Chapter 8
LED TO THE SLAUGHTER

The citizen that was holding the knife to Heather’s throat was much more cold-hearted than the other. He guided Paul, Heather, and I a short while until we reached the wilderness. Thankfully it was just about dark outside. Although the landscaping was the same was the same, it was field filled with scattered human bones and what looked like sleeping rabid sheep that should be put down. There was just enough room to walk around each one. Before we began walking, Paul, Heather, I stood in awe at the horrific site. “Be careful. We have a long way to walk though the wilderness, and you would not want to wake up the sheep. They are not really sheep though. They are more like wolves in sheep’s clothing, and they are only confined to this area. Still, you probably notice the human bones. This is where they throw those who disobey our king, disrespect our king, or those who think they are better than our king. You all should thank us for coming. If you touch one, they will all wake up and tear you to shreds. It happens all the time”, warned the other citizen laughing as if he was trying to scare us. The man with the knife let Heather go for now. He did not want to take the chance as to trip and fall or make Heather trip and fall over one of the Wolves in sheep’s clothing waking them up. “You three, we are going through that giant cave over there”, he instructed to Paul, Heather, and me as he pointed in the distance to his left. “I don’t recommend you trying to escape. Because let’s face it. Where do you possibly think you are going to go”, the citizen said mockingly. As we started to make our way to the cave, there were plenty of times where we almost stumbled. We were all very cautious where ever we placed our feet. The two citizens made us go first. I am guessing it was because they thought that if they went first, Paul, Heather, or I might push them to the wolves. It did not matter however, because according to the other citizen, if one of the wolves had awoken, then we would all suffer. The fact that it was dark was good because the wilderness was not as hot as it was in the daytime. Unfortunately, the lack of light made it harder to see where we were stepping. So it was Heather who went first shortly by Paul and then me who was followed by the other citizen with the one giving instructions a few yards behind. I we walked pass each wolf in sheep’s clothing I could not help but not notice their snarling mouths as they snored. Their teeth showed with dry blood around its face. Some of the wolves in sheep’s clothing had looked dead as if they had been eaten by other wolves. I know Heather and Paul must have seen it. It was disgusting. I could not help but begin to recite Proverbs 3:5-6 aloud so that Paul and Heather would be able to hear me.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

And he will make straight your paths.

