Regular Life episode 3: A new job

Two episodes in and now we come to the job attempts episode to Regular Life. This takes place after the episode PUPPY! and Jeremy is in this one. Be prepared to see some characters from Jeremy The Movie return and some new ones. Newcomers Paladin and Ames are recurring characters in this and Ioni will be part of this as well. However, don't expect a lot of Chad, Grayson or the other characters. They will be there, but not for long. This episode will be tied in with the series. But even with that, Jeremy, Ioni, and Paladin will still have time with their friends in other episodes. And this is the 3rd episode! How convincing is this? I will say right now that this may seem light-hearted at first but will soon enter Jeremy The Movie or Watership Down territory. Be prepared for new characters.


Chapter 1: Money karma

It became a harsh season for both Jeremy and his friends. It had been almost 3 years since the duo got sabotaged by Mordecai and Rigby. But the years have taken a toll on the ostrich and the possum. Job attempts were declined, and money was becoming a grave problem, not much money was in their possession. How were they going to pull through?

The apartment was still in good shape. Its condition was good and so was inside. There were no signs of decay or broken down material.

But the people living inside were struggling and they were in poor shape. It was made worse when a cockroach crept its way inside the apartment and was in the living room.

Ioni and Ames caught sight of the bug and screamed.

"Aahhh! A bug!" cried Ioni.

The cockroach made its way towards Ioni. "Do something, Grayson!" Ioni cried out.

Grayson ran past Ioni and let out a terrifying screech.

The cockroach was terrified of Grayson as she hungrily eyed the bug. She grabbed it with her teeth and crunched on it, horrifying Ioni and letting out a terrifying screech.

Ioni gasped as she saw the cockroach's blood trickling down Grayson's mouth. She was disgusted and horrified at the same time.

"Grayson! How could you?!" Ioni asked in tears. She didn't want the bug to be eaten. She thought Grayson would take it outside.

Grayson looked at Ioni in a way which terrified her and said in a sinister voice; "I felt it squirm. Wiggle down my throat! I made it suffer as fire made me suffer the loss of my family! And I will make you suffer along with me!"

Ioni backed away from Grayson and ran away from her.

"Why did you scare her off?" Ames asked Grayson.

Grayson wiped the cockroach blood off her mouth and said; "She should know opossums eat insects."

Ioni ran to the kitchen table and was relieved to see Chad and Jeremy there. But they didn't look like they were in good spirits.

Chad simply wrote in his lucky journal all the job attempt failures and kept it to himself.

Jeremy, however, wasn't feeling like himself. He felt like he was in a trance, separated from reality. Job attempts had failed, money was low and his friends were in poor shape.

"I've got to find a job suitable for saving my friends and giving them comfort and food," Jeremy said to himself.

Chad had snapped Jeremy out of his trance. "Jeremy, we don't have much money and we need to find a job so we can take care of our friends," he said to his friend.

"It's everybody's fault," complained Jeremy. "You guys are the reason why we're in a money crisis!"

Grayson decided to step in. "You'd better listen to your friend, Jeremy," she snarled. "I can't stand this much longer! I just ate a bug! But that's not enough protein! One bug out of all kinds of fruits and vegetables! I long for the taste of meat again!" Then she said to Ioni; "And Ioni, don't eavesdrop on them! Go back and join us!"

Ioni sadly followed Grayson back to the living room.

The food problem didn't affect everyone. Ioni and Shelby learned how to eat dairy products but continued to stay away from the meats. But Jeremy was right about the money problems. His friends were the cause of it. But a portion of it was both his and Chad's fault. For he and Chad had tried numerous jobs and wasted money paying for applications. They used to have lots of money but then lost it after job opportunities and now they had less money. The only amount they had leftover was $50, far below the amount for buying actual groceries. They could only pay for food under $1. On a rare occasion, they bought cereal, chips, and pastries for $8 since everyone pitched in and got their own foods to pay for.

The budget at the time was $80. And after they went overboard and bought too many items, draining the money down to $50, Jeremy had restricted access to $2 and over items, until they had enough money for all of it. Since then, they've been eating foods that cost under $1 or just $1 dollar and sometimes ate the foods which led them to almost being broke.

"I've been thinking about a new job to go to,'' Jeremy said to Chad. "But I don't think everyone should hear it yet."

"Who were you considering?" asked Chad. "Ioni and Shelby should hear this," answered Jeremy. "All Grayson is going to do is complain and annoy me. Reggie is just going to cower down. Fio will probably do what Reggie will do. I can't change it, Chad." "What about Paladin?" asked Chad.

Jeremy remembered Paladin. Ioni had rescued him from the forest, after being rejected by the pet store. It was that same day that they also met Grayson's sister; Ames. Of course this happened after he returned from bonding with his brother.

Paladin did speak English, but he sometimes addresses people's names differently. Jeremy hated being addressed by the name Paladin gives him. But then realized that if he was going to be a member since he was now with them, he should let Paladin hear what he has to say. "Paladin can join us," he said. "But everyone else must clear out until it's settled." Shelby had overhead and led everyone outside to graze or play. Only Chad, Ioni and Paladin came back inside.


