THE RUINS

Chapter 6- The Aftermath.

It had been 2 months since the rebellion occurred and in that time there was a significant subversion of expectations. The great land full of green pastures and free life that was promised was yet to even begin showing. In fact, apart from more food, things had barely changed. Albert had died in his cell from apparent self inflicted wounds. However very little was brought up about it. The secret meetings had ceased as Joseph and the committee felt there was no need for them anymore.

Victor was rarely seen, instead Monty would communicate his messages to the people, as time went on it became clear that Monty held some layer of fear towards Victor, something which hadn't been witnessed before the rebellion. Robert bore witness to this and described it as "the effect of grandeur". Robert believed that if you put any man in the same position of power in this kind of world, the same result would occur every time, almost as if the position was cursed. "Power.." He would say, "'Damn thing is enough to drive the sanest of men to madness.."

Church services were banned Which left Joseph with very little to do, Monty said that Victor detested the idea of religion. Needless to say he and Travis got along very well. A strong distaste towards Victor was starting to emerge between the people as times were no different from how they had been with Albert In charge. In fact there were plans being made to forget about The Compound entirely and go off in search of a new community in New America. Although at the minute no one thought to act on them.

The people knew another act of rebellion would be futile, the forces were depleted and exhausted from the fight and it would effectively be suicide.

The migraine episodes between Sarah and Joseph had yet to cease, in fact they seemed to be shared with every member of the old committee, Robert, Travis, Rebecca and Mark. For some it was simply a voice in their head accompanied with agonising pain.
For others it was severe nightmares from which they would wake up soaked in sweat. Those people described the dreams as depicting horrifying creatures with the heads of goats, pigs and wolves. Standing at almost 10 feet tall, fighting ordinary people in a massacre, with an enormous horned beast overseeing the carnage.

No one could decipher what these dreams and visions meant, everyone's was unique, the only thing that bore similarity was a strange voice, either a young girls or deep booming man's voice talking about something not being human.

Late one night, while the moon lit up the night sky with a pale glint, leaving glossy cataracts glazed over each window. Joseph lay in his bed, tossing and turning.
He was in a space of utter nothingness...No sky, no ground, no people, just an endless corridor of bright, white light. Joseph found himself floating towards a strange orb of blue light. "Where am I?" He asked fearing the answer.

"In the space between everything and nothing Joseph. The no man's land between life and death."

"How...How do...How do you know my name." Joseph said, perplexed.

"I know everything about everyone Joseph, I bare all knowledge of things that have been and things that will be."

"Who are you?" Joseph asked, his voice quivering in fear.

"I am" words that would often make no sense but to Joseph they added up. He had only heard that phrase in the book to which he devoted his life.

"Lord?" He asked.

"I've been waiting to speak with you Joseph, you have to run, I can help you and your people but you have to leave, take nothing but food, water and clothes and find a new place to call home. You can not trust it, it isn't human."

"What isn't human? What are you talking abo-" suddenly he was transported to a battlefield, full of corpses. He could make out the faces of Mark, Robert...Christopher. " What the hell is this." Just as he finished his sentence he was set upon by a grotesque old man, not just an elderly man but almost a living skeleton with patches of grey hair coating his head. "You did this to me.." The thing cried as it grabbed a knife. Just then Joseph woke up, screaming and soaked in sweat.

"Sarah...wake up." He said nudging his sleeping wife.

"What is it Joey I'm tryna sleep.." she replied groggily.

"We have to take the children and leave...Just trust me." He went to explain his dream but felt it was too late in the night for that. "Look, tomorrow night, we leave this place, it's unfixable, it is cursed.."

Joseph didn't sleep a wink that night, he sat on his couch downstairs and stared at the wall in the dark. He had to leave. He just didn't know why.