“What is he saying”, the citizen who was giving instructions nervously asked Paul and Heather. The two Citizens had never heard Bible verses before. So to both citizens it seemed as if I was speaking in some sort of code or something like that. It had taken us half of the night to find the cave. Although the heat would have been more intense, it not had taken nearly as long to find it in the daylight. I kept looking for an opportunity to check my watch, but taking my eyes off where I was stepping would be a big mistake. Finally after wondering around the wilderness for nearly eight hours, Heather had finally yet accidently walked into what felt like a wall made of limestone. At long last we were able to look up without worrying about waking up the wolves in sheep’s clothing. After all five were face to face with the wall we began feeling for deep cracks and crevices. It was not just any cave were looking for though. Maybe we had a momentary lapse because we were all happy to be out of the wilderness including the citizens. Finally I was able to look down at my watch. The time was about two-o-clock in the morning. While the two citizens, Heather, and I were together searching the wall, Paul was a few yards away softly touching and studying its formation. All of a sudden Paul had unintentionally fallen through something. Paul was the first one to see inside the cave. A blue, purple, and white light had shone very brightly through the cave leaving a silhouette of Paul’s body standing in amazement. At first glance, Paul turned his head and put his arm over his eyes. However after taking his arm away from face, he realized that he had never seen such a beautiful site. The cave was full of giant crystals. Some of them were about the size of a seven story building. “I found it. Howard, Heather, you two need to see this. It is beautiful. I found it. I found the cave”, Paul yelled excitedly with a big smile. There was a loud echo coming from his voice. Paul then fell to his knees with both arms to his side and looked upward. “You Lord laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands”, he said quietly. Then a tear had fallen from his eye. Heather and I quickly walked in after Paul. Had it not been for the fact that it was so dark and we could have tripped, we would have run. The two citizens seeing the bright light were a little hesitant to follow, but it was not long before they were in the cave to. The other citizen had entered the cave and then came the citizen who seemed to be in charge quickly after. They were all shocked at the first sight of the cave. “This is incredible. I knew that these cliffs were full of old caves mines, but this is enormous. Plus it looks like it has never been touched”, said the other citizen as he walked up to one of the crystals admiring it with his mouth agape and his eyes in a sort of trans. He was right. Had the natives known of this place, the crystals would have probably been gone a long time ago. The other citizen who was giving instructions was also marveled by the crystals. However, he began to conspire a plan on how to keep the crystals all to himself. In the mix of the moment, I then decided to speak. I had unnecessarily cleared my throat. The echo made the sound louder than it really was. The two citizens quickly turned towards me. Maybe they thought I would try to leave them. I do not know. “If you do not mind me suggesting, I recommend that we set up camp here for the night. We have been walking for a long time, and it seems to me that it is obvious that neither of you have been in this cave before which means that we have no idea what might be waiting for us in there”, I humbly explained as I sat on a blue crystal that was the size of a tree stump sticking out of the ground. “What is waiting for us at the end the cave is eternal riches for me and death for you, but you are right. We will camp here” said the citizen in charge in a low eerie voice. I looked at him for a second before putting my head down to stare at the floor. How could he be so confused as to think giant crystals were eternal riches and then say that I was going to die? If he was so ignorant to think that giant crystals which were stuck in a hidden cave were eternal riches then he was already dead. “My riches are in Heaven”, I answered so that the citizen who was giving instructions could hear me. I do not know if he was paying attention or not. I was assuming he was not because he was no longer looking at me. He was staring deep into the cave that did not look as if it had an ending. There was nothing really to set up. We did not bother starting a fire or getting any food we all simply laid down on the hard floor and rested until daylight came. Paul and Heather quickly fell asleep in front of me while I was still sitting on the blue stump like crystal. Not far from Paul and Heather laid the citizen who was in charge. His knife was fastened securely by his waist. His eyes were closed, and he was in a position that looked as if he was sleeping. Although I pretended not to notice, I did not believe he was even for a second. The other citizen however was still wide awake. In fact, he walked over to me. He was quiet so that he would not wake anyone. He looked at me with a most curious face as if I was hiding something. His stare was actually becoming quite annoying. I could not ignore it any longer. “Is there something that I may help you with”, I asked looking up at him, as if I was annoyed. “You said earlier that you have riches in Heaven. You speak of these riches as if only you can reach them. You speak of them as though there are no greater riches, and I believe you. Every citizen of Greed has a gift. With my magic I will give anything you want for a part of your Heaven. I am also a very wealthy man. I will pay you whatever you want. All I want is a piece of your Heaven”, the citizen whispered to me. He said it as if he was careful not to let anyone else here him. I looked at with an angry expression. I had never thought that anyone could be so foolish. I shook my head in pity. “May you and your money perish along with this island. You think that you can buy the gift of the one true Lord? You will never get into Heaven if your heart is not right Him. Nevertheless, there is way. Repent of your wickedness, and give up your selfish and greedy ways, and pray that the Lord may forgive you. Only then you can you have your riches in Heaven”, I explained. No matter how wicked he was he had the right to know about the Savior. “You refuse to share any of your wealth and riches, and yet you call me selfish. Whether I am or not at least I do not go around pointing out other peoples faults. In fact I am beginning to think you don’t have any riches at all. Do you plan on lying to our chief to”, he said insulted. I just stared at him for a few seconds as his voice echoed loudly throughout the cave. “I plan on telling him the same thing”, I simply said. The citizen who was in charge must have been listening the whole time. He then slowly stood up, with his knife in his hand. He then proceeded to walk towards the other citizen and myself. I could tell that he was tired. He stretched as he let out a deep yawn. “I am sorry but I could not help but overhear your loud conversation which brings me to say first: you two need to learn how to talk quieter. Also, what is this I hear about riches”, he asked as he began to pick his fingernails with his knife. He resembled Shaltu by the way he held his knife. After I explained it again, he rubbed his chin and began pacing. He then turned towards the other citizen. “You would not be trying to hide anything from me would you? After all, you did think I was sleeping”, he said as he began pacing again. He began to scratch the side of his head with his hunting knife. The other citizen quickly looked from me to the other. He swallowed what was a big lump in his throat. “Of course I am not hiding anything from you. We’re friends”, he said smiling nervously. The citizen who was in charge paused and studied the other citizen’s face. He did not like the expression he had. He could not be sure if he was hiding anything from him or not. So rather than force him to tell, he tried to intimidate him instead. He began pacing again. “That is good, because as you said, ‘we are friends’, and friends do not hide things from each other. Besides, I recall hearing somewhere that every citizen of Greed does have a gift. Mine is hunting. Just because we are friends, that does not mean I will not kill you if I have to. Don’t worry though. This cave belongs to us. Once these three die, we will be the only two that know about it. Not even the chief has to know”, he said referring to Paul, Heather, and me. They did not know that Shaltu and Persistence were also on this island. “What about the animal. You know the one that ran away back where we found the others”, asked the other citizen. “What about it? It probably ran to starve somewhere. Let the Island deal with it”, answered the citizen who was giving instructions. The Island of Greed did not have dogs and were never introduced. I looked down at my watch. The time was nearly six-o-clock. “Excuse me, but maybe this is just my opinion. Don’t you think we should be moving on now? We have been resting for nearly four hours. I do not think you know how deep, how far, or even where this cave goes. Do you not agree”, I asked nonchalantly and without fear. The citizen who was in charge looked down at me and scoffed. “You are absolutely right”, he said. While the other citizen and I stood up slowly, the citizen who was in charge walked over to Paul who was sleeping and lightly kicked him in the side to wake him. He then forcefully grabbed Heather out of her sleep and pulled her up by the back of her shirt collar. As I saw him grab my future wife, I quickly tried to make my way towards him. However, just as quickly as I moved, I stopped when he put his knife to her throat. The citizen who was holding the knife looked at me at smiled. He must have realized that I had cared for Heather. He was pressing the knife hard against Heather’s neck. The blade had pierced the skin and she began to bleed heavily under her left jawbone. “In fact, I even think that I will walk with Heather for a while”, he said sarcastically. One characteristic about Heather was that she rarely shown any fear. Paul was standing next to the other citizen. He knew that there was nothing he could do. “Now, everyone let’s get moving. You two will move first. I will go last”, he said moving the from Heather’s throat for a second to signal too Paul and me. We were wondering for hours in the cave, often passing the same crystals twice. I knew that we would eventually reach the other side, but for now we were lost. There were times when we had to retrace our steps. At other times the cave would turn pitch black. Then there were moments where there were deep gaps in the cave and the only way to pass was by walking sideways against the edge of the wall, and not that I would tell her this, but Heather’s fear of heights was not helping. Not to mention we had to be careful of cave ins. I was not worried. However I did want to get out as soon as possible. It had been nearly five hours since we had starting moving before Paul finally spotted an open space to rest. It, like many other places in the cave, was bordered by crystals. The slightest trip over one and you could fall into what looked like a never ending drop. Paul and I had separated ourselves from the two citizens and sat down. The citizen who was in charge had let heather go so that she could sit with Paul and me for a while. I could not remember the last time I was so happy to see her. I quickly stood up to hug and kiss her. Paul who also stood up was glad to see Heather. He smiled as he put his arms around us, as if he was glad to see us back together again. It was good to see that we were back together again. We all sat down in a small circle. I noticed Heather’s neck. Part of it was full of dry blood. The other was still fresh. “Heather, are you alright? You are loosing a lot of blood. You should press something against your neck to stop the bleeding”, I said concerned. Heather was looking a little pale and seemed a bit drowsy. “I know, but with what”, she asked slurring her words. The cave was dark and wet, and I just happened to see a puddle of water next to me. I tore off a piece of my shirt that was already ripped when we were walking in the forest, and dabbed it in the water. Whether it was clean or not, I did know, but wiping off that dry blood was best. “Before we go any further, I think we should all say a short prayer”, I recommended. Heather and Paul agreed. The three of us held each other’s hand and bowed our heads. Heather decided she would go first.