Chapter 2: Suggesting a job

"So what's this about?" asked Ioni. "Just let Jeremy explain first, Ioni," said Chad.

"Mister Jaram knows what he is saying," said Paladin. "He will explain it all."

"Listen, you guys," Jeremy began. "I've been thinking over every job available and have decided to work at a place that doesn't require applications." "Where?" asked Chad, Ioni, and Paladin in unison. "To the Country Railroad," answered Jeremy.

"Not that prison camp!" cried Chad. "The name only refers to it taking place next to a railroad. It's more like a prison camp or as bad as concentration camps! Are you sure you want to take the risk, Jeremy? "

"I should've chosen to work there before going to The Park," said Jeremy. "Besides my brother got replaced by Melody, now she's the leader. He's stuck being an in-command officer. I need to free him from there."

"So you're basically going there to free the fugitives?" asked Ioni. "Yes, but also work there to earn money," said Jeremy. "That place literally pays people a lot of money. How else do you think they get all that expensive train equipment?"

"Hey! Here's some job applications that you never filled out," Grayson said, giving Jeremy the applications" "Why not fill them out?" asked Grayson.

"Filling out job applications? Ugh! That's so mainstream!" muttered Jeremy. "I'll just go to that place I was talking about!"

"That's a no brainer," grumbled Grayson.

"Mister Jaram, are you coming back?" asked Paladin. "I'm not quite sure," said Jeremy. That place is a prison camp I know. But those fugitives or whoever works there hates it should come back with me. I'll bring back a whole crowd of animals. That way when I have enough money, we'll feed all of them and welcome our new friends."

"Now you're talking," exclaimed Chad. When will you go to the Country Railroad, Jeremy?" "I'll probably leave in the late afternoon," said Jeremy. "They're usually on break at that time. That was where I spent time with Jerico that day when Ioni got Paladin and Ames joined us. All we did was chat and walk around the camp. Nothing too serious. But with Melody in control, they don't call it Country Railroad anymore. They now call it Railroad Prison Camp. Anyways, I'll go late this afternoon and be able to join them without the use of an application."

"Can I come with you, Jeremy?" asked Ioni. "I want to join you on your trip to the railroad."

"You can't, Ioni," said Jeremy. "They'll see you as not-in-command material or officer material and probably lock you up."

"I don't want to stay here without you, Jeremy," sobbed Ioni. "I have to go with you."

"No," sighed Jeremy. "I can't risk losing you if you slip up or do something that might make them suspect you. I have to go by myself and set things right for all of us."

"Why don't you take me with you so they can enroll me to be with you?" asked Ioni. "I'll keep any secret from them so you can stay safe."

Jeremy checked his phone for messages. "I'm afraid not," he said, putting his phone back in his pocket. "You don't know what tortures or evil is at that place, Ioni. I know this because Jerico told me. Remember when I went to see him for bonding? That was the day they were remodeling the place. After he was expelled and overthrown, Melody took his position and ordered her in-commands to build concentration camps and stations for her Railroad Police. They were renovating the place into a Prison camp. Melody did stuff quickly and renovation took only one day. Thus began her position at Railroad Prison Camp."

"You said nothing serious earlier," said Chad.

"I just hope when I get there, they won't hire me to be like Shabedoom," said Jeremy. "They're the evil officers in Railroad Police. But I will say this, Ioni. I'll decide if you can come with me or not."

"Mister Jaram, Ioni said she wants to go with you," said Paladin. "What do you say? She'll come along or stay here?" "I have to think about it," said Jeremy. "She's still my daughter. And Shelby is just her caretaker. Grayson wouldn't be her mother. Why is this so hard for me?! Paladin, I want you to take Chad and Ioni outside with the others, I need time to think by myself."

As Paladin led Chad and Ioni outside, Jeremy thought over everything he said. He was concerned about Ioni and how Grayson doesn't get along with her. And that day when he came back from The Park late in the afternoon, she was miserable without him and leaving her at home would crush his heart. But if she came with him, her happiness might trigger suspicion and lead them to be locked up. After hours of thinking over it, he finally made his decision.


Chapter 3: Heading out

It soon became late afternoon, at 5 pm to be precise and everyone had returned back to the apartment.

Grayson had told everyone that Jeremy was going to work at the wretched Railroad Prison Camp and they were quite concerned with it. Some wanted to tag along while others denied.

"I never want to go back to that place!" sobbed Reggie. "They treated us horribly!"

Ioni held her head down in shame. She was afraid of what Jeremy might say. She heard someone call out; "I want to go to that place!" It was Grayson. "Melody and I have a score to settle!"

Shelby angrily looked at Grayson and said; "You're staying here!" she hissed. "Only Jeremy is going to that prison camp!"

"Actually," said Jeremy, "I'm taking Ioni with me. She will feel miserable without me and I don't want that for her. And Grayson will treat her badly. Ioni can come with me. But she has to stay with me at all times. Also, Paladin will come with us. The dog can protect us from harm."

