Part 26: Astronaut

The Promised Land: 

(Part 26) Astronaut 

Eden stood up and wiped her eyes with a sleeve. Extending her hand to Caden, she asked, “Friends?”

“Close enough,” Cay responded as he grabbed her hand.

She pulled him up and immediately had to steady him when he started swaying. “You all right?”

“Head hurts,” he muttered.

Eden winced when she recalled using the block of wood like a bat. “Sorry about that.”

“I deserved it,” he said getting into the backseat again. “Just forgot you could hit that hard.”

As Eden got into the front, she could hear him buckle the seatbelt. “Where to?” she asked Shiloh.

The silver-haired youth pointed straight ahead.

Taking the phone and charger out of her pocket, Eden made sure they were plugged in before getting back on their journey. A few moments slipped by before another word was said.

“I don’t hate you, by the way,” an exhausted voice spoke from the back.

“What?”

“I think you’re really annoying some times. All the time. But I don’t hate you,” Caden muttered, head resting on his backpack and eyes closed. “Just thought you should know. Might make this easier.”

“Aww, you do care.” Eden smirked.

“Blame it on the concussion.”

They went the majority of the ride in silence, much to Eden’s dissatisfaction. Had she had a way to play music, she might have played something with a heavy bass. Ironically, loud music calmed her. Even so, she found herself with a particular melody in her head. The lyrics to the chorus came to mind after she thought through the first few bars.

“Cause tonight I’m feeling like an astronaut,

sending SOS from this tiny box,

and I lost all signal when I lifted off.

Now I’m stuck out here and the world forgot.

Can I please come down?

Cause I’m tired of drifting round and round…”

She almost started singing a couple times throughout the trip, but that might have woken the sleeping teen. The poor kid needed rest, especially after his eventful days of fighting. Eden did feel bad for whacking him so hard. Sort of. It achieved its goal, so she felt that she couldn’t be too upset.

He was right about Shiloh’s directions. The silent navigator let Eden know which way to go. When he signed left or right at any given turn, Eden felt like she was following a muted GPS. She wished he could talk without blasting out her eardrums, even if just to break the silence. They stopped three hours later for food. Apparently, the car was designed to be a getaway vehicle for the contact as there were food rations and extra gasoline in the trunk. They only stopped for half an hour before getting on the road again. Two hours in, Eden found herself yawning and Shiloh offered to drive for a while. She meant to stay awake for the entire trip, but dozed off.

When she woke up, her neck was stiff and it took a few minutes before her eyes adjusted to the lighting. It had grown quite dark as she slept. She then realized Caden was in the driver’s seat. “How long have we been driving?” she thought. “When did they switch seats?” Looking out the window, they were pulled up to a large metal gate. Behind the gate stood a tall, concrete building. She couldn’t see much of it, but what she did see wasn’t very promising.

“Where are we?” Eden asked as she stretched in her sear.

“Here,” Caden got out and walked over to a panel near the gate. Blue light emanated from the panel as he typed away on a holographic keyboard. As the light died, Eden was startled when the car stated to sink. Eden struggled with the seatbelt when Cay got back into the car.

“What’s your problem?” he asked with a smirk. It was then that Eden realized that, as the car lowered, an entrance was forming in front of her. Once they stopped moving, Cay drove into a large area, reminiscent of an underground parking garage. Only this was far larger than any parking garage Eden had ever seen. The sidewalls that could be seen were grey slabs of concrete, but they extended to such a distance that Eden could not fathom their end.

A number of soldiers surrounded the entrance. At least, Eden felt the term “soldier” was general enough to encompass the individuals standing on guard around her.

These people looked more like a group of guerilla fighters than soldiers from any conventional army corps. The faces of the men and women behind the various shades of camo and loaded automatic rifles wore the same expression: weariness.

As Caden parked and got out of the car, a young woman jogged over with a pair of goggles on her head and a clipboard in her hand.

“Blitz! Where have you been?!” she demanded with a huff. “We haven’t received word from you in over 72 hours! Do you know what the protocol is for that?”

“Dead or taken,” Caden answered while opening the trunk and pulling supplies out. “Obviously, we are neither.”

Eden helped Shiloh get the things from the backseat.

“Obviously…” the woman repeated absently as she jotted a few notes down. “Who’s she?” Eden looked up to see the woman pointing at her with a pen. “I don’t think she’s authorized to be here.”

“She’s with us.” Caden slammed the trunk closed. Dropping two of the backpacks at the woman’s feet, he added. “Fully stocked. Find someone who needs them.”

Taking the remaining backpack from Shiloh, Cay threw it over a shoulder and walked right by the lady. Shiloh, with his violin case in hand, followed his brother. Eden ducked back into the car to get her phone and charger before catching up to the two.

“Let Xidorn know we’re heading to see him,” Caden called over his shoulder.

“You can’t right now,” the woman said while writing on her clipboard. “He’s in a meeting.”

“Not for long,” Cay muttered under his breath. 

Part 25: Somewhere I Belong

The Promised Land:

(Part 25) Somewhere I Belong

They exited the building and walked down the street until they came to a full parking lot. Lifting up a set of keys, Caden pressed the remote button and one of the cars lit up with a small honk. Making his way toward the black car, he tossed the keys to Eden. “You wanted to drive, right?”

