Jacob's Reign: A Journey Beyond Read online

  JACOB’S REIGN

  VOLUME 2

  A Journey Beyond

  BY JONATHAN GIDDINGE

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2017 Jonathan Giddinge

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher/author.

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, locations, and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is merely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  PROLOGUE

  Two-hundred and fifty years ago the great war ended. There was no longer a nation large enough to keep the fight going.

  It all started in the early twenty-first century, everything became a battle over politics and self-identity. People began to turn against each other over political and personal views, and every small disagreement escalated into violence. The government legalized all drugs in an effort to cut down on trafficking, but government regulations made the drugs weaker, so the drugs continued to flow into the country and became even more potent.

  America became weaker, giving her enemies the chance to attack. South Korea was the first, followed by China and Russia. The border with Mexico fell apart and the south was taken over, all Americans were hunted down and murdered. The smarter ones left the south for safer states in the north which created over population in the major cities and crime rates exploded as the weaker people were preyed upon. Civil wars broke out in nearly every country.

  At the early signs of trouble, a group of scientists from all over the world gathered together and began research and construction of a group of space stations. These stations would hold the worlds smartest people and would act as an arc to save humanity and the project was called Zion.

  The scientists and a select group of people, totaling nearly six hundred, left the earth on October 31st, 2045 and the space stations were connected to create one large arc.

  After years of turmoil, the countries began to unleash their nuclear arsenal which covered the earth with a solid cloud of radiation that lasted for many generations. A few years after the nukes were released, the world-wide war ended. People forgot about killing each other and focused on trying to save themselves. The radiation affected people from around the world in many different ways. Mutations began in only one generation, and the variations were as many as the stars in the sky. Animals and man alike were affected and most of the population was killed off.

  As the seed of society began to take root, some people became closer to nature and developed powers and abilities to control the nature around them. Entire communities formed full of these people. Others were affected with stronger bones, muscles, organs and skin; these people also live longer lives. Some were affected with deformed bodies and constant illness.

  Small groups formed and would grow into camps, tribes and even large towns. People had to learn how to live all over again, hunting, gathering, trading and even stealing. One such group formed in the desert wasteland that was once the great city of Las Vegas. This group was brought together by Abraham Knight, who was son of a former soldier who died of radiation sickness when Abraham was young. He started by gathering other orphans of the war and its aftermath and eventually his group grew into a large camp of people who became known as the Valley People, named for their home in the Las Vegas Valley. After many generations and many moves to the north to find better lands, Jacob Knight, son of Thabian became the Chief Leader of the Valley People.

  Jacob became Chief Leader in the Collaring ceremony, accompanied by his mother, Ariana, who was the camp’s medicine woman, and Karline, her student and close friend to Jacob. His first day as Chief leader, Jacob was put to the test when he had to confront a large group of outsiders heading toward the camp. Through his father’s ‘Death Book’, Jacob learned that his father, and all former leaders had kept the truth of the past hidden from their people. He soon learned that his mother’s gifts of magic and her connection to the earth were passed down to him in some small measure.

  The land around a dried lake bed that was the home to the Valley People was becoming uninhabitable and after proving himself a true leader to his people, Jacob set out with a handful of men to hunt for food to last the upcoming winter and to find new lands that will sustain the camp for years to come.

  Chapter One

  The sun had not yet risen over the camp on the day of the hunt, but I was awake and ready to start my day. My bag was packed, my weapon was cleaned and loaded, extra ammo was in the pack, and I’d sharpened my hunting knife before tying it to my boot. I put on my belt and attached the holster, which, like my gun, was pieced together from spare parts. I used pieces of other holsters and scraps that I found, and even repurposed bits from other items. The oddly placed scope made it impossible to use any other normal holster, so I designed it to fit my gun, and no other. Strapped to it was a small vial of potion that was given to me years ago by my mother with the instructions that if I was ever in trouble, I should swallow it. It was a last resort and should only be used in the most extreme situation. The liquid was red, like most potions that use mullen bush oil as a base. A hand carved chunk of a tree branch, maple maybe, acted as a stopper. As a kid I would sit around for hours carving branches for my mother to use in her vials, the branch in the vial that I carried with me might even have been carved by my hands. I had yet to be in a situation where it was life or death enough to use the potion and I had hoped that the vial would remain strapped to the holster well into old age.

  My father’s death book sat on the table as I brewed some mullen root tea. It felt like the book was calling to me, begging me to read it, but I wanted nothing to do with it on that morning. What little I had read from it changed my life, my way of thinking and it just down right made me mad. I did want to take it with me, something to read around the camp fire while winding down for the night, if I decided that I wanted to learn more lies. I also packed a fresh, leather bound book so that I could start my own death book.

