by RJ Pritchett
“Oh, really? I’ll be sure to tell Patricia all about how cute you think this lady is,” Rebellia said, still aiming her pistol at the stranger.
“I don’t know what’s happening. I was just passing by and I heard a bunch of explosions,” the woman said, “Is something wrong? Did something happen?”
“What’s your name?” Rebellia asked, walking closer to the woman.
“Um…” the woman ran her dirty fingers through her long, dark and messy hair, “I don’t remember. I think I have amnesia. My head is hurting. I can’t remember anything. Please help me. I can’t even remember my own name and I don’t know where I am. Where am I?”
“We’ll tell you all about it on our way home,” Travis said, lowering Rebellia’s weapon for her, “We were actually just in the middle of explaining this world to these two. You should come with us. We can help-” he let out a loud gasp.
“-Travis!” Rebellia shouted out when she saw what was happening to him, “What the-? No!”
“What’s happening to him?” Vincent shouted, looking up at Travis’s body as it started to float.
Rebellia didn’t answer, she grabbed hold of Travis’s swinging legs and pulled down with all her might, “Help me pull him down!” she shouted, looking at the three people on the ground, “Hurry!”
The blue-haired girl was the first to hug Rebellia’s waist after putting the squirrel gently on the ground, she pulled at Rebellia’s thighs with all her might, hoping to make a difference. Vincent grabbed hold of her too, using every inch of strength he possessed to bring them down as well.
“What’s happening?” the newest member of the group said with wide eyes at Travis as his body began to fade into thin air.
“Tell Patricia-” Travis forced the words out but was unable to finish his sentence.
In a split second, Rebellia and the others all fell down to the ground and Travis was nowhere to be found. The only thing left was the holstered gun he once held which dropped to the ground along with them.
“Where did he go?” Vincent shouted, “What happened to him?”
“…?” the blue-haired girl added another question, but no words came out of her mouth.
“This… is all… your fault!” Rebellia scrambled to her feet, her fist was tightened while her other hand held her pistol firm. She shot daggers at the stranger with the look she gave her. “You did that!”
“I didn’t,” the woman shook her head with her hands raised, “I don’t even know what-”
Rebellia raised her pistol and pointed it to the woman’s forehead from near point blank range.
The blue-haired girl pulled the stranger back and moved in front of the woman with her arms extended, Rebellia’s gun was now at the blue-haired girl’s chest, “Get out of the way!” Rebellia shouted, “She’s working for him. I know she is.”
“…” the blue-haired girl stayed put.
“Maria!” the woman shouted out… There was a long pause.
“Huh?” Vincent asked, looking at the woman.
“My name is Maria,” the woman shouted with her eyes closed, hiding behind the young girl that protected her. “I remember it now.”
“Of course you do,” Rebellia said as she still pointed the gun at the blue-haired girl’s chest. “Move or you’ll get shot too!”
“…” the blue-haired girl shook her head.
“Who sent you here, Maria!” Rebellia moved to the side, pointing the gun at Maria before the blue haired girl adjusted her stance to shield her once again.
“I don’t know. I just woke up. I don’t know where I am. You have to believe me; I’m telling you the truth!”
Rebellia sighed, “Okay… can you please move out the way?” she said to the blue-haired girl while she holstered her gun. After seeing Rebellia put her gun away, the blue-haired girl moved to the side, allowing Rebellia to look at the woman’s face again. Her eyes were still closed, flinching. Rebellia sighed again, “You,” she turned and pointed at the blue-haired girl, “Pick up Travis’s gun. It’s yours until we get home.”
The blue-haired girl shook her head, picking up the squirrel instead.
“Okay, then you,” Rebellia pointed at Vincent, who gladly picked up the pistol that was left behind, “Do not shoot unless I tell you to. We might have to set up camp soon and we have to stay armed in case any enemies show up.”
“What enemies?” Maria asked, looking around. Am I in the middle of a battlefield right now? Did your enemies make that man disappear just now?
