hands through his hair and stretched, a few audible cracks emanating from his back. “I’m too old for this,” he thought with wry amusement. He rubbed a hand over his swollen neck before resting his head against the wall.

After moving the case around several times, Shiloh ended up setting it on the floor and staring off into space. He considered bringing up the note, but decided against it. Maybe another time. Right now, Caden didn’t want to be bothered and agitating him wasn’t usually a good idea. His attention drifted over to Eden and watched as she counted out bullets with the creeper shopkeeper.

“So, you tried to shortchange us,” she said, folding her arms in an attempt to be intimidating.

“Man’s gotta eat,” Linus replied with a halfhearted shrug. Disappearing behind a rack, he came back with the missing equipment. “Here’s what you asked for. How do you want the change?”

“Credit,” Caden spoke up. His head still tilted back and eyes closed, his scratchy voice filled the small room. “On a new card.”

“Smart cookie.” Linus took out a card and handheld machine from under the counter.

He swiped the card, punched a few numbers, and handed the card to Eden. “All yours, Sugar.”

Taking the card, Eden inspected it. It was white and blank, save the magnetic strip and serial number on the back.

Shiloh came up to the counter and proceeded to pack the excluded items. After handing a backpack to Eden and giving one to his brother, he wandered outside. Caden shot Linus a dark look before following.

Shouldering the bag, Eden said, “Sorry about earlier. He has some anger issues.”

“No worries, Sugar,” Linus replied as he started putting the ammo away. “Fireball’s doing great if that’s his only problem.” He continued from behind a shelf, “Kids these days don’t know the meaning of fun. Just anger and terror.” He came back to the counter, seemingly less upbeat. “There’s a sad commentary for you.”

Suddenly remembering her dead phone, Eden pulled it out of her pocket and showed it to Linus. “Do you think you might have a charger for this?”

Taking the smooth object and checking the port, he let out a whistle. “Very old model. Are you sure it still works?”

“Yep. Well, it would if the battery wasn’t dead.”

Nodding, he pulled out a basket containing a mess of tangled cords. Looking through the tangled electrical octopus, he tried different plugs until one fit. Pulling out a charger, he handed it and the phone back. “I just have one for the car.”

“That’s fine. How much is it?”

Pulling out a lollipop from under the table, Linus handed it to Eden. “On the house, Sugar.”

“Thanks… I guess...”

“Take care out there, gumdrop. It’d be nice to have customers live long enough for seconds.”

Eden contemplated the sendoff before leaving the store with a nervous laugh. 

Shoving the items in her pocket as she walked outside, Eden noticed the significant lack of a particular blue van. “Um… where’d Ezra go?”

Caden, tucking the ends of his scarf inside his black jacket, waited until she was beside him to start walking down the street. Shiloh immediately followed his brother, but it took Eden a minute to register that they were leaving. She caught up to them and asked again, “Where’s Ezra?”

“She finished her mission. We need to finish ours,” Caden replied while still walking, as was his habit.

“So she left…” Eden kicked a rock in her path. “Where are we going then?”

“To the contact’s house.”

“The dead one?”

“Unless you know another.”

With a suspicious look, she followed the two as they turned a corner and went down several alleys. “What about the assassin?”

“Hunter?” Caden stopped at a side door and pulled out a key. “If he shows up again, I’ll take care of it.”

 “Says the kid with a broken rib,” thought Eden as they entered the building and went up a set of stairs. The three found themselves in an apartment of sorts, bare and empty, save a few necessities. The room was furnished only with a cot, table, and chair.

“Grab what you need and let’s go,” Cay muttered as he went straight for the cot. Eden looked through some of the papers lying on the table while Shiloh opened various broken cabinets hanging on the walls. Eden ended up playing with an odd-looking transceiver until Caden found whatever it was he was looking for. Shoving something under the cot and heading back to the door, he said, “Time’s up.”

Part 23: Ka-ching

The Promised Land: 

(Part 23) Ka-ching

The owner of Sparrow’s rested his arms on the counter and leaned on them. His moustache twitched as a corner of his mouth turned into a smirk. He tapped the clips and said, “This ain’t gonna get you very far.”