Hearing these words, Paladin barked happily and ran to Jeremy's side. Ioni overheard what Jeremy had said and ran to him, smiling. "Thank you so much," she said, hugging him. "I feel so much better now. I will..."

"Now hold on a minute," interrupted Chad. "I need to speak with Jeremy for a minute." He led Jeremy to one side. "Jeremy, I want you, Paladin and Ioni to be safe," he said. "I promise to help Shelby take care of the others. But I wish you the best of luck. Now go Jeremy, and may Midnight go with you. We'll send Shelby over to fly overhead and report back to us. We're counting on you, Ioni and Paladin. Just promise that you'll return soon."

"I'll do my best, Chad," said Jeremy. "I won't take long. I'll try to be as quick as I can. See you later." He, Paladin and Ioni then began their trip to Railroad Prison Camp and took the long route to the meadow.

The meadow and Railroad Prison Camp were not far apart, but it was a long way from home. It took them 2 hours to get there and when they got to the meadow, they laid down to rest. As they were resting, Jeremy said to Ioni; "I'm going to talk to Melody. You mustn't say anything. She'll think otherwise." Ioni nodded.

"And what do you think you're doing here?" a sinister voice asked Jeremy.

"It's Shabedoom!" cried Ioni.

"Don't make a sound or pay attention to the animal next to me," Shabedoom said to the group. "Come with me. I'll escort you three to the camp."


Chapter 4: Railroad Prison Camp

Nighttime had come and the in-commands at Railroad Prison Camp had asked Melody if they could rest. But she turned them down and forced them to go back to work.

Melody had become the new leader of Railroad Prison Camp. In fact, she changed the original name 'Country Railroad' into 'Railroad Prison Camp' and all the Railroad Police officers became more fierce.

More stations had been built and there were concentration camps on the other side. Next to it was a slaughterhouse, used to kill injured or weak workers who couldn't work anymore. But it was actually part of an evil program for a certain species.

Originally, Jeremy's older brother; Jerico was the leader, but was kicked out by Melody. He was being nice to the inmates and often freed the captive animals. At one point, he dismantled the cattle car and focused on freeing more captive animals.

Jerico wasn't evil anymore, much to Melody's horror. She saw him before as evil, but now he became very much like Jeremy.

Cassie usually helped Jerico in freeing the prisoner animals. She hated the abuse the animals were given and wanted to help him, showing him that she wasn't heartless like how Melody saw her. But after defending a coyote, she and Jerico were caught by Shabedoom and taken to Melody.

As punishment, Jerico was demoted from leadership, after losing a fight to Shabedoom, and he gave the leadership role to Melody. As for Cassie, she was going to be exiled, but she actually fought Melody. Shabedoom had to stop the fight and attack poor Cassie. The cassowary was sentenced to death but not right away, for they wanted her in a camp before death. It was this death camp, which is actually a concentration camp, far worse than the ones before it. She was put there to work until she dies of exhaustion.

The punishments at the camp were more severe, the abuse was appalling and most animals died in the camp alone with only a few survivors. It was the one punishment that all animals tried to avoid.

With Jerico as an in-command and Captain Cassie about to enter death row, Melody took charge of Railroad Prison Camp. She had organized a group to the camp called Railroad Police and they were said to be far more threatening than the in-commands. But if there are young ones or newcomers introduced to the camp, they are either prisoned or set to work under special circumstances.

But it was not just Railroad Police that was to be feared. There was a far more dangerous and evil place that never got talked about and it was sometimes considered a lot worse than anything else at the camp.

Melody was now walking towards the railroad until someone approached her. It was her trusty captain and mate, Shabedoom It was his duty to patrol at night. He hardly ever complained and was a favorite of Melody. She had shown love towards the dragon and they were considered the perfect couple. A match made in Firelake. "What's wrong?" she asked him. "Do you want me or something?" "Yes I do," said Shabedoom. "Me and Arson picked up three animals during our patrol."

"Where were they?" asked Melody. "Arson is back at Railroad Police, But I found those animals in the meadow sleeping," answered Shabedoom. "They said they've come from their home and want to work here."

"Describe their species," said Melody. "An ostrich, a blue spotted puppy, and a polar bear cub," said Shabedoom.

"An ostrich, a blue spotted puppy, and a polar bear cub want to work here?" asked Melody. "Why can't I see them tomorrow? Or at least wait until I'm ready? I'm literally the Railroad council myself including you, Shabedoom." "You'd better take a look at the bird," said Shabedoom. "He looks familiar and I'd say, we've seen him before."

"H'm," said Melody, considering. "I'll see them tonight. But it won't take long. Bring them forward."

Shabedoom and Arson had brought the ostrich, the blue spotted dog and the polar bear cub. This startled Melody. She knew the ostrich and the polar bear cub with him was the same one injured in the pond at Ostrichland. However, she didn't know the blue spotted puppy. He was brand new. But she wanted to see if it was really who they really were.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Jeremy," the ostrich replied.