The look on Vincent’s face suggested that those same questions were building up in his mind as well.
“Shit,” Rebellia murmured while looking up at the darkening skies after a blast of thunder forced her to, “It’s about to start raining. Come on! There’s a place very close to here that we can settle in for the night.”
She started to run, and the three newcomers exchanged confused looks before running after her.
“Right there!” Rebellia shouted. Maria, Vincent, and the blue-haired girl followed Rebellia as the small cabin she pointed to became bigger and bigger underneath the darkening sky. Rebellia pushed open the door and shouted at the people behind her, “It’s open!”
It didn’t take long before everyone was inside the small cabin. The blue-haired girl moved strands of hair out of her face and looked around. She gasped, but no sound came out. Through the corner of her eye, she found a small board sitting atop a crowded coffee table. Dust covered some areas of the fully furnished cabin.
“Good,” Rebellia said, looking at the whiteboard that the blue-haired girl picked up, “now you can at least communicate with us.”
“What is this place?” Vincent said, looking at the old, spacious cabin.
“This used to be where I lived. I haven’t been here in a long time though,” Rebellia said, looking around as well, “I wanted to stop by here on our way to save y’all, but we were already running late for our mission.”
The blue-haired girl searched frantically for a marker. It didn’t take long before she found one and started scribbling on the whiteboard.
“Okay, looks like we’re staying here until the morning,” Rebellia said, pulling a curtain back to look out the window. The drizzle began.
“Um… I’m sorry, I forgot your name,” Vincent said.
“They call me Rebellia,” Rebellia said, closing the curtains.
“Rebellia?” Maria asked, “that’s a strange-”
“Alright, Rebellia,” Vincent said, cutting Maria off, “that boy back there, what happened to him? Was he obliterated?”
“No,” Rebellia shook her head, “if he was obliterated, his soul would’ve been struck by lightning and disappeared. He just… was called.”
“Was called?” Maria gasped, “he’s dead?”
Before Rebellia could answer, she was rushed by the blue-haired girl, showing her what was written on the whiteboard.
“Daphne?” Rebellia said, looking at the girl after reading the what the girl wrote in black marker, “Is that what your name is?”
The blue haired girl nodded but suddenly stopped. Her eyes were wide, staring at something close by.
“What’s wrong?” Vincent asked. Daphne pointed to the person behind Rebellia. Rebellia quickly drew her gun and pointed it at the figure behind her. It was a small boy with a short unkempt afro, holding a glass vase above his head, ready to attack the intruders.
Chapter 4 (Home)
“We’re all born sinners, but we were also born with one thing… Innocence.”
“People!” the little boy shouted. After downing the glass vase on the nearby wooden table, he ran over to hug the closest person next to him which happened to be Maria. “I was so lonely here all by myself. Hi, I’m Devonte,” he looked at Rebellia and his eyes opened wide, “Oh.”
“Put the gun down,” Vincent shouted to Rebellia, “he’s just a kid.”
“Well, this kid was about to crack one of us over the head with that vase,” Rebellia growled, shooting daggers
at the small boy.
“He was probably afraid,” Vincent said.
“…” Daphne nodded in agreement.
“Just put the gun down and we’ll talk to him,” Vincent said.
“Relax. I wasn’t going to shoot him anyway,” Rebellia holstered her gun without looking away from the little boy, “Are you alone?”
The boy nodded, “Yes, ma’am.”
“How did you get here?”
“I don’t know,” the boy shrugged his shoulders, “I remember going to sleep and then I woke up here -on that bed right there. I don’t know how.”
“…What else do you remember?” Rebellia said, staring at the boy. The anger that was once there left her eyes.
“I remember… I was sick,” Devonte said, “My big brother told me to go to sleep and I was- and I was going to feel better. He was right. I do feel better. B-but I’m lost. I can’t find him, or my mom and dad. I’ve been waiting for them for a long time, but they still didn’t come.”
Rebellia and Vincent exchanged looks. He saw her saddened expression.