Dear Lord

I thank you for this day.

For what reason you put us on this Island, I do not know.

I pray that you may reveal your plan in a mighty way.

However, what I do know is that you are our protector and will keep us safe.

Watch over Shaltu and Persistence.

Give them courage.

In your name, I pray Amen.

The three of us said all said, ‘amen’, in unison. The two citizens were conversing amongst themselves. I quickly turn my head to them. It was as if they were not even paying us any mind. “Paul, it is your turn”, I said. He did not object.

Dear Lord

In our time of distress,

I pray that You send down your Son to comfort us.

As we sit here in this cave looking dirty and beat up

We ask that You provide us a way out.

I pray that You give us Your protection.

And that You watch over Shaltu and Persistence.

In Your name, I pray Amen.

Again, after the three of us said, ‘amen’, we quickly lift up our heads to stretch our necks. The two still did not have the slightest notions that we were praying. It was now my turn to pray.

Dear Lord

You lead us to where we need to be.

Through the rainforest, across the rope bridge, and across the wilderness

We know that things do not always turn out as we plan them

But that everything always works out for the best when we trust in you.

Lord, we do not know where these men are taking us.

However, we pray that you free us from our captors.

And lead us out of this cave

We know that you are our protector

And we ask that you send your angels to watch over Shaltu and Persistence

In your name I pray, Amen.