Catching the keys, Eden stared at them in confusion. “Sure, I guess. I don’t know where we’re going though.”

“Shy will tell you,” was all he said as he threw his backpack into the backseat and got in.

With Eden in the driver’s seat and Shiloh navigating, they drove out of the parking lot. For a few seconds, all was quiet.

Then an explosion went off behind them, causing Eden to jump and nearly swerve into a fire hydrant. Slamming on the brakes, the car screeched to a halt and Eden turned around in her seat. “What was that?!”

Smoke floated up between the buildings outside the back window.

“Just a security precaution,” Caden muttered in agitation, picking himself off the car floor after the sudden stop. “You mind watching the brakes?”

“Put a seatbelt on.” Eden glared at Caden. With an irritated huff, he buckled the middle seatbelt before lying across the seat. Hearing another click, Eden realized Shiloh hadn’t been buckled this whole time either. Quickly shooting a glare at Shy, she directed her question to Caden. “What do you mean by security? Why did you just blow up a building?”

“Like I said, it’s just a precaution,” he defended. “The less evidence, the better. I’m just glad we got there before Hunter or the Atari.”

“Why didn’t we go there in the first place?”

Caden ignored her, pulled the backpack under his head, and tried to go to sleep. Putting the vehicle in park, Eden turned around and smacked Caden on the shoulder.

“Ow! What was tha-”

“Quit ignoring me!” Eden demanded. “You act like I’m invisible! Or worse yet, like I’m too ignorant to understand anything!”

He blinked a couple times before responding with, “Aren’t you?”

Shiloh’s face immediately fell into his palm.

“That’s it!” Eden got out of the car and opened Caden’s door. “Get out. We’re settling this right now!”

“I don’t think now’s the best ti-”

“Get out.”

With a deep sigh, the teen did as instructed. “Do we really need to do this now?” he asked as he leaned against the car and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets.

“Yes, now.” Eden put her hands on her hips then crossed her arms instead. “You need to apologize!”

“For what?”

“Treating me like I don’t belong.”

Caden tilted his head. “You don’t. You’ll never belong.”

Eden’s hands turned into fists. “I can try! At least until I find my way back.”

“You’re useless,” Caden muttered as he leaned forward and started walking around to the front of the car.

“DON’T say that about me!” Eden shouted, stopping Caden entirely.

Turning around with his dark eyebrows knit together and his mouth in the shape of a frown, he walked toward her.

“Why not? It’s true. You can’t do anything out here. You can’t protect yourself. You can’t survive on your own. You can’t even drive ten feet.” His voice grew steadily louder. “You’re totally helpless! If it weren’t for Shy, you might not even be here! He almost died saving you!” As he motioned back to the car, Shiloh’s head poked out, cautiously watching the confrontation from inside the vehicle with a nervous look.

“You think I don’t know that?! I’m not blind!” Tears stung Eden’s eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

“You’re oblivious. It’s the same thing.” Caden stopped three feet in front of her, dark brown eyes narrowed. “You want to help. I get that, but until you know what you’re doing, you’re a danger to those around you. Especially to Shy and he’s the reason you’re still alive. You’re lost. You’re helpless. And you’re completely useless.” He turned around and started walking back to the car.

Eden’s tears could no longer be held back. Looking around for something, anything, she spotted a block of two by four wood amid a pile of rubble. Without thinking, she snatched up the block of wood and smacked it against the back of Caden’s head.

THWACK.

Cay found himself sprawled on the ground, wide-eyed and dazed. “Wha-”

Eden threw away the piece of wood and knelt to his level. “Don’t call me useless,” she said, her face just a few inches away from his. 

“Get out of my face!” He rose up on his elbows before Eden cut him off.

“Not until after you sit down and listen to what I have to say.” Her commanding calmness caught him off guard.

“I’m tired of the way you treat me,” she continued. “I may not be the smartest or the most athletic. I don’t know how to use an AK47 and I can’t cook. But let me tell you what I CAN do.”

Her voice never rose, nor did it betray any of the fury she unleashed earlier. Instead, she spoke as though she were revealing something she had grown tired of holding back. “I can live. I can sing. I can give broken people hope. I can show the lost where to turn. I can give a hug to the lonely. If I can’t help, I’ll find someone who can. I can choose to get up and do something instead of nothing.” She pulled away and sat on the ground. The tears flowed down her cheeks, but she wasn’t quite finished yet. Her watery eyes drifted from Caden to the ground, as if she spoke more to herself than anyone else. “I might be terrified of this future, but I can choose to stand up and keep going when I feel like giving in to the fear. I can learn. I can change.” Looking back at Cay, she added, “And I can still be your friend, even if you hate me.”

Caden sat thunderstruck for a very long time. His expression went from complete surprise to confusion and back. His mouth hung open only to close then open again. Even his eyes kept switching from dark brown to red and back, as if he didn’t know what to believe any more. He looked back at Shiloh for help, but his twin only offered a tiny smile. Caden looked back at Eden and stared for a long time before finally asking, “Why?”

“What?”

“Why would you do that? If you’re so convinced… why am I your friend?”

Eden shrugged as she stared back at the ground. “Sometimes, the ones that are hardest to love are the ones who need it most. Back home… I was never the kind of friend I needed to be. I like being on my own. It wasn’t until after I got here that I realized friends protect each other. I have a second chance.”

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.”