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.