  My teapot screamed at me and I poured myself a cup before taking a seat at the table. I stared at the book, again, it was almost begging me to read it. Why would I want to do a thing like that? Why would I want to learn more about the deception of my father and his father? It would only make me angry and distracted for the rest of the day. Of all the days in my life, I needed this day to be distraction free. I had to be clear headed for this trip, my people were counting on me, but still, it called.

  “Fine!” I yelled at the book.

  I sat my tea down and picked up the book. I hesitated for only a moment before opening it and flipping to the very last page with writing; it read.

  I feel my days coming to an end, son. They are limited now with the sickness taking hold. It spreads throughout my body unchecked. As of this moment, I have yet to tell you of my condition, but let me leave you with a few words.

  I had a feeling he was sick for quite some time, but I could never get him to admit it to me, just one more of his many lies and deceptions.

  In my last days I am learning so much about myself and about you. I do not believe that you will follow in my footsteps. I do not believe that you will continue the deception, nor do I want you to. As the light is slowly snuffed from my soul, I realize that I should never had done as my father had done. You have a unique way of seeing the world around you and I don’t want you to lose that gift. Be your own man, your own leader. A new kind of leader for your people.

  I have made many mistakes in my reign, don’t follow me as I have followed
my father.

  I leave you with a heavy burden on your shoulders, but it is up to you to be the future of the Valley People, the future of this nation and perhaps the future of this world.

  And with that, my father’s story was over, and a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I closed the book and held it in my hands for a moment while I let the words of my father sink in. At that moment I thought that I had read everything I needed to read. He didn’t want me to follow in his footsteps, so why would I need to read the rest. I set the book down and took a sip of my tea as I listened to the commotion outside. It was a big day for my people as well, not just me, and the camp was bustling with activity. I heard the children playing not far from my front door and echoes of conversations from their parents as they made their way to the front gates.

  I put my father’s book in my pack, next to my own death book, then leaned back with my tea. Suddenly there was a loud, firm knock at the door that could only be Amos, I knew his knock anywhere.

  “Come in, Amos,” I said before taking another sip of my tea.

  The door opened, and Amos walked in wearing his bear skin draped over his shoulders, holding his pack and a rifle slung over his left shoulder, “Need help with anything, Chief?” he asked.

  I looked around the room for a moment, then stood, “No, I think I’m all set,” I said.

  “You look different today, lighter, more relaxed,” Amos said as he slung his pack over his shoulders.

  “Things change every minute for me lately,” I said as I grabbed my machete and tied it to my belt, on the opposite side as my revolver. I then reached for it to make sure it was easy to grab if needed. “Is everyone set out there?” I asked.

  “Yes,” he said. “The whole camp is waiting to give us a sendoff,” With that, he turned and left the house, leaving the door open.

  I put on and tightened my leather chest plate to protect me from blades and animal attacks, then I put on my wristband which also covered the top of my hand and held a compass on top and two extra bullets over the wrist. The bullets I carried with me were very special, they were the first two bullets I ever made. My people have made bullets for generations, maybe even since the beginning. The hardest part for me to learn was the making of black powder. We use horse manure, urine and large metal drums to make the saltpeter and extremely large amounts of pyrite for the sulfur. It was always the right mixture of saltpeter, charcoal and sulfur that I had trouble getting right. Once I had it down, I was content to sit around for hours making rounds for the camp. It was something that I had perfected over the years and it became a specialty of mine. As a reminder of hard work and patience, I carried the rounds with me every time I left the camp.

  I then slung my pack over my shoulders and I placed a large brimmed hat on my head to keep the sun out of my face and off my neck. Like most of my belongings, it was made by me, for a very specific purpose and it fit only me, just like my goggles and gasmask, which were both in my pack. I knew I might need them once I got to the deep valley and the famed toxic air that I was hoping was long gone.

  I walked to the doorway and paused a moment to make sure that I hadn’t forgotten anything. I had stepped out and shut the door when Karline approached me, “Morning,” I said.

  She was wearing a self-made dress that showed off her figure in all the right ways; it drove me crazy. I thought that maybe she did it on purpose, but she was usually not the type to show off. In fact, I don’t know if she even knew just how beautiful she really was.

  “Morning,” she said. “Are you ready for your trip?”

  “I am,” I paused a moment. “I think.”

  “You think?”

  “Well, I’m sure I am. As far as I’m concerned, it’s going to be a good trip. As long as the men pull their weight, and I’m sure they will, it will be fine.” I knew I was talking around myself, but I couldn’t find the words to put her at ease, and she looked worried.

  Then she said, “The ancestors will watch over you.”

  I wanted to laugh, but held it in. I wondered if she really believed in the ancestors as spirits watching over us, or if it was all an act. I didn’t want to get into it at that moment, so I just let it be, “Sure,” I said sarcastically. She gave me a look of confusion.

