CHAPTER 10: THE DREAM OF THE SAINT
2267 Words
Eli walked beside Zeus, and he was impressed with what he saw.
The community had been restored nicely, and they had kept it neat with a semblance of real life. Most importantly, it was walled and fortified, and with enough food and water, the people here could remain safe for a long time.
As they crossed the lane towards the residence of Saint Doug Holy, a figure appeared around the corner and came towards them. The man was holding a ledger-type book in his hand and perusing, and when he looked up and saw Eli, he gasped with shock and took a step back.
“s**t on me!” he exclaimed with wide eyes. “Zeus! Isn’t that… the dead guy?”
Zeus smiled uneasily.
“Not so dead anymore. Claims he just passed out. Going in to see the Saint. Kate and the rest still in there?”
“No, showed them to their rooms. Kate wanted to see where he would be buried, so I asked one of the guys to take her to the cemetery. This will… make her happy.”
“I daresay,” Zeus said softly.
A few minutes later, Eli came face-to-face with the man in charge of the community.
Doug Holy listened to how Eli had been presumed dead and how he woke up in the nick of time.
“Now, that is a story of hope, an amazing story in a time where only horror stories abound!” the Saint said with genuine wonder. “Let me apologize for the attack on you, Eli. They must have freaked out!”
“It is understandable,” Eli said calmly.
“I like you, Eli,” Doug said with a wide smile. “You look very grand indeed. I have the perfect plan for you. You will play a very vital role in your life here.”
Eli shook his head once.
“I’m afraid I’m not here to stay,” he said softly. “I was just looking for a place for Kate and her mother after we locate Zion. If they’re reunited with Zion again, then I must move on.”
Doug looked shocked.
“Move on? To where exactly? There’s only death out there, young man. The world is being ruled by Searots, Tombers and Red Circles. Every survivor looks for and joins a community for safety! Nobody can survive out there, no one!”
“I’m going back to my people. I’m from the Kingdom of Eden, and I’m going back.”
“Boy!” Doug almost shouted. “From here to the KOE isn’t a walking distance! Your safest bet would be across the sea if you have enough navigational skills. But, you can’t even make it across with a canoe. You need something with power, like a boat, but where are you going to find one? There are some old boats at the wharf of the valley. Military boats, but they’re not working. Plus, there is a big warehouse there full of Searots. We’ve tried to take it out, you know, and gain access to the other warehouses, but the Searots are too many. So, if you ask me, getting to the Kingdom of Eden is virtually impossible.”
“I’ll get there,” Eli said calmly. “Would you mind if I take a look at the boats?”
“Did you listen to what I said? The harbour is over-run with Searots! And don’t ask me to lend you men because all our efforts have proved futile so far. If you decide to do this, you’ll be on your own.”
“I understand.”
“Good. But, take your time. Eat and rest, my friend. Enjoy your life with your friends. Maybe, with the dawn of a new day, your heart would find a new direction. Zeus, give him abode where his friends are.”
Eli smiled without making any response. He knew his mind and heart would never waver from his resolve to get back home and see his parents if they were still alive.
Eventually, he was taken to a big, rectangular building where there were bunk beds and bathrooms. The males occupied the down, whilst the women were upstairs.
As Eli was stowing his bag in one of the cubicles, there was a scream of delight behind him. He turned and saw Kate flying at him with her arms spread wide and tears of happiness washing down her face.
“My love, my love, oh, my love!”
She enveloped him in a fierce embrace, and would not let him go even when Elsie and Farida reached him.
***
They had dinner at the Officers’ Mess.
There were long tables here with benches behind them that made eating in the group quite exciting.
The new ones were introduced by Doug Holy.
There was a raised platform where the people went up to pots of food and were served by the attendants. They then carried their plates and water to the tables to sit and eat.
Doug Holy had his food on a separate, raised platform, and he advised Kate and Eli to join him. The food was rice and vegetable stew with lots of sweet, delicate chunks of meat. Palm wine was served with the food on Doug’s table, and Eli enjoyed the sweet, mild alcohol. It was his first time, and he enjoyed it tremendously.
“So, my dear friend, tell me this,” Doug Holy said with a smile. “Are you enjoying yourself yet?”
Eli took a swallow of palm wine from a calabash and smiled broadly.
“I’m really enjoying myself,” he said in almost a shout. “Thank you, Saint Holy.”
“So, you intend to stay with us?” Doug Holy asked craftily, his face cold and serious suddenly.
Eli shook his head.
“As tempting as the lure is, I must go back home.”
“To what, my boy, to what?” Holy shouted as if he was getting angry. “By now your people are all dead, or scattered across the land!”
“I prefer to know for real, sir,” Eli said quietly. “It is not negotiable.”
“It’s not my intention to negotiate, but boy, folly is folly. Alright, eat up quickly and come with me. I want to show you and Kate something.”
“And what can that be?” Eli asked with a mild tone of curiosity.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Doug Holy said with a sly smile. “Let’s finish eating.”
