Eden's Gate

Chapter 23 - Why is that familiar?

"You've been invited into our home... into our heart. Trust in the Path and you'll find the answers you seek." Faith's voice softly echoed in my head. As my vision returned to me, I looked around. The white fog coated the distant landscape, the sky the same pale green colour. My body laid on the ground, Bliss flowers surrounding my form. I looked down at my body, once again the white dress adorned my body, revealing my soulmate marks. I slowly stood up, my bare feet touching the grass as I looked around. Butterflies danced around, fluttering across my vision both in the distance and in front of me. A trail of Bliss flowers formed a path in front of me, leading me towards a tall tree peaking through the fog. I took a step forward, both voluntarily and against my will. Something compelled me to walk forwards, to not stray from the path the Bliss flowers provided. I followed the path, watching as hares scampered in front of me, butterflies fluttering past and the plants dancing in the breeze. The closer I got to the tree, the more I could make out a certain female's form. My vision once again faded to white.

"Even those who fight against us seek salvation." Faith's voice echoed. A familiar voice spoke in the distance, too quiet for me to make out what he said. "You are proof of that." The white fog faded from my vision, revealing Faith stood in front of me. She took my hands, looking at me with a small smile on her face. "We all need guidance in times like these." Faith lead me towards a group sat in a circle under the tree. The faint voice became louder as we walked closer, the speaker stood in the middle of the circle. He spoke to each of the four others surrounding him, they looked at him contently listening to each and every word he spoke, as if it was all that mattered.

"Now you'll see. Now you'll truly understand." Faith looked at me as she spoke before letting my hands go and walking over to the group. I looked at the group members, recognising one, Marshal Burke. Butterflies sat on his bulletproof vest whilst he listened to the speaker. I looked at the speaker My body froze and my eyes widened when my eyes connected with one of my soulmates.

"So we must be strong. We must be vigilant." Joseph said, facing me. "Because those on the outside will see what we have built here together, in our New Eden... the love. And they will come. And they will try to take from us all that we have built." Joseph walked up to me, his follower's eyes following his movements. My mind screamed for my legs to move backwards, for my mouth to make a sound, for my body to move... For something to work. Something kept me rooted on the spot, kept me for speaking or making a noise as Joseph took my head in his hands. A soft buzz flowed through my body at his touch. "You judge me. You judge us. The things that we have done..." Joseph paused, looking into my eyes with something I had never seen before. His eyes held a softness to them I'd never seen before. His thumbs stroked my cheeks, almost comfortingly and warmly. "People say... that I'm crazy but when you wake up in the morning you look at the same news that I do. Do your eyes not fill with horror?" He looked to the side, my head turned to face the same direction, his hands dropping from my face. A mushroom cloud peaked through the fog in the distance. Joseph walked forwards, his hands in the air gesturing to the cloud. "This is the world!? This!" Joseph shouted before turning to face me. "This is the world we built for our children? Communities being torn apart. Walls being erected. Because leaders are too impotent to act. Bullies are too addled to lead righteously." Joseph held his hand out to me. A force pushed me forwards, my feet dragging as I found myself a millimetre away from Joseph. His hands held my shoulders, locking eyes with me. "I did not ask for this. I was chosen." Joseph tilted my head down, kissing my forehead softly as my vision filled with white for only a moment.

Once the white cleared, my eyes widened. All around us, chaos littered the landscape. Cars and trucks were abandoned on the sides, fires spewing smoke from the wrecks. The stone path, broken and littered with unwanted rubbish. Everything was a mess, with fires and destruction at every turn.