“What’ll it get me?” Caden obviously wasn’t pleased, but his tone was almost mocking.

Holding up both index fingers as a sign to wait, Linus went to the back and rummaged around. Eden could see boxes getting thrown around and heard what sounded like marbles spilling out on tile flooring.

“Ouch!” Linus returned rubbing a spot on his head hidden by a navy blue baseball cap. Reaching under the counter, he pulled out a red pouch with a white cross on the front and three suckers.

Now it was Caden’s turn to fold his arms. “That’s ridiculous. I traded in Forte last month for fives times the amount of supplies!”

“Inflation rates, Fireball.” Linus shrugged as he unwrapped one of the suckers and stuck it in his mouth.

Caden ran a hand through his hair. “What’s it going to take to get everything on that list?”

Linus took out the red lollipop and pointed it at the clips with a smirk. “A lot more than that.”

With his own smirk, Caden turned his bag over above the counter. Bullets, magazines, and ammunition belts in all sizes and for all kinds of firearms spilled out on the wood with dulled tinks and clanks. It was a good thing the sucker was in his hand because Linus’s mouth dropped open.

“Sweet sugar rush,” he muttered in amazement. Letting out a low whistle, he pushed back the cap on his head and stuck the candy in his mouth. Glancing from the clips, to Eden, Shiloh, then Caden, the shopkeeper began stroking the patch of beard on his chin.

After a long minute or two of thought, he took the lollipop out and asked, “You got any Bitcoin?”

“That’s all we have,” Caden replied, motioning to the pile on the counter.

“What we got here,” Linus said with a grin, “is an invaluably opportune moment. Not two days ago, Atari came through here and wiped out my supply o’ ammo. Nearly robbed me blind. Normally I’m not the type to trade without Bitcoin credit, but I think I can make an exception.”

“Did you supply the bullets before or after they were sent through the Infected?” Eden asked in a voice unintentionally laced with disapproval.

“Both, Sweetheart,” Linus answered. “Hence my swift departure.” Noting the sour look on her face, he added, “No regrets.” Taking the list, he retreated to the racks behind the counter and started sorting through them.

Eden came up to the counter and started organizing the ammo by size. “So bullets are used as currency in the future?”

“Something like that,” Caden muttered while keeping a suspicious eye on the shopkeeper.

“It’s a barter system, Honey!” exclaimed Linus from behind a shelf. “We trade for pretty much anything, but everything has a different value. All depends on stock and demand.”

Eden held up a clip. “I take it ammunition is in demand?” Caden gave a single nod.

“To Atari lemonheads, at least,” Linus sauntered to the front carrying three large backpacks. They were similar to the one Caden and Shiloh had before, only perhaps a little smaller. When he placed them on the counter, he licked his lips, stretched his arms out, and started hauling the ammo together. Caden grabbed Linus’ sleeve to stop him. “Hold it.”

Without looking away from the man with the mustache, Cay grabbed one of the bags and handed it to Shiloh. “Check them.”

Taking the other two bags, Shiloh plopped on the ground and started sifting through the contents.

“I assure you, everything is as it should be,” Linus stated, “…for the most part.”

Shiloh pulled out a banana, 3D glasses, and a bowtie with a very confused look.

 “I KNOW THAT ONE!” Eden exclaimed when she saw the articles. Cay, Shy, and even Linus stared at her like she had just lost her mind.
“S-sorry,” she muttered as a self-conscious flush enveloped her cheeks. “I just… I know what that’s… Never mind.”

Looking at his twin, Caden asked, “What’s missing?”

Shiloh proceeded to fingerspell, but he was going too fast for Eden to keep up. Apparently, a lot was missing.

“I’ll just be going now,” Linus grabbed an armful of magazines and made a quick getaway.

“Get back here!” Caden hopped over the counter in pursuit. The shopkeeper made it about five feet before getting tackled.

“ACK! Get off, you little sugar monkey!”