"And I'm his adopted daughter, Ioni," said the polar bear cub.

"And I'm Paladin!" barked the puppy.

Now Melody knew that it was Jeremy and Ioni, so she kept on asking questions. She didn't care about the blue spotted dog.

"What were you doing?" she asked. "I've come to work here," said Jeremy.

"And her?" Melody asked, looking at Ioni. "She's a minor, I don't think she can work," said Jeremy. "Same goes for Paladin."

"Have you worked before?" asked Melody. "If so, where were you at the job?"

Jeremy had remembered the Paddleboat incident at The Park. Even though he had gotten over it, it still haunted him. "Me and Chad used to work at The Park," he said, "but we quit due to being sabotaged by two animals. We fought with them before we left."

Melody could see Jeremy as a fighter and wanted him to be with Railroad Police. That will earn him extra wages. She forgot about the idea of putting him with Railroad Police and instead announced his new position. "Well," she said. "I've decided on where to put you. We've had a problem with keeping the prisoners in line and suffered a minor backlash. For this reason, you shall not be hired to be with the Railroad Police, but you'll be accepted to work in a special circumstance, a job for undersized runts like you."

"She means in-commands," said Ioni to Jeremy. "Your brother will be there. He'll teach you how to be one."

"Yeah," said Jeremy. He felt relieved over not being hired to be part of the Railroad police. But what worried him was the jobs that Ioni and Paladin might be assigned. They were much too young for Railroad Police. He hoped that they would be in-commands too or given a minor job.

Melody continued; "You will be assigned to work as an in-command with Captain Jerico and take orders from Captain Shabedoom. As for the bear and the dog, they will be with Railroad Police. We will see what they can do."

This infuriated Jeremy, how dare they separate his adopted daughter and pet from them? It didn't sound right. Not only that, he didn't want them in that job in the first place.

The Railroad Police officers were the toughest and meanest animals ever and seeing his adopted daughter and Paladin in that position would break his heart. He was told by Melody that the officers were evil and it secreted the deadliest of animals. He had to talk to her to reconsider and let them be in-commands with him and Jerico.

The following night after Shabedoom had discussed with Jeremy, Paladin, and Ioni about following the rules, Melody stepped forth and said; "I'm going to explain the rules of this prison camp and the conditions you will follow. You must all listen carefully too because our rules are to be kept, and any breaking of them will be severely punished."

So then Jeremy spoke up at once and said; "Ioni and Paladin are just kids. They need to be with me at all times. Please don't separate them from me." "Oh yes they will be separated," said Melody. "And you have no more say in this."

Ioni then said; "That's mean of you. Jeremy's request was very reasonable. Think of us, the children."

"Children!" growled Melody. "Out of the question!"

"But you don't understand," said Jeremy. "Ioni is an orphan and so is Paladin." "Explain that," said Melody. "These two can't be around other adults, they're used to me," said Jeremy. "Ioni especially is afraid of other adults. She's afraid of the dragon." He was referring to Shabedoom.

"I want no further discussion about this," growled Melody. "Please I'll do whatever you say," begged Jeremy. "Here or anywhere else," continued Melody. "Stop it right now!" There was no use talking to Melody.

Then Ioni snapped and said; "How could you?! All Jeremy wanted was for us to be with him!" She forgot that she wasn't allowed to talk to Melody. She had disobeyed Jeremy and he wasn't happy about it. "Please don't let me and Paladin go to those awful police people. We want to be with Jeremy!" Then she started to cry.

Melody didn't want to hear Ioni's crying and she wanted her, Jeremy and Paladin out of her sight. Then she said; "I can't spare any more time with you guys. You are going to be in Railroad Police and I meant it! If you can't follow the rules, perhaps I need to teach you a lesson."

Jeremy angrily stared at Ioni.

"Now Shabedoom will escort you to a station and you will all stay together until you are assigned work," Melody said to Jeremy, Ioni and Paladin. "Only when you are not working, you can stay together. Shabedoom, escort them to Station 3."


Chapter 5: Station 3

So Shabedoom took Jeremy, Paladin, and Ioni to Station 3. It was a cabin for beginners to stay in and relax at.

After Shabedoom left, Ioni felt guilty for what she did and was worried that Jeremy might yell at her. She doesn't like it when Jeremy is upset since that's the only time she's ever afraid of him.

"Oni, why you hiding?" Paladin had asked Ioni. "I'm just worried that Jeremy might yell at me," said Ioni. "You don't know how fast he can snap. Perhaps this was a bad idea."

"I'm not always like that," Jeremy said to Ioni. "It's what you did that I'm concerned with." He sounded quite stern while saying that. "I didn't mean to," whimpered Ioni. "I just didn't want to get separated. Don't get mad at me, please. I'll be sad."

Jeremy sighed and said; "You can't always cry and expect me to forgive you. I'll have to be a little stricter." "But then you're mad at me," sobbed Ioni.

Jeremy saw Ioni break down into tears. He didn't like seeing his adopted daughter cry, but she also disobeyed him. Then again, it was her first day and he shouldn't have been so rough.

