A True Peace

Chapter 2

I walked east and never truly stopped walking. I couldn't stop, I just walked.

By the road signs I read I was apparently passing through Abilene, Texas. I had walked more than a thousand miles searching for a home, and wasn't stopping any time soon. I was a mess: my jacket had long since fallen apart only the flag remained folded in my bag, I had sold my rifle for food and water, I was running low on ammunition for my shotgun only 7 shells of Buckshot and 3 Steel Slugs, I replaced my jacket with an old style motorcycle jacket torn and ragged I took the left shoulder off some old sports gear, my mask filter had long since stopped working I threw it aside in Denver and replaced it with a black bandanna, my dreads had grown much longer in the last year I now had it pony tailed, my leg brace from my wound as a Legionary broke I now walked with a slight limp always in pain. I wasn't doing too well. I was out of food and down to my last canteen of water.

On my through Abilene I found a boarded up biker shop. I smashed in the door with my good leg. I grabbed another black bandanna, black head rap, large laced boots and some finger less gloves. When I walked outside after my little raid I heard a soft whimper coming from underneath a torched car. I leaned over gun at the ready. Only to find a tiny German shepherd pup horribly scarred of me. I slowly reached under the car lightly picking up the dog. I felt her small ribs on my hands showing how little she had eaten. I took a hub cap off the car and filled it with water from my canteen a forth of what I had left and some small dried mountain lion meat I had killed a week before. The pup drank almost all the water and ate all the meat and started wagging her tail at me yipping happily. As I turned to keep walking, loosening daylight, I noticed the dog trotting behind me just as happy as could be. I couldn't help but smile at the little orange and black German shepherd. I set my pack down and used a too small sweater of mine to make a small little nest on my pack so she could ride while I walked. I set her down on my pack and continued walking. I felt something pulling on my dreads I turned and the little just yipped and smiled at me.

I walked over 150 miles with the dog. I stopped twice a day to feed her and give her some water. This dog was the only thing keeping me going any more, but I wasn't going to last much longer. Lung cancer was my best bet. I had been coughing for the last 2 months and only recently did I start coughing up blood. The dog always whimpered when I was in pain. She could just tell. I loved that little dog.

I reached the outskirts of Fort Worth, Texas. I wasn't going to make it any farther I could barely breathe at night with it getting so cold in the winter. I stopped by an old oak tree still growing strong had to be over 100 years old, It was huge. I sat down back to the tree with Twilight; she never slept during the night always keeping watch, in my lap whimpering softly. She was too intelligent for her own good I said to myself. I hated that she was so dependent on me I made me feel responsible if I couldn't feed her or take care of her. She was the only thing I had in this world. Feeling that this night was my last I laid out my gear around me doing a last survey leaving out all my food and water for Twilight I tied the old flag around her neck. I softly laid my head against the old oak. All my torment and horrors of my past finally letting me rest in a place I never thought I would call home. I never got the answer to where my home was but it didn't matter now.

The past has truly forsaken me. I lived as a minion to others, murderer of the innocent and guilty, a courier, a hunter, a scout, a tribal, a wanderer, a liar, a betrayer, a leader, a failure, a warrior, a slave, a foot servant, a fool, betrayed. All in all a true man if there was ever one. Being that all this is what made me who I am.

My name was never given to me, just “slave” or “boy” by my handlers. That is why I gave myself a new name, Ulysses. Ulysses Grant, the man was a pre-war General. Bull stubborn, one hell of a leader. His country was split under 2 flags, one of unity and one of liberty. He walked a hard rode but led his army to victory and brought these flags together under the dark fog of war.

I truly wished to create a better place, a home, a place I could set my flag. Begin again, live the lost American dream. I felt something pulling on my braids. I opened my heavy eyes to see Twilight playfully swatting and nibbling on them. I couldn’t help but smile, tears forming in my sunken brown eyes. She was growing up so fast only 2 months and she had already become too heavy to carry on my back. She took to just quietly following me, occasionally running off to chase squirrels bringing them back more often than naught. She was learning to live for herself. I truly wished that I could see her grow up. Maybe start her own family, build her own home. The thought of a much larger Twilight with a bunch of pups bouncing around brought tears of happiness to my already swollen eyes.

I finally closed my eyes the cold air grabbing harder and harder at my lungs. I closed my eyes resting them for the last time. Feeling Twilight lie down in my lap and slow her breathing indicating she was asleep for the first time at night I could ever remember. I couldn’t help but cry like a new born child. I prayed to the God of the old world. Maybe just maybe this God could bring me to a place I could sleep and not worry of tomorrow or of if I might die. I realized that I was there under this old oak. I hoped there was another side to this place, a place where I might find a true peace. I slept.