Eden (Eden Saga)

by Matthew Plourde

  “They don’t use a fire, just in case the soldier needs to eat in enemy territory,” Father Callahan said. “No fire, no giving away your position. The army is smart.”

  “Indeed,” she said.

  After a few more minutes, her meal was ready. “Not that bad,” she said as she devoured her chili and macaroni.

  Nodding, Father Callahan said, “They’ve improved these since I was jarring around in camo.”

  “What’d you get?” she asked, craning her neck in her companion’s direction.

  “Some spicy penne pasta!”

  She tore the seal off her brownie dessert and mumbled, “Very nice.”

  After they finished their meals, Alexandra decided to take another crack at Koneh’s weatherproof exterior.

  “At least tell us where you’re from,” she said.

  Father Callahan wiped his chin and said, “I’ve already been down that road. He won’t budge. If you don’t mind, I’m going to take a little nap.”

  Alexandra maneuvered closer to Koneh. “Go ahead, Father. We’ll keep our voices low.”

  The priest mumbled something and was lightly snoring within seconds.

  Koneh kept his eyes locked upon her as she sat next to him. “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Just getting a little closer,” she said, afraid her interest was too overt. “I mean… I don’t want to wake Father Callahan.”

  Koneh grinned. He saw right through her. “Of course not.”

  “So, you seem like this is all second nature to you,” she said quickly. “I’d really like to know where you’re from… more about you-”

  “It’s probably best you don’t know much about me,” he said. “I’m not someone you can be close to.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Why not? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  He sighed. “You’re just going to have to trust me.”

  A few uncomfortable moments passed between then. What was she doing? She should have been taking his advice – he wasn’t someone she would have befriended in her previous life.

  “Fine then,” she said, ignoring the advice. “If you won’t tell me where you are from, then tell me something about yourself.”

  Apprehensive, he asked, “Like what?”

  “Doesn’t matter,” she said. “I’ll go first. I like bad movies.”

  “Bad movies?”

  She smiled. “Yeah, real stinkers. I love curling up on the couch and just absorbing the mindless entertainment.” She noticed her pack was a few paces away, and her sensibilities entirely out of view. “I think Father Callahan has the right idea,” she said as she rested her head on his shoulder. “Do you mind?”

  “No… I-”

  “Your turn,” she said as she closed her eyes. “Tell me something about you.”

  “Okay-”

  After a minute of silence, Alexandra opened one of her eyes and looked at him.

  “You meant now?” Koneh asked playfully.

  She closed her eyes again and waited. His shoulder was a comfortable one, and comfort was something she craved.

  “Okay, well, I happen to like good movies,” he said.

  “Mmm hmm-”

  “I also like plants,” he said after some additional, noticeable hesitation. “I can make pretty much anything grow in soil. Strange, I know.”

  “Strange… yeah.” Though she wanted to enjoy her time alone with Koneh, her body demanded rest.

  Alexandra drifted to that place between sleep and consciousness. She heard the sounds of the people around them, but she also wandered into and out of familiar dreams. Some time later, Father Callahan’s voice came into focus.

  “Alexandra. Time to wake up.”

  “Why?” She reached to where she remembered Koneh’s arm, but he wasn’t there. Instead, she found her duffel bag under her head. When did that happen? She rose and noticed someone had put a blanket over her. Without asking, she knew it was Koneh. He eyed her from across the camp, watching her every move again.

  “Marco’s here,” Father Callahan said.

  Marco approached their camp and Alexandra’s eyes were drawn to the holstered gun at his hip.

  “Ah, glad to see the rest of you have settled in. Please,” Marco said, “come to my villa on the hill so we can talk.”

  “Where’s Santino?” Alexandra asked.

  Marco smiled at her and examined her from head to toe. “He’s moving some heavier debris down near the docks. I almost offered to have one of my men relieve him, but your friend sure knows how to maneuver that rig. He’s good.”

  “Why can’t we talk here?” Koneh said as he eyed Marco from beneath his hood.