The three of us once more said, ‘amen’. We all let go of each other’s hands and lifted up our heads at the same time. A few seconds after we had finished praying, I had then glanced over towards the two citizens. Their conversation had turned into an argument over which one’s skill they thought was more useful. The one who was an expert at magic was boasting about what he could do, and the one who was in charge was explaining what he could kill with a single hunting knife. “That is a fine knife, and it is beautifully crafted. I have one myself …”, he said stopping in mid-sentence. The citizen who was in charge had cut his speaking short. “So, you admit that my skill is more useful and that I am better with a knife than you are with magic”, he said, as he put his arm over his abdomen and began to laugh uncontrollably. He must not have known how near the edge of the drop he was. As he took a short step back, he tripped backwards over the crystals. He tried to regain his balance with his arms. He reached his arm out so that the other citizen could pull him up. Unfortunately, it was too late. He was already too far back. He fell into the never ending drop, and with and echoing scream that became lower and lower, he disappeared into the darkness. There was nothing any of us could do. Paul, Heather, and I had all quickly stood up. It was a freak accident. Paul and Heather looked at each other, and yet I was not the least bit surprised. ‘However, we pray that you free us from our captors’, were the words that went through my mind. The other citizen was shocked as he stared over the edge where his friend vanished. His eyes were wide open with his jaw hanging. His back was turned toward us. After a short moment he stood up straight. He turned around and started calmly walking towards us. He saw the surprised look on our face. “Come on. It was his fault. He was too close to the edge”, the other citizen said with a mean expression. He did not show the slightest hint of sympathy as though the two citizens were never friends at all. The other citizen made us go first, but did bother holding a knife to Heather. We had eventually made it to the other side of the cave. As we saw the light at the end of the tunnel, the four of us began to run. The light became bigger and brighter. Just as we were a few meters away from being out of the dark cave, a violent thunderstorm had hindered us from moving forward. Had the storm came earlier, we all probably would have drowned or would have been washed away in the cave. Had it came later, we would have not had any shelter. So naturally, it could not have come at a better time. The clouds were a very dark smoky grey. We had to wait near the edge of the cave until the storm stopped. There was nothing much to do or to say to anyone. While the other citizen was standing by himself deeper in the cave, Paul and Heather were pacing in circles waiting for the storm to let up. It was hard to sit down with the rain water rushing in. Fortunately for me I found a small secluded dry area where I was able to sit as the water flowed right by me. Although I too was by myself, unlike the citizen, I was closer to the opening of the cave. I always admired watching the rain. The look, the smell, the sound – no matter how hard it rained, it was peaceful. As I was staring at the rain, I noticed a small part of the clouds begin to open. A light then began to shine through the heavens. I must have been the only one who noticed it because no one else said anything. It was a spectacular sight. It was then that I heard a voice. As it spoke, it seemed as though everything else was silent. “Do not be distressed. Count it all joy that you are able to suffer for me. I must tell you that it is not nearly over yet. You have come far in your mission Howard and have done great, but there will be many more perils. What happened inside that cave was proof that I will be with you always”, it explained. There was no question as to whom or what the voice was. “Lord, one of the citizens of this island they call Greed say that my fate is death when we leave this cave. They plan on taking me before their chief to have me killed. I do not know what I should say or do”, I said. For the first time that I can remember that was a hint of fear in my voice. It was silent for a few seconds. I had thought the Lord was done speaking with me for now. Then an extremely loud crackle of thunder had beaten the sky. “Is this not the same citizen whom I destroyed for you? Did I not just say I would be with you always? When you were in the navy and you fought, did I not protect you? When you became an explorer and you went into dangerous places did I not keep you safe? Do not worry what will happen. When you are before the chief I will send the Holy Spirit to speak through you. You will know what to say. I will tell you this however. When the rain stops and you leave this cave, you will be coming out the side of a very narrow valley. You will begin walking through this valley. It will have tall cliffs on each side. Within this valley will be tall thick trees filled with tangled vines making it hard to move, but I know that you will find a way. Howard, you and your team must listen to everything the citizens of Greed tell you unless I say otherwise. This is still their island. With this I will close. When it is near your time to go before the chief, you will find a man. He is a steadfast and trustworthy man. I want you to talk to him”, He finished. Within a matter of seconds, the voice ceased. The opening of the cloud closed and the raining stopped. After the water finished going down into the cave, even it became dry, like a mouth swallowing its spit. When they no longer heard the falling of the rain, Heather and Paul stopped their pacing to and quickly looked outside. The other citizen who was farther in the cave, then also quietly looked outside. He was looking forward for the rain to stop. He wanted to go out and find some vines, so that our hands would be tied when we were presented before his chief. I walked towards Heather and Paul. As the other citizen walked pass us, he did not even look in our direction. We were wondering why he was in such a hurry. “Wait here. I am going to get something to tie you up with. I will not hurt you. However, I need you to look presentable when you stand before the chief”, he said sincerely, as if him not hurting us justified his terms. As instructed, we did what the other