by Seven Steps
“No Enforcers?” he asked, causing a chuckle to pass through Terra’s lips.
She shook her head.
“No Enforcers,” she replied.
He kissed her again.
“Are you sure there are no Enforcers?” he asked.
Terra laughed aloud, and playfully pushed him. “No Enforcers!” she cried out.
“No Enforcers!” he screamed back.
“No Enforcers!”
They hugged each other and jumped, screaming their new mantra to the world.
Roland joined in, and they sang, “No Enforcers” as they skipped around the circle.
Joanna stayed behind with the children.
“Excuse me!” Joanna demanded, immediately causing an end to the festivities.
Terra, Nic, and Roland looked at her.
Terra held out her hand to her. “Join us,” she said.
“Maybe later,” Joanna replied, turning from them. She stopped, gasped, and held the children close to her.
Danny pointed to one of the creatures that had been brave enough to approach them. It was fairly large; its shoulders nearly six feet high. Horns grew from its head like dark, deformed hands, and a black snout jutted out from its face. Its coat was colored a rich, glossy brown. It raised its knees slightly as it walked, and set its hooves down gently, making it look regal and graceful.
Deanna held out her hand to it.
The beast sniffed and realized it contained no food, and then grazed on the green grass.
“What is it?” asked Danny.
“I don’t know,” Deanna replied.
“Is it dangerous?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Do you think that we’re the only people here?” Roland asked.
“I don’t know,” Terra said. “Maybe we can find out.”
The beast walked toward the clearing and disappeared up the hill.
“So, what do you think, Joanna?” Terra asked.
“It’s beautiful. It’s like some sort of dream, but…” She paused and took a deep breath. “Terra, we don’t belong here.”
“We’ve always belonged here,” Terra replied. “We just didn’t know it.”
Joanna looked at the children. They were fascinated with their surroundings. Their eyes were glued to the sky, and their pupils swung back and forth as they watched the birds swoop and dive. For the moment, the horrible news of their parents’ death was forgotten.
“What are those?” Deanna asked.
“I don’t know,” Terra replied.
“I want to fly like that,” Deanna said, holding her hands out like the flying birds. “I want to fly all the way up in the sky.” She tilted her head back and soaked in the sun.
Terra took Danny’s hand and placed a hand on Deanna’s back, recalling her to reality.
Joanna moved aside, crossed her arms over her chest, and began to walk.
The group followed.
CHAPTER 20
They didn’t know where they were going or what they were looking for, but Roland didn’t care. The countryside was beautiful. He was surrounded by trees; real trees instead of synthetic ones. And the grass was not some cheap imitation but real, soft, and living.
I’ve never been surrounded by so much life.
Overhead, white clouds dotted a wide, blue sky. Creatures flew and danced among the fluffy clouds and called down to the earth below with strange cheeps, chirps, tweets, and twitters. Animals happily darted between ancient tree trunks. The forest seemed to stretch on for forever.
This is true freedom, he thought.
The sweet fragrance of the flowers and the spicy odor of the tree leaves was a heady combination, making Roland’s head spin and his heart race. He inhaled the scents, feeling both amazed and awed that they even existed. The desire to run, jump, and leap through the forest was strong, but, with great effort, he controlled himself.
There’s going to be plenty of time for that later.
He imagined building his own house—one that resembled the log cabins he’d read about in his old books. He saw himself tending his own land, tilling the soil, eating its fruitage. He’d take long walks in the sunshine and hide from the rain, and through it all, Joanna would be right beside him.
Roland turned to the left where Nic walked by his side, Terra hanging onto his arm as if it were the only thing anchoring her to the newfound paradise.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
“Yes; it is,” Nic replied.
“I can’t believe that we’re here.”
“Me neither. It just seems so surreal. Like a dream. Did you ever think you’d see a blue sky, or the sun?”
“Never.”
“And clouds and trees and animals.”
“Life is everywhere. Even the air smells like life.”
Nic nodded. “What do you suppose everything is for?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, like, what are those animals for?” He pointed to the long horned, four legged creatures they’d seen before. A few seemed to follow them through the forest. “Protection of some kind? Decoration? A surveillance system.”
“I think they eat them.”
“What do you mean eat them?”
“Don’t you remember in the old books? The Holy Bible. Shakespeare. They took the animals and killed them and ate them,” Roland said.
“We’re not going to have to kill any animals, are we?”
“I hope not, but we have to conform to whatever everyone else is doing here. If we stand out too much, people will start to ask questions.”
“But we’ve never eaten meat before.”
“That was on Venus,” Roland said. “We’re on Earth now. We can go wherever we want, and do whatever we want, and love whomever we want.” Roland threw his hands up the air. “There’s so many things we’re going to have to get used to.”
“Yeah, like meat.”
“Like freedom. How does a man who’s always been a slave learn to be free?” Roland asked. “Then there’s technology here that we’ve long ago forgotten. And, of course, there’s them.” He gestured to Terra. She wrinkled her nose at him playfully. “How can we be free with them?”
