The Sword Bearer

By Joseph Schoonover

Most find out, as they start to walk down the narrow path toward God's glory, the Way is rarely easily traveled. Hardships often come against those who choose to join the ranks of God's army. This truth is something Cayden must learn quickly as he takes up his sword and walks the line between good and evil. He battles with his past, worldly influences, and the forces of the Keres as he discovers what it means to be The Sword Bearer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638857754

Book preview

Table of Contents

Cover

Title

Copyright

Prologue: A Hopeless End

Chapter One: Stuck in the Past

Chapter Two: A New Name

Chapter Three: A Fallen Dagger

Chapter Four: A New Target

Chapter Five: A Shadow of Doubt

Chapter Six: A Snowy Mountaintop

Chapter Seven: A Silent Fight

Chapter Eight: A Storm from Within

Chapter Nine: The Betrayal

Chapter Ten: In the Enemy's Camp

Chapter Eleven: A Fiery Explosion

Chapter Twelve: The Past Returns

Chapter Thirteen: The Masses Deceived

Chapter Fourteen: Unfinished Business

Chapter Fifteen: Brother's Keeper

Chapter Sixteen: Shattered Worlds

Chapter Seventeen: 398

Chapter Eighteen: Madam President Emel Washington

Chapter Nineteen: Elms Inn

Chapter Twenty: Temptations End

Chapter Twenty-One: The Question Mark

Chapter Twenty-Two: Into the Woods

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Whispering Pines

Chapter Twenty-Four: Into the Fray

Chapter Twenty-Five: The River

Chapter Twenty-Six: An Icy Swim

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Kingdom of the Keres

Chapter Twenty-Eight: A god For The godless

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The North

Chapter Thirty: Unknown

Chapter Thirty-One: To The End

Epilogue

The Sunset

About the Author

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The Sword Bearer

Joseph Schoonover

ISBN 978-1-63885-774-7 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63885-776-1 (Hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-63885-775-4 (Digital)

Copyright © 2022 Joseph Schoonover

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

—2 Corinthians 10:3–5

Prologue

A Hopeless End

We failed, I thought as I laid face up on the ground. The sky above me was darkened by the sandstorm. All I could hear was the wind whipping around, as it threw the small sand particles through the air and across my face. The dust stuck itself to the sweat on my forehead. I felt a sharp pain on the left side of my chest. I slowly moved my right arm and touched the part of my chest that the pain was coming from. All I could feel was a wet spot, and as I slowly lifted my hand up to my face, I watched as a dark-red liquid dripped off my thumb. The drop splashed onto my face just below my eye. The rest of the liquid sat on my hand and glistened in the little bit of light that worked its way through the dusty clouds. I let my arm go limp, and it dropped back at my side. I looked back toward the sky and could see yellow and orange light flickering and reflecting off the clouds of dust. I looked to the right a little bit and noticed a thick, dark, black cloud billowing up, cutting its way through and out of the dust. I began to realize how much I was laboring to breathe. Every breath I sucked in coated my throat with more sand, and as I wheezed the breath out, my lungs burned in pain. My breathing began to slow down, and my vision began to blur and darken. My eyelids began to slowly close.

I failed, I whispered, and then everything fell into darkness.

Chapter One

Stuck in the Past

Seven Months Earlier

My foot splashed down into a puddle of water that was sitting on the sidewalk. I let out a groan in frustration but kept running down the sidewalk.

Get back here, you little jerk! one of the guys behind me yelled as they chased after me. I continued running, gripping onto the small bag that I had just ripped away from the unsuspecting lady. The contents of the bag sloshed around inside. The dim streetlights and the neon signs in front of the business were the only things that were lighting up the dark night. The light was broken up by the rain that was lightly falling. I figured that I could run at full speed for at least another mile before I had to stop. The guys behind me though, probably only had a couple hundred more feet. I could hear the stomping of their boots on the concrete begin to lessen as they collectively slowed down.

One of the men was yelling into his small radio; another of the men was shouting at me. I kicked my body into the last gear that it had, and I began to run a little faster. The men behind me could not keep up at this pace, and their shouts began to fade off. I ran for another half a mile or so, and then after making sure I had lost the bumbling fools, I ducked into a dark side alley. I quickly bent over and put my hand on my knees, taking in deep breaths to try and stop myself from passing out. After slowing down my breathing, I stood straight up and ripped open the zipper on the small bag. I opened the bag as I slowly walked over to a small beam of moonlight that made it between the buildings. Raindrops splashed on the brim of my baseball cap as I looked down into the bag.