citizen told us. Unfortunately, we could not do anything if we wanted to. We could not go back through the cave, and there is no way we would be able to go undetected by the other citizen if we went on. Within the hour that he was gone, I talked to my team. I did not say much. “Alright team, I want to say something”, I said, as I held my wrist in front of me. I was being very earnest and heartfelt. “I know we have not been doing anything lately seeing as how we had been captured, and I know it seems as though I have not been much of a leader. It would be nice if I knew something special to say to make you all feel better but I do not. I am sorry. However, I need you to trust me. In all of the missions we had been on, never once had I led you wrong. I am sure that by now you understand we are in another world – one that can only be described as wicked, so this may be a little more difficult than our other missions. However, as I said, ‘I need your full support’. This will not last forever. Now when that person comes back to tie us up, under no circumstances are you to resist. There is no point in trying to fight. It will only make things. We do as he says because the fact remains is that he knows this island better than us and from what I gathered, we seem to be some sort of coupon to him. So I need to know right now. Are you with me all the way”, I said. Heather did not have to think about it “Of course I ‘m with you. I always want to be with you”, she answered, as she walked to me and hugged me. She then put both of her hands on my face, and gave me a quick peck on the lips then back up. Paul sneered as he rolled his eyes in amusement. He quickly followed Heather’s answer. “Danger is my middle name. Did I ever tell you how I swam across the English channel …”, he said. As he began to tell his story for the umpteenth time Heather and I cut him off by walking away. That did not keep him from finishing his tale. “It was the winter time and all I had on to keep me warm was my trunks. I would have swam the last mile, but I started to get tired. Then out of nowhere came a blue shark. The beast let me hold on to its fin as it took me back to shore. That was one of the greatest moments in my life”, he exaggerated. It seemed as though he knew he was the only one listening. He just enjoyed telling his story. It was not long before the other citizen came back. The situation had then become serious again. After taking a few steps into the cave, he stopped, quietly looked at all three of us, and through down some coiled up strands of vines at Paul’s, who was closest, feet. Paul had no problem walking with his hands tied behind his back, but the other citizen was wrong if he was too assume that Paul would tie up his friends without being told. It was as if the other citizen thought Paul knew what he was supposed to do. Paul looked from the vines to the other citizen and was taken aback. “Sir, if you are going to tie us up or if you want me to tie up my friends than simply ask, but if you are guessing that I am to know what to do with those vines then you are sadly mistaken”, Paul said being insulted. As the other citizen saw Heather and I coming from behind Paul to join our friend, the other citizen must have became nervous. He backed up and whipped out his knife as he went into his fighting position. I quickly stood ahead of Paul and Heather with my arms up as if I was trying to hold them back and tried to deescalate the situation. “Alright everyone, please, let’s just calm down before someone becomes hurt. Look, I am sure there is no need for the knife. If you want me to tie them up then all you had to do is ask”, I said nonchalantly, as I stepped forward to pick up the vines before taking a step back to where I was. The palms of my hands were showing to prove that we did not mean any harm. The citizen did not put his knife away, but he did become more relaxed since I told him that I would tie up my friends. That is not something one often hears. Nevertheless, I had Paul turn around and put his hands behind his back. It was not something I enjoyed doing. The other citizen carefully watched me tie Paul’s hands together. “Make sure you tie them tightly”, he said. I used the first vine to tie Paul’s hands together. I did not fasten them tight, but they were secure. I then prepared the second vine as I moved over to Heather. “When this is over please do not be mad at me”, I whispered jokingly in her ear as I secured her hands behind her back. The knot was not nearly as tight or as big as it was when I tied up Paul. The other citizen then approached me and snatched the last coiled up vine from me. Judging by the way he approached me, he did not see me as a threat. He turned me around as he stood as far away from me as he could while he tied my hands together. “Do not worry. He cannot bind our spirit”, I said aloud so that everyone could hear. The citizen then pushed Heather out of the cave, then Paul, and then me. “Come on. We still have a long way to go and a high dangerous valley to go through”, Said the other citizen. He became more and more demanding. I was already warned that it would be a rough terrain. There wasn’t any signs that told us what or what not to expect. However when I saw the valley and all that was in it, a lump had suddenly became stuck in my throat. It truly was frightening. I was stiff until the other citizen had pushed me forward. After taking seven steps, I stopped walking. “Wait everybody”, I yelled. Without asking why, everyone else paused where they were including the other citizen. He looked confused, surprised, and cautious at the same time. “What is it? Why are you stopping”, he asked while he looked all around him as if something would jump out from the trees. “Listen, I know you probably went through great lengths to get find these ropes and I know you want us tied up, but there is no way that we will be able to make it out of this valley alive if our hands are bound behind our back, and if we are dead, then what are odds of you making it out of this valley alive”, I explained boldly. Apparently I must have made him think about it. He began to scratch his head and rub his chin in bewilderment. It was not long before he pulled out his knife and cut each of the vines loose. Although our hands were not tied together for long, it still felt good to be able to move our hands and arms freely. Paul and Heather did not see it as a kindness. They felt that the other