“Does that mean he’s-?” Vincent whispered but Rebellia nodded before he could finish, “Damn, kid,” Vincent whispered, shaking his head.
“What’s wrong?” Maria asked.
“Do you know why you were sick?” Rebellia asked, ignoring Maria’s question, “Do you remember?”
“My mom told me it was something called cancer,” Devonte said, “it hurt bad, but she told me that I was going to feel better after my nap. And my dad told me that when I feel better, he was going to take me camping. I never went camping before… but I feel better now, and I don’t know where anybody is. Did you see my mom and dad?”
“…” Daphne said, shrugging while Rebellia and Vincent stared in silence.
“What’s wrong? Why are you looking at him like that?” Maria asked, seeing the sympathetic look Rebellia gave the small boy.
“Come with me,” Rebellia said to Maria, “You come too, Vincent. Daphne, can you do me a favor and keep an eye on him for us?”
“Ooh look a squirrel!” Devonte shouted while staring at the squirrel in Daphne’s arms. Daphne nodded as she watched Maria and Vincent walk to the other side of the cabin with Rebellia.
“Okay,” Rebellia whispered, “this may sound weird to you but trust me on this, everything will come back to you sooner or later.”
“What may sound weird?” Maria whispered back, “What will come back to me?”
“This is the afterlife. You’re dead, we’re dead and those kids over there are dead too,” Rebellia said, motioning over to Daphne and Devonte with her dark brown eyes, “This may be a lot to take in so I’m just--”
“What? That can’t be,” Maria stood shocked.
“I didn’t believe it either,” Vincent whispered, “well, I still don’t. I expect to be waking up any minute now.”
“You lost your memories of what happened to you before you died. But it will all come back to you. I promise. For right now, you’re just going to have to take my word for it because I cannot prove it to you with that kid here. I don’t want him to know anything,” Rebellia said.
“Why not?” Vincent whispered, “He’ll probably find out anyway.”
“I just… don’t,” Rebellia said, “Imagine how you would feel at that age if someone told you that you were dead. That you couldn’t see your parents anymore until they died too… and probably not even then because they could end up anywhere in this world and it probably would take decades or even centuries before you can find them. If they didn’t move on to Heaven by then.”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I saw what happened to that boy,” Maria said, shaking her head, “After seeing that, I don’t know what to believe.”
“So you’re saying that it could take that long for me to find my wife?” Vincent said, looking at Rebellia’s sympathetic eyes. She nodded.
“And that’s if she’s even here,” she said, “We have a guild back home. There’s a small group of people there so, if you’re really lucky, she could be there. But the chances are nearly impossible.”
“I’m willing to take those chances,” Vincent said, “I wouldn’t mind searching for thousands of years. As long as I find my Clara one day, it’ll all be worth it.”
“Clara?” Maria whispered.
“She’s my wife,” Vincent said, nodding.
“Oh. Aww.” Maria said, “How romantic…”
“How come your hair is blue?” Devonte asked Daphne on the other side of the cabin. She answered him by shrugging her shoulders.
“How come you’re not saying anything?” he asked.
Daphne shrugged her shoulders again.
“How come you don’t have shoes on?” he asked, looking down at her bare feet.
Daphne shrugged.
“How old are you? You look old, but not old like my big brother was.”
Daphne reached over to grab the whiteboard and started to write down on it. She showed Devonte what she wrote by pointing to it with the marker.
“Uh… seventeen?” Devonte looked at the number she jotted down.
Daphne nodded.
“Wow. You’re older than me. I’m only seven… I think,” Devonte said.
Daphne patted Devonte on the head and silently giggled. “Hey!” Devonte said, frowning.
“I see you two are getting along,” Vincent said, taking a seat next to Daphne, and staring at the squirrel that snuggled in her lap, “Did you give this thing a name yet?”
Daphne nodded. She started to scribble on her whiteboard after using her hand to wipe it clean.
“Hmm. Alex, huh? Great name. Unisex- just in case.”
“…” Daphne said with a smile.