"Ioni," Jeremy said to the polar bear cub. "I don't want you crying. They'll kill you if they see that. I'll let you go this one time, but if you do it again, I'll have to deal with you."

Ioni was relieved that it was just a warning, but she had to follow the rules of the prison camp and of Jeremy's because whatever punishment they might give out won't be good.

"Do you think they'll ever feed us?" asked Paladin. "We haven't eaten anything ever since we left."

"This is it?" Ioni asked, as they were given food to eat. "This is barely anything."

All they were given was one walnut. One walnut? This was ridiculous! They would starve!

"You will eat whatever you are given," hissed Shabedoom. "Now eat!"

While Jeremy and Paladin ate their walnuts, Ioni just stared at the walnut. Her stomach was growling. She didn't like this.

This was what they called Dinner? It had been 10 o'clock at night and this was what they served? Ioni dreamed of what Dinner would have looked like; Spaghetti with sauce and no meatballs, mixed salad, oh for a whole carrot, but one walnut was barely anything. She did eat the walnut but she crunched it slowly.

Even though they ate their walnuts, Jeremy and Paladin were still hungry. The walnuts would be digested quickly.

"How can this be dinner?!" Jeremy asked Paladin. "Even Fio would prepare a meal that would make us all satisfied. But not this!"

"Jaram, I understand that you are hungry and so am I and Ioni," said Paladin. "But we can't complain. They will see it. There might be spies watching us. I shouldn't have come along. I was wrong to come here. I'm still young and without enough food, I will die of starvation."

"Paladin, you can't die!" sobbed Ioni. "You're still very young. I can't lose you either."

Paladin looked at Jeremy in confusion. "She lost her mother and her brother," Jeremy answered. "Her father was shipped to a zoo." "No wonder she said she didn't want to lose me too," said Paladin. "If we are to survive, we need to find food elsewhere."

"How can we find anything else to eat?" asked Ioni. "I need to ask them to serve us more food." Jeremy stopped her. "Ioni, It's not a good idea," he told her. "I'm afraid that Melody will suspect something. I'll go with you."

But before Ioni could say something, Paladin had disappeared.

Where was Paladin? Did he go to Melody? Did he go out to find some food elsewhere? Or was he captured by the Railroad Police? Ioni felt queasy and sick to her stomach. She felt uneasy and started shaking uncontrollably.

"Ioni, are you alright?" Jeremy asked the polar bear cub.

But Ioni felt as if she was in a trance. She didn't hear Jeremy's voice. All she could hear were the noises outside. "I'm trying to listen to Paladin," she told Jeremy. "but all I could hear was the pain and agony of the poor workers. Only I feel like I'm in the crowd. I'm going to be captured, Jeremy. It's the end of me." She continued to shake uncontrollably while muttering to herself.

"Ioni," Jeremy said to her. "Ioni, can you hear me?"

Shabedoom heard Ioni and went to where she and Jeremy were. He saw the bear shaking uncontrollably and the ostrich trying to comfort her.

Arson was right next to him. "Shall we report to Melody?" he asked Shabedoom. "Not quite," said Shabedoom. "That bear isn't material for Railroad Police. I think the ostrich will be perfect for the job. We'll tell Melody that we need Jeremy for the job, and he'll be part of the group."

Arson was an anthropomorphic coyote who wasn't the brightest in-command for the group. And he thought just because Jeremy was an in-command doesn't mean that he could join the dreadful Railroad Police.

But Shabedoom knew that Jeremy was ready for Railroad Police and wanted to see if he could really be as fierce as the others in the group.

Ioni then felt a cold air surge through her like a ghost was right there beside her. Jeremy felt it as well and saw a glimpse of what the ghost looked like; it was Midnight! That was the first time Midnight came to the need of another creature besides an ostrich. Was that the reason why Ioni was acting like this?

"Is Midnight speaking to you," Jeremy asked Ioni. But Ioni still couldn't hear him. Instead, the polar bear cub looked at him in confusion. Her eyes were no longer blue, for they became glowing red eyes just like Midnight's.

Jeremy stepped back from Ioni as she began to speak, in a masculine voice; "Beware of this place. This place already feels like Firelake. There's a far more dangerous place in this Firelake hole. Don't go there. Beware!"

Railroad Prison camp was Hell to Jeremy, Ioni and everyone else who was innocent. But was that other place? Almost everyone there was cruel, evil and immoral creatures.

Railroad Police were said to be ruthless and terrible officers. Only Jerico and Cassie were pure and not evil like Melody and the others. But they have been expelled from their old jobs and became captains.

If only Jeremy could see his older brother again. It would break his heart to see him tortured by Shabedoom. But he had to get his adopted daughter back to her old self and find Paladin.

As Arson looked at the red-eyed polar bear cub, he became very frightened. He was one of the new recruits for Railroad Police. But he never joined the group. The coyote wasn't like the others.

As Arson eyed Ioni, he saw Jeremy and wanted to be with him and not Shabedoom and Melody. He snuck away from Shabedoom to go and join Jeremy and Ioni.