citizen was not worthy of their gratitude. Nevertheless, whether he did it for his sake or for ours, I knew that he did not have to cut us loose. Paul, Heather, and I could have been walking through the valley with our hands tied. I was the last to be cut loose. “Thank you. My friends and I appreciate it”, I said, as I rubbed each of my wrists. He put up his knife, as if he was trying to show me the details and work put into it. “You know. Everyone judges me all the time, and yet I honestly do not care. But do not misjudge me. If you try anything, your women will not see the chief. Now let’s go”, he commanded in a low uncanny voice. He was referring to Heather of course. I was not planning anything but the mere fact that he said what he did made me fear for Heather. We all began to move onward through the valley. It was like a giant obstacle course. We had to climb over broken tree trunks and twice we barely missed being trapped in quicksand. After the trees started to become thinner and we reached what seemed like a good spot to take a break, the valley began to shake. Giant boulders and sharp rocks began to fall from the top. I was not sure if it was an earthquake, a regular landslide, or if the giant boulders were just too heavy, and decided to bring down some rocks with them. Either way, if we ran back we might have been able to take cover in the trees. However, there were so many rocks that it would have piled up and blocked us from proceeding. “Keep running! Don’t stop”, I yelled. We all ran as fast as we could. Heather was running diagonally trying her best not to get hit. The other citizen was ahead of everyone. He was followed by Paul. I was making sure that I had Heather in my sight, so I was behind everybody. As more rocks poured down, we all began to put our arms over our heads. Everyone who was running started to look like dark shadowy figures. Then I saw something from the top of the valley fall on the dark shadowy figure, who was the other citizen, knocking him unconscious. The person who was in front running for his life was now on the ground falling behind. Paul and Heather kept running. Who could possibly blame them? If we were to all save ourselves, we could have easily went back to our mission of saving Persistence and Shaltu. Paul, Heather, and I would have devised a plan take them back and leave this wretched place, and this would be a great story for our child when Heather and I became married. However, that is not me. I could never leave someone for dead. I ran over to the man who was lying on the ground. I was not sure if he was dead or alive. There was no time to check his pulse. As I picked him up and threw his body over my shoulders, I then continued to run. I was not sure where Paul and Heather were. All I was sure of was that they were far ahead of me. Directly ahead, the valley eventually turned into a tunnel where Paul and Heather ran into. When they made it safely under the tunnel and away from the falling rocks, they noticed that they were the only ones there. They looked back into all the dust and rubble. “Howard is still out there. We have to save him”, Heather yelled at Paul, so that she could be heard over the loud rumble. She tried to run back outside. However, the last of rocks were still falling so thankfully Paul quickly extended his arm pulled her back by her stomach before she could run out of the tunnel. “Heather, are you crazy? I am not going to let you go back out there! Don’t worry. We can wait here until it stops and the dust clears. Then we will go look for Howard”, Paul reasoned. Heather was frantic. She could only watch what was going on as she was shaking. She held both of her hands in front of her, and put them up to her chin. Heather was shaking so much that she could barely keep her hands together. “Lord please, let Howard be alright. We are supposed to get married. Lord I live my life for you. I always put you first. Please don’t take him away from me”, Heather Pleaded. In just a little time after that, the sound became like a speeding freight train that had just passed. The ground was now calm again. However, the air was still too thick which would make it almost impossible to breathe. Fortunately, neither Paul nor Heather had to go out searching. As Heather anxiously looked out of the tunnel for whatever reason, she saw the air begin to move. With my head down and the other citizen over my back, I pushed my way through the heavy dust. It was not exactly clear to Heather what the image was until I started to cough. Paul ran out to assist me. He did not know that the reason why I stayed behind was to save the other citizens life. When he met me he was surprised to see me carrying someone on my back. Nevertheless, Paul knew me. He took the burden off of my shoulders and placed in on his. It was a huge weight off of me. Paul grabbed the top of my arm to lead me to safety. The tunnel was in one direction of a very narrow valley but with all the debri on me and with me carrying the other citizen, I felt like I might have collapsed at any second. When we were underneath the tunnel, Paul practically threw the other citizen to the side, so that he could hurry lower me softly to the ground. Heather ran and kneeled towards me. Although in badly need of rest, I was in much better condition than the other citizen. It was not a big tunnel. Paul stared at the end of it as he cracked his neck and wiped the dirt and sweat from his forehead. The other citizen was still unconscious. Paul quickly walked over to Heather and me. “Come on Heather. We should help him up. We don’t know how long he will be unconscious for”, said Paul. I looked at Paul surprisingly. However, I did understand how he felt. He noticed the look of disbelief I gave him and ignored it. “Paul, there is no way that he could move on his own”, she said, as she looked up at Paul. Heather was doing her best to clean my open cuts. Paul rolled his eyes. He began to pace. “Alright, well then, we are going to have to carry him”, he urged while rubbing his head. Heather did not agree nor disagree. I do not even think she was listening. “Paul, we are not leaving him, and you know that”, I told him. Paul did not expect me to say anything. He closed his eyes and let out a big sigh of frustration. “Howard I know you always want to be the good guy, but please for once in your life, can you be practical and think for a minute? This could be our only opportunity to get away from this