“So what are we going to do?” Maria asked aloud as she and Rebellia made their way over, “Do we just like stay here until tomorrow?”
“We’re gonna have to,” Rebellia said, looking towards the window, “the dark is nothing we should be traveling through after what happened earlier. Plus, it’s really pouring out there now. Do you hear that?”
“You’re spending the night?” Devonte asked, smiling.
“Yes,” Rebellia nodded, “but just until tomorrow morning. Then we’re leaving. All of us. That includes you too.”
“Nuh uh. Not me,” Devonte shook his head, “I’m staying here until my parents come to get me. And my mommy always told me not to go anywhere with strangers.”
There was a short pause.
“… Aren’t you lonely here by yourself?” Rebellia asked while looking around at the cabin, “You said you were lonely earlier. You don’t want to come with us and be around other people?”
“Nope,” Devonte said with his arms folded while shaking his head as thunder rumbled in the sky outside, “you could be a kidnapper.”
“I’m not-” Rebellia said as Vincent, Maria and Daphne laughed, “Listen, Kid. Your parents aren’t coming. They might not even know where you are and it’s very dangerous for you to be out here all alone. How about this? How about I leave a note for your parents? If they do come here, they can read it and find you where we’re going. You’ll be much safer with us.”
“How do I know that?” Devonte asked, arms still folded.
“Because where we’re going, there are a lot of people just like you. People who’ve lost their families. Look at these three -they’re lost too. But I’m helping them, and they’re coming with me. I’m not kidnapping you, I just want to make sure you’re safe.”
Devonte said nothing.
“Look, Kid. I wouldn’t mind leaving you here all alone,” Rebellia said, “It’s your choice. I’ll leave a note to your parents if they ever come this way, so they can find you if you come with us, but I’m not going to spend too much time trying to convince you.”
“Just come with us, Kid,” Vincent stepped in, “To tell you the truth, I don’t know where this girl is leading us either. If we get there and something’s not right, we’re coming right bac
k to this cabin without her. I can promise you that.”
“… I don’t know,” Devonte said, “I…”
“I hardly ever make promises, but I promise that all of you are in great hands,” Rebellia said.
“But… my mom and dad-” Devonte said.
“Are you just going to stay here and wait for your parents to come and find you, or are you going to actually go out and look for them?” Rebellia asked the boy in a stern voice. She was obviously fed up, “For all we know, your parents are at the sanctuary right now, worried sick about you.”
“The sanctuary?” Devonte asked, giving the same look of confusion that Daphne was shooting in Rebellia’s direction, “What’s that?”
“Our home,” Rebellia said, “it’s where we live. I actually used to live in this very cabin years ago, but I moved into the sanctuary because it’s much bigger. I’m a part of a… rescue team that helps people who need me. There’re a lot of people at the sanctuary but I don’t know if I’ve seen your parents. Do you know their names? I probably know them.”
“… Mommy and Daddy.”
“No, I’m guessing she wants their real names,” Maria said, smiling at the young boy.
“Oh… um… Sasha and um… Reggie. Yeah, they call my dad Reggie. The people at his job called him Reggie.”
“Sasha and Reggie?” Rebellia said, her eyes wandering. “Uh… they’re probably there. I don’t remember everyone’s name and we occasionally get new people.”
“Are there kids there?” Devonte smiled.
“Uh… No,” Rebellia sighed after a short pause, “to tell you the truth, I haven’t seen a child -like you- around here in a long time. If a child does enter this world; they’re usually not brought on this side because of the… bad people.”
“Bad people?”
“Yeah, they tried to kidnap these two,” Rebellia’s index finger moved from Vincent to Daphne, “but I saved them, and an accomplice of mine helped destroy his prison. At our sanctuary, we save a lot of people and there’s a lot of people there that we saved from those bad people.”
“Is that true?” Maria turned to look at Vincent and Daphne, who both nodded their heads. “Wow, so that’s what that explosion was, huh? You destroyed a prison.”