Eden and Shiloh both saw the clips go flying as they peered over the counter.

“CADEN!” Eden dare not attempt to actually stop the lad, but she hoped he would at least pay some attention. He didn’t. He was working too hard to get Linus in a chokehold. Significantly taller, Linus fought jabbed Cay in the ribs with his elbow. The recipient quickly let go with a grunt and hugged his side. As soon as Linus stood up, Cay grabbed his legs and brought the man down. Eden was about to shout again when she felt something tap her shoulder. Shiloh handed her a pair of what appeared to be cordless headphones and waited until she put them on.

“Stop.”

He only uttered one word, but it was loud enough to sound like an explosion in Eden’s ears even with the ear protection on. The struggle ceased with both opponents covering their ears in pain. Caden looked particularly irate as he stood up. Instead of yelling at his brother, as Eden expected, he turned and yelled at Linus. “Quit trying to rip us off!”

“Who’s getting ripped off? Don’t you want a good source of potassium?” the shop owner questioned as he sat up and rested an arm on his knee. Looking at Shiloh, Linus smirked, “The way I see it, you can do one of two things. You can take my offer. Or you can stay here until the Atari come back.”

Part 22: Get Out Alive

The Promised Land: 

(Part 22) Get Out Alive

“If this guy knows everything, what’s to stop him from going to the orphanage?” Eden asked as they drove along.

“I was not the original contact for the package,” Ezra explained from her spot in the driver’s seat.

 “You weren’t?” Eden looked from Caden, who was resting in the reclined captain’s chair beside her, to Shiloh, who was riding shotgun.

“No,” Cay rasped, adjusting the bag of ice on his wrist. “The original died in the massacre.”

“So if he’s looking for the dead contact in Jericho, why are we going there?”

“Supplies.” Eden could tell he didn’t feel like talking. Not that she minded if he didn’t speak, it wasn’t exactly pleasant listening to his hoarse, crypt keeper voice. Not that he had anything encouraging to say anyway.

Twisting in his seat so he was lying on his side, Cay moved another bag of ice from its place on his throat to his bruised jaw. Eden absently stared at the bright red cloth covering most of his neck.

“Nice scarf.”

“Thanks.”

“Matches your eyes.”

Caden sent a short-lived glare in her direction before letting it drop with a short snicker and half smile. “Either he’s starting to appreciate my sense of humor or he’s too tired to care,” Eden thought with a smirk. “I’ll count that as progress.”

She looked out the window and watched as they entered the city of Jericho again. The place was still very foreboding. A chill snaked up her spine just thinking about her last visit. Ezra turned a few corners and drove through a part of town Eden hadn’t seen before. As they were slowing to a stop, Eden looked back at Caden. He looked like he had been dragged into unconsciousness by utter fatigue. When Ezra stopped the van, he jumped with a bloodshot, deer-in-the-headlights expression.

“We’re here.”

Getting out, Eden looked at her surroundings. They were parked next to a row of buildings that were stripped of their former glory. An old McDonald’s, a Taco Bell, a Dollar store, and a few more buildings: all empty. No sign of life in any of the buildings or on the street either.

“I am getting some serious I Am Legend vibes from this future,” Eden thought to herself.

The twins went inside of what was probably once a fast-food place at some point, while Ezra stayed in the van. Leaning over the see the mysterious woman through the window, Eden said, “I don’t mean to be sound rude or anything… but…”

“Why am I creepy?”

“Er, no.” Eden blinked. “I was just going to ask why you’re not coming. But yours is a better question.”

Ezra gave a faint smile. “Forgive me. Many people have asked that question before.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Eden thought to herself before stating, “You can’t really see the future, can you?” She got back into the van, trying to alleviate some of the awkwardness of the conversation.

Ezra shrugged. “I can see many things, most of which have not happened yet. But I only see pieces. Like giant puzzle, but few parts ever fit.”

“Why are you helping these kids?” Eden glanced at the door the brothers had walked through and lowered her voice without realizing it. “By all rights, they should be back at that orphanage themselves, not gallivanting through the land playing Wolverines.”