person, the same person, who wanted us tied up”, Paul insisted. He tried his best to plead his case and make me see the situation from his point of view. “Tell me. Where would we possibly run to Paul? Where could we possibly could on this uncharted island? I am not going to leave this man so that ‘God-knows-what’ could get to him. I am not like that. We are not like that. That is not how we came to where we are. Now that is the end of it”, I stressed. Paul let out another sigh before walking over to the other end of the tunnel to be by his self. He was upset and needed to calm down. I was lying down on my back. My whole body was covered in sweat, dirt, cuts, and bruises. “Do you know why I became a Christian”, I asked Heather, as she was taking care of me. It seemed as though it was only us two around at moment. “Why”, she answered continuing to dust off as dirt from as she could. “When I was in the navy, we were located in the Indian ocean. Apparently, I did not get the memo that as we would be passing by, right outside their countries waters would be five pirate ships. I must have been to close for their comfort. As soon as we were within range, we started taking heavy fire. Of course, I called it in, but no one showed. Within four and a half hours of fighting, my crew and I single handedly brought down five pirate ships. I was commander at the time. That was my last fight. It took me all day but I personally thanked every crew member on the ship, all the way down to the last cook. That sounds great. Does it not”, I explained. Heather smiled in amazement as she was still helping me recover. “Wow! That is incredible. How come you never told me this before”, she asked. I took a few deep breaths, and tried to muster up some strength. “I’m not finished yet. Unfortunately, there was not much a retired naval vet like myself could do, but dream about being shot at, so like most people, I contemplated the worst. Then for some reason or another, I joined a church and heard that the only way to true peace is through Christ. I became baptized, and look where we are now. Heather if I let that man die and I knew I that I was able to help him do you think the Lord would forget about that. What do you think He would say when we have to face Him. I know we both feel how Paul feels, but as the Lords people we have to be better than the people of this island”, I continued. When Paul’s temper came back down, he walked over to Heather and me. “Listen, Howard. When I signed up to join you all, I became part of the team. So I am with you and Heather all the way. You all are my family”, said Paul. “However, if you think that I will be carrying him again then you can forget about it”, Paul quickly added, as he pointed toward the motionless body on the floor leaning against the side of the tunnel. I was happy to see Paul in one of his better moods. I thought that one fight would have killed our friendship. “Don’t worry”, I said, as I coughed and tried to gain more strength. I pushed myself up and supported my back with my arms. Every muscle and bruise in my body ached. “You will not have to. We are going to stay here until he wakes up. His leg is broke. I know, so he cannot hurt us”, I finished. Hours passed by, as I was now beginning to walk around and exercise my body. A loud moan then came from the floor. “Where am I? What happened? Why does my leg hurt so much? And Where is My KNIFE”, said the citizen of Greed, as he reached to his waist where he usually kept it as if he were going to pull it out. When he realized it was not there, he started searching himself worriedly. His face was soon filled with fear. “Tell me! What did you do with my knife”, he yelled. The other citizen was still too weak to stand. It was strange. After being unconscious for so long and being hit with rocks, probably in the head, he was immediately aware of every surrounding once he woke up. Paul, Heather, and I were standing over him yet still giving him enough room to breath. “Well, I will let you know from the beginning. We, that is to say, you, my friends Paul and Heather, and I were caught in a violent massive rock-fall. It happened right in the canyon. We were all running for our lives. Too make a long story short, you fell and were knock unconscious. My colleague and I then went back to rescue you, and brought you to safety inside this tunnel”, I explained. The other citizen looked up at me in bitterness. I could not help but notice his expression. His eyebrows came to a point as his nostrils flared with every breath he took. “I suppose you all want a thank you. You still did not tell me where my knife is”, he answered. I let out a short, quiet, pitiful laugh. I looked at Paul who was on my left side and then to Heather who was on my right. “May I have a moment alone with him”, I asked. The two walked away without answering. The other citizen started to become nervous, as if he wished he could take back what he had said. He did not know me so he had no idea what my intentions were. “I-I-I am not afraid of you”, he stuttered backing as close to the wall as he could. He was still unable to walk. I did not want to kneel down, because I knew that if did, it would be hard for me to stand back up. “That is good. I am glad we have something in common”, I answered. The other citizen looked confused. He was not sure where the conversation was going. “I have a story that I want to tell you. There was once this one doctor. He was a great man. By now, everybody had heard of him and what he could do. So he once went into this one village. It must have been ridden with sick people. As he was walking through the village ten people with a disease walked too him. They all cried, ‘Please, Doctor, Have mercy on us’. So he did. All of the ten people were healed, and only one came back to thank him. It did not really upset him as much as I would think it disappointed him”, I finished. The man waited a few seconds before answering. “What is your point”, he snapped. Regardless of the tone in his voice I could tell he was listening. I rubbed the back of my neck before patiently answering. “My point is that I do for People out of love, and never expect anything from anybody in return. As for your knife, I told my friend Paul to hold it. I think a rock must have bumped you on the head pretty hard if you actually thought I would let you keep it. Believe it or not, I was admiring it earlier. It is truly a work of art”, I said not looking back, as