After dinner, Doug Holy invited them outside where an open-top shiny Mercedes was waiting.
“Belonged to the Army Commander here,” he said with a smile. “Found a bagful of bones in it. Sit down, sit down! Let me show you something wonderful.”
Kate intrigued, sat between them in the back seat as the car pulled away. Doug Holy kept up pleasant small talk until they left the centre of the community and approached the eastern tip where there was another wall and an entranceway guarded by four armed Saints.
They saluted smartly and opened the gates. The car drove through a beautifully hedged road and entered a breath-taking part of the community.
The houses were mostly pristine white with patches of green grass in front, arranged beautifully in rows. Eli noticed that there were recreational areas like basketball courts, lawn tennis, and even a golf course stretching down one side.
It had lanterns lining the streets, and lanterns in the rooms, giving the whole place almost a dream-like allure.
The people here were young and had one thing in common: they were very handsome men and beautiful women, dressed in the best of clothing Kate had seen so far after the Meltdown. Most of the women were either pregnant or carrying children. There were also little children moving around happily.
“Oh, this is amazing!” she said breathlessly and pointed to a beautiful structure on their right. “Is that a school?”
“A school, yes,” Doug Holy said carefully, and his eyes were on Eli. “You will notice that this area is as if the Meltdown never happened, right?”
“Right!” Kate cried excitedly and waved to some of the young mothers waving at her. “Oh, this is so beautiful!”
Doug Holy laughed softly.
Soon, they left that cluster behind and the car turned into the driveway of one of the beautiful houses.
“Please, come with me,” Doug Holy said and stepped out of the car.
Eli got out and held the door open for the excited Kate to get down.
“Tell me this, Eli, my boy!” Doug said as he led the way up the steps to a porch, and then opened the main door of the house. “What do you think of the Meltdown?”
They walked into a beautiful living-room illuminated by a kerosene lantern. There was a beautiful rug on the floor, deep, leather-covered chairs, a dining area, and even a television set.
“Oh!” Kate whispered with tears in her eyes. “This reminds me so much of our house before the Meltdown.”
Doug showed them the bedroom with a beautiful bed covered with white sheets. It had a bathroom with water closet, a kitchen, and two rooms. The back porch had a small swimming-pool beyond.
Altogether, a very amazing house that appealed so much to Kate.
Doug faced Eli on the back porch and looked intently at the handsome man.
“You haven’t answered my question, Eli. What do you think about the Meltdown?”
“A calamity,” Eli said softly. “Something that has rendered humans helpless and weak, and must end as soon as possible.”
“So, in your opinion, the Meltdown is a bad thing?”
“Yes, it is!” Eli said passionately. “Look at how humans almost became extinct! We’ve died in millions, and lost more than three-quarters of the world’s population! Surely, you know it is a calamity too!”
“No, I don’t see it as a calamity, boy!” Doug said, and his voice was cold now. “I see it as a blessing! It levelled the playing field, boy. It razed down every corner of the world. Whites, Blacks, Asians, Indians! It levelled all of us to the starting point. It was like a master reset, my boy! It made us all equal and gave us a chance to rebuild again. That is the sense, boy, sense! Now, the Black Man has a chance to come back stronger and wiser, and rule his destiny, and stick it to those White bastards who dominated us for so long.”
Eli looked at the man with shock, and when he spoke his voice was filled with contempt.
“Goodness me, are you making this thing about race thing again?”
“It is a race thing!” Doug exploded. “Everything is a race thing! Racism defined the world and pushed Blacks to the fringes of human life, but thanks to the Meltdown, we have a chance to grow again, to evolve into the superior race! That is why I created this area, my boy. It is called the Black Reign Project, BRP. I’m populating this part with only the most handsome, most beautiful people. They’re here to give birth, my boy, that’s all. We provide them with everything they need, give them food, water, comfort, joys, happiness! They’re free from worries, boy. All they have to do is give birth to beautiful, wise babies. We educate them about how the world used to be, and we’re bringing up the new children to rule the world! This is the dream, the only dream, and you now have a chance to be a part of it!”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Eli asked with shock.
“Think! Use your head!” Doug Holy exploded. “Here, you can stay with Kate as your wife, boy. You’ll be king in your right. Have babies with her, or any other woman here who favours you. There’s no jealousy here, no possessiveness. They all know it is a Dream, a grand project, so any woman can sleep with any man she favours, likewise the men. The fathers of the babies are not important, you see. The most important thing is to crossbreed a master race, to make sure that the new Black Race will be made up of only beautiful, superior people! So, you can have it all, right here! What do you think, Kate? To stay in this house with Eli and just have fun and babies?”
Kate’s lips trembled and tears glittered in her eyes as she put her arms around Eli and hugged him tightly.
“Oh, Eli, please, it is such a beautiful thing! Let’s be part of it, please, my love, please!”
Eli’s mouth was open.
He could not believe what he was hearing from either of them!
- Writer