In the moonlight, I could make out most of the objects as they sat motionless inside. I grabbed the few coins and the ten-dollar bill that sat in a small pocket. Most of the other items were junk, just a cheap pair of sunglasses and different kinds of makeup. Then I found a light-green wallet. I quickly grabbed it out and then tossed the bag into the dumpster in front of me. I unsnapped the button on the front of the wallet and opened it up. Then I saw the best item that I could find. A small plastic card that shined in the moonlight, the silver numbers flashed as I held it out in front of me. I shoved the card and the ten-dollar bill in my coat pocket and tossed the wallet in the dumpster. I pulled my coat hood up over my head and began to walk out of the alley, back toward the street. The light from the neon signs and the streetlamps punched me in the face and I held my hand up in front of my eyes, to block the beams of light. The sidewalk was quiet, only a few people moving up and down it. I turned right heading out of the alley and walked quickly down the sidewalk. A hundred feet in front of me was an intersection, and one of the bumbling fool's friends came walking around the corner toward me. I pulled my hood tight to try and hide my face and quickly turned and walked the opposite direction, back toward where I had come from.

2-3, Sergeant, I may have visual on the subject, I heard the man behind me say into his radio. I started walking faster, almost in a jog now. I could hear the man behind me start to walk faster and gain ground on me. I kept walking at the pace I was at, looking around for an exit out of this situation. Not paying attention to the path in front of me, I bumped into a woman that was walking by.

Hey, watch it, buddy, she grumbled as she collected herself. I pushed past her and kept walking. Peeking over my shoulder, I could see a tall lengthy man in a black uniform watching me and keeping pace with me. His eyes met mine, and I could see by his glare that it was either run or be captured. I took off, back on the run.

2-3, Sergeant. Subject fleeing. Officer 73 in pursuit! the man behind me yelled into his radio as he started to clop after me. I ran back up the sidewalk I had just come down but stopped quickly when a blue and white car came screaming down the street with lights on the roof flashing on and off. It came to a screeching halt in front of me, throwing the water on the road up in the air. Two men jumped out, one from each side of the car. They both looked right at me.

Hey, stop right there. Don't move! the one on the left yelled. I looked to my right. There was an intersection with cars moving through it at a fast pace. I looked back at the two men in front of me. The man on the right must have read my mind because he yelled out, Don't do it!

I looked at both of them for a second more and then tore off toward the intersection. The two men followed. As I reached the end of the sidewalk, I realized how fast the cars were going, spraying water into the air. I could hear the men close behind me, so I didn't hesitate to run out into the middle of the intersection. The cars swerved and blasted their horns at me. One car came to a complete stop right in front of me. Without stopping, I slid across the hood of the car and continued running to the other side of the street. As my feet hit the other end of the sidewalk, I looked back over my shoulder to see if my followers were keeping up with me. In a second, my body went from full speed to completely still as I smashed into a man standing on the corner. Him and I went tumbling to the ground, our limbs tangling up in each other. Lying on the ground, still in shock from the impact, I heard the quiet thud of footsteps quickly getting louder as the two men caught up with me. I tried to push myself up to get away when one of them grabbed me by the shoulder and threw me back to the ground. He shouted at me, but my ears refused to form words, only a loud muffed noise made it through. As I lay on the wet concrete watching the headlights of the cars come and go, I realized I was probably in real trouble this time, unlike the last time I was lying face down. The man that had caught me wrenched my arms behind my back and pulled something shiny from his belt. He clasped the object around one wrist and then the other. I winced in pain as I felt the skin on my wrist get pinched between the cold metal. He grabbed the inside of my left arm and pulled me to my feet. The world around me became upright again, and I could see the other man that had been chasing me. He was now talking to the brick wall that had just ruined my escape. He was writing something in a small notepad as the brick wall stood next to him rubbing his forehead. They both chuckled about something as they talked. The man, who had a firm hold of my arm, pulled me around and started to walk me back the way we had just come from. He grabbed at the small radio on his shoulder and clicked the button.

2-3, Sergeant. Subject in custody. Returning to the station, he said, sucking in air as he tried to catch his breath.

***

Tick… Tick… Tick…was the only sound I could hear as the clock on the wall above the door slowly spun its second hand around and around. I was sitting in a small room at a small metal table that sat in the middle of the room. My hands were chained together, and the chain was run through a bar on the top of the table so that I was connected to it, and escape was impossible. The door on the wall opposite me had a large window, but it was hazy so that the only thing that could pass through was a small amount of light. On the wall to my right was what I guessed was a two-way mirror that spanned the length of the wall. Above the mirror in the left corner was a small camera that gave off little red flashes that lit up the corner. On the other side of the table was a chair identical to the one I was sitting in. I looked down at my hands, at the remaining black ink, that had not completely washed off. After what felt like hours of sitting in the cold metal chair, the door in front of me creaked open.

