Road to Paradise

“Years passed by, decades of fighting and constant warfare echoed throughout the ages. Districts fell, others rose. The weak usurped the strong. Empires fell and from the ashes rose. The battlefields were bathed in blood, broken bones and cries of agony were the norm. No home was safe, danger crept at every creak, at every corner turned, the lesson learned? Close not your eyes for a breath, lest you never open them again.” The kids listened, in terror although invested; one with a blanket held to the bridge of her nose and the other, with utmost attention.

“For if it’s paradise you hope to attain? There’s nothing gained from taking rest. Be alert! For Every five years the sons of the sky return and they only take with them, the freshest of fruits. Twenty-five in total! For in the year of ascension, no citizen found on the battleground is left alive, for it’s only the strongest! Of warriors who survive.”

“But- but why so much blood shed? What are they all fighting for?” One of the little ones asked.

“Oh! Poor Rhea, turning in your boots now? Rest assured, the bloodshed is all worth it because after, once the sons return, they shall take the strongest warriors up, into the heavens and they shall be with them together, in paradise, forever and ever! Sometimes, the ascended even come back with gifts and stories about the wonderful land they now call home and we call them, guardians!”

“Guardians?” Rhea says.

“Yes, Guardians. They tell us all about the wonderful things they’ve seen with the sons of the sky and motivate us so that more people can ascend.”

“What do they say? Have you ever met one?” Rhea rises in curiosity.

“Why yes of course! They resemble the sons, radiant, basking in beauty, wearing the finest of fabric, never seen before in our history and they talk about vast floating cities, springs of fresh water, streams of honey and buildings built with gold! Vast farms that offer rich harvests, fattened farm animals ready for slaughter, treasures and splendour beyond your wildest of imaginations!”

“Ah, quit bulshitting the kids Dorothy. The only thing guaranteed in this life is that you end up dead out there or miserable and dead in here, harvesting fuckall just to get raided by the rest of the cunts around this district. They’re better off having fun at the edge of the encampment zones, at least they’ll be somebody else’s problem.” A man get’s up from his bed, kicking a beer bottle away and grabbing a new one. The candle light, revealing the numerous scars branded all over his back, right before he puts his jacket on and takes up his rifle in preparation for tonight's watch.

Dorothy sighs, “Oh Daniel, whatever happened to that optimism?”

Daniel turns around buckling up his belt, the scar on his face, evident, “Life and it goes for the rest of you, some, more than others.” He said, right before he left.

Sitting next to the kids Dorothy turns her head, rather disappointed but tries to stay positive, “It’s okay kids, your father is just in a mood right now. Come on now, get some rest, paradise awaits!” Dorothy puts out the candle and tucks her two kids away to sleep.

“Mom, do you think we’ll ever make it to paradise?” In the darkness Damien asks, stopping Dorothy before she could leave.

“Why of course honey! What makes you say that?” Dorothy asked.

“Well, it’s because dad doesn’t seem to be all too happy about it,” Damien replies.

Dorothy sighs, “Your father’s been having a tough time but if you believe in yourself, I’m sure you will!” Dorothy walks over and Damien gets a kiss on the forehead, so too does Rhea, “Goodnight kids!”

The following morning; as a bustling crowd gathers in the district square for the daily rations, the feel of the atmosphere breeds dread, as dense clouds cover the sky, bloating out any ray of light striving to get through and the chilling winds sweeping the crowds, giving way to a storm about to ensue.

Officer Grey takes to the top of the fence, about to make an announcement, “Inhabitants of district B2. I come bearing news, although not the best of news, I offer a way forward. As a result of the year of ascension two years ago, the number of men in this district has heavily dwindled. The rest of the surrounding districts have taken notice and are taking advantage of the fact by raiding our farms, severely impacting our supply chain.”

“As of now, B2 has no guardian; with a lack of contact it's only safe to assume the worst. Therefore, next year’s ascension team will be full of rejects and women and if all else fails; i’m afraid we will have to turn to the children, the last line of hope for district B2,” said officer Grey, sparking unrest among the crowds. “Further information shall be communicated; until then, I wish you all the best.”

“Not only our women but our children too, Daniel are you hearing this?” one of the locals asked.

Daniel shrugged it off, lit his cigar and walked off saying, “They should've let me die two decades ago.”

