The United States of Rebellia

by RJ Pritchett

  “Yeah,” Rebellia said, “we destroyed it. Hopefully, they won’t be imprisoning anyone there anymore.”

  “How come we woke up there?” Vincent asked, forgetting about Devonte for a second. “Were we sent to-”

  “I don’t believe you were sent there,” Rebellia said, biting her lip, “Most likely, you were outside somewhere, and they found you. Kidnapped you. It happens a lot actually. That’s why we actually decided to destroy the entire building this time. Enough is enough.”

  “Excuse me for changing the subject but what is that? A fanny pack?” Maria said, pointing at the bag that hugged tightly against Rebellia’s waist. Rebellia nodded, “Why?” Maria continued.

  “It was a gift. From an old friend that’s no longer here,” Rebellia said, stroking the exterior of her fanny pack with her index and middle fingers, “I was supposed to burn it a long time ago in one of our bonfires, but it just never happened.”

  “Why burn it?” Vincent asked.

  “Because it brings back some bad memories,” Rebellia said, “memories that I no longer want to be reminded of. When this thing burns, hopefully, those memories will burn with it.”

  “But how bad can those memories be if there’s an old friend associated with them?” Maria asked, “Did you two have a fight?”

  “No… well, not technically,” Rebellia said, “She was obliterated. Right before my very eyes. I’m going to leave it at that. No more about this topic.”

  “…?” Daphne asked, but was ignored partly because of her muteness.

  “Okay, I understand,” Vincent said, looking down at the floor.

  “Obligarated?” Devonte said with a confused look on his face, “What’s that?”

  “When someone is struck by lightning, and… just disappears,” Rebellia said after a slight hesitation, “It doesn’t happen often, so hopefully none of us has to worry about it.”

  Thunder crashed outside just as Rebellia finished talking. Daphne and Devonte flinched at the sudden sound and the flash of lightning they saw from the window.

  “Speak of the devil, right?” Vincent laughed.

  Maria nodded with a smirk on her face.

  “We stay here for the night and leave first thing in the morning,” Rebellia announced. She looked at Devonte, “You can come too, but only if you want. I’m not saying that your parents are definitely at my sanctuary, but it’s worth a shot.”

  * * *

  Hours passed, and the inside of the cabin grew quiet. As the rain crashed down, and the thunder occasionally sounded off, Maria, Daphne, and Devonte were sound asleep. Vincent, on the other hand, had his eyes wide open. His mind raced at the thought of his wife. The possibility of her being trapped out there in the rain troubled him. He felt powerless to the hypothetical situation his mind created.

  “If this is the afterlife, why are they sleeping?” Vincent asked Rebellia partly to get his mind off of his wife for a second, “We don’t need to, do we?”

  “We don’t, but you guys do,” Rebellia said, “The more you sleep, the more memories will come back to you. My conclusion is that Devonte has been sleeping a lot since he came… that’s why he remembers so much. And plus, sleep is good for the soul.”

  There was silence between them for about five seconds.

  “It breaks my heart to hear what happened to this kid,” Vincent shook his head, “I feel sorry for him.”

  “This world is said to be a place full of only people who’ve made bad decisions in their lives, but for some reason, I’m starting to think that’s not the case,” Rebellia said, looking at Devonte sleeping with his thumb in his mouth, “When I first woke up in this world, I was livid. I was angry with any and everything. I literally wanted to kill God for leaving me out of Heaven, but after a while, I decided to create my own version of Heaven here. That sanctuary we’re going to is the starting point of this new Heaven. The best revenge is to get even, right? But over time -and especially now, I’m noticing that good people are being brought here -like really good people. The people back at the sanctuary, this kid and Daphne. What did they do for their souls to be brought here instead of Heaven? I’m starting to think that everyone who dies, comes here at one point after they die no matter how good they were.”

  “We’re all born sinners. Aren’t we?” Vincent said, looking at Devonte and Daphne.