Light jumped in the room and bounced off the mirror and onto the table. I looked up, squinting, to try and see what was on the other side, but I couldn't make anything out. Then a dark figure stepped into the light and cast a shadow over the room. The figure came closer, and I could now see it was a man. He was about my height and had brown messy hair. He had on a blue button-down shirt and a black tie that had been loosened. Black pants started where the blue stopped and ran all the way down to his shoes, which were also black. In his left hand, he had a coffee cup and under his right arm was a yellow folder. His green eyes looked intently at me, studying my every move. In one motion, he shifted the coffee cup into his right hand and turned and closed the door. The light rushed out of the room as quickly as it had entered. He flipped a switch on the wall, and the light above our heads shot on, and the entire room was now lit up. The man shifted the coffee cup back into his left hand as he walked over to the table. He set the cup on the table and then grabbed the top of the other chair, pulling it away from the table. With a loud scream, the chair moved across the cold ground. He took the yellow folder out from under his arm and set it on the table, and then he sat down. He opened the folder and gazed at the papers inside of it. We both sat in silence for a few moments, and then he spoke up,

Your name fits you well, Mr. Bandit. He looked up at me. I said nothing to him and just watched as he ruffled through the papers. You know we have been trying to catch up with you for a while now. Just always able to give us the slip. He shrugged. Guess it just wasn't your night, huh? He glanced at me looking to see if I would respond. When I didn't he looked back at the papers. You've landed yourself in some trouble here, kid. Got three charges of grand larceny, six assault charges, and one burglary with a deadly weapon. Went with a baseball bat that time, huh? He looked up at me again, a smirk on his face. Why you doin' this? You're young, could be in school gettin' an education or working. His look turned from laughter to disappointment. He seemed upset that I was not talking. Looking back at the folder, he grabbed at his coffee cup and took a long sip from it before setting it back in its place. He looked at me again. This time anger was showing in his eyes. If you're not in the talking mood, we can just try this again in a few hours, he said as he started to get up. Fear rushed over me. I could not stand another minute of listening to the ticking.

I go by Ben, I blurted out. He froze in place and then slowly sat back down.

Okay, Ben, shall we talk? he asked. I nodded my head slowly as I looked down at the ink on my hands. What do you do with the credit cards that you steal?

I looked at him for a second. Give them to a friend. He pays $500 for each one. Not sure what he does with them after that.

And what is your friend's name? he asked as he began to write something down in the file in front of him.

You know I can't do that, I said, looking at him, wondering if he was completely stupid.

If you give me a name, I may be able to help you out here, he said, looking hopefully at me.

I just shook my head. He's a friend for a reason, I scoffed.

Some friend, leaving you here to take the wrap for his operation, he mocked. Come on, just a name. I promise you he will never find out it came from you, he finished making his final argument.

I stared at him for a while, watching his eyes work me over. Jeff, I said quietly. His name is Jeff, but that may not even be his real name. That's all I have though.

He looked at me with small smile showing on his face. Thank you, that will help, he said as he went back to the folder, writing again.

Me or you? I said sarcastically.

Both of us, he replied with an attitude. I will put in a good word for you with the District 9 police.

What? I snapped back.

Yeah. He looked up at me with a frown. Unfortunately, you have warrants out of District 9. That's your hometown, right? Well, they want to extradite on the charges, so we have to send you out.

Fear punched me in the stomach, and my throat knotted up. You can't do that, I said, almost yelling at him and trying unsuccessfully to stand up. District 9 is under control of the Occupation. I won't stay alive a day there.

Sorry, kid, rules are rules, he said as he closed the files and stood up. He grabbed at his coffee cup and took a sip from it. You ship back there tomorrow morning.

He turned and walked out the door. It closed quickly behind him, and I smashed my hands on the metal desk, anger and fear burning inside me.

***

A short time later, a guard opened the door and walked over to me. He pulled a set of shinny keys from his waist and unlocked me from the table. He led me out of the room and down a large corridor. As I walked, I scanned my surrounding. People were walking about working hard at whatever task they were trying to complete. They all had the same expression on their face. It was a look of boredom mixed with frustration, each one seemed as if they rather be any other place than in this place. The guard continued to lead me until we reached a large room. On one side, it was open with only a small desk sitting in the corner. On the other side of the room was a large cage that was already holding a few other people. We walked over to where the cage opened, and the guard fumbled with his keys for a moment before unlocking the door. It swung open with a loud grinding screech. The guard motioned for me to start walking.

In you go, he said in a scratchy voice. I walked in slowly looking around at the cold metal environment I had just entered. I could now see that there were five other people in the cage, and they definitely did not look happy to be here. I had been in a cage like this before, but this time, it all felt more real. I slowly walked over to a wooden bench that sat in the corner against the wall. I noticed that the wood was shiny and smooth and had been worn down by years of use. I took a seat and leaned back against the wall.

I sat on the bench for a while, trying to not make eye contact with the others. Eventually, the quiet, dullness of the room took over, and I began to look around. I started to study each person individually. On the wall opposite me was a bench like the one I was sitting on. On it sat two men—one looked to be in his early fifties, and the other was a little older, probably around sixty or so. They were quietly talking to each other, and they seemed to be enjoying each other's company and being in the cage. Across from them, another man was sitting on the ground slumped over asleep against the bars of the cage. He had a long white beard that was not taken care of and went in all directions. I watched as his round stomach moved up and down as he breathed in and out. Another of the guys was walking about the room. He had a look of nervousness all over his face. As he paced around the room, he bit at each one of his fingernails a few times over. Every once in a while, he would pause but then quickly start back up on his march around the room. The last guy was lying on a bench that was directly in the middle of the room. He had his hands folded behind his head and his elbows stuck out in each direction. His legs were crossed over-top of each other, and he was staring up at the ceiling as he let out a soft whistle. I remained sitting where I was for some time, and then the whistling guy on the bench spoke up.

Oy, mate. Give it a rest, would you. He spoke in an accent that was not common in this land. He was talking to the man that was doing laps around the room. I noticed that for the first time he had also looked away from the ceiling. The walking man stopped and looked at him for a moment, but he more looked through him as I could tell he was having trouble focusing on anything. After a brief pause, the man went back to his walking. The guy lying on the bench just shook his head. After a minute, he sat up and looked at the guy walking around. He then forced himself up to his feet. I could now see that his right pant leg was ripped at the bottom. He began to walk my way, with a small limp in his right leg.

Bastards wouldn't have gotten me either, if it hadn't been for that barbed wire, he said as he noticed me looking at his leg. He hobbled over to my bench and sat down next to me. Name's Eli, he said, looking at me with a smile that stretched across his face. I just nodded back. Yeah, if the old bum knee wouldn't have given out, I'd be back home eatin' that pizza right now. He let out a small laugh. I tried to look as disinterested as I could, hoping the man would go away. Got a name? he asked with the smile still on his face. I looked at him for a minute trying to decide whether or not to talk to him. His smile began to fade.

Ben, I said quietly.

Aye, Ben, that's a good name. My grandfather's name was Ben, he said as the smile grew larger now. You're quite young there, Ben. What you doin' in a place like this? I just shook my head. Fifth time here, myself. Don't really mind it that much, unlike this sorry bastard, he said as he motioned to the guy who was still walking around. He looked back at me. So what you here for?

I was starting to get angry with this guy, he was asking me too many questions. I stole some stuff, I said, trying to let the man know that I was not interested in talking. He ignored this though and continued on.

Oh, been there, my friend, he said, letting out a long laugh. Don't worry though. They won't keep you long for that.

They're not keeping me at all, I responded, letting out a bit of attitude through my words. He looked at me with curious eyes. They're extraditing me out to District 9.

Worry spread across his face. District 9? That's a terrible place. I mean, now that the Occupation has control of most of that city, it's a nightmare there.

It didn't always used to be bad, I replied sadly.

No, that city used to be a real nice place. Oh yeah, lots of nice people who had a very hard time keeping watch of their wallets. He let off a small laugh but then snapped back to a serious tone. Then those troops moved in and took control of everything. Had to move on. Wasn't worth getting caught by them. He paused and then continued, Why you gettin' sent back there?

I hesitated for a second. I used to live there, I said as my stomach went queasy. With my family. I looked down at the ground for a second and then back to the man.

He looked at me, and I could tell that he felt bad for me. I pushed all of the feelings that were bubbling over back down and then looked away from him not wanting to talk anymore. He sat there for a moment and then stood up and limped back over to his bench and laid back down. This time, he didn't whistle but just laid still looking up at the ceiling.

***

The night went by slowly. I tried to sleep as much as I could, but I was kept awake most of the night as my mind replayed a lot of my most painful memories. The other people in the cage were able to sleep. Even the walking guy was able to curl up on a bench and snore for some time. The bearded guy never woke up except to run over to the metal toilet in the opposite corner and throw up. He then staggered back over to his corner and drifted back off. Eli slept on his bench without moving for most of the night. Eventually, the walking guy woke up and went right back to his nervous pacing about. Eli did not take well to this and threatened him quite harshly. The walker got the message and took a seat on the bench next to me. He said nothing, and I was okay with that. As the morning came, I found myself still sitting on the bench where I had been the whole time. As the hours dragged on, I was startled out of my stare around the room when I heard footsteps coming up the hallway. A small round guard appeared at the cage entrance. He had on a black uniform like the guys from the night before. A set of shiny bracelets and a few keys dangled from his belt, which looked like if it were any tighter, the man would pop in half. He had dark neatly groomed hair, and a thick mustache sat just on top of his upper lip. His brown eyes peered through a set of thick glasses. On seeing the guard, the walking man leapt to his feet and ran over to the cage entrance.

You have to let me out of here, he demanded of the guard.

Back up, back up, the guard responded in a deep voice. He looked down at the clipboard he grasped between his hands. Bandit, Bandit Moore, he read off the paper and then looked up at the cage. I straightened up. Let's go, your transports here, he said, looking through his glasses at me. I stood up slowly and started walking toward the entrance. Every step I took felt like my feet weighed a hundred pounds. My heart was now beating as fast as it could. Halfway between the bench and the cage entrance, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Eli. I spun around to face him.

Hey, when you get out, try to find a guy named William Bardo. He's an old friend who lives in District 9. He'll take care of you, he said as genuine as a person could be.

Let's go. Party's over, the guard ordered from behind.

Eli glanced over my shoulder at the guard. William Bardo, he said again, wanting to make sure I remembered the name. I nodded at him, and he cracked a small smile. Good luck, kid, he said quietly, and then I turned and walked over to the entrance.

Hold your wrists out, the guard commanded from the other side of the bars. I did as he said, and then the door screeched open as it had before. Metal clanked together as he fumbled with the shiny bracelets, smacking one on each of my wrists. He grabbed my right arm and gently pulled at it. Let's go, he said. We both began to walk back down the corridor I had come down with the guy in the blue shirt. In the background, I could hear the pleads of the walking guy as we moved off.

Hey, you can't leave me here. I have a friend in the government. I'll have your job, he said in a weak voice. His shouts faded as we moved farther along. Eventually, we walked into a room I had not yet seen. It was wide open and well-lit by the lights on the ceiling as well as the natural light coming in the windows that lined the walls. There were ten or so desks positioned all around the room. Each one had a computer and most had papers scattered over them. Only one, that was in the corner, was empty and neat. The guard walked me over to one of the desks and pulled a chair up next to it.

We have a few more papers to fill out, and then we'll get you on your way, he said as he motioned for me to sit down. I sat down slowly, in the small wooden chair that sat to the side of the desk. Looking in front of me, I could see a door that led to another room, and as I was watching it, in walked three more guards. One was dressed in black, the same as the one who had gotten me from the cage. The other two were both dressed in dark-blue clothes but had the same things on their belts as the black guys. They all walked over to the desk I was at.

So this is our guy then, huh? one of the black guys asked, looking me up and down.

Yep, and after I get this form filled out, he's all yours, Glasses said as he sat down behind the computer on the desk and began typing away. The other guy in black began making causal talk with the two blue guys.

So District 9, I hear things have gotten pretty rough down there, he said.

Yeah, it's a crazy town, with the Occupation trying to take control. But we're fighting back, one of the blue guys responded, and then the other one spoke up.

Yeah, it's not really as bad as the news makes it out to be. We've had a couple close calls, but for the most part, we have things under control.

That's good. Just hope the Occupation doesn't make a run at us next. The guy in blue laughed. They all began laughing but stopped quickly.

Do you have your W73? Glasses asked from behind the computer.

One of the blue guys ripped at the Velcro on his pant leg and opened his pocket. He pulled out a small white folded piece of paper and unfolded it. After looking at it for a second, he handed it to Glasses. He took it and went back to typing. After a few seconds, a small black box, that was sitting on the desk next to me, sprang to life and began making weird noises. A piece of paper slowly crawled its way out the front of the box, followed by a second one. Glasses grabbed both papers and quickly stapled them together. He flipped through them for a second and then handed them to the guy in blue.

You're all set, he said, looking up through his thick glasses. The guy in blue took the papers and folded them, putting them back in the pocket where he had gotten the other paper from. Then he grabbed at my arm and forced me to my feet.

Come on, kid. Time to go, he said.

I stood up slowly and looked over at Glasses, who remained behind the computer screen. He glanced at me and then went on with something else.

