New World Order (TNE) [Original]

(18) Geoffrey Part 1

Geoffrey was sitting on a log drinking hot cocoa and watching the fire from the fireplace slowly rise to the dirt roof that covered Forestville. It had become part of Geoffrey's regular schedule but since Geoff disappeared from town it had been incredibly lonely. He had been trying to make friends in the town square with the many who were still there. But, being the only kid still in town it was difficult to make many friends so they typically weren't very talkative to him. But, there was one shopkeep who began to like him a considerable amount. This shopkeep worked in the farmer's district and sold primarily tomatoes and various herbs.

"How are you doing today buddy?" Yuniper sang to Geoffrey on this beautiful day in Forestville. Yuniper had a large and healthy smile plastered on his face. Today had been a great day for selling his stock, he only had a few tomatoes and mint plants remaining. Since the search party had left a week ago it had been very difficult to try and sell in mass since the town had massively shrunken. There had been numerous commissions to try and send out another search party but they were all rejected being seen as too risky. After all, they couldn't risk losing any more people from town.

"I'm doing quite well. Just feeling lonely," Geoffrey replied sitting on a wooden stool looking over at Yuniper's daily stocks. He had gotten some broth's from trading around town and was now selling them for 5$ each. Cooking had taken off as a major industry as a town since there were giant farms blossoming across the town.

"You were good friends with that Martin fellow, weren't you?" Yuniper replied shaking some pebbles out of his leather boot. He was on the older side, growing grey hairs along with a long grey moustache that extended much longer to one side of his face than the other.

"Yeah, I used to go to school with Martin and Marissa. On my journey here I teamed up with Plum and Timothy but now they're all gone!"

"I hear ya' I had some friends go on the search party myself. I'm sure that they'll come back one day just taking a while to get back from the government base or whatever they were on about."

"But what if they don't come back?" Geoffrey yelled at Yuniper and began to cry. All he wanted was his friends back, he had tried to act mature during this whole situation but it was really getting to him now. Everything went crazy after people started transforming, now the city above forestville had become abandoned asides from tourists and various news reporters coming from more fortunate areas of the planet.

"They will. I'm not having this argument with you again," Yuniper shouted in return and went back to emptying the pebbles from his boots. He knew that Geoffrey wasn't actually going to buy anything he spent all his money from his old life on his first day in Forestville. Geoffrey had found extreme difficulty trying to earn any money in Forestville even with no law about legal working age. He collected most of his food from kind farmers and town square parties. Forestville had become obsessed with parties since there were so few people remaining, everything had to be a celebration.

"Geoff didn't return," Geoffrey whispered sniffling his snot back into his nose as his tears evaporated into the musty sky. It seemed as if the grass seemed to clear as some kind of old dilapidated metal chair arose from the ground below Geoffrey. Ever since Timothy and Plum left he had been having some difficulty controlling his powers and it started to feel as if his metallic enhancements had a mind of their own. Although in reality, it was just his emotions getting the best of him and controlling his actions. For Yuniper this was clear, but he wasn't sure how to help. "He never will."

"Come on, don't say that! Geoff, Timothy, everybody they will be back but it's too risky to head above ground we can't risk losing another person. We don't know what's out there! It's too big a risk," Yuniper smashed his foot into a yellow mutated caterpillar that was slithering across the ground and concurred at Geoffrey. The remnants of the caterpillar fell back into the ground where they fell in on themselves and became one with the dirt. Yuniper didn't even want to defend this viewpoint but Geoffrey was somebody he depended on to talk with in town. He had now lost his old life as a librarian sorting books and ordering shipments from publishers. Yuniper would never admit it but that life wouldn't have lasted very long anyways the library was due to shut down in the next months. But now, the library simply lies destroyed and decrepit in the middle of concrete left in shapes that vaguely resemble squares rotting away as beasts tear through it.

"That's exactly why we have to gather up a new search party! We don't know anything about the world as it is now. We've arrived at a life we feel comfortable with in Forestville and we've stopped feeling the excitement of daily life. Just take this job you have for example you come here everyday and sell the same 4 or 5 products because you can't ship any others in 'safely' it's just not right," Geoffrey was now beginning to yell and absolutely fuming. This was a subject he had argued with Yuniper repeatedly about before and he had formed quite a certain and stone cold perspective. It was difficult for Yuniper to even stare him in the face anymore.

"CAN YOU JUST KEEP YOURSELF IN CHECK IN TOWN FOR ONE DAY! Gosh! You matter to me Geoffrey I don't want you out there injuring yourself," Yuniper responded looking to the right of Geoffrey's shoulder unable to face him any longer. The whole quarter of merchants had now averted their attention to the duo arguing with each other. Yuniper's cheeks glinted a silver pink at the sudden glances.

"What about tomorrow?" Geoffrey whispered soberly. He knew that this statement wouldn't change Yuniper's opinion or even help his case. But something deep inside him needed to get it out in the world. The emotions that had been ticking like bombs had finally been broken and let out and Geoffrey finally took a free breath; released of his shackles. Yuniper only responded with a glare of utmost distaste and disappointment.

Geoffrey was lying awake in his bed that same night with a tennis ball and a dreamcatcher in both hands. He took the dreamcatcher and hung it on a rusty nail and let the darkness of the cave slowly consume him until Forestville was a shadow of its former self. Even through this his eyes were still wide open and he repeatedly hit his tennis ball against the sunken wall of his tiny hut. It bounced back into his hand. He hit it higher up this time. Once again, most impressively it returned into his grasp. 'Hey, this is fun' he thought and then began to continue the practice. He threw the tennis ball at the wall until his right hand's palm began to burn and it became later, simply letting his thoughts sit.

"What does he know!" Geoffrey began, with a bitter taste in his mouth stinging his upper gums. "He never had any friends down here he wants to save."

Even though nobody else was there Geoffrey instantly regretted those words. It was like Yuniper's spirit was entrenched into the wall waiting for him to talk back. Although nothing was there and the illusion was broken.

"Who needs him. I'll save my friends myself."

Climbing out of Forestville was surprisingly not as difficult as he had first suspected. With his magnetic attraction powers and a plan in mind he got himself above one of the many black elevators that littered the village. Around town he gathered different pieces of metal that he stacked in the elevator with the most notable one being the throne he had picked up from yesterday. Once they were all stacked up in a bundle inside the elevator came a difficult part of the plan. He had to close the elevator doors. He tried to figure out how the elevator worked even consulting an old manual that was lying around in the husk of another elevator but it was sadly only in spanish. Eventually he figured out a way to get the elevator doors to open by rolling through the doorframe and igniting his attraction ability at the right time. His shoulders got briefly clipped by the doors closing but it didn't break the skin.

Now that the plan was in place Geoffrey stood on top of the black elevator and magnetically attracted the metal substances inside the elevator to elevate him out of Forestville. He was finally out and ready to save find his friends. Geoff, Timothy, Plum, everyone! Geoffrey had got it into his head that he would reunite Forestville, what greeted him above ground was not what he was expecting.