  Rebellia merely shook her head. “It can’t be because of that,” she said, changing her sitting position, “Yeah, we’re all supposed to be born sinners because of the previous generations, but we’re also born with one thing, and that’s innocence. God shouldn’t punish you individually for what the people before you did, however, humanity is cursed as a whole.”

  There was a long silence that filled the room. The only sound came from the roaring thunder outside of the cabin.

  “These aren’t bad people,” Rebellia continued, “For instance, when I was about to shoot this Maria chick, Daphne jumped in front of her, blocking her from getting shot. This girl didn’t even know Maria, but she was willing to jump in front of a gun and endure pain just to protect her. That’s not what bad people do. My question is, what did she do to come here?”

  “I wonder what I did to come here too,” Vincent scratched the back of his head, “I don’t remember doing anything bad, but I guess I’ll find out soon.”

  “Yeah,” Rebellia nodded, “I guess you were a good person, but just like me, your good wasn’t good enough for the Almighty God… did you believe?”

  “Yeah,” Vincent nodded.

  “Well, of course you did,” Rebellia laughed, “otherwise, you probably wouldn’t be here.”

  “Did you believe?” Vincent asked, his eyes scanned Rebellia’s facial expression as her eyes widened.

  “Believed?” she scoffed, “I was brought up in a Christian household, but I believe that all religions are essentially the same thing written by different people in different languages. My mother and father were very serious when it came to religion. They felt like they owed everything we had to God, and we studied the Bible religiously. However, I didn’t really believe every little thing that the Bible had to offer -especially in my later years. To give you the answer you’re probably looking for: I believed in one universal God… I mean, something had to create the universe, right? But I do not take the Bible (or any of those other books) seriously. Not anymore. And I’m not alone with that, some parts of the Bible tell us not to eat shrimp, fall in love with the same sex, fall in love with another person’s husband or wife, and also stay away from pork amongst other things... you want to know what I find funny?”

  “What?” Vincent asked.

  “I find it funny how someone could talk about how horrible it is to be gay, but that same person probably loves seafood and pork. A person could talk about how much of a sin it is to be attracted to someone of the same sex, but then turn around and covet a married woman or man. How many pastors do you think eats bacon or even shrimp? How many pastors had affairs with married women?”

  “I’m guessing a lot,” Vincent said, almost laughing, “I don’t know for sure.”

  “The problem is, people pick and choose which rules to follow and think they’re doing right by their God. That is near insanity. That’s why their world is fucked. Humanity can’t even follow their own rules correctly. We are supposed to beware of false prophets, but there are a lot of false prophets a.k.a pastors capitalizing on religion, making a fortune off of other people’s beliefs by passing around a collection plate and people that study the Bible look at them like they’re Gods themselves. They’re worshipping another, something that the Bible forbids. There are a few names that come to mind… but they will eventually get what’s coming to them. Religion has been one of the most successful businesses in human history, and they know that.”

  She looked out the window to see the rain falling in the night, tapping and beating against the glass. Vincent rubbed his eyes. “You’re right,” he said.

  Rebellia nodded and tur
ned back to look at Vincent. “You should get to sleep. Maybe more information about your life will come to you.”

  “Yeah,” Vincent nodded and turned around, resting his head on one of the couch cushions. “It’ll be nice to hopefully see my Clara again.”

  Rebellia looked down, playing with her palms in the silence that followed. She broke the silence with a sigh.

  “… Look, Vincent,” she said, now looking at the confused face that stared back at her, “I can tell that you really want to find your wife-”

  “I do,” Vincent said.

  “Yeah, I know -but let me finish,” Rebellia said, “…I know it may take a while for you to find her, even with our help… how much do you remember about her?”

  “Um… not too much,” Vincent rubbed his forehead with both hands, “I remember how nice she was, I remember her smile and her hair… yeah, her hair smelled like roses.”

  “Did she die?”

  “Yes… wait… no. I don’t remember,” Vincent sighed.

  “Well, you better,” Rebellia said, “You should go to sleep… Maybe that will help you remember.”

