The Ocean

Eve rubbed her shoulders already sore from the pack she carried. The scorching sun beat down on her relentlessly and her face dripped with sweat. They had left shortly after breakfast, the task of finding the new caskets an ever-driving force behind the band of angels. Josiah led her and two other angels with great speed, the urgency to get to the coast as soon as possible his mission. They were three days away from the southern most tip of the coast. Eve had not seen the ocean since the year of her awakening. She could still remember the salty breeze blowing through her long blonde hair. The smell had invigorated her and she had run full tilt into the waves. She had screamed her joy with the birds that had flown overhead, laughter had bubbled out of her and the sun had beamed down, showering her with its radiant light. She remembered the sun kissing her cheeks, its warmth rushing through her. She had never felt so alive. Her first month of awakening had been glorious. She had spent every day discovering the brilliance of Shepard’s creations, yet the ocean had always been her favourite. She smiled to herself as Josiah sped his pace even more. She was anxious as well, to put the incident with the new ones behind her, and to awaken even more.

“Josiah!” Eve called, “Do you remember the first time you and Elijah took me to the ocean?”

Josiah laughed and called back, “How could I forget? You frightened half the wildlife when the first wave caught you,”

“In all our time together, I never asked why the coast seems so safe. Why don’t the destroyers like the ocean?”

“The salt, it purifies, cleanses. Their skin can barely tolerate the breeze when it blows the water across the sand. Elijah once told me of a demon who had been pursuing him from the fields near the water. As Elijah ran across the beach, the demon followed, and when the breeze blew, the demon began shrieking. Elijah ran to the water, the beast still pursuing. At the very moment the water came into contact with the demon, shrieks and steam filled the air as the skin burned to the bone. It kept pursuing him however, and it disintegrated,”

“They really are determined to kill us all, aren’t they?”

“Yes, the destroyers find demons dispensable, so they will send out as many to their deaths in order to see their means fulfilled,”

“So, why don’t we camp down here more often? Why are more outposts not set up here? Why do we make ourselves vulnerable?”

Josiah stopped and turned to face Eve, “It is just as dangerous to maintain a position we think is impenetrable. We would never be able to leave; they would surround us, knowing they have the upper hand. As supplies run low, we would risk the angels and humans lives to get a hold of more. Having camps spread out throughout the territory is far safer. The destroyers can’t pinpoint our location,” he paused, “what may seem like a position of strength can often be a weakness, we cannot allow ourselves to relax in comfort, for that can often be a deception as well,” he turned back around and began walking again.