  Without removing his eyes from Alexandra, Marco said, “Surely you want to escape the cold and perhaps enjoy some more food?”

  “Hard to argue with that,” Father Callahan said.

  Koneh stood, but didn’t join the group. “I’ll stay here with our supplies.”

  “Are you sure it’s not too dangerous for me?” Alexandra said, though she regretted her words. Was she sending him mixed signals? She shook her head as she realized she didn’t know why she enjoyed his shoulder as a pillow. Could she really be comfortable with someone so alien to her world?

  Father Callahan nudged her and she said, “Thanks, Koneh. We won’t be long.”

  When they were away from the camp, Marco said, “Interesting friend there.”

  Father Callahan laughed. “I think I said the same thing to her when I met Koneh for the first time.”

  “He’s saved my life several times,” she said. “And he’s very resourceful, almost like he was prepared for all of this.”

  “Well,” Marco said, “he better watch where he steps here. We’ve had problems with… well, beasts from hell is the only way I know how to put it.”

  “They took away all the women from my home village,” Father Callahan said.

  “¡Por el amor de Dios!”

  “Indeed,” Father Callahan said as he patted Marco on the back.

  After almost hour, they reached the villa. The entire right side was gone. All that remained was a sheer cliff. However, the rest of the building looked to be in livable shape.

  “I used to watch the ships glide in and out of port from here as a child,” Marco said as he stared off into the darkness. “Now, there are no ships. No water.”

  Alexandra and Father Callahan peered into the dark horizon but couldn’t see much beyond the villa. Then, as if her mind remembered a dream shortly after waking, she asked, “Wait, no water?”

  Marco blinked and looked into her eyes. “Let’s go inside.”

  The group settled into some comfortable couches inside the villa. Though her eyes lobbied for closure, she couldn’t sleep yet. The nap on Koneh’s shoulder wasn’t enough. She wanted more time with him. More time to discover his mystery. Why did her mind constantly return to him?

  “We went out about three miles and still we couldn’t find water,” Marco said. “It’s like the ocean disappeared from Tampico.

  “That’s a scary thought,” Father Callahan said.

  “I assume there was a quake here too?” Alexandra asked.

  “Si-yes,” he said, “many people died.” His voice trailed into a whisper as he gazed towards a darkened window.

  “So, you’re in charge here?” Father Callahan asked.

  Marco seemed lost in thought for a few moments. Then, he turned towards the priest and said, “That is how things ended up, yes. My uncle was mayor, but he was out to sea when the quake hit us. We haven’t found him.”

  “I’m sorry,” Father Callahan said, “you’re doing better here than where we came from.”

  “This is my home, no?” Marco stood. “And what a bad host I have been. Would either of you like some food or water?”

  Throughout the conversation, Alexandra inched her way horizontal. Her eyes felt like they had cinder blocks attached to the lids. Surprised she had strength to speak, she said, “Water would be great.”
>
  “Same for me,” Father Callahan said. From the next room, Marco continued the conversation. “Why don’t you sleep here? It’s certainly more comfortable than the ground.”

  Alexandra glanced at Father Callahan and said, “Sounds good to me.”

  Marco returned with two bottles of water.

  “Have you heard any news?” Father Callahan asked. “Any word from other cities? Anyone else?”

  “No,” Marco said. “Nothing on the TV or radio. No cell service. Nothing.”

  “That’s been the story,” Father Callahan said. “Seems like you have fared well here though.”

  “We tried to contact the American base, but nobody has made it that far yet. Too dangerous.”

  “There’s a base?” Father Callahan asked.

  “Si, but it’s pretty far.”

  As the two men spoke, Alexandra faded into sleep. Though she couldn’t remember when she lost consciousness, she awoke refreshed on Marco’s couch. A half-finished bottle of water was the only evidence of activity during the previous night. Pushing her hair aside, she snatched the bottle from the table next to the couch and finished the job.

  “Hello?” she called as she meandered through the half-ruined villa.