  “I don’t think I can concentrate on sleeping right now,” Vincent said, “after seeing where I am, and what happened to that boy… Trevor?”

  “Travis,” Rebellia corrected him, “Trevor was his brother’s name I’m told.”

  “Yeah, Travis,” Vincent yawned, laughing a little bit, “and after all of those things you said about this place we’re in… it’s kind of hard to sleep, you know? It’s hard to focus knowing that you have a wife, but don’t know where she is. What if she’s in trouble? I have to-”

  “If she’s in trouble, you’d best believe that the people back at the guild and I will eventually help her,” Rebellia said with her hand on her chest.

  “Guild?” Vincent said, “I wanted to ask you about that when you mentioned it to me before-”

  “Yeah, that’s what we call our group sometimes…” Rebellia’s voice trailed off as her attention was turned to Daphne, who fidgeted in her sleep, “Looks like someone’s having a bad dream.”

  “Should we wake her?”

  “No!” Rebellia said, unexpectedly loud, “Trust me, we should just leave her.”

  “Okay,” Vincent removed his eyes from Daphne and stared back at Rebellia, “Man this is crazy. I’m dead. There is an afterlife… I’m surprised my head hasn’t exploded yet. This is a whole lot to take in all at once, you know.”

  “Yeah. It is,” Rebellia nodded, “I wasn’t too surprised when I arrived. I always believed in this. If life began and ended with the Earth, it wouldn’t explain how life was created or why. Oh, and in case you didn’t know… I think the big bang theory is bullshit.”

  “Well, but it’s just one man’s theory. Nobody ever said it was a fact,” Vincent said, “at least nobody that knows what a theory is.”

  “Yeah…” Rebellia said, “Even though I’m all for making up your own answers when God doesn’t answer your questions, a random explosion in space creating a well-organized universe just seems too… out there for me.”

  “Even more out there than a magical man in the sky creating it?” Vincent teased with a smile.

  “Heh,” Rebellia smirked, “yeah, even more out there than a magical person in the sky creating it. Look at us, look at where we are… if this isn’t proof that this magical person ‘theory’ is pretty much confirmed…”

  “Have you ever seen God?”

  “No,” Rebellia shook her head, “I may have heard God’s voice after I died. But as far as seeing God, no. God probably wouldn’t want to meet and have a conversation with me because I have a lot to say,” she yawned, “Sorry to leave you with a little cliffhanger or whatever, but I’m about to take a quick nap. You should really get some sleep too… and remember, sleep is good for the soul,” she said before kicking off her boots and turning to lay on her side on the creaky cot she was laying on. “We have a big day tomorrow. We’re going home.”

  * * *

  Daphne’s hair matched the clear blue sky when the small group left the cabin the next morning. With Devonte’s help, Rebellia crafted a note for Devonte’s mother, father, or brother to read if one of them happened to pass by the cabin looking for him. Rebellia knew it was a long shot, but it made Devonte feel secure. He wouldn’t leave unless the note was written, and she had no desire to leave him in this cabin alone and so far from where she felt was the safest place for him. Unfortunately for Daphne, the note was written down with the board and marker she found, but she didn’t mind.

  The travel on foot was lengthy, and Devonte complained several times before Vincent offered to carry him on his back. When Rebellia revealed that they weren’t even halfway to their destination, even Vincent let out a groan.

  Hours had passed, and although she grew tired of walking as well, Daphne started to walk at a faster pace than normal when Rebellia told her that the trek was almost over.

  They stopped at a river. Rebellia looked over to see the pair of wooden boats that she and Travis left behind on their way to the prison. Just seeing those boats reminded her of Travis, and a sadness built inside of her when she remembered what happened to him. She tied the two boats together with the rope that prevented them from drifting off before handing oars to Vincent and Maria. She told them to help steer the boat that Travis used to the other side.

  Once the trip across the water was complete, she tied the boats with a rope that waited for them.

