Chapter Text
Chapter 2- With God on Our Side
Oh my name it is nothing
My age it means less
The country I come from
Is called the Midwest
I was taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And that land that I live in
Has God on its side
Joshua squinted up at the cabin the distance. He had been walking for two weeks now and if he had read his map correctly, he should be right up on the North Rim where he was supposed to meet the group of the Followers of the Apocalypse. The road had been blessedly boring, Joshua rarely ran into anyone and he didn’t run across any resistance. He had expected that in Utah but Arizona was a much different story. Arizona was thick with raiders and hostile tribals was Joshua was glad that he managed to avoid them while he was on his own. He doubted that he could fight any of them off now he was so exhausted from the road.
The cabin ahead must be where the followers were since Joshua couldn’t see any of them outside of it and the canyon was the only thing beyond the cabin. Joshua brushed his hair out of his eyes, I should cut this, he thought. His father would have made him cut it by now, but personal grooming had taken a backseat to other concerns during his trip to the Grand Canyon, he only really bothered with washing up and shaving everyday. He adjusted his black hat, he had made the mistake of not wearing it early on in his trip and the burn on his face still bothered him even if the redness was going away.
But what if they’re not in there? Joshua worried in the back of his mind. What if this place is some sort of raider hideout and they’re not even here at all?
Joshua pushed these doubts out of his mind. No, he thought, No, God is with me he would not allow any harm to come to me or them. He knows how important this mission is to spreading the Good News. He will protect his children. There is nothing to fear as long since God is on my side.
He attempted to smooth out the wrinkles on his clothes and brushed off the dust and walked towards the great stone lodge. Joshua pulled the door open and fought the urge to have his hand on his gun as he walked into the building. Inside the building he did not find raiders much to his relief, he only found two men sitting by fire in the middle of the lodge, in the midst of a conversation.
Their heads spun around as they heard Joshua enter the building and they halted their conversation. The first man looked to be around 25 years old with brown hair and a prominent dark beard. The other man was younger, somewhere around Joshua’s age give or take a couple years and was clean shaven with short blond hair. They were both wearing lab coats with black crosses on them, just like his father said they would be wearing. It was strange seeing crosses on people who weren’t chaplins. Joshua knew there were other groups that believed in many of the same things as the New Canaanites that used crosses regularly to mark themselves as believers but New Canaanites rarely used crosses.
The men rose to greet him. The older man spoke first “You must be our translator! It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Doctor Bill Calhoun and this is my colleague-”
“Edward Sallow. I was afraid they’d send us some old bastard like Calhoun here but you seem to be alright,” The blond man cut Calhoun off. He stuck out a hand towards Joshua smiling at him. Joshua shook his hand appraising the shorter man. Although he couldn’t have been much older than Joshua he seemed to carry himself as a man who was completely sure of himself with none of Joshua’s shy, reserved nature.
“Shit, you’re young aren’t you though? You look like you’re fourteen years old,” Joshua flushed at Edward’s words. In spite of being 6’ 1”, Joshua was always mistaken for being younger than he was for some reason.
“I’m eighteen. I just look younger than I am.”
“Hmm. It’s fine, it’s fine. Some girls go crazy for the whole baby-faced, pretty boy thing,” Edward said, pulling a pack of cigarettes putting one in his mouth before offering them to Joshua.
“No, I- we don’t- New Canaanites don’t smoke. Thank you anyway.”
Edward raised his eyebrows and snorted. “How boring. Have it your way,” he said lighting his own cigarette. “You have a name?”
“My name is Elder Graham. It’s good to meet you.”
Edward burst out laughing, startling Joshua. He didn’t know what he’d said that was so funny, he’d only introduced himself.
“No, no I’m not calling you that. Elder?! Elder to who? You’re two years younger than me and seven years younger than Calhoun over here and you look even younger than that,” Edward laughed.
“It doesn’t mean that I’m older than you, it just means-”
“I don’t really give a shit what it means I’m not fucking calling you elder.”
Calhoun shot a glare at Edward as Joshua’s anger rose within him. Who was this man to mock him and the church. They needed him far more than he needed them.
Edward seemed to realize his error and his face softened into something much kinder and more sympathetic, “Geez, kid, I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just that it seems awful formal for someone you’re going to be traveling with for some time. I’m just trying to be friendly. We’re going to be friends, right? I’m told I can come off wrong to some people sometimes if they’re easily offended. I just want to know your real name. I gave you mine, it’s really only fair that you give me yours.”
Edward’s sudden change in attitude surprised Joshua. Joshua must have misjudged him at first. “Joshua. My name’s Joshua Graham.”
“Joshua. That’s better. Call me Edward. Or Sallow if you like but for the life of me don’t call me Mr. Sallow or Dr. Sallow that’s way too fucking pretentious,” Edward took a drag of his cigarette and smiled at Joshua and slowly nodded. “I think we’re going to be good friends. Really you only have to be better company than Calhoun here which isn’t hard to do. Trust me. ” Edward said flashing a grin at his traveling companion who rolled his eyes.
“Where’s everybody else? Are they in another room?” Joshua asked. He was supposed to be meeting several Followers of the Apocalypse and there were only two waiting for him.
Edward and Calhoun turned serious and grim suddenly, looking at each other trying to figure out what to say. “Dead. They’re all dead. We’re the only ones left. It was a long trip,” Calhoun said grimly.
Joshua was shocked. He knew that the wasteland could be dangerous but to kill almost everyone in a big group seemed inconceivable to him. “What? How? What happened?”
“Raiders happened. Bastards hit us before we could see them. Arizona’s crawling with the fuckers,” Edward snarled, fists balling in rage.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll be praying for their souls. It’s a great comfort to know that they are with their King now,” Joshua said. Calhoun and Edward looked at him as if he’d grown a second head. Ah, right. They don’t know yet. How stupid of me. Joshua thought to himself. He’d begun to recall the script he’d memorized for his mission when Edward cut him off.
“That’s right. You New Canaanites believe in some pre-war god. But you believe he’s dead, right?” Edward asked, head tilting to one side.
“No, it was His Son who died for us and He was resurrected by the grace of His Father,” Joshua corrected Edward.
Edward shrugged, “Be nice of him to extend that courtesy to others every now and again.” Edward puffed on his cigarette.
“He did. He has saved all of his children, I can tell you more about it if you want,” Joshua said, perking up and reaching into his backpack for his materials.
“As much as we would like to, we really should get going. It’ll be a long trip,” Calhoun stopped Joshua and began collecting his things. “You have a gun. Good. We may need it.”
“Have you ever used it before?” Edward asked, dropping his cigarette on the floor and stubbing it with his shoe.
“Of course, I’ve been practicing shooting since I was seven years old,” Joshua answered.
Edward’s eyes met Joshua’s. His brown eyes were cold and intense and they sent chills down Joshua’s spine, unnerving him.
“No, I mean, have you ever shot your gun at somebody?”
The way he asked that question was so cold and unfeeling, so detached and yet so intense and curious it would stick in Joshua’s mind for the rest of his days. He never again heard anybody ask such a seemingly simple question in such a way.
“No,” Joshua confessed, his eyes falling away from Edward’s.
“You will,” Edward said, turning around and beginning to pick up his stuff nonchalantly as if the previous exchange had been about trying a new type of food.
Within the hour they began their descent into that great chasm that would swallow up Edward and Joshua and churn out the Malpais Legate and Caesar.