Shabedoom saw that Arson was not next to him and thought that he probably went back to Melody without him.

As he went to go see Melody, Arson made his way to Jeremy and Ioni. The ghost had left Ioni and she was back to normal.

"Is it fine if I stay here?" Arson asked Ioni. "Who are you and what do you want?" Jeremy asked him, protecting his adopted daughter.

"Please I mean no harm," said Arson. "My name is Arson. I wish to be with you and your daughter."

Jeremy wasn't too sure. For this was a coyote, and he might be one of the Railroad Police in-commands.

"Are you one of them?" Ioni asked. "An officer?" asked Arson. "Sadly, yes. But I'm new to the group. They treated me badly. Shabedoom thinks of me as a weak officer."

Jeremy's face lightened up. "Are there any others that aren't truly officers?" he asked. "No, I'm afraid there aren't any others," said Arson. "You guys are the only three right now. I think. And I'm an in-command. You're all new."

"What happened to your tail?" Ioni asked Arson. "It's a long story," said Arson. "Not exactly long but very tragic. I'm not the kind of person that likes to talk about tragic stories."

"I know how that feels," sighed Jeremy. "I don't like hearing sad or tragic backstories."

"Are you Jeremy?" Arson asked Jeremy. "Yes I am," he answered. "My brother, Jerico works here. Are you new here?" "Why yes, I came here 2 days ago," said Arson. "I'd tell you the whole story but don't you have a puppy to find first?" "He's a small dog," answered Ioni.


Chapter 6: The true evil of Railroad Prison Camp

As he spoke, Paladin came back carrying a container of food that he found.

"Paladin, you're back!" Ioni cried, hugging him. "What's there to eat?" "I managed to find some fruits from trees and some cheddar given to me by Cassie," said Paladin. "It's a huge bar, enough to satisfy all of us. Who's your friend?"

"I'm Arson," said the coyote. "There's nothing to fear. I'm new here and got partnered with Shabedoom."

"Where did you go, Paladin?" Jeremy asked Paladin, interrupting Arson. "I went to find us some food since we're starving," said Paladin. "I should have told you guys where I was going, but remember that I'm still a puppy and Ioni is still young. We need to fill our stomachs with nutrients."

"I suppose you're right, Paladin," said Jeremy. "But you and Ioni are still kids and need to stay with adults like me or Arson."

"My original name was Aaron," said Arson. "But after I was shot and miraculously survived, they renamed me as Arson. It's my Railroad Police name and soon you'll get yours as well."

"But I like my name," said Jeremy. "Why would they change it?" "That's what it's like here," said Arson.

"But how can you possibly know that?!" asked Paladin. "You only arrived 2 days ago!" "That's because they actually addressed it the minute I first arrived here," said Arson. "I chose to come here."

"But this place feels like Firelake," said Jeremy. "I beg your pardon?" asked Arson.
"It's what my friends and I call a place of evil," said Jeremy. "Firelake is where the souls of bad people go. There's even a terrifying red creature that lives there known as...Oh! I can't say it! It's too terrifying to say the name. It scares me. Purelake is what we call Heaven, a place where good souls go to. A sweet and gentle human who created this world lives there as well. The gentle human is known as God. He also has a son."

"Isn't Midnight like that?" asked Ioni. "Midnight only goes to wounded ostriches," said Jeremy. "He's just a spirit that guides us. Same goes for our God and his son, especially the ostrich god; Gale. They protect us from evil and punish them severely. Good always triumphs over evil. But even with that, good people will die too and join them. But not everyone is safe. They will make bad decisions that lead them down the wrong path. There's no telling where you'll go after performing terrible deeds and Gale knows what. This prison camp is the opposite of Purelake. Has it always been like this?"

"Railroad Prison camp is anything but Purelake," said Arson. "After Jerico was demoted since he lost a fight to Shabedoom, the place became evil and demonic. Originally, this was a train station as Jerico wanted to follow his dream to become a train engineer and a general. He told me about you and that you freed him from his evil ways and now he wants to do good. However, this angered Melody as she was a power-hungry, bloodthirsty and immoral creature who knew evil and wanted to do terrible things. Melody warned Jerico that she didn't like how he changed from bad to good and wanted to take his position as general and that's what she did. Since Shabedoom was her mate, he gave his leadership to her after he won in a fight against Jerico. You see, when I first came here, I didn't know that this place was cold and cruel. You're probably wondering what happened to my tail."

"What happened to you?" Ioni asked Arson. "Well this all happened on my first day here," said Arson. "A few days ago, I came here during sunrise and Melody wasn't as kind to me as I thought she would be. They said that they needed a partner for Shabedoom and I wondered who he was. It didn't sound like a nice name. That same day I met your brother, Jerico who was incredibly nice to me and offered to put me as an in-command in his patrol. He told me that Shabedoom was the dragon that beat him in a fight and took his leadership and gave it to Melody. His patrol was specifically made to protect the railroad and rescue injured or lost animals and free them to their natural habitats.