  “You must’ve been making this trip a lot,” Vincent said, watching as she tied a knot he never saw before.

  “Not really,” Rebellia laughed, “this is only like my third time making this trip.”

  “Are we there yet?” Devonte said as he climbed back on Vincent’s back.

  “Almost,” Rebellia nodded, “it’s really not that far from here.”

  Daphne held the squirrel firmly in her hands, petting it and allowing it to walk on its own. She was surprised that the squirrel continued to walk alongside them as it walked along the tree branches above their path. The more they walked, the fewer trees there were so Daphne carried the squirrel in her hands the rest of the way. Rebellia stopped and pointed, and Daphne’s eyes grew larger when she saw the giant building that awaited them.

  They saw many people running and walking around, laughing while some of them sat at the group of tables that were perched in front of the building. The squirrel jumped out of Daphne’s hands and scurried towards the large building that awaited their arrival. Daphne giggled silently and ran after it. Devonte climbed down from Vincent’s back to chase after them. While running, Daphne slipped on some of the moist grass, causing her to fall into a very small puddle. When she scrambled back to her feet, she wiped herself off and continued to run as if she hadn’t fallen.

  “Be careful!” Maria shouted at the two kids that followed behind the squirrel.

  “There it is,” Rebellia smiled, taking in the scenery.

  “This is your place?” Vincent asked, turning to the nodding Rebellia.

  “Yup,” she said with a wide smile while waving to a guy with a curly red afro, “this is it. This is my Heaven. This is the place we call home.”

  Chapter 5 (Sanctuary)

  “Our main objective is to have fun while we’re here, to be honest.”

  The place they called home was a very large brick-built building that resembled a hospital. The walls of the building were sturdy with many vines hanging from the top of the left wall. Graffiti was painted underneath the vines in the form of a mural. From where they stood, Rebellia was able to make out the image of a young girl on the mural, but she quickly looked away when she saw someone walking in their direction. The large man with a thick beard was dressed in a sleeveless shirt with grayish sweatpants that matched. Much like Daphne, his feet were also bare as he stepped on the moist grass that was still wet from last night’s storm. Along the way towards the large building, there were wooden tables that a few guild members sat at w
hile conversing over various topics. Maria and Vincent caught wind of one as they walked past one of the tables.

  “So this cop asked me where I got the drugs from, you know what I said?”

  “What?”

  “Ronald Reagan, Motherfucker!” the people at the table laughed along with the man telling the story, “They locked my stupid ass up immediately after that.”

  “I bet they did,” a dreadlocked man in a yellow shirt said, laughing.

  A couple of people were laying on the grass, some with blankets underneath them, some without. As Rebellia led her new group towards the man who walked their way, nearly everyone they passed stopped what they were doing to eye the newcomers with curious faces.

  “Look who finally decided to show up!” the bearded man smiled as he and Rebellia were in talking distance, “and you have new recruits, I’m guessing?”

  “Yeah,” Rebellia said with an awkward half-smile, “we ended up spending the night in our old cabin because of the rain. That cabin is where we found this little guy right here,” she looked at Devonte while placing both hands on each of his shoulders, “this is Devonte.”

  “Oh. A little kid…” the man said, nodding in approval. “That’s rare around these parts. I haven’t seen one since Cou-”

  “Yeah, I know. But I have something even rarer,” Rebellia’s smile became a bit more genuine, “I found these two at the prison.”

  “Only two?” the man asked, looking at Vincent.

  “Yeah,” Rebellia nodded, “this is Vincent, and this is Daphne.”

  “Whoa! Blue hair? What is this, a joke?” the man exclaimed.

  “Nope. That’s her real hair,” Rebellia said as Daphne tugged at her own hair to show the man that it was indeed real, “Don’t ask me how, because I don’t know either. You can’t ask her because she’s mute at the moment, and she probably doesn’t know either.”

  “Wow. Interesting,” the man scratched his hairy chin while scanning Daphne with his eyes. He looked down at the squirrel in her hands.