  Nobody answered.

  She stretched and walked to a window. The red-black sky yielded little more of a view than the night before. With nobody around, she decided to head back to the rig and her friends. She traveled only a few steps when she saw movement on the roof of the villa behind her.

  A melodious voice drifted down from the roof. “How does the morning find you, Lex?”

  “Erzulie!”

  Alexandra whirled and spotted the fallen angel perched on the edge of the roof. With a swoop of her dark, feathery wings she floated to the ground. She touched Alexandra’s arm and bowed.

  “I wish I could bring better news,” Erzulie said.

  Confused, she asked, “What’s going on?”

  Erzulie said, “Derechi’s army marches on Tampico. They will reach the barricade in less than six hours.”

  Alexandra’s heart quickened. “We need to warn them!”

  “Koneh and Marco presently know.”

  “Where are they?” Alexandra asked.

  “Koneh and the others are at Santino’s rig. You know the way?”

  “Yes. You’re not coming?”

  Erzulie smiled her perfect smile and squeezed Alexandra’s arm. “These people do not understand who I am. I will watch you from the sky. I am always watching you.”

  With a swoosh of air and dust, Erzulie disappeared into the clouds. Alexandra continued her jog to the rig. On the way, she watched people douse fires, gather their belongings and barricade themselves into their broken buildings.

  They knew.

  Alexandra also noticed a resignation in everyone’s eyes. They believed they were doomed. Is this how the rest of the world fared? People existed as pockets of civilization grasping for life like a drowning man reaches for a piece of driftwood?

  “How terrible,” she whispered to herself. She reached the rig and was surprised to hear the engine running.

  “Good, you’re here,” Father Callahan said. “I was just about to go get you.”

  Alexandra eyed Koneh as he secured an extra canister of gasoline to the flatbed. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  Father Callahan leaned towards her and whispered, “Didn’t Erzulie tell you?”

  “Yes. But, it looks like you guys are heading out.”

  “Well, we can’t stay here,” Father Callahan said.

  Alexandra’s eyes narrowed as she turned to Koneh. She said, “This was your idea, wasn’t it?”

  Koneh ignored her as he continued to pack the rig.

  “Fine then,” she said, “Have a nice trip. I’m staying.”

  “Get in the rig,” Koneh said through clenched teeth.

  “And what? Leave all these people?” Alexandra asked incredulously as she swept her arm behind her.

  Koneh stepped towards her and said, “You think you can alter their fate? What are you going to do, Alexandra? Litigate Derechi’s demons to sleep? Get… in… the… rig.”

  Part of Alexandra wanted to follow Koheh’s order, but that was part of herself she was rapidly forgetting. The lawyer and selfish daughter were fading into her history. She touched the flower in her hair and thought of Renaldo and his lost Maria. Though Alexandra didn’t know these people, she felt a tugging at the back of her heart.

  “I won’t abandon them,” she said, her heart breaking. Was she really ready for this? Ready to face death?

  Without another word, Koneh scooped her off her feet and flung her over his shoulder like a sack of grass fertilizer.

  “Let me go!” she shouted.

  “Why don’t you put the lady down, friend,” Marco said as he joined the group with a pistol leveled at Koneh.

  Koneh tilted his head to the side and peered at Marco from beneath his hood. Several moments passed as the two men glared at each other. Alexandra took the opportunity to try and wiggle free, but his grasp was ironclad.

  “Fine,” Koneh said, and he dropped her to the ground.

  After she rose to her feet and dusted herself off, Koneh said to her, “Why do you want to die here?”

  “You think this is suicide? That I’m giving up?” she said. “Maybe I don’t feel like wandering the wasteland with you anymore, searching for someplace that doesn’t even exist.”

  “You’d rather stay here? And fight against an army of thousands of demons?” Koneh asked.

  She nodded. “Yes. Tampico has food, water. This isn’t such a bad place compared to everywhere else I’ve seen. Why not fight for it?”

