Evolution

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Five years later

Somewhere in the Southwest

It was almost cute. Its tiny wings spread and its chest puffed on the edge of a tree branch. My face painted with an intricate design that blended perfectly with the landscape. I watched the sparrow for a good five minutes before pulling back on my bow. I inhaled deeply and exhaled upon release of the string. The arrow flew perfectly through the air and dug deep into the sparrows chest. It’s tiny body fell from the branch and lay motionless upon the ground.

I leaped over the bush and ran across the landscape. Unafraid. Gathering my kill I tied the foot of the bird to the waistband of my garb and headed back to camp. In the distance I could see many friendly faces all painted in various fashions carrying what will be this weeks supper. 

Boomer managed to hunt down two rabbits, their fur will become part of our tribes blankets for the winter months. It has been a very long journey for us. Individually, and as a species. After Jedd’s  “Magic Stew” and the discovery of the plants weakness we set out on a new mission. A mission  not of a scientific nature. A mission of survival and of rebirth. We had searched all these years, gathering the greatest species mankind could produce. The survivors. The lost souls that had managed to escape their own demise. 

I will admit, the concept of eating the fallen in order to survive didn’t bode well with me and I still have nightmares of it to this day. But that is in the past. The last of the pod creatures had starved off roughly two years ago. You can still find the decaying carcasses littering the vast wastelands that was once our own sprawling metropolis. We use their bones for needles, utensils, and anything we can fathom.

Jedd’s bizarre but truthful wisdom has guided us across the landscape and our numbers have grown exponentially. What started as a group of four, now exceeds ten thousand. Mother nature has decided to start new as well. Plant life has shifted from dangerous and exotic to lush and beautiful. Even the animals have once again increased in number. 

Now the end has become the beginning and we get a second chance, one that I feel shall not be wasted. NEVER shall we become a society that tries to take too much from nature. We are smarter now. We live in nature, with nature, and never shall we feel we are above it. The truth of the matter is, as long as we don’t give nature a reason to evolve than it never shall.

Boomer found his place in the tribe doing what he likes to do best. He plays games. No. He has committed his life to teaching others how to play games. He spends all of his time with the children showing them how to be happy just enjoying the company of one another and laughing. That has become our new currency. Laughter and love and each other. It is worth more than anything else at this point in our society.

Alex and I live together happily. The very first true family since the new world started. A chance to learn to love was all it took. To relax and feel very human emotions again. We became man and wife exactly two years ago to the day. I spend my afternoons hunting and gathering materials needed to feed an ever growing tribe. She spends hers in our home with our daughter. Our precious child that was conceived and born as the first in our new world. As fitting as it is, and as true as it should be. We named her Hope.