Nic looked at Terra on his arm and smiled warmly. “Well, that may be the easy part.”
“And we have the children to think about now. How are we supposed to be fathers? I mean real fathers.” Roland sighed. “It’s a lot of responsibility. More than we’ve ever known. You think we’re ready for it?”
“I’m sure we’ll find our way,” Nic replied.
“You two boys can finish your conversation.” Terra reached up on her tippy toes and gave Nic a peck on the cheek. “I’m going to check on Joanna and the children.”
Nic watched her walk away, a slow smile spreading on his lips.
Roland tapped his shoulder. “You think they’re hostile here?”
Nic bit the inside of his cheek and turned to his friend. “Who?”
“The humans. We don’t know where we are or when we are. Maybe they have weapons and kill each other? Maybe they’re cannibals?”
Nic stuffed his hands in his pockets and resumed his lazy walk through the forest.
“Roland, you’re being paranoid, as usual. Don’t overthink this. We’ll find all of that out in time.”
“What if they are? We could be in a world full of barbarians.”
“This is Earth. We are in a world full of barbarians. But that’s the risk we took coming here. Whatever we find, we have to deal with.”
“What if there are monsters? Beasts that the old books never told us about.”
“Monsters are just stories they told us as boys to make sure we didn’t leave our rooms at night. There are no such things as monsters.”
“Maybe they got the idea from Earth.”
“Roland, relax. You always get like this.”
“Get like what?”
“Whenever something new happens, you always expect the worst. We’re in a
new place now. How about you try and hope for the best for once?”
“I guess so.” Roland puffed out his chest, taking in a huge breath of air. “You’re right. I’m going to try that. I’m going to hope for the best. I’m free now. I’m a new man. This is a new me.”
I am going to change, Roland thought. I am going to hope for the best from now on.
~()~()~()~()~
The forest abruptly ended at a dirt road. On the opposite side of the road, in the distance, they saw stretches of farmland. More unfamiliar creatures roamed around in gated pens, mooing every now and again. Beyond the noisy creatures, other animals raced each other for some unknown prize.
The early afternoon air turned heavy with the smell of manure.
To their right, a squat, bright, white building with a slanted roof sat sentinel on the farm. Fresh, shiny black paint outlined the doors and shutters. A box sat atop a crooked plank of wood with the word MAIL written in clumsy white letters. Several yards of grass and a few tall bushes separated the odd box from a small roof-covered porch. On the porch was a swing, and an old wooden rocking chair. Behind the single floor home stood a small red barn.
A man walked along the road that separated the house from the forest. He was a young man, no older than eighteen, with a head full of short, jet black hair. His face was set sternly, and there was a rifle slung around his shoulders.
The young man kept his eyes on the ground before him. His steps were heavy, and his eyebrows and mouth tight in sadness. He was so deep in thought that he didn’t even look up when he passed the six Venians.
Ever bold, Terra stepped forward, calling behind him as he marched by.
“Hello.”
The man stopped in his tracks, and slowly turned to look behind him. His sky blue eyes rounded and his full lips formed an O. With lightning quick speed, his hand went for the rifle that hung from his shoulder strap.
“Who are you?” he demanded, his elbow cocked and gun aimed. “Are you robbers?”
Roland and Nic stepped in front of the women and children, guarding them.
Nic felt Terra touch his back.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. She stepped around him and put a hand to his cheek, calming him. “It’s okay.” She turned back to the man with the gun. “We’re not here to harm you. My name is Terra,” she said, gesturing deliberately to herself. “This is Joanna, Deanna, Nic, Roland, and Danny. We come from a faraway place. We are in search of food, shelter, and knowledge. We are of no threat to you.”
The man’s eyes darted suspiciously to each of the Venians. He never took his finger off the trigger.
CHAPTER 21
Who are these strangers?
Marshall’s eyes darted suspiciously from the men to the women and back again. Then his eyes fell to the children and a glimmer of recognition ran through his mind.
Children. Yes. Children. Like my sister’s children. Yes, yes. I have a sister named Martha. That’s her name. Martha. It’s all coming back to me now. My sister’s name is Martha, and she has a son named Jimmy and two daughters, Jerry-Ann and Elaine. My name is Marshall. I live in New York. My name is Marshall.
His shoulders relaxed a bit, and he slung his gun back behind him.
My name is Marshall. I live in New York. My name is Marshall.
Memories came and went these days. Some days, he forgot where he was. Some days, he forgot who he was. Ever since Gettysburg, his mind had been playing tricks on him.
If the army finds me, they throw me in jail, or worse. I have to keep moving. I can’t stop until I get to Canada. The army must’ve picked up my scent by now. I can’t stop. I have to keep moving.
He tucked away his smile, put his eyes back onto the ground, and continued to walk.
“Wait!” one of the women cried. “Wait! Can you at least tell us where we are?”
“Right outside of New York City,” Marshall threw over his shoulder.
My name is Marshall. I live in New York City. My name is Marshall.
