Eden

002

Ivan and the girl walked for a long time. After they left the town, they didn't stop walking. Ivan didn't plan on stopping until he was ready to fall. He needed to get to Eden as fast as he possible could, and they were both perfectly able bodied people, so they had no reason to rest often. Ivan also avoided a camp because they had no food. The girl thought otherwise. She also thought conversation was a good idea, but Ivan wasn't up for it.

"So 'bout how much time 'til Eden, Johnny?" She asked as she walked at a steady stride swinging her her hips gently.

Ivan let out a huff and pulled out his map. He threw it at her. The girl made a lousy attempt to catch it before it fell to the floor. She frowned and picked it up. Ivan watched out of the corner of his eye as she looked through it. She inspected it as she walked. Ivan watched her lips purse and her eyes narrow. When she looked up at him, he looked up. Then, he felt the map hit his shoulder as the girl walked by him with a smug look on his face. Ivan shook his head and retrieved the map.

The night was well settled in when Ivan decided it was time to stop. He continued to walk for a while before he spotted a good area. He walked off of the road and into the trees. The girl barely noticed him leave, but run up to catch him nevertheless. Ivan put down his bag several feet away from the road. The girl sighed and stretched her arms before letting down her bag full of trinkets and junk.

Ivan pulled out his makeshift tarp from his pack and set it down below him. He left to gather what he could find of twigs and dry shrub. Ivan made a fire. The girl watched curiously. As it ignited and caught the rest of the twigs, her eyes lit up. She sat across from Ivan close to the fire.

In the mid winter weather, it was hard to survive the nights without a fire. During the day, the temperatures were bearbly, but at night, the temperatures at times reached below zero. The girl was cold. Her fingertips red and skin pale.

"On the map, what are the x's?" She asked, distracting herself from the cold. Ivan watched the girl rub her bare arms.

"Enemy Territory," He said.

"Johnny, you ever think that the world was beautiful once?" She asked, looking at him.

Ivan shook his head and laid down. The girl always asked obscure questions. Did he think the world was beautiful before? Ivan didn't think about the past. He had heard things about a different time, but how could he wonder about such things, when he still had so much more to worry about now?

He shut his eyes. His stomached growled, but he ignored it. Ivan fell asleep.

When he woke up, his mouth was parched. He pulled out his canteen and took a drink as he gauged the amount of water left. The girl was staring at him when he looked up. She waved and smiled at him.

"Good mornin', Johnny!"

Ivan scowled. He packed his things and they began to walk again.

This time they took a detour through the forest which tired them out more. The trees were difficult to maneuver, and they had to do much more work traveling through the falled trees and trash. The girl looked at the trash with wonder. Ivan looked at the ground while he walked. He stopped to search below a fallen tree, but he cursed in disappointment.

Ivan trudged through the forest. He mumbled to himself. The girl was about to speak up, but Ivan stopped. He retracted a step back and carefully stepped in one area again. It was soft. Ivan got on his knees and began to uproot the damp dirt with his fingers. He ran his hands through clumps of dirt that escaped him. The hole became bigger and he continued to find nothing. Ivan gave up. He cursed and slammed his fist against a tree. He stood up and wiped his hands in a flurry.