MENTIONED:
ELI JAMES IV
DEATH MERCHANT
ELISHA


The wind blew against Sin as she trudged up the dangerous slope, toward the heart of the storm. A scarf covered her face. She squinted into the stinging sunlight that tried it’s hardest to shine through the dark clouds above them. The climb was murder. Every step was an ordeal.

A pair of wooden poles rested heavily atop her shoulders. The rucksack was slung across her back. Sin held on tightly to the poles as she dragged a man behind her on a makeshift litter. Strapped down onto the travois, the man writhed futilely against his restraints.

”Who the fuck do you think you are?”

He raged deliriously. His teeth chattered as he spoke. Racking coughs punctuated the tirade.

”L-l-let me sp-speak with E---Eli!”

Sin heard the pain creeping back into his voice again.

”P-please….I can speak to mother!”

Sin smiled wondering where the mans fevered memories had taken him. He had been rambling on for the last five minutes making hardly any sense. The wilderness around them stretched endlessly before her, all the way up into the forbidden dark clouds.

Gravity, rain and exhaustion conspired to slow her and the group of people following down. She paused for a moment just to catch her breath, no easy task at this altitude. She gulped down the thin air, her head throbbing from lack of oxygen. She pulled down her scarf, exposing her reddened neck. A metal canteen poured cool water down her throat. She carefully lowered the litter onto the ground and turned around to check on the man. His withered, pain wracked face tore at everyone’s heart except hers.

Sin consulted her compass one more time. She thought she was on the right path, but there was no way to be sure. The heavy rain had hidden any tracks or landmarks with flooding waters. She jumped as a hand grabbed her shoulder and spun around in a defensive posture.

”Whoa Sin, it‘s just me.”

Death Merchant said taking a step back allowing Sin’s eyes to focus as she wiped away the rain from her face.

DEATH MERCHANT: “How about I take over for a while Sin.”

Sin shook her head.

SINCERE LEE WILD: “I got it, it‘s my responsibility, no one else‘s. Eli has left this duty for me and me alone, to weed out the weak and rid them of the Promise Land and of this earth.”

DEATH MERCHANT: “I get that Sin, but you are pushing yourself too much, you need to slow it down.”

Sin picked up the litter again, but Death Merchant grabbed her shoulder again in concern.

SINCERE LEE WILD: “No,”

Sin yelled dropping the litter again with no remorse for the man in pain being carried on it.

SINCERE LEE WILD: “You do not get to do that anymore.”

Death Merchant looked at her confused as she pulled away from his hand.

DEATH MERCHANT: “Get to do what Sin?”

SINCERE LEE WILD: “You do not get to care about me anymore, you had that chance along time ago, but the Angels of Death and your brother Night Rider always came first. I‘m with Eli now Death, and the only reason you are here is because I vouched for you so do not let me regret it.”

DEATH MERCHANT: “They didn‘t always come first Sin, I wanted to be…..”

Sin extended her arm and smacked Death Merchant in the face.

SINCERE LEE WILD: “Don‘t you dare finish that fucking sentence Death, don‘t you dare. I use to care about your excuses, I use to believe you, but not anymore. You are here for one reason and one reason only, to help us build the Promise Land, nothing more nothing less. Your skills are what we have been missing around here and your only job is to protect Eli.”

Death Merchant rubbed his face forgetting just how hard Sin could smack.

DEATH MERCHANT: “If it‘s my job to protect Eli, then why am I up here with you and these people. I should be down there with him.”

SINCERE LEE WILD: “Eli does not need protection at the Promise Land no one there would think twice about hurting him, he needs protection for when he leaves the Promise Land, there are a lot of non believers that think life would be better without him or us. Besides Eli wanted you to come with me, because he can see a hunger in your eyes, the same hunger he see‘s in mine, a hunger he has promised I would never have to endure again.”

Death Merchant looked at Sin confused as she pulled off her backpack and set it down in front of her unzipping it.

DEATH MERCHANT: “A hunger? What the hell are you talking about Sin?”

She smiled as she pulled out a large knife from her bag and motioned for Death Merchant to take it, but he didn’t.

SINCERE LEE WILD: “This man is to weak to be at the Promise Land, he is the very disease we are trying to rid this world of. You have the hunger Death, just like me, so take this knife and feed that hunger. Remember what it was like to be Death Merchant, not this man you are trying to be, I mean seriously Shelters, good deeds, that isn‘t you and we both know it.”

DEATH MERCHANT: “I‘m trying to do better Sin. I‘m trying to be better.”

Sin laughed as she dropped her arm and knife to her side.

SINCERE LEE WILD: “Better, for you and me doesn‘t exist Death. We are who we are. Society dubs us as insane, but in my opinion when you can just sit idly by and watch the world and the people in it turn to shit, then you are the crazy ones not us.”

DEATH MERCHANT: “I‘m just here for one reason to do what I want and to protect Eli, not take life Sin.”

Sin rolled her eyes laughing.

SINCERE LEE WILD: “You are here for more than just that, and in time you will come to realize that. Soon you will unleash the monster that is hiding inside of you, and maybe Elisha will be the person to help you unleash that monster.”

Death Merchant balled up his hand into a tight fist, the very thought of Elisha drove him insane. Sin looked down at his fists and smiled.

SINCERE LEE WILD: “See it‘s just a matter of time. Eli wanted to stop yours and Elisha‘s little feud for the greater good of the Congregation.”

DEATH MERCHANT: “Then why didn‘t he Sin?”

SINCERE LEE WILD: “Because I reminded him that we are a family, and sometimes families fight. I think it is important for everyone to finish what they have started and that especially goes with you and Elisha, but in time you will both need to learn and coexist with one another, Eli will only tolerate insolence for so long.”

Death Merchant laughed.

DEATH MERCHANT: “And then what Sin?”

Sin walked over towards Death Merchant and leaned in, her heavy breath blowing against his ear and neck. He wanted so badly to kiss her like he did what seemed like ages ago, but restrained himself for both of their sakes.

SINCERE LEE WILD: “Because if it continues then he sends me to take care of it, and I‘m sure everyone knows how that will end….”

Sin whispered into his ear. Death Merchant smiled and let out a soft laugh, but his expression quickly changed when he felt the cold blade from the knife she was holding penetrating through his shirt and against his skin.

DEATH MERCHANT: “So it‘s like that huh, Sin? After everything we have been through together?”

SINCERE LEE WILD: “Yes Death, it‘s like that. Eli has given us all a great opportunity here, I suggest you take the opportunity he has given you, things are changing and we can either be a part of it or not.”

Sin pulled the knife away from him and knelt back down in front of her bag returning the blade with who knows what other weapons the bag may have contained. Death Merchant looked down at her shaking his head.

DEATH MERCHANT: “Ya I can see a lot of things have changed already….”

Death said as Sin looked off into the horizon.

TO BE CONTINUED: