The Eden Projects (EDITING)

Chapter 23. New beginnings.

Kasper never wanted to lead.

But now he had to.

He was forced into the role with a heated prodding rod. Though he himself held it, it still burned when it hit him just the same.

Group up or die. 

Group up or lose it all. 

Group up and gain power. 

Group up, and stay fed. 

It was everything. 

Suddenly, the idea of Zak and him going it alone seemed much too risky. Archer was the provider. It was Archer who led them around. It was always Archer. Archer, Archer, Archer. Now, the task was left to Kasper and he was beyond lost as to what it took to keep one person alive. Let alone a group. 

But this was their new beginning whether they wanted it or not. 

It had to be...

Day after day, Zak and Kasper did nothing but come and go from the camp. They didn't talk to anyone. They didn't bark any orders, and rarely took anything from the group, food or otherwise. They had been self sufficient for so long that it felt almost unnatural to take something even if they needed it.

By day they did their best to blend in, carefully avoiding any actions that might draw attention to themselves; every night came and with it, the chance for quiet meetings which they held in their tree just outside of the camp. Weeks passed in a blur of cautious interactions and whispered conversations before they were sure the drama from the siege had died down, the echoes of that chaos fading into memory, and their presence was seen as less of a threat, allowing them the breathing room they desperately needed to plan their next move.

The plan?

There was no plan. 

 The shadows cast by trees were growing longer and they both feared what it meant. Though neither spoke of it. Neither had ever gone a winter outside of their own Rim before or after time stopped in it's tracks and plunged the present into the dark age. Kasper didn't know where on the calendar they fell, but leaves were begin to take on tinges of brown and red. The seasons were changing or they were nearly ready to. He could feel it coming. If anything, he himself felt just that. Changed. 

For once he was unbound from his hunger. For once, a sense of calm filled him. He wondered if this was what the Flickers felt. If it was why they hunted night after night like ravenous wolves. He thought just maybe... this was the promised paradise. This was the reason for Eden. Kasper knew he was making sense of an inexplicable madness and he himself wished he was a kid again. He hadn't been for so very long that he wondered if a kid was something he ever was. His life was a rat ridden maze and a well remembered childhood was a treat lost somewhere deep within the corridors of himself. His memory was slipping...

Yes, that's what he was. 

Slipping.

Slipping...

After casting lots into who would do the talking, it was finally time for Zak, and Kasper to address the group. They couldn't stay silent forever. So now would be that time. Kasper would lead, and Zak would provide support. 

So it was decided.

Kasper walked to a chair that sat centered in the empty room. "This will work. It's the only way we get rid of him without getting our hands dirty."