~()~()~()~()~
Terra looked from her friends to the man that was trudging down the dirt road, his feet dragging themselves along like tired animals. Something was obviously wrong with him. He had just threatened them with some sort of primitive weapon, then he looked at the children and his face fell into a daze for several long stretches of seconds, and now he was walking away.
Either he’s crazy or his actions are typical of an Earthling, she thought. That doesn’t matter now. He’s the only man we’ve seen so far. I will not admit defeat so easily.
“Excuse me!” Terra cried at him.
“What is it, woman?” the man barked back, finally halting his march. “What do you want?”
Terra looked at Nic for reassurance before answering. He nodded and stepped forward alongside her, placing his hand on the small of her back. She felt safe. If the odd man was going to try anything, Nic would protect her.
“We are a group of travelers who’ve come from a long distance. We need a guide. Can you help us?”
The man’s face scrunched at them in the bright summer sunlight. “What are you, Indians?” he asked. He tapped the flat of his open hand to his mouth, made a pow-wow sound at them, and snickered shortly.
“What?”
“Are you Indians?” he repeated. “Though I ain’t never seen an Indian wear them kinds of clothes—all shiny and pointy like that.”
“I don’t know what you mean by In-di-ans. We are simply travelers looking for food and shelter.” She suddenly wished that they would’ve kept the Enforcer uniforms on.
“These your slaves?” The question was clearly directed toward Nic.
“Um … no,” Nic replied, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion.
Why would he think that I am Nic’s slave? I’m a woman!
“Those your babies?” he asked Nic.
“No.”
“But you’re traveling together?”
“Yes.”
“Well, if they ain’t your slaves, and these ain’t your babies, then what you doing with them? You slave hunters? You stole them or something?”
Nic and Terra looked at each other, then back at the man.
Terra responded for them. “Like we said, we’re just weary travelers in search of food, shelter, and knowledge.”
The man eyed Terra, one eyebrow twitching skyward.
“So you’re traveling together, but you don’t have nothing to do with each other?” The man smirked, then broke out into a full-fledged laugh.
Terra narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s so funny?”
“Look: I know I may not be a smart man, but I’m smart enough to recognize a runaway when I see one, and I see a couple of them in front of me. Now, I don’t know how long you been running, or why these two men are helping you, but I do know that slaves were freed in January, so whatever you chose to do with each other is your own business now. And I don’t know where you got those clothes from, or where them funny accents are from, but I do know that you don’t have to lie about anything like that to me. Besides, you’re in New York. This is the North. You’re safe.” He put his right thumb up and smirked again. “But, if I was you, I’d get rid of those clothes and find myself a better story. Slavery may be over, but you’re still niggers, and this is still America, and anyone with eyes can see that y’all are more than just traveling buddies. Take that as you will.” With one final smirk, he turned and walked away.
Terra looked at Joanna. The man was perceptive, but could he be trusted? She looked at Nic. His eyes were watching her.
Terra jogged after the man. “Wait!”
Nic began to follow her, but she waved him back. He watched Terra closely as she approached the man and slowed down.
Her words came out breathless. “May we travel with you?”
“To where?”
“To wherever you are going?” She smoothed her hair back into its bun and smiled sweetly at him. It was the same smile that she gave Nic when trying to convince him to d
o something. Would the smile work on this man, too?
The man stared at her for a long time, his eyes squinting at her in the sun. For a moment, Terra wondered if he was going to blank out again. He licked his lips and sighed at her.
“My name is Marshall,” the man whispered. “I’m heading to New York City for a spell, then I’m going to Canada. You can walk with me as far as the city. After that, you’re on your own.”
Terra smiled and waved her friends on. They jogged to catch up and began to follow the young man down the road.
Marshall shoved his hands in his pockets and eyed his newfound travel companions. “So why are you dressed like that?” he asked.
“We’re dressed like we always dress,” Joanna replied.
“So you are Indians?”
“Why do you keep asking us that?” Joanna replied indignantly.
“Where are you from then? France or something? Africa?”
“We are travelers from Venus.”
“Where?”
“Venus,” she said, enunciating her words carefully. “It’s the second planet in this solar system.”
“Solar what? Is that in America?”
Joanna rolled her eyes. “No.”
“Europe?”
“No.”
“The Far East?”
“Yes,” she replied shortly. “Yes; it is in the Far East.”
“See, I knew you were Indians. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. People think that I’m dumb. I ain’t dumb.” He allowed a brief smile to appear on his face before wiping it away with his hand and crossing his arms over his chest. “I ain’t dumb,” he whispered again, almost to himself.
“Who thinks you’re dumb?” Terra asked.
“My pappy always called me dumb. He used to get drunk and stand over me all day long, calling me dumb and stupid.” He looked up at Terra. “But I ain’t dumb. I ain’t dumb.”
“We believe you, Marshall,” Terra replied softly.
He looked at her for a moment, searching for genuineness. When he found it, the smile escaped for a split second before being tucked away again.
“So why are you going to Kan-a-di-a?” Joanna asked, struggling with the new name.
“Canada.”
“Yes. Canada. What’s there?”
“It’s what isn’t there.”