The Pigerons

I hear someone screaming in the distance and I open my eyes. It’s dark and I can’t remember where I am so I try to move but I can’t, my body is unresponsive but my mind is racing. I hear footsteps approaching and my fear makes my heart beat faster, something touches my foot, I can’t tell what but the coldness I feel doesn’t leave my body, and shivers run through my spine. Seconds later I see a face leaning in close but I can’t make out the features and suddenly it disappears as someone screams my name. Or am I imagining it? I don’t know anymore. I'm disoriented and trying to stay calm when I finally get my mobility back.

My best friend is running toward me and finally he’s by my side helping me to my feet. My voice is barely as loud as a whisper when I say, “Braylon what happened?” He shakes his head, “Kohl there was a revolt and the country has been destroyed by the pigerons.” The pigerons, the aggressive, religious supremacist group that has been a growing threat to the country for years, have succeeded in their war against the United States and taken control of the capital. The news breaks me and Braylon catches me as I fall in shock. I have so much I want to say but my mouth can’t keep up with my thoughts so everything comes out incoherent. My thoughts are running wild, there are so many unanswered questions that my emotions take hold of me and I start sobbing. Braylon pulls me into an embrace and I close my eyes. But I can’t help but feel as though I’m being watched. Braylon doesn’t seem to notice but, I can’t shake the uneasiness.

When I look up I see him, off in the shadows staring directly at me. Who is he? I’ve never seen him before but his green eyes penetrate the darkness and I feel like he can see right through me. I can’t make out the rest of his features but as I squint harder and start to move out of Braylon’s grasp he looks toward the ground by my feet; my eyes are drawn in the same direction. My eyes catch hold of something shiny and I’ve never seen something so beautiful, a silver and heart shaped locket attached to a necklace, so small yet so compelling. I pick it up and see small words engraved “Nikohl, my love”. My name. This must have been what fell on my foot. It’s meant for me. As I wonder about the locket I almost forget why I found it and when I look up again. He’s gone. I almost think that I didn’t really see him. Almost. There was something about him, a feeling, that made me know he’s real. I’m caught up in my thoughts when Braylon shakes me.

“You good? Looks like I lost you for a second.”

Just like that I snap back to reality, “That depends on what your definition of good is. I think its meaning is about to change, for everyone.”

“Unfortunately, I think you’re right” was all he could say. He looks down and nods toward the locket, “that’s new”

I don’t know what to say so I just nod, not sure how to tell him what I saw.

People start to yell in the distance and with one look we both start running. When we hit my neighborhood we come to a stop, it’s almost unrecognizable, but the second I see my house I sprint. I hold on to the hope that my family will be there knowing it’s a wasted effort.

“Kohl the last time I saw them they were searching for you but as the pigerons were closing in I told them to go and promised to bring you to them. They didn’t want to go but I forced them and knew you wouldn’t forgive me if I hadn’t done that. I made my family go with them and leave me behind because I couldn’t leave you.”

I nod because no words come to me and I know he’s right but I hope they made it to safety. We need to find them.

We had been preparing for a catastrophe caused by the pigerons for years but I did not think it would actually happen. Clearly they had more power than anyone thought.

My parents had planned for this, I know they’re safe but they refused to share the plan with me and my siblings because the less people that knew the better, the only issue is that they were expecting us all to be together when the time came. Little did they know.

My memories are hazy but they start to come back to me. I was on my way home when an explosion sent me flying. Was I alone or did someone push me? I can’t remember. I feel like I’m forgetting something important. I can't get out of my head. But once I walk through the entirety of my house, Braylon and I head out. I toss the locket around my neck and follow his lead. I’m not sure how long we’re walking but I start to notice more darkness overtake the streets and I hear chants in the distance but we keep walking in the same direction. I start to slow while Braylon keeps walking and something seems off.

“Bray, hey we should switch directions, this doesn’t feel right, something’s wrong.” He keeps walking ignoring what I say. I stop in my tracks and he turns and looks furious at my lack of compliance. Heated he says “Kohl stop freaking out and fucking follow me.” That rubs me the wrong way, he’s never been so aggressive with speaking to me and I start to walk backward. He turns quickly and just as he’s about to sprint at me someone pulls me into a building and drags me through the halls, out the back door and into the woods. When I look up it’s him. Green eyes.