Safe travels. The other black guy smiled, and then he walked away. One of the guys in blue nodded at him, and then they led me toward the doors they had come into the room from. I walked slowly, trying unsuccessfully to find a way out of my situation. One of the blue guys walked in front of me, and when we reached the door, he pushed it open, and it swung out into the outside world. The other guy, with a firm grasp on my arm, pulled me through the door and out into the world. The sun hit me in the face, and its warm rays gave me some comfort. I looked around at the new sunny fresh world. People went about their days, walking fast up and down the sidewalks. The three of us walked down a set of large stairs and toward a van that was parked at the edge of the sidewalk. As we walked toward the van, a woman ran into the guy that was holding my left arm. The papers in her hand exploded into a white ball of smoke and slowly drifted to the ground.

I am so sorry, she said, bending down to collect the papers. The man holding my arm let go and bent over to help while the other guy kept hold of me.

It's no big deal. I really should have been looking where I was going, the man said as he handed her a few papers. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. After they finished picking up the papers, they both stood up.

We all really appreciate what you guys are trying to do, fighting back against the Occupation and all, she said with a large smile.

Thank you, ma'am, the man said, smiling back.

We need more people like you guys, she said as she reached out and placed her hand on his arm, smiling with a seductive sense about her.

Oh, we're just doing our jobs, the man said as he fell for her. She batted her eyes at him for a moment more and then walked away, down the sidewalk. The man watched her for a second and then grabbed my arm again. We took a couple more steps and reached the van. The man on my right reached into his pocket and fished around for a second before pulling out a shiny set of keys. He inserted one of them into the lock on the back door and twisted. There was a quiet click, and then he pulled at the handle. With a rusty screech, the door swung open. He reached into the other door and pulled the handle, and it swung open. He then pulled a small ladder, that was attached to the floor of the van, and it swung out.

All right let's go, we're runnin' out of daylight, the man on the left said as he pushed on my shoulder. I took one last look at the nicely cut green grass that sat in the shiny sun and then I took a step onto the ladder. I crawled up it and into the back of the van. Inside was pretty bare. Just one metal bench lined each side of the van. A small window sat in the middle of the back wall and looked into the driver's cab. I walked hunched over to the bench and sat down. The man who opened the doors picked up the ladder and put it back into place. He then slammed both doors shut. The inside became dark, with the only light being let through the small window. I could hear their muffled conversations as they walked to the front of the van.

Once we get this little jerk back to the depot, we got two for ones at O'Leary's, one of the men said.

No, I can't tonight, wife wants me to go tile shopping with her, the other replied.

Tile shopping? Didn't even know that that was a thing, he said in a joking voice. They both reached the front of the van, and I could see through the window as they both opened their doors and climbed in. The man who had the keys jammed one of them into the ignition and turned it. The van roared to life as the engine started up.

It is. So you're going to have to go by yourself, Romeo. The driver smiled over at the man in the passenger seat.

Romeo? the passenger jokingly asked back.

Oh, don't act like you weren't falling all over little miss ‘we need more people like you' back there, the driver jokingly mocked, in an imitation of the woman's voice.

Hey, what can I say, when you have it, you just have it. The passenger laughed back. You think I could have had a chance with her?

Not after she saw your bank account. The driver laughed. The passenger laughed along with him. After the conversation died off, the driver put the van in Drive, and we pulled away from the curb.

***

We drove for some time before coming to a stop. Through the window, I could see the outside world had turned dark as the sun gently set. The engine shut off, and the two men both got out of the van. One stood by the front of the van and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small white box and opened it. He carefully pulled out one cigarette from the box and put it to his lips. With his other hand, he pulled a lighter from the same pocket and lifted it to the cigarette. He lit it and sucked down the smoke. As I watched him blow a thick gray cloud back out, the door next to me screeched open.

All right, let's go. Get up, the other man who was standing at the open door said as he motioned for me to start walking toward him. Slowly I stood up and walked hunched over to him. He let down the small ladder, and I carefully stepped onto the first step of it. When I reached the bottom, he closed up the van and then grabbed onto my arm. I looked around at my surroundings and could see that we were now standing in a small dimly lit parking lot. There were only two other cars in it and one more van, like the one I had been in. There was a fence that looked to be ten feet or so high that went around the perimeter of the parking lot. The man pulled my arm toward the small gray building that was in front of us. As we walk toward it, the other man met us and grabbed my free arm. We all walked toward the building and the only door that sat on the side wall. When we reached the door, the man not smoking pushed a small red button on a gray rectangular piece of metal. We stood there for a second, and then a voice jumped out from the rectangle. It startled me.

What can I do you for? the voice in the rectangle asked in a crackle.