The older woman sighed. “Several years ago, I watched my loved ones die before it actually happened. No matter what I tried, I could not stop the inevitable.” She stared at Eden with a look she could not place. Sorrow, perhaps. Regret? “I did not choose them, just as I never chose you. But these pieces fit. Somehow, you are here to help change this world.”

Eden scooted away from the dark haired woman a little bit. “Sorry, I want to help, but I’m kind of a one trick pony and saving the world isn’t one of my tricks.”

“Change starts with action. Action starts with thought.” The strange woman inclined her head forward, as if waiting for a reply.

“Eden,” Caden’s voice echoed through the empty street. “You coming?”

As Eden left the vehicle, the gypsy smiled and whispered, “Think about it.”

The blonde sophomore followed the twins into an old, yellowed building. The door closed behind them with a tiny jingle. It was dimly lit inside, not unlike most buildings Eden had been in while in this land. Very few things lined the walls, mostly large equipment that would be hard to walk out of the store with unnoticed. Most of the wares hung on racks behind a large counter. Eden approached the counter with the familiar feeling she got when trying to decide what to order from Taco Bell’s menu. A loud DING rang through the store, making Eden jump nearly three feet in the air. Caden stood by a desk bell on the counter.

A gruff voice answered, “Hold your unicorns! I’m on my way!”

Eden raised an eyebrow, doubting her ears. “Did he really just say-”

A loud crash interrupted her as a tall, narrow man stumbled into the room and over something before managing to catch himself on the counter.

“… uh, hehe.” Standing up quickly, the man brushed himself off and cleared his throat. “Welcome to Sparrow’s! I’m Linus,” he said with his trimmed mustache curling up at the ends. “You’re just in time. I’m in the middle of moving shop. What do you need?”

Shiloh handed the man a list, while Caden watched. Eden noticed his eyes glow with a red tint as his face twisted into a frown. “That kid really needs to work on his trust issues,” Eden thought. The man studied the list for a few minutes before setting it down and pushing the sleeves up on his light blue hoodie. “That stuff ain’t cheap, gumdrops. Show me whatchya got.”

Caden took off the bag he kept with him at all times, pulled out three firearm magazines, and stacked them on the counter. Linus took the time to inspect each one of them. As he set the last one down, he looked back at the list.

"Well?" Caden demanded. 

Part 21: Fixed at Zero

The Promised Land: 

(Part 21) Fixed at Zero

Caden awoke with a start, his familiar Beretta ready to fire. Tap, tap tap. Cloudy eyes blinking into focus, he found no color to aid him. Where was that sound coming from? There! A large, and rather pesky, vulture tilted its head at Caden. It squawked loudly and continued tapping on the glass. Tap, tap, SCRASH! Reminding himself to explain the bullet hole in Ezra’s window later, Caden sat up and looked around. He wasn’t sure exactly where he was, but he knew he slept for much longer than intended. It was significantly lighter outside than it was when he fell asleep. Running a hand through his hair and exhaling in frustration with himself, Caden climbed into the driver’s seat, started the van, and speedily continued his delayed journey.

~*~

“A. B. C. D. Wait, that’s not a D? Oh, that’s an F. Ok. I think I get it now.” Eden practiced the alphabet again. Shiloh had taught her a few simple words, but they realized quickly that knowing the alphabet would greatly help. Physical objects were easy enough, but concepts and actions were a little harder to grasp for an outsider without spelling them out.

Eden practiced the few words she knew in front of Shiloh and watched for his approval.

“Chair. Food. Good. Bad. Happy. Angry. Sad. Friend. Yes. No.”

Shiloh smiled at her progress. “That’s a good sign, hopefully,” Eden thought to herself. She enjoyed learning the emotions best. Shiloh would make hilariously dramatic facial expressions to emphasize the emotion. Even though it wasn’t much, she felt like she was getting closer to understanding the mysterious teen sitting in front of her. It took her most of the night to finally get the alphabet down, but she felt proud of her work. Looking at the beds on the far side of the room, Eden pointed to the sleeping children. “Kid?”