  “I will pray for you and your men to have a bountiful hunt,” she said after a moment.

  I didn’t want to hear her say that, I knew the truth behind the ancestors and ever since I read what my father wrote about them, I was angered by their mere mention. Karline and my mother were a part of the sisters of Zion, but I didn’t know if they really believed it, or if it was just part of the great lie that grew with every generation.

  Trying to remain nice, I said, “Thank you.”

  The bright morning sun had just risen over the walls of camp as I turned to walk toward the crowd that had gathered at the gates; Karline followed.

  As I passed the firepit in the center of camp I noticed Mathew and his two brothers standing at the back of the crowd. Just then, he happened to turn and see me, I motioned for him to join me and he did, followed by his brothers.

  “I’ll let you be,” Karline said as she walked over to my mother.

  “Guys, I need you three to do me a huge favor,” I said to the triplets.

  “What is it?” Mathew asked.

  “While I’m gone, I need you to be on guard at all times, I need you to protect the camp,” I said.

  “Of course,” Mark said.

  “You can count on us, Chief,” Luke finished.

  “I know I can, you guys are the best shots in camp and the most reliable fighters. I’d also like you to keep an eye on the newcomers, we still don’t know much about them,” I added.

  “We can do that, I know what you mean,” Mathew said.

  “Thanks,” I said with a smile. I patted Mathew on the shoulder before continuing to the front of the camp.

  I made my way through the crowd that had gathered to see us off. I got to the front I saw my hunting party waiting for me. Cadman was a twenty-year-old who was eager to take part in anything that took place outside the camp walls. Hunter was a middle-aged man; tall with long black hair and a clean-shaven face. Monty was a quiet man, kinda young, maybe in his late teens; he was a good hunter, quick. Monty and Hunter were always together, they were not related, but Hunter always treated Monty like a son. Then there was Frank, my old friend. Amos stood in front of the group ready to lead them. “Thank you,” I said to the men before turning around to address the crowd.

  “Today we six men set out on a journey to save our camp. Our food supply is running dangerously low and with winter just a few months away, this might be our last chance to find the game trails and track our meat. We might be gone for some time. It will no doubt be a dangerous journey, as the raiders have been increasing their raids, but we have the protection of my mother’s magic. While I am away I am leaving my mother in charge of the day to day business and the Johnson brothers in charge of security, so listen to them.”

  I looked around at the crowd for a moment before continuing, “It’s good to see that so many of you newcomers are here with us this morning. It warms my heart to see you becoming part of the camp, we are glad to have you.”

  It was quiet for a moment while I scanned the crowd, “While out there, I will also be looking for new lands for us, lands with plenty of game and fertile grounds for our farming. Other camps might think us weak now, but you know better than that. They might be coming for a fight, but you will be ready for that, right?”

  A roar of agreeance came from the crowd as people raised their fists in solidarity.

  “Raiders might stumble upon our camp, but you’ll be ready for them too, right?”

  Again, roars of agreeance, paired with cheers as fists flew skyward. I turned to my hunting party, then back to the crowd, “We will head northwest from here, past the plains, then to the north through the deserts and the canyons to the rocky hills and on to the mountain valleys. We should find a
mple game along the way, but we have a lot to bring back and it will take days to reach our destination, so don’t expect our return for at least a few weeks. If it is longer, don’t worry about us. If you don’t hear word from us, it does not mean that we are in danger, or dead. Listen to your Medicine Woman, her student, and to the Johnsons, they will lead you right.”

  With that I turned and looked up at Fletcher, who pulled the lever to open the gates. I stared quietly at the gates as they opened, contemplating what we might find on our journey. Was it to be like my vision, or was it to be full of fighting, hunger, death and disappointment? I didn’t know, but I knew we would be ready for anything.

  Chapter Two

  The six of us turned to the right once outside the gates and began our trip around the camp, then to the north and slightly to the west, where we would cross the vast flat lands before following the low mountains to the canyon pass. I suspected that the game would be just on the other side of the canyon pass, where the desert began to give way to green grasses and trees. Frank looked a bit nervous and his pack seemed to be weighing him down, but he didn’t complain, he adjusted the scoped rifle which was slung over his right shoulder and kept walking. Cadman walked with an eager stride and held tight to his rifle, and I knew he would eventually sling it over his shoulder as even a light rifle can get heavy during days of walking. Hunter and Monty were at the back of the group, each with a rifle slung over their shoulder and hunting knives tied to their belts. Hunter had an additional knife sheathed in a leather arm band that covered his left forearm.

  We stopped a moment at the end of the camp wall and I consulted my compass. Amos turned to the group and said, “We walk until the sun hits the horizon, then camp until it comes over the opposite horizon.”