Chapter 2: John

The drive back towards the island was a long one. Eden had not realized she had gone almost 30 miles outside of the safe zone. John was patrolling the outer perimeter when he came across her. He was happy it was him and not the Others.

They sat quietly in the truck together. Not saying much, but just enjoying the company of each other. John’s hand was still on her hand and she touch could feel the warmth of his skin through his knit gloves. He had always been an understand guy, ever since they were young.

John’s parents knew her parents before the first war. After the first war, Eden’s parents never came back and John’s parents would try to watch over her and Zara whenever they could, but they were fighting their own battles at home. John’s brother Caleb had defected when he was 16. He crossed over the bridge into the Others’ territory and never came back. Eden still remembers hearing the crying from John’s home, two houses down from her own. She can still picture his dad holding his mom back as she watched Caleb get into his car and speed off towards the bridge. No one other than John and his family knew why Caleb left and they never talked about it. Some say it was because he was sick and the Rangers couldn’t help him. Other say he got caught up with a girl and wanted to be with her. Whatever it was tore John’s mom’s heart into pieces and she was never the same again.

Eden looked over at him. His soft features occasionally shown in small spurts of highway lights. John wasn’t the same kid who would come over on the weekends to bring her ice cream and sandwiches. He was a man now and one of the Rangers who watched over the island from time to time. She couldn’t believe how long they had known each other, yet barely said a word to one another when they were together. John’s hand squeezed her hand as they got closer to the bridge gate.

“Don’t say anything, Eden,” he told her sternly. He gently let go of her hand as a blue headlamp slowly walked up to the truck.

“Good morning, Louis,” John said.

“Oh hey, John. I didn’t realize you were on patrol tonight. Did you find anything out there,” Louis asked as he nodded his head in Eden’s direction. Eden could see John’s shadow on the dash as the guard moved his head around.

John laughed a bit before the lie left his lips.

“Oh Eden? No, I took her on patrol with me. She needed to get a few soil samples for the lab. They’re trying to get a new crop going, you know? Dr. Missine wanted to see if outer island soil was more beneficial to the project.”

Eden turned her head to look at John and Louis as they talked about the crop project. “What a great lie,” she thought to herself and found herself nodding in agreement to the new subject matter.

“That sounds a little scary, John. Didn’t you guys think about suits before going out there? What if you had caught something and brought it back with you,” Louis asked, his voice cracking with concern.

“Don’t worry, Louis. We took a few vials before we left. We were safe, don’t worry. Dr. Missine fixed us up pretty good.”

A sudden calm came over Louis’s face as he listened to him. Dr. Missine, the most trusted professional on the island had given John and I antidote vials before we left the island. Sure, that’s right. At the mere mention of Dr. Missine and the word vials, Louis dropped his guard routine and decided to let us pass.

The stone and metal wall that rose up before them was at least 30 feet high, 15 deep and maybe 20 feet wide. The Heaven’s gate is what they called it. It separated them from the Others and opened to mile long single car bridge. Big enough for a semi truck yet not quite big enough for multiple cars to pass at once. Getting out of the island was not what the Rangers wanted unless you had a purpose for it.

John put his hand on Eden’s again to calm her nerves as they drove past a sea of Ranger guards. As they passed under Heaven’s gate, she looked up and watched it float over their heads. The loud metal churned from the metal wheels that brought it up. The opening of the gate could be heard all over the island. Curves and divots on the bottom of the gate could be seen only when passed under it. Many bombs had gone off in front of the gate and some under it as well. The nicks and chips on the lips were the memories of those battles in the first war when it was literally at our gate. Eden tried to think back on the first war and all she could think about was the warmth on her hand again.

“We’re here, Eden. Wake up.”

She had fallen asleep on John’s shoulder and she jerked up suddenly realizing where she was and what she was doing. John didn’t seem to mind it. He was enjoying the quiet and the warmth as they drove to their neighborhood. Eden felt a sense of relief as she saw her yellow door under the moon light. She picked up her bag and started to open the door when John grabbed her arm.

“Do you need me to come inside,” he asked.

Usually such a question would be an obvious “No” to Eden, but John was always welcome in her home. Even if she didn’t feel like she needed him to check in on her, she knew that it made him happy to do so.

“Of course, John. I always need you.” As she hopped out of the truck, she turned and gave him a little smirk of approval. John could feel his heart skip a beat.

They walked up to the yellow door slowly together and they could see the blues and pale greens starting to appear on the horizon from the solar planet, Tolaria. Tolaria had replaced the Sun before Eden and John were born. Neither of them had known the sunrise, they had never seen the orange, red and yellow hues that kissed the sky in the early morning. Tolaria was their Sun now.

Eden fumbled with the keys to her door and after a few turns she finally got it open. Peace, her grey-haired dog, came running to the door to great her, slobbering all over her face as she bent down to give him a hug.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here, Peace. I hope you were able to survive without me.”

Peace always seemed to be listening to Eden when she spoke to him even if she knew he would never understand what she was saying. She was just happy to have him around. Peace suddenly realized John was in the doorway and came running over to him, almost pushing him to the ground as he jumped up to his chest to great him.

“Hello, Peace,” he said cheerfully. Slowly making his way through the entry way and shutting the door behind him. “It’s been way too long buddy. I’m sorry I haven’t come to visit you sooner. I’ve just been too busy with those damn Rangers, you know? Sometimes I can’t get away and sometimes I’m too tired. I know it’s not really an excuse, but at least I’m here now.”

The dog sat patiently staring up at John, listening to him speak. Waiting for more pats on his head. Eden looked at both of them from the kitchen lovingly. John was the only other person besides Eden that Peace liked. She enjoyed listening to John and Peace have their little talks on the porch as Peace would guard the yellow door. Eden started to realize that she liked having John around as well.

“Do you need a hand in there,” John yelled from the living room. He was looking around for treats to give Peace. “Now, Peace, where does your mom hide the treats?”

“I hide them above the TV,” Eden said as she walked into the living room. “And I only like to give him half of one. He’s seems to be getting a little round.”

John grabbed two treats out of the box of dog biscuits and quickly threw them towards Peace before Eden could say anything. Then he smiled and sat down on the couch and patted the spot next to him while looking up at her.

“Sometimes I want to punch you. Do you know that?” She said as she sat down next to him.

John couldn’t help it, he loved being around Eden. He knew he loved her the first time be saw her when they were both 6 year olds playing on their front lawns. He remembered the pale green dress she was wearing and her dark black hair up in a ponytail. He remembered her screaming and yelling at him to come over and play with her. His love for her only grew more when they got older. He watched her silently walk the hallways of the small school they attended, he knew she was pretending to be invisible. He saw the fights Zara tried to pick with her in public and admired her strong resolve as she said nothing to her mean-spirited sister. She had grown into the strong willed person she was today. He had many opportunities to move out of the small suburb neighborhood he grew up in into Ranger Headquarters as a Commander, but be refused the position to stay behind to be close to Eden even if they were walls apart. He loved her and always wanted to be near here.

“Of course I know you want to punch me,” he said playfully as he pinched her arm a little bit. “But that’s why you love me.”

He said the last few words with sincerity in his voice and Eden saw what she thought were sparkles in his eyes. They stared at each other for a few seconds and as John leaned in to steal a kiss, Eden jumped up from the couch.

“It is hot in here, right,” she asked her voice shaking a bit from the sudden surprise. She walked towards the windows, opened the curtains and flipped the latch on the glass pane to let in fresh air.

“Eden, stop pacing. What are you doing?”

“I don’t know. I am just walking around. I might be a little delusional from my random encounter tonight,” she was rambling. “Maybe I am a little tired. I should probably get a little sleep, you know? You should too…”

John slowly got up from the couch. Eden thought he seemed taller than usually. His shirt a little tight over his strong, built physique. He combed his hand threw his hair again, the signature John move when he was a little nervous and he scratched his neck just below his beard line as he walked towards the door. Peace lifted his head in acknowledgement of John’s movement, but stayed in his relaxed position.

“I’m sorry…,” she started to say, but she was stopped by a gentle wave from John.

“Don’t say you’re sorry. That would imply that you feel some kind of sympathy for me and that is not what I want,” his voice was soft yet there was a twinge of sternness. His back was towards her in the open doorway. Eden couldn’t help, but run to him and put her hand on his shoulder. They stood there together unmoving. “I’ve loved you forever, Eden. I can’t imagine not seeing you come out of your yellow door everyday or not hear your insane music blasting at 11 at night. I’ve watched you come and go, hold hands with someone who is not me and break many hearts over the years. I’ve never said anything, but I can’t now. You see, that’s why I don’t want your sympathy.”

Eden walked around John, blocking him from leaving the door and looked at his sullen face. He had aged over the years. The war waged harshly on everyone, but John was still the handsome boy she remembered. His soft brown hair always in his face, his beautiful eyes always sparkling even at night and his mouth which carried a permanent smile on it. She slowly placed her left hand on his cheek and he shuddered at her touch. Then she placed her right hand on his other cheek and lifted his head up just a little bit so their eyes met. She looked into his bright green eyes and she saw longing, happiness, sorrow and every color of emotion someone could have for another person. Standing up ever so slightly on her tipy toes, she leaned in and planted a soft gentle kiss on his lips and she felt her knees beginning to shake. John gently wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in to return the gentle kiss with another, then another and one more then without question they were both wrapped up into each others embrace.

Then suddenly they stopped. A blaring noise had filled the air. It was the sirens, the warning sirens. John reached into his pocket to pull out his Ranger Indicator, a small pager like device. His face looked horrified as he read the alarm.

“I have to go. Grab Peace and go to my house, get inside the bunker and don’t let anyone in,” he yelled to her as he walked towards his truck.

“What’s happening? Where are you going,” she screamed back.

As he jumped into his truck he cried,“It’s the Others, Eden. Get into the bunker!”