Prisoner drop off, the man who pushed the button said.

One second, the rectangle crackled back. We all stood in silence for a few seconds. The only sound was the man, who was smoking, blowing out, or sucking in the gray clouds.

Uh, I have one drop off for today, a Bandit Moore, the rectangle crackled, breaking the silence.

Yep, that's it, the man holding my arm answered back. After a second, there was a loud buzz and a clink of metal. The man pulled at the door, and it opened. The other man took one last suck in on his now stubby-looking cigarette and then flicked it into the bushes. He blew the last gray cloud out, and then they both led me in through the door.

Inside the door was a small hallway. The lights gave off a yellow mind-numbing glow that radiated throughout it. We started walking down the hallway, and the door slammed shut behind us. It sent a shiver down my back. It didn't take us long to reach the end of the small hallway and another door. One of the men opened it as the other one led me through. We were now in a large room or large for the building, but still quite small. On the left side of the room was a group of chairs neatly arranged into rows. On the right was a desk with a man sitting behind it. Smoker and I walked to the left and stood in front of the chairs while the other man walked over to the desk.

Hey, Earl, do you have the papers? the man behind the desk asked in the same voice as the metal rectangle but with less crackle in his speech.

Yep, Earl replied as he pulled the folded piece of paper from his pocket. He unfolded it and handed it to Rectangle Voice. The man looked at it for a second. Smoker let out a loud cough as he stood next to me, not seeming to be enjoying himself very much.

Looks good. Just put him in the first cell, Rectangle Voice said, motioning to the door on the other side of the room. Earl walked away from the desk and back toward me and Smoker. Both the men led me to the door on the other side of the room. We stopped just in front of it, and it buzzed and then clanked, just like the one outside.

Have a good night, Rectangle Voice said from the desk behind us.

You too, Mike. Tell the wife I say hello, Earl answered back as he pulled on the door, and it swung open. Earl led me through it as Smoker followed behind us. Inside the next room was a hallway, and on each side of it, there were three rooms. The whole place was dimly lit by the few yellow glowing lights that hung from the ceiling. Each room was set up the same. The hallway and the room were separated by a wall of bars with a door, made from the same bars, wedged shut. Beyond the bars, the other walls sat, cold and dim, made of cinderblocks, slathered in an uninviting gray paint. The one bright spot in the small room was a tiny square window, that was cut out into the back wall, and looked out at the outside world. The men walked me over to the first room and opened the door. My stomach dropped as I stood in the hallway looking into the room.

Let's go, get in, Smoker said in a harsh voice as he pushed me from behind. I started in but tripped over my own feet and went tumbling to the ground. The chains that connected the bracelets on my wrists clanked against the cold polished concrete ground. The door slammed behind me in a loud crash.

Idiot, Smoker muttered as he and Earl turned and walked back out the door we had come in. I pushed myself back up to my feet slowly.

Hey, you forget to take these off me, I yelled, holding up my wrists, but it was no use because they were already out the door, and it slammed shut behind them. I looked around the room. There were only two things in it—a small metal bench that sat on the right wall and a metal toilet that sat in the corner of the left wall and the back wall. I looked out at the hallway grabbing onto the metal bars of the wall. As far as I could tell, there was no one in any of the other rooms. I turned around and walked over to the bench and sat down.

***

The night went on for a long time. For a while, I sat and watched the small camera that hung in the corner of the hallway. It had a little red light that blinked every few seconds. Being alone in the quiet room gave me a lot of time to think about my mistakes and how I felt I had truly messed up this time. Eventually, the exhaustion of everything that had happened over the last few days and the lack of sleep caused me to pass out, slumped against the wall sitting on the bench. I managed to sleep for a while, off and on throughout the night. In the morning, I was awakened suddenly by a loud buzz and a clink of metal. I slowly opened my eyes, and through a fuzzy world, I could see the door swinging open. In walked Rectangle Voice carrying a blue plastic tray. He walked over to my room and slid it in a slot that was in the middle of the door. He looked at me, but I remained motionless on the metal bench.

Hungry, kid? he asked with a smile.

I didn't answer and just looked away. He looked me over trying to study me. His smile turned to a frown.

Okay, well I'll leave it here if you change your mind, he said, and then he turned and began to walk out the door. Once he had made it out and the door slammed shut, I lifted myself to my feet and walked over to the door. The tray was resting on the narrow ledge of one of the bars that had been flattened out. On the tray was a puddle of yellow goo in one of the compartments. In another one, there were two stiff brown sticks and a small carton of orange juice. I grabbed the juice and stumbled back over to the bench. I plopped back down and peeled back the small opening and brought the carton to my lips. It was the sweetest thing I had tasted in days, and in some way, it brought me some comfort. After a few sips, it was gone, and I set the carton next to me on the bench and then slumped back against the wall. I closed my eyes and listened to the silence of the room I was in.

