The Great Awakening

Chapter 10

            The sun was shining bright and the air was warm inside of their room as Jayden woke up yawning. The bed he had slept on was much more comfortable than the one he had at home. Home. He will never be able to go to his home again. He would have to make adjustments to his new life in the coup.

            He sat up in his bed, twisting his torso and feeling the pops in his back. He turned to the side and was surprised at what he saw: his mother and Troy sharing the same bed, with his arms around her waist from behind. Melissa had an expression of peace and contempt, an expression that was often rare to see. He sighed with a grin, but he had conflicting emotions still. He didn’t know what to think of Troy. Despite the talk yesterday, he didn’t feel like a father to him at all. Just merely an acquaintance.

            Still wearing his clothes from the other day, he got up quietly and made his way toward the door in search of the lavatory.

            Afterwards, he decided to allow them to get some extra rest as he looked around the compound. To his surprise, it was a rather huge compound, definitely smaller than AngelCity, but big enough to house a large agricultural field, some abandoned buildings and bunkers. At the moment though, it was mostly grass, waiting for something to come occupy it. It must have at least been twenty five miles in diameter. He took a stroll through the fields of corn stalks, looking at the luscious green plants glowing vibrantly in the sunlight. He didn’t take any to eat, despite being hungry. That would have been disrespectful, especially since he’s new to the area. Some people were already in the garden wearing large hats that blocked out the sun as they worked. Their skins tanned from staying outside for a long period of time. The way they worked together, sharing the same land and growing the same crops for one another… you’d never find that in AngelCity.

            “Hey kid!” Jayden turned his head to a man, dark in skin and his face covered by the shade of his hat. The man smiled back at him from behind a stand. “C’mere…” Jayden was reluctant at first, but he stepped toward him slowly. “Hey man. I ain’t gon’ hurt’cha.” It was hard to understand his accent, but what he said was comprehendible to Jayden. He began to walk faster, still slightly afraid. When Jayden was finally closer, the man smiled wide, showing the whitest teeth, only contrasted by his dark skin. It wasn’t until he got closer that Jayden realized just how massive this man was. “What’cho name, son?”

            “Jayden?” He said softly.

            “Jayden eh?” He leaned forward, squinting his eyes. “Well I’ll be damned… You’re the spittin image of Troy!”

            Jayden’s frown slightly intensified at the comment. He didn’t want to be associated with Troy at this time, mainly because he wasn’t sure about him. “Coincidence I guess…”

            The man smiled and held his hand out for a handshake. “The name’s George Walker. But just call me Walker. I like that better.”

            Jayden smiled and shook Walker’s hand. It was massive and firm, compared to Jayden’s dainty grip, feeling like his hand was about to be crushed. He then pulled his hand away after the gesture, gently rubbing it. “So what’s going on here?” Jayden asked.

            “This is the agriculture part of the coup.” He said. “All the food for the coup is grown here. Though we have preserved cans with applesauce and stuff like that just in case we need to make a run…”

            “A run?”

            “For supplies…” He nodded and reached underneath the table, fumbling around a little bit before pulling out a basket full of fruit, vegetables and corn. Water still dripped from, landing on the table with a splat and eradicating the dirt underneath. “Go on, try one!” Enthusiasm can be detected in his voice.