"I wished to be with Jerico, but Melody had something else planned out for me. She was the one who gave me a task to do and on that task is where I lost my tail. It was late at night and I was given a task to steal a chicken from a farm. I had part of my tail shot off by a hunter. I failed to get the chicken for her and my tail was bleeding and left a bloody trail leading from the farm to the prison camp. Melody was going to exile me as punishment but then your brother and a bluebird protected me. It was then that they lost their jobs and I was partnered with Shabedoom and given the job to be a Railroad Police officer. Now let me tell you guys about this place and how evil it really is. The train station was shut down and now stands as Melody's base. All the cabins were abandoned and now they're used to house the Railroad Police officers.

"As for food, they barely feed the newbies, as they think that less fed animals serve as in-command material. However, Railroad Police officers are fed more food than the newbies and in-commands. They say that Railroad Police are the best officers of Railroad Prison Camp and they get rewarded with requested food and respect from the general. They always get first dibs. Since I was new here, I wasn't treated with respect at the Railroad Police group. I'm always by myself digging scrapes in the ground or fed table scraps. Shabedoom and Melody always left me for dead. I can't explain that much about the death camp here. It's more atrocious than the camp here. The so-called concentration camp is a death sentence for all creatures. Oh but the other place! We don't ever speak of it. The punishments are unspeakable and the end result is...I can't say it. We must keep away from that place."

Jeremy, Ioni, and Paladin reviled in horror after hearing about the death camp. Not only that but a place worse than where the Railroad Police officers lived and the death camp resides heree too. This place was cruel. But what was the other place? How was it worse than anything else in the camp?

"You!" A white bird said to Jeremy.

When Jeremy saw the white bird, his heart almost stopped. It was an ostrich just like his family, but it wasn't his brother. This was a more menacing ostrich who was in Railroad Police. He even wore glasses compared to Jeremy's but these were gray and he wore golden clothing and blue pants.

"Melody has informed me to bring you to Railroad Police," the ostrich said. "And also the bear. Don't try anything suspicious. I'll be watching."

No one said a word as Jeremy and Ioni were led by the ostrich officer to Railroad Police.

It seemed odd but Jeremy wanted to befriend the menacing ostrich, even after telling him that he was going to be in Railroad Police.

"What is your name?" Jeremy asked the ostrich, kindly.

"What's it to you?!" the ostrich rasped. "My name is Devin; an officer of Railroad Police. This is my real name but soon they will change it. What's your name?"

"It's Jeremy," the young ostrich said. "That's a nice name," said Devin. "Well, Jeremy I hear that you're new here and that you could make a great member of Railroad Police."

"No, Devin," said Jeremy. "The Railroad Police officers are monsters. You don't know what they are doing. They're capturing animals and turning them into slaves. And those innocent animals that are not fit to work get sentenced to a death camp. That's their death sentence if they're not killed by Melody or Shabedoom."

Devin said nothing.

Jeremy then held his head down with shame. This ostrich didn't understand the true evilness that lurked in the prison camp. It was as if he liked joining the group and doing all these treacherous things to poor helpless animals.

But then Devin said; "I know what these creatures are doing," said Devin. "And I don't approve of it. I only say that just to impress Melody and the others. The Railroad Police officers are just mean people. But they seem to serve a purpose in patrolling and arresting bad people except for Melody and Shabedoom. It's not right what Melody and Shabedoom are doing. This camp needs to be shut down. Why did you choose to come here?"

"I came here to get a job that will give us a lot of money to help our friends," said Jeremy. "We only have $50 or less since the rest of the money is probably being used up. They won't last until they have enough food and comfort to help them survive. This place gives out more money to the workers that work here, especially Railroad Police. Besides, I haven't eaten anything decent in days. And that walnut already digested into nothingness. Paladin and Ioni are in the same boat as well. I need this job not only for myself but for my friends also."

"That's very generous of you," said Devin. "But when will you be going home?"

"I'm planning to go home in a few days," Jeremy said to Devin. "And I'm planning to take Arson with me. It hurts me to say this but I told Chad that I wasn't going to take long and it's already dark out. He'll probably understand. I'm also planning to take anyone who wants to leave this place. Do you want to join us?"

How can I?" asked Devin. "Or you guys for that matter? Melody and Shabedoom will kill anyone who tries to escape." "But I don't want to leave you behind," said Jeremy. "You said so, yourself that you hate it here and that you want this place to be shut down."

"I do want this place shut down," said Devin. "But we can't forget the food that they will serve to us. They will treat us better than the newbies. Are you aware that they only feed newbies and in-commands one walnut for one day?"

Jeremy nodded. So did Ioni. She wanted to stay quiet because she didn't want to say anything that could make Devin suspect something.

"Well, that's their tactic here," continued Devin. "You see they say that less food equals less opportunity to get certain jobs. That's what they do to be mean to people who are new. Malnourishment in animals is another way of killing them. When animals don't get fed a lot, their bodies stop working and so do their hearts. It's just another death sentence. The death camp here is like those evil concentration camps.