  “Because your fight is not here. Not yet,” Koneh said.

  “That doesn’t even make any sense!” She pointed at Koneh and said, “You know so much more than you’ve told me. I’m done. Yes, you’ve helped me, but I’m staying here.”

  Koneh took a step towards her but halted when Marco aimed his pistol towards his head.

  “It’s all right, Marco,” Alexandra said.

  “I need to talk with you.” Koneh glanced at Marco. “Alone.”

  “Fine,” she said. “But you’re not going to change my mind.”

  Koneh led her out of sight of the group. Once they were behind a toppled building, he raised his hand to the air and traced several quick motions. Before Alexandra could ask what he was doing, Erzulie descended from the dark sky and landed next to them.

  “What’s this all about?” Alexandra asked.

  “I didn’t want you to know until you were ready,” Koneh said. “However, I don’t know if that day will ever come. So, now is as good a time as any. Maybe you will come to your senses.”

  Alexandra crossed her arms and said, “You didn’t want me to know what?”

  Ignoring her question, he said, “Normally, there’s a protocol for this. However, under the circumstances, we’ll do the best we can.”

  “You’re not making sense again.”

  “Erzulie,” Koneh said, “tell her who she is.”

  Erzulie stepped in front of Alexandra and grasped her hands. With a flick of her head, her white-in-white eyes found Alexandra’s plain human eyes.

  “Alejandra Contreras,” Erzulie said, “By the Word of Elah, I have come to-”

  “We don’t have time for the full speech,” Koneh said. “Shorten it up.”

  Erzulie sighed and said. “My dear, you are the child of Elah, of God.”

  “Child? What-what are you saying?” Alexandra asked.

  At once, she felt like she was swimming in a pool of old tires. She couldn’t process Erzulie’s words. A moment ago, her attention was on the people of Tampico. This place appeared to be her best chance for salvaging her life. Now, her concerns about survival seemed out of focus. She struggled to remember where she stood.

  Koneh’s raspy voice sounded distant. He said, “Your blood, your destiny, is divine. It is you who will r
eopen Eden for us all.”

  Like she was attending a lecture on nuclear physics, Alexandra’s brain couldn’t connect all the information in a way that made sense. What were these two telling her? That she was the daughter of God? How was that even possible? They were mistaken.

  Erzulie knelt. While holding onto both of Alexandra’s hands, the angel said, “Command me, my Lady.”

  Chapter 11

  Child of Elah? Of God? Alexandra couldn’t form a coherent thought, but she knew Koneh and Erzulie were mistaken.

  She turned to Koneh and said, “What? You filled Erzulie’s head with these… these lies?” Sweat rolled from her temple as she strained to shape the words.

  “Think about it,” Koneh said. “Everything has come easy to you – school, work, everything. Because you were designed from superior material. In everything you ever put your mind to, you succeeded.”

  She curled her lip and said, “But that doesn’t mean-”

  “And what of your father?” Koneh asked. “You never met him, did you?”

  “He died before I was born.”

  “That’s not what your mother told you. She told you your father was in Heaven,” Koneh said. “She couldn’t lie to you. She couldn’t lie to anybody. She knew the score.”

  “What do you mean?” Alexandra asked.

  Erzulie released Alexandra’s hands and stepped to her side. The fallen angel looked different somehow. In a way, she seemed less alien to Alexandra than when they first met.

  “I’m telling you that an angel informed her she was carrying Elah’s daughter,” Koneh said.

  Alexandra shook her head. Her thoughts solidified as she parsed the information. She knew who she was and she wasn’t the daughter of God.

  “Your mother was also given instructions: how to prepare you for this day and for your duty,” Koneh said.

  “No… you’re wrong about this,” she said as tears gathered at the bottom of her eyes.

  “What was your mother’s favorite saying?” Koneh asked. “I know what it was, but I want to hear you say it.”

  Every morning, whether young Alexandra wanted to hear it or not, her mother came into her room and spoke the same words.