Shiloh patted the air with one hand.

“What about more than one?”

He patted the air with both hands, as if there were invisible children sitting on the bed around him.

“Cool.” Thinking about various signs she saw both twins perform before, she asked, “What’s that sign that you and Caden keep doing? It’s something like this… I think.” Eden covered her fist with an open palm. Shiloh’s smile disappeared as he demonstrated the correct version of the sign and slowly finger spelled. 

“P. R. O. M. I. S. E. Promise?”

He returned a smile and nod. Eden realized how out of place Shy looked when he didn’t smile. Honestly, except for a few rare moments, it was like this kid was always smiling. “What makes you so happy all the time?” Eden wondered aloud. It wasn’t until Shy tilted his head with a curious expression that she realized she had actually voiced her question. “…did I say that out loud?” she asked, feeling awkward. The kid looked like he was trying hard to hold back a laugh.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to phrase it like that. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Making sure Eden was watching, Shiloh made a letter F with both hands, placed them together, then traced a circle in the air, ending with the outside fingers together. He repeated the gesture before slowly finger spelling it. F. A. M. I. L. Y.

“Family. You mean Caden?”

Shiloh nodded then pointed to the open door. “Hope? And Grace?” After another nod, he signed family and happy. “Family makes you happy.”

Shy pointed to Eden, then to himself and signed happy again. “I make you happy?”

Eden’s smile matched Shiloh’s. “You make me happy too.”

Without warning, red lights started flashing in the room. There was no sound, but Eden was sure it was an alarm system all the same. “Stay here,” she said as she got up to leave. Before she took a step, something grabbed her arm. Turning, Eden saw a look on Shiloh’s face that stabbed guilt into her. She realized she was leaving him alone just like Caden did. Shiloh shook his head and refused to let go. Sucking in her lips and contemplating her next move, she said, “Fine, come with me. But don’t try to be a hero, ok?” Grinning, Shiloh threw the covers off, jumped out of bed, and ran ahead of her. “Whoa! Hold up!” Eden took off down the hall after him. She almost had troubling keeping up with him. When they finally stopped, Eden bent over the catch her breath. “You’re… supposed to… be recovering! Don’t… do that!” She stood up and inhaled. “Where in the world do you get that energy?”

The teen shrugged and nodded to Hope, who was standing with Grace at the end of the hall. Coming closer, Eden noticed they were by the door.

“Someone’s here,” Hope whispered. Listening carefully, Eden barely heard what sounded like a vehicle pulling up to the door before stopping. A few tense moments passed before three heavy knocks pounded on the wooden frame. Eden suddenly didn’t feel so safe behind the triple-locked, rebar-bolted door. Hope looked too terrified to find out who it was. After what happened earlier in Jericho, who could blame her?

The doorknob rattled with three more heavy knocks.

“HUNTER! IF YOU’RE IN THERE, YOU BETTER TELL ME RIGHT NOW!” hollered a scratchy voice.

Hope gasped and called out, “Caden! It’s all right! Wait a minute!” With Eden and Shiloh’s help, she worked to free the door. Once it was open, Hope launched herself toward Caden and greeted him with a great, big hug.

Between the early morning shadows and the kid’s dark hair, Eden couldn’t see his expression. He entered the building with Hope still clinging to him, his arm around her shoulders.

The red lights turned off and yellow light flooded the hall. Ezra was leaning against the wall by the light panel. “Was I the only one actually asleep up until now?”

“Sorry, Ezra.” Caden croaked in a raspy voice as he looked from her to his brother. “Glad to see you’re still alive.” Shiloh formed a letter Y with his left hand and moved it back and forth between the two twins, a small frown crossing his face.

In the new light, Eden could see Cay’s face better and involuntarily give a look of disgust. “You look awful. What happened?”

“Picked a fight with a cave troll.” His sorely irritated tone softened when he spoke to his brother, “Hunter sold us out. He knows we have the package. He knows… everything.” Eden watched with concern. For once, Caden sounded… defeated.

“I think we should RTB.”