"But it's worse than even the ones before it. I came here just 2 weeks ago and I've seen how cruel Melody can be to the newbies. How I got into Railroad Police is beyond me, but I have to see how awful the cruelty is towards the animals. Malnourished animals get sentenced to work in the concentration camps all day and all night with no breaks and no food! Can you imagine that? What's even worse is that Melody and Shabedoom sometimes gas animals to death. These were weapons that hunters used to gas up runs in burrows or holes of ground animals. And here they use it on the workers that refuse to work or are simply too hungry. This is mutiny. I don't know how Melody and Shabedoom have access to these weapons but it's best that we don't talk about it. The worst part is what they do to ostriches. I don't know why they hate them so much, but for some reason, they get the most severe punishments of all and there's no telling what Melody and Shabedoom do to them. Jerico will explain it better. I can't really explain the program that is here. But some ostriches still work somewhere in this camp. We just don't see them. I mustn't tell you what they're called. You will find out soon enough, while you are here."

"How come Melody is like this and Shabedoom?" asked Jeremy. "Why are they so evil?"

"They say some animals were born evil," said Devin. "Jerico told me about Melody and how he regretted ever being her friend. Melody was born as an only child in her family. Her parents were the sweetest, nicest people a child could ask for. But Melody hated her parents from the first day she was born. She was a cruel, heartless creature that had no feelings towards other people and some schools refused to allow Melody in. Though she did do good in some schools, she became evil on the inside. Melody was a vicious murderer. She had killed a wombat for food as well as a whole family of field mice.

"When news of Melody's mother having a new baby broke out, Melody knew that the child might overthrow her so she had to get rid of her parents. Melody later murdered her parents and decided to live her own life. With blood on her claws, she said that someday she would rule a camp and torture everyone who lived in it. When starting high school, she met your brother, Jerico as well as some friends that he made. Jerico said that he was going to assemble some people to be his patrol officers for his train station base. It was then that Melody wanted to be in on the job. But growing up, Melody became worse. She not only murdered a polar bear cub but also a sugar glider which she had eaten to hide evidence of murder.

"After Jerico had changed his ways, Melody wanted to run his station, but as a prison camp. That same time, Jerico's in-command, Shabedoom betrayed him and sided with Melody. After Jerico and Cassie became in-commands, Country Railroad became Railroad Prison Camp. I'm sorry if you heard this before but it's true. I don't know a lot about Shabedoom but what I do know is that he's Melody's best in-command. He's also Melody's mate. I overheard her saying that she and Shabedoom were going to have children of their own and they would become in-commands and Railroad Police officers just like the others in the camp. How dare she think that her children should grow up in this kind of place? This place smells like death and even with that, Melody and Shabedoom have the smell of death on them. This place is Firelake and that's where they are going to go."

"Melody needs to be stopped," said Jeremy. "This is unholy. All of it is sickening. Gale is here with us and he watches over all of us. He is the ostrich god who loves ostriches and other animals. The Lord God also loves all animals. He's our savior. He needs to teach Melody a lesson."

"I had no idea that you were religious, Jeremy" said Devin. "I'm religious too but then again I have to listen to Melody's orders or else. Yes, Gale must come to save us from this dreadful place. Sadly the only way out is death. No one has truly escaped from here in the flesh. It hasn't been done. What are we going to do, Jeremy?"


End of A New Job


Characters of Regular Life A New Job

Jeremy: white ostrich (Struthio camelus) the young son of Jon and Jessica and the little brother of Jerico. Ioni's adoptive father
Chad: brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) Jeremy's best friend
Ioni: polar bear (Ursus maritimus) an orphaned polar cub who was adopted by Jeremy.
Shelby: orange dragon: a vegetarian water dragon and a great storyteller who is based on the Chinese water dragon (Physignathus cocincinus)
Grayson: Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) a jealous and hot-tempered possum who has a grudge against Jeremy and despises Ioni
Reggie: Southern brown bandicoot: (Isoodon obesulus) a cowardly bandicoot who has a good heart.
Fio: European red fox (Vulpes Vulpes) the culinary chef that prepares meals for his friends
Melody: tiger quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) a vicious and murderous tiger quoll. Leader of Railroad Prison camp
Paladin: Dalmatian (Canis Lupus familiaris) a little puppy that got adopted by Ioni
Ames: Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) Grayson's long lost little sister
Shabedoom: Black fire dragon: an in-command of Railroad Prison Camp and Melody's husband. Based on the Komodo Dragon (Varanus Komodoenis)
Arson: coyote (Canis Latrans) an in-command of Railroad Prison Camp, Shabedoom's partner an officer at Railroad Police. His tail was shot off by poachers after trying to steal a chicken. His original name was Aaron
Devin: white ostrich (Struthio Camelus) a new recruit to Railroad Police and Jeremy's new friend
Midnight: ostrich ghost (Struthio Camelus) a spirit of an ostrich that had the colors of the night sky who was shot to death by bullies. He comes to ostriches in broken spirits and sometimes their friends