Genesis 2.0 (Monster Apocalypse Survival) Sci-Fi/DarkFan/Horror

Chapter Seven

Sucking in an audible breath, I nodded my head curtly at Joe, motioning him to continue with this weird trip through the Garden.

He returned my nod with one of his own and stood back to his full height. Opening his arms wide, he gestured to the perfect plant-life surrounding us.

“What do you see?” he asked, his daffodil eyes narrowing slightly. It kind of reminded me of the way my junior high English teacher used to glare at me and my friends when we were making too much noise and disrupting class.

I did what any normal person would’ve done in my place and looked around me. Small ponds filled with bubbly, clear water dotted the scene as far as the eye could see. Each little pool area was decorated differently; with no two alike. Some were surrounded with rocks, and small streams trickled over each stone until it landed in the pool, while others may have plants of varying size encompassing the little spots, secluding them in a semi-private manner.

Occasionally a large tree, many different genera of the Oak dotted the landscape, casting great shades here and there. Flowers of all shapes, sizes and colors also graced my view. A lone river, water as clear as any diamond I’d ever seen, flowed gently throughout the area, twisting and winding in a serpentine fashion and little paths popped up every now and again, the surfaces smooth enough for anyone to walk on them barefooted.

 I honestly didn’t see anything that could have been missing.

“I don’t see any mosquitoes,” I quipped sarcastically. Being from the South, the little insects were a plague to mankind and everyone loved to hate them. I knew it wasn’t the answer he wanted, but I just couldn’t see anything missing.

It truly was a paradise.

“I guess it’s possible that Humans wouldn’t notice something so incredibly important,” Joe mumbled. “After all, it never really made it into any religious text that I’m aware of…” his voice trailed off as he turned to face away from me. I worried that I’d made him mad. It wouldn’t really be smart to piss off an obviously powerful Angel, especially being in the Angelic Realm or wherever the hell I was.

“Um, would you mind telling me what’s going on and why I’m here?” I asked and made sure to keep my impatience out of my voice. I was enjoying the reprieve from Zombieworld, but I was starting to get royally tired of being jerked around. Daniel, the good-looking Angel had rescued me, flew me off into the unknown, someone had taken my shit and now I was being quizzed like a student who’d forgotten to study.

Joe turned back toward me; his fuzzy wormlike eyebrows arched high on his forehead.

 “The Garden is home to two trees of great importance. One is the Tree of Heavenly Knowledge, or the Tree of Good and Evil,” he explained and his beefy right hand lifted to point to a massive fig tree just beyond a little knoll of grass to his right.

 “And the other?” I asked.

 “That’s what missing, child,” he answered. “The Tree of Life has been missing for sixteen years. All of creation flows in its roots and branches. Its leaves carry the nectar of life; a liquid that can cure any injury or ailment. It is what sustains Heaven,” he explained.

 “What happened to it?” I prompted and turned to survey the other trees and shrubs.

 “The Creator foresaw the End, knew that mankind would suffer this walking dead plague, so he hid the Tree somewhere on Earth, that’s what we need you for.” He turned those strange yellow eyes back on me. “That’s why the Demons are after you, they know we’ve been looking for someone to send in search of the Tree. We have a traitor in our midst, they informed the Demon Lord, and so Daniel was ordered to bring you here.”

 “And what makes you think I can find the Tree? I don’t even know what it looks like or where to start,” I argued and barely refrained from stomping my foot and crossing my arms like a two year old throwing a tantrum. These Angels were nuts. I’d barely kept myself alive these past three years, how the hell was I supposed to go on their little quest?

 I wasn’t even close to being convinced that I wanted to.

 “Daniel and Aeriel will accompany you, in both spiritual and corporeal forms when necessary, and they will protect you and aid you in any capacity you require,” Joe explained and smiled with that mischevious glint in his eyes again.

 “Great,” I snarled. “But who’s going to protect them?”

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