Meanwhile: in the marketplace, Damien and Rhea try their luck in order to gather enough supplies for the night. From merchant to merchant, each with their own ridiculous prices. Damien finally comes to an agreement with one of them, firewood, tinned food and some spices. Damien checks the bag but it's not what he bargained for and in turn, lashes out with anger, “Hey! Where’s the rest old man! I thought we had a deal!”

“Kid, around these parts that’s the best you’re gonna get. Now scram!” The merchant says.

“You think you can get away with this because I'm little?” Damien replies.

“Kid, you need to be more careful on who you’re dealing with,” says the merchant. Damien throws the bag away and decides to act but before he can charge towards the old man with an attack, Rhea comes from behind the old man concealing her identity with a blanket and stops Damien before he can do anything foolish.

“Let it go Damien,” Rhea whispers, gently pushing him back.

“But Rhea?”

“Just trust me,” Rhea says, flashing another bag towards Damien full of extra supplies. “Let’s go!” Damien understands and the two run off as fast as they can.

“That’s right, you listen to her,” says the old merchant but before he can realise what happened, it's already too late.

“That was awesome!” Damien says, as the two make their way back to camp running, laughing and smiling, “Where did you learn how to do that?”

“Well, you spent so much time arguing with the old man that I decided to just, sneak around back and take it,” Rhea replied.

“Smart,” Damien said but as the two got closer to the tent, Damien overheard a conversation. “Hey why don’t you sit this one out, i’ll take care of it,” Damien said and Rhea complied.

“Officer Grey said they wouldn't take any women from homes with rejected enforcements, so you’ll be just fine,” said Daniel, as Damien silently approached the tent, listening attentively.

“That’s not my concern Daniel, what about the kids! Who are they going to look up to when you’re gone, what happens if you don’t make it back?”

“The kids will do just fine on their own Dorothy, they have you and don’t you go on worrying about me, I mean look at us we’re bound to die sooner or later. I just wish that my time had come sooner rather than later and if I don't go, it might put them in danger even more, so, I’m afraid I have no other choice.”

“Don’t- don’t say that, you’re just trying to find a good excuse to leave,” said Dorothy.

Picking up his rifle, Daniel replies, “It's been a long time coming,” and as soon as he slides the tent open, he finds Damien eavesdropping, holding bags full of supplies. Silence falls. Dorothy rushes to give Damien a hug. “So they’ve been outside the encampment zones.”

“I just thought it was high time the kids helped you with supplies, now i know it's about high time they fend for themselves!” Dorothy replied, tightly holding on to Damien.

“How much of that did you hear kid?” Daniel asks.

“All of it?” Damien replies.

Daniel smiles, “Hmph, You’re in good hands Dorothy,” and leaves.

As the clouds in the sky swell with moisture, the sweet scent of accompanying petrichor graces the air. At an abandoned hanger somewhere on the outskirts of the district, the rain pours and Daniel sits there on a crate in somber silence, watching as the sky weeps. Somewhere among the boxes of supplies and rations, Damien peeps and silently makes his way towards him but as he does so, knocks over a can and alerts Daniel.

Daniel turns his head, unfazed he says, “I thought you were supposed to be at home.” Damien drops his head. Silence falls and the sound of rainfall thrives. “Get over here,” Daniel says, looking out into the downpour. Approaching, Daniel patted and messed up his hair, “Damien!” a wild smile swept across Daniel’s face, “So, come on kid. Talk to me, what brings you all the way out here?”

“Well, I just wanted to say goodbye and spend some time with you before you left.” said Damien.

“Aw, I’m not leaving just yet kid. I’ve got at least two more years so there’s nothing to worry about. This is just, it’s more like training.”

“Training?”

“Yeah, training. So, by the time I can get out there, your dad will be a real badass.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! Really. How about you, I saw you with a few supplies today. How did you get those?”

“I bargained, I wanted to confront the old man but Rhea wouldn’t let me because she stole the rest.”

“Oh! did she now?” Daniel chuckled.

“Mhmm,” Damien nodded.

“Smart girl, but I bet you looked really intimidating. That old man is lucky Rhea didn’t let you have him!” Daniel said and Damien laughed. “Tell you what? How about, I teach you what I've learned over the years, just you and me, maybe then you’ll have something to remember your oldman by. How does that sound?”

“Spending some quality time with my dad? How could I say no?” said Damien.

“Hehe, trust me, you’ll love it. Then, I can tell you all about your uncle.”

“I had an uncle?”

“You bet! And I can't wait to tell you all about him!”