Parallel II: A New Ordinance

1-FREEDOM

"This is what it's all about. This is why life is worth living, son. Do you feel the wind in your hair? Do you feel how disorderly yet somehow perfectly organised every little component of your surroundings is? Look at that order out of chaos. Look at it. What would be unmitigated, messy, catastrophic, if we were to helm it, is simply typical because it's the bedrock of all else. Just as those trees you see let their leaves fall so carelessly, people cross paths without any prior preparation. These things happen naturally. Relationships formed, bonds created, unbreakable ones, and the cycle of our world continues all the while. Only when something happens as a force of nature is it incapable of being fully destroyed. We can't destroy what exists, we can merely seek to reform or alter it. But... Sometimes, we may wish to break nature. That's what you've just seen, kid. Your mother, all of them, they tried to destroy something that allows all of us to even be here. But you and I, people like us, we need to fight. We have to fight to make sure that we can feel that breeze. That those leaves can blow so beautifully. That the rivers can run so smoothly. Change is constant, as I'm sure you know quite well, but destruction? We can't let that take hold."

He let the words flow from his mouth just as naturally as what he was describing, and, for the first time, it felt like the words of authority made some sense. It felt as if he wasn't trying to persuade me into something he knew was feral, but rather just what he has known as natural and true. I gazed out through the window of the car and saw time pass before my eyes. No longer the same wooden huts and dirt paths, but rather the full fruits of beautiful nature, ripe for observation. It felt like no time had passed at all since we began driving, likely because any second outside of the compound was a glorious reprieve. I kept watching before eventually contemplating a response. It felt like I was letting my thoughts lightly sizzle atop the fat of experience, not being forced to blurt out some half-witted retort just to save myself from a punishment at the hands of some psychopathic soul. "I love it. It's... unlike anything I've ever felt." He smiled and glanced back from the front seat. "Well, get used to it. We've got uh... how many years to make up for again?" He slumped his head down a bit, seeming to forget my age and asking kindly for a reaffirmation.

"Thirteen." I said, plainly. "Right! Well, kid, 13 years is a lot to catch up on, so I'll have to pack my schedule!" That response of his made me wonder something. What would be next for us? And, more importantly, what is 'us' in the first place? "That schedule of yours... what would it have on it? What are you going to do now? Will you be a police officer in this new place too?" He looked back at me again, this time looking disappointed and morose. "No, I don't think so. We'll need to lay low for a while. We don't know if there are any remnants of that cult left wandering around, so we're going to be incredibly careful, okay?" I could accept that, but this was so sudden, I barely had time to adjust. The mass amounts of new freedoms and experiences I had witnessed just on this fraction of the massive journey were already mind-boggling, but now I'd have to warm up to an entirely new life. A much better one, granted, but changes are changes, good or bad. "I can get behind anything to keep us safe... But I need to know... How exactly will this work?" He looked at me through the mirror which, strangely, didn't have a single crack in it. "It'll work just fine, that's how." I smirked and tried to ask again, this time more directly. "I don't know you, you don't know me. Can we try and create a better mutual understanding? We could ask some useful questions before trying to stave off psychotic cult members together, that's all I'm saying. Also, I'm getting a little bored of staring at the corn fields of... what did you say this place was called again?" He shook his head. "Kansas. Which does mean that we're around halfway to our destination, after all! But sure, we can try our hand at getting some important information laid out." I scratched my face a bit and tried to think of a good first question. "I know one that's really important. What's your name, exactly?" He chuckled. "Oh wow. I didn't ever tell you that, did I? Well, if you must know, my name is Troy. Troy Amarel." Troy... Troy... That name had a nice ring to it. Not anything like the names I was used to from inside the compound, but that's what made it so appealing. "Alright, now we're getting somewhere! Not to be nosy, but when were YOU born? After all, you already know my answer to that, so it's only fair..." He nodded with respect. "Well, I was born nearly 25 years ago, if you can believe it. So I'm nearly double your age. That's why I know things about the world, beyond just the basics. I have a lot of experience, so it'll be good for me to teach you how to function in this world outside of the ordinance. But, now, I have a question for you, Hælend. What do you want?" His question caught me off guard.

What do I want? I hadn't really thought about it since the war subsided. "I'm not really sure. For years, all I wanted was to get the hell out of their compound, but now that I've done so, I don't really know what I want. I guess to survive, to become part of the outside world, to live happily." As the words left my mouth I could feel doubt circling around them like a hidden dagger of inner truth ready to strike at a moment's notice. "Where do you want to go? Who do you want to be? I know you don't have an answer to these right now, but not every question's purpose is to get an answer. Sometimes they just have a story to tell." I thought long and hard about what he said, the rest of the journey was hushed by an ear-splitting silence. Every time I wanted to continue the long-dead conversation, I would realise exactly why I shouldn't. My answer wasn't well crafted enough. I hadn't ironed out the kinks in my response, so why respond at all?

At a certain point, we took a light right turn and made a naturally abrupt stop in front of a house. Troy turned to me and finally broke the silence. "First thing's first, we're going to get you cleaned up and into a set of clothes that aren't some blindingly white robe, and I'll make sure to get you some food during all that-" I cut him off with the question I had been waiting to blurt out all this time. "Where are we going? Where are we? You can't ask me where I want to go, who I want to be when I don't even know where or who I am right now. Please, tell me." He sighed in frustration and hopped out of the car. He strolled around and opened my car door, helping me step out. We walked up toward the front door and he opened it with a key. We stepped inside and gazed upon a decrepit old home, completely riddled with signs of invasion and battery. The house's internal bleeding was a disturbing sight, to say the least, and Troy quickly grabbed me and brought me back out. He knelt down to get to my sightline and started speaking in a very clear tone. "Listen to me, Hælend. You think you don't know this place? Well, I know just as little as you do. I grew up here, this was my family's hometown. But it's nothing like I remember. You must recall what I said about change? Things change, things aren't destroyed unless we let them turn out like that. Well, this is destruction... DAMN IT!" He stood up and started pacing while he continued talking to me. "Now I don't know where to go. I don't know who did this, but it's no normal robbery. We'll have to find a new place to stay. Come on, we need to get going before sunset falls." He began rushing off toward the car, but I was fixated on one detail. I lifted up my shirt and tilted my head so I could look at the mark on my back, which still hadn't changed after all that had happened. I glanced back at one of the house's walls and saw a circle with a familiar symbol trapped inside, begging to be let out. And, wrapped around it all, were the words:

"PLACE OF HERESY-HIDING FROM JUDGMENT"