“Are you okay?” He asks.

“Who are you? How did you know where to find me?”

He ignores my first question and says “the locket”. I look down once again and admire what I have around my neck, now more intrigued by it.

“Follow me.” I don’t know why but I listen and before I know it we’re walking deeper into the woods. I can hear Braylon calling my name in the distance and that makes me want to move faster in the opposite direction. As I’m walking I can’t help but notice the destruction that I see through the trees. Every building, house, and everything else has been ransacked, torn apart, burnt down or destroyed. Pittsburgh, my home, is completely unrecognizable.

I’m in my head and shaking and I don’t realize I’m crying until Green eyes stops to look at me. He stares and doesn’t say anything at first, then finally he says, “I’m Jeremiah, I’ve been monitoring Braylon for weeks now because he is one of the leaders of the pigerons. I prepared your family and helped them with their plan of action as well as his family. I’ve seen you with Braylon and knew he would try to pull you in with him and I was right. When the war began he made sure you were removed from everyone and on the street. I promised your family I would take care of you until we could reunite and that’s why they gave me the locket. They wanted to make sure you had something you could trust that would also help me find you in the end. I know this is a lot to take in but we have to keep moving.”

I’m staring at him in awe of everything he’s said and then I nod and follow his lead. Once my shock has subsided I start to pay attention to Jeremiah's features. He’s tall, maybe 6’4 with black hair and tan skin and wears a leather jacket with jeans and a white shirt that hugs his body showing his physique underneath. His good looks are overwhelming and I wonder what made him help me. He could have left me there to fend for myself but he didn’t. Thank god for that.

“So,” I start when I finally get a little more comfortable, “why are you helping me?”

“Because I promised your family and was assigned to watch Braylon so I know what he’s capable of.”

“Capable of? You make it sound like he’s an awful person. I’ve grown up with him, he’s never been a threat to me. I don’t understand why he’s a part of the pigerons. I’m so confused.”

“Your naivety doesn't shock me but Braylon is a part of the reason the country has been torn down. They have moved on quickly and there is no place left untouched by their destruction.”

I stay quiet for a moment and then, "We have to fight.” I say.

“And we will.”

And with that we continue our walk in silence. I’m too upset to speak and Jeremiah doesn’t seem like he wants to be my friend any time soon.

The sunrise is coming overhead when we see people in the distance. Jeremiah pulls me to the ground and we stay silent until they pass. The way he looks at me makes me shiver and I can’t look away. Finally he gets up and starts moving again. At this point if you see people out in the open it’s safe to say they’re not on our team. We’ve been walking for so long I’m not sure where we’re going and when we’ll get there but Jeremiah finally stops.

He says we have to set up camp during the day to rest and hide so that we won’t get caught. We’re about to use a tree for cover when the leaves around us crunch and suddenly Jeremiah grabs me and covers me with his body in a hidden area. He looks around to check it out and puts his finger to his lips and holds eye contact with me. There’s a group of pigerons and when Jeremiah checks again they’re gone. He hesitates to move and stares a few seconds longer but finally he walks away and I follow.

There’s a hollow part of the tree that had been prepared for travel when the pigerons took over and it has supplies to get us through the journey. But I wasn’t prepared for the weather so when I get the moment to settle I’m freezing and can’t get warm. Jeremiah looks at me and without saying anything puts his jacket around my shoulders.

“So why me?” I ask.

“What do you mean?”

“Why’d you save me? You could have left with my family but you decided to save me.”

“I made a promised. And I never break a promise. Besides, I told you I had been watching Braylon for a while so I had gotten to see you a lot through that time. I didn’t want him to hurt you.”

“But we’ve never met before.”

“We didn’t have to meet for me to know I needed to make sure you were okay and save you from him.” He holds my eye contact after he says that. And I look down at my locket.

“You got this for me, didn’t you? Not my parents.”

“Like I said, I needed to know you were safe.” He pauses...

then says, “but we need to get rest if we want to make it to your family, we have a long way to go.”

I turn to fall asleep but can’t shake my confusion. What has the world come to and how am I just now finding out the truth about Braylon? I almost don’t want to continue because I’m scared to see what the rest of the country has become.