i dreamt of heaven

our consciences are always so much heavier than our egos

the brisk morning air felt cool and refreshing as it made its way into his lungs.

he hadn't noticed it before, but he was holding back tears from sliding down his face. he wiped his eyes and attempted to recollect himself before walking towards the other banditos.

there were about twenty or so gathered around the center of the camp, some with torches or bags similar to the one josh had, also packed full with necessary tools for the raid.

one of the banditos, tall and tan in complexion, with hair ever so slightly darker than brown, almost black, waved josh over to the group.

"josh! you ready to go?" river, only a year or two younger than josh, spoke in a bubbly tone.

they became joshs friend a month or two after tyler was taken. josh never let them get too close, he didn't want them to replace tyler's spot. no one could ever do that. he had grown up with tyler, knew him for seven years.

that didn't stop josh from being kind to river, they meant well and were doing quite well in their raid training. if josh's father really meant what he had said about his position earlier, river would probably take his spot.

josh nodded and scanned the group, "everyone here?"

"yes sir, we're just awaiting your orders now." river smiled proudly.

"alright," josh raised his arms to gesture to the banditos to gather around before squatting down to the ground and grabbing a stick to draw out the plan in the dirt, "this raid is just our typical style, go in through the tunnel, up through the subway, and then decide what section to hit up based on if anyone is on patrol."

the banditos watched as he drew; to anyone else, the symbols may be hard to follow or understand. luckily for them, they were trained from a very young age how to read and write these symbols.

josh finished drawing out the plan, and smiled slightly as he looked up at his team. who knows how long he'd continue holding this role, he might as well get one last look at 'em just in case. besides, seeing all of them return that same weary smile made him realize how proud he truly is of every single member on this team. for the three years he's been a raid leader, he's learned a lot about not only the landscape and people he'd raid, but those raiding right alongside him.

one of them had gotten over his fear of the dark, and would now sometimes volunteer to lead a side group into the night. river had gotten more comfortable with the others, and had begun to speak to more than just josh. and another, a small and timid girl, terrified of spiders and various other bugs, had begun to allow them to crawl over her hands whenever struck with boredom, assisting whenever she was tasked with keeping watch over night.

"we ready to move?" josh asked, a smile growing over his lips. sure, he may have not slept at all last night, but if they wanted to arrive to the city at the appropriate time, they would have to leave now, seeing as it took almost an entire day by foot to reach it.

river nodded, looking around at the others to assure they, too, were set to go. about a quarter of them had had torches, including josh.

they were fashioned out of large branches found on the edges of the jungle, with old and torn fabric wrapped around the top. they would then douse it in lighter fluid they'd find, and light them up.

they were a great light source, and definitely helped in making the group as a whole look quite intimidating.

josh loved it.

once it was established they were all prepared, josh took one more deep breath of the crisp air, feeling it course into his lungs. the air out here definitely differed in quality compared to that in dema, which was much more thick and heavy.