I began to walk away and letting out small laugh. I was not fully done talking to him. However, I just wanted to give him a little bit of time to his self so that he was able to grasp the severity of the situation. The time alone let think realize that whether we wanted him to or not, he should be a little more grateful. It also gave him time to think whether he would be better off by his self, or if he should face the chief. After having fifteen minutes to think, I walked back over to him by myself. After looking down at him, I spoke the first words. “So, my good sir, I know you must have been thinking while you were by yourself. May I ask what it was”, I said kindly. Again the other citizen gave me a smug look. “First of all, I am not your ‘good sir’. However, I suppose I should be grateful”, he said reluctantly. After moving a certain way, He began to grit his teeth in pain. One of his ribs was broken. I did not say anything, or even show any emotion at the time. “I think going back to my city would be better than staying out here alone. Besides, we are almost there”, he said coming to his conclusion. I looked over at Paul and Heather conversing among themselves, and then back to the other citizen. “How far is this city”, I asked. The other citizen also looked from me to Paul and Heather and then back to me. He then put on a devious grin, as if he knew the city would benefit my team and me. “Why do I get the feeling as though you need me”, he asked in a sinister way. I was taken aback. Did he actually think he could make a deal with me? I laughed surprisingly. Maybe he was telling a joke. Paul and Heather must have heard me because they stopped talking and looked towards me to see what was so humorous. “I am sorry sir, but if you check the information sheet, it is you who is incapacitated. It is you who is one man short. You just told us the city was not far from here. My team and I can leave you and nobody would know that you are here. I have been doing this my whole life. I do not need you. My team and I rely on the Lord, not man. Nevertheless, I do not want to see any man perish an indecent death, so I will help you walk”, I responded. He knew that I was right. So his smug look turned into a look of silent anger and annoyance. The expression on his face was extremely loud. “So I will ask you again. May you please tell me what the name of this city is and how far is it”, I asked. The other citizen tried his best to way where he would not have to help me. Unfortunately for him, the only chance that might be able to see a doctor was if he were back in his city, and even once we made it to the city he would have to explain to the chief what happened to him, what happened to his friend, and who we were, but that was a chance he had to take. He let out a breath of pain. “The name the city is Wicurson. It is the only city and capital of Greed. It is the only named territory on this island. It is fairly populated. It is the only place ever where there is more dark than there is light. Some citizens say that it is a horrible, wicked city and wish that they could move. Other citizens love the city and call it home”, the other citizen explained. “It is not far from here. Personally, I love the city and call the horrible wicked place my home” he added in an evil laugh. I was unsure about his laugh. To be honest, it had made me begin to wonder what all the citizens of Greed would be like. Still, we had to reach Shaltu and Persistence. “Where is it”, I asked, now getting upset at the sound of him mocking me. He let out smile, as he rolled his eyes. “Once you leave the tunnel, you will see a rather large cliff with marble stairs leading up. There you will find the city”, he explained. The other citizen looked up at me. His eyes had met mine. “You will die when you meet”, he mentioned, as if he were trying to keep from my destination. I let out a deep breath. His childish scare tactics were starting to become boring. “Listen, the way I see it is that you will have to bring us before your chief. We both know that. However, your chief will most likely want to hear your side of the story and not ours. ‘How did you find us’, he will ask. Were you alone? What happen to your friend? What happened to us? What happened to you? He will also ask you some other questions. Now whether you tell the truth or not do you honestly think your chief will believe you? Are you going to tell him that you led us past a bunch of cannibalistic sleeping wolves without waking one up? Are you going to tell him that we found and made it through a crystal cave – one that you want to keep secret? I know. You are going to tell him that we made it through a deadly rock-fall”, I explained. The other citizen had no argument. He wanted very much to find a fault in what I had just said, but he knew it was true. He could no longer even bare to look at me. “So if you think about it, it will be you who dies first. However, maybe none of us will have to die today or tomorrow, that is to say if you help me with my plan”, I continued. His head quickly shot back up and his eyes immediately met with mine. “You just found out where our city is a couple of minutes ago, and you already have a plan. I would love to hear this”, the other citizen laughed. He then let out a hard cough. Whether the other citizen made to the city or not, it was obvious that he had severe internal injuries. Even if his chief spared his life, I did not think would survive. “Look, before my team and I ran into you, our mission was to find our friends Persistence and Shaltu. Now that is still our mission. You unfortunately are a liability. I hope you understand that I really do not want to leave you here. However, you dying is really not my problem. I can rescue my friends with or without you. I am good at improvising. So do you really want to hear my plan”, I said. The other citizen coughed again. This time there was blood in his saliva. He took up as much moisture as he could and spit on my shoelaces. As I slowly looked down at the red spit on my laces, he began to laugh. His teeth were red from the blood. “That is what I think of your plan”, he said. As I walked away he continued his maniacal laugh. I walked towards Paul and Heather. I did not know what to do with this one man. We could not leave him here. That was already established. Meanwhile, if we took him with us, he would probably cause nothing but trouble and would be a huge hindrance to our mission.