A few hours later, the door buzzed again and swung open. In walked Rectangle Voice.

He's right here, but I'm not sure what you want with him, he said. Behind him another man, who I had not seen before, walked in. He was a little taller than me and look to be in his midthirties. He had on a black jacket and black pants. His hands rested in the pockets of each side of the jacket. His hair was warm brown, trimmed short, and it ran down the side of his face and connected to his beard. He walked over to my room and looked at me. The yellow light from the ceiling hit his face, and I could see his features more clearly. He was warm and inviting. His eyes looked calm and peaceful. He looked me over without saying a word.

Ben? he asked in a soft voice.

I looked at him with confusion and was a little scared. He just looked at me. I sat up on the bench.

Open the door, he said in a commanding voice to Rectangle Voice.

Rectangle Voice walked over to the door and picked up the blue tray and turned and set it in the door on the other side of the hallway. Then he turned back around and pulled out a key chain and fumbled with it for a second. Once he found the right one, he shoved it in the door and turned it. The door clinked, and then the other man walked over to it. He pulled his hand from his pocket and grabbed the door. Slowly the door swung open.

Come to me, he said in a gentle voice. I hesitated at first and just looked at him. He stood completely still and looked at me. After a moment, I staggered to my feet. The man continued to stand still. I walked slowly over to him. When I was about three feet away, I stopped, and he looked at me. I could see in his eyes there was a comfort I had not seen in another person's eyes before. He looked at me for a moment and then lifted my hands up along with the chains. He looked down at them.

Remove these, he commanded over his shoulder to Rectangle Voice.

I really don't think that is a good idea, sir, Rectangle Voice replied.

The man turned and looked at him. Rectangle Voice walked over to me skittish and pulled a pen-like object and reluctantly unlocked the bracelets on both my wrists. The chains fell off them, and the man caught them and handed them to Rectangle Voice. He took the chains along with the blue tray and walked out the door. The man stood in front of me as I rubbed my sore wrists.

Come with me, my son, he said and turned and walked out the door.

Again, I hesitated for a second but reasoned with myself that I didn't want to stay here. I walked out of the room and toward the door. Once I got out the door, sunlight from outside that was coming through the windows hit me in the face. When my eyes adjusted to the light, I looked around. Rectangle Voice was slumped behind his desk. He looked sheepishly defeated. I looked to the other side of the room and noticed the man walking toward a set of double doors that led to the outside. I followed after him, catching up to him as he reached the doors. He stopped and pushed the right door open and stood there holding it open for me. I walked out, and the fresh outside air jumped up to my nose. I could tell that I was now in the front of the building. There was a small set of stairs that led down to a small sidewalk. There was a small parking lot, and this one did not have a fence around it like the one from the night before.

A black SUV sat parked and running at the edge of the sidewalk. The man walked past me and down the steps. I watched him for a second and then followed after him, walking quickly to keep up with him. When he reached the SUV, another man got out of the passenger door and opened the back door. He was dressed the same as the man I was following. The man I was following got in the back seat and scooted over to the other side. The man outside the car stood and looked at me. I looked up and down the sidewalk. Freedom was right there, but something in me made me jump in the car and sit down. The man outside closed the door behind me and then got back in the passenger seat. Another man sat in the driver's seat, he looked a lot like the guy in the passenger seat and was dressed the same as the man I was following. Without a word being said, the SUV pulled away from the sidewalk and out of the parking lot onto the street. We moved along in silence for a long time. I rested my head on the window and looked out it, as we passed through town after town. Some of the towns were large with people moving frantically in all directions, and other towns were small, and as we passed through, I could see people who looked happy as they sat outside shops and talked with each other. It made me sad to see all those people enjoy themselves with their friends. Eventually, we turned on to a long road and the only things to look at outside the window were large fields with plants growing in them. Every now and again, a small house or barn would go whizzing by. After some time, my eyelids became heavy on my eyes, and I slowly drifted off, resting against the window.

Chapter Two

A New Name

I was woken up when the SUV came to a stop. I slowly rubbed my eyes and looked around. On both sides of the SUV were large empty fields. In front of us was a large white concrete wall. It stretched into the air probably thirty or forty feet and ran as far as I could see to the left and the right. The SUV shut off, and both men in the front got out. They both walked to the back doors and each opened one side. The man who I was following slid off the seat and got out of