Revelations Unfurled

Chapter three

Kyla noticed the sun beginning move around the sky, casting different shadows on the earth. "We should make somewhere to sleep," Kyla suggested as the group started to feel wear on their bodies. One of the teenagers shook their heads. "Why? Aren't we going to be walking for a while?" Kyla nodded in agreement. "I didn't think of that." One of the men turned to Koda. "How long will we walk? Are you gonna make walk us in the night?" Koda cocked his head, thinking. "I do not see a problem with walking in the dark, surely The Maker will still be able to lead us." The group groaned. That was not the answer the group had been hoping for. "Come on, boy!" One of the teenagers called, "we are tired!" Kyla, knowing her generation of people better than Koda, suggested lightly, "how about we walk until the moon is high in the sky, and stop only when we can count a hundred stars." The people nodded, liking that idea. "This girl's got sense," a man stated as the group murmured in agreement. Koda watched them all talking among themselves. "Why must we wait?" Koda asked Kyla, "My Father did not say we could rest." It did not make sense to Koda why anyone would do something without The Maker's permission. He used to be really relaxed on those kinds of things, but not anymore. Kyla nodded to satisfy Koda's impatience, "I know, but we need to sleep at some point." Koda shook his head. "We aren't like you," Kyla explained. Koda scowled with confusion. "Do you not have trust that he will give us the strength we need?" He challenged to Kyla, turning to the group. "Do you not have belief?" Kyla shook her head, then paused. "No," she hesitated, "well, I don't know." Koda nodded as if he knew that answer. "You must learn to trust him," Koda muttered, "all of you. No doubt we will be punished by morning." Kyla and Koda began to walk again, their fifteen minute break due to the persuasion to rest causing slight anger in the crowd. "How much longer?" The little boy asked Koda. He shook his head, trying to think of an answer. "Count a hundred stars and we will stop." The little boy nodded, throwing his head back to see the sky.

"One!" He shouted, to Koda's surprise. He shrugged, slightly startled from the sudden noise. "Two!" The little kid yelled again. Koda rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the boy. "Three! Four!" It was hard to be oblivious, Koda realized, getting irritated. How did people manage younger siblings? "Five!"

"Okay," Koda turned to the boy with a big grin. "Do you know how to count in your head?" The boy nodded with a smile. Koda fake excitement plastered on his face as he chirped, "show me!" The boy grinned proudly as he went silent. "Oh my goodness!" Koda exclaimed with mock surprise. "Keep that up!" He encouraged, turning back to lead the crowd. His smile faded to relief. Good thing that was over. "Hundred!" The boy shrieked. Koda jumped as Kyla burst out laughing. "Did you just count to a hundred?" Koda asked, recovering from his minor heart attack. The boy nodded with a grin. "I said count-" Koda trailed, shaking his head. There was about five stars out, and the sun had just began to sink. The boy had not counted a hundred stars. Koda knew to correct the boy would be a major mistake. "Good job," Koda praised lightly, turning to Kyla. "Humans are pitiful," he muttered to the grinning girl. "Yet you are still tryin to save us," Kyla mused teasingly. Koda shook his head. "For your information," he corrected, "I am only saving you people so the beauty of the world will not be destroyed." Kyla nodded, not buying his story. "How long do you have?" Kyla asked as Koda gave her an interested look. "What makes you think I have a time limit?" Koda asked, watching Kyla intently. She shrugged. "You seem to want to keep us moving," she answered casually. Koda nodded, accepting her response. "You are smarter than I thought," Koda praised. Kyla smiled proudly. "You are the first to acknowledge my awesomeness!" She boasted playfully. Koda shook his head. "Well goodness," he teased, "don't be so modest!" Kyla smiled, as Koda continued, "and to answer your question, after the sun sets today, I'll have five days left." Kyla nodded. "That's good, I guess." Koda nodded, staring into the distance at the darkness before them. "What is that up there?" he asked, pointing. Kyla cocked her head, squinting o see better. "It looks like a city that was bombed, or a mirage." They studied the figure as they walked slowly towards its looming shadows. Clouds of dust hovered around bent metal ahead, and crumbled walls still stood in ruins. The few buildings that stood to survive the meteor attack were broken down to half, maybe three times less their size, and had black burns coating the rubble. "It looks about a half mile away," Koda mentioned to anyone who was listening. To Kyla, it looked like the mythical city of Rome, that was said to have fallen centuries before. There was no proof of its existence however, and scientists had given up trying to prove its reality back in 2034. Now, no one believed it existed. It was simply a good legend to think about.