Eden looked around at the world. The sun shining brightly in her eyes, the wind gently blowing into her face, it felt like a dream.

In the distance, the sun had just broken over the horizon. The mountains of the valley were familiar, but they had a new life to them. It was like Eden was seeing them for the first time.

All around them were burnt remnants of the old forest of the island. Around the old, blackened stumps were new growths. Tiny trees that were slowly coming into their own. Their delicate leaves were unimaginably green.

The ground was covered in rich, thick blades grass. Dew drops from a light morning rain still lingered on their blades. In the grass grew bright pink flowers. The only echo from the old world was the overgrown dirt trail leading away from the bunker entrance.

"The world healed." Joseph stated softly. He knelt down and reached his hand into the dirt. It was soft and crumbled in his fingers.

Everyone else had the same idea at once. They knelt down to feel the dirt with their own hands. The first real tether to the earth they had had in years.

Eden rubbed her palms into the dirt. It was cool and damp. She lifted a handful to her nose and inhaled. Finally, something that didn't smell like damp concrete.

Rachel suddenly stood up, shocking everyone out of their dirt-drunk stupor. She wiped her face and looked around at John, Jacob, Joseph, and Eden. Her eyes lingered when she got to Eden.

She walked over to her and grabbed her in a tight embrace. Eden stiffened under her hug, she didn't know what was happening or why. Rachel gripped the back of her shirt and pushed herself into Eden, as if she wanted to squeeze the life out of her.

"Live." Rachel whispered and quickly let go. She wordlessly turned and walked off into the forest. Her form disappeared into the distance and that was that. She was gone.

Everyone watched her leave. Joseph knew she was going to leave like that. But he hoped she wouldn't. He simply watched her leave and turned to the group.

"Let us go, we need to find our place."

     They began walking in silence. All looking around at the world they didn't recognize anymore.

     Eden had spent plenty of time on this island, but it was so unfamiliar. She didn't think she could ever lose her sense of her surroundings in Hope County, but over 4 years trapped underground did something to her.

She realized that even though she never really agreed to it, she was following the Seeds. She looked around at them as they trudged through the grassy woods. John just looked displeased, as he always did. Jacob seemed to be on a mission, taking everything around him into account, almost as if he was counting each tree. Joseph seemed focused, like he knew exactly where he was going and how to get there. Just like he always did.

Why did Eden follow them?

The old Eden she knew would have bolted just like Rachel, back to find the people she missed. But for some reason, she was following them. Why?

Jacob looked back, silently wondering why Eden was dragging along behind them. He saw her looking at the ground, deep in thought while walking. Seeing her again in the outside world, it was strange. He half expected her to be jumping up and down with joy, but she was silent.

She looked up and met his gaze. Jacob turned forward and refocused on taking in their surroundings. He was glad to be out of that damn bunker, but now he needed to be vigilant again. He had no idea what sort of danger could be lurking in the woods.

     They walked for a while and came upon the old Eden's Gate compound. The buildings had been partially destroyed and were slowly fading back into the earth. The church was worse for ware but surprisingly still intact.

     Joseph stepped forward and touched his hand to the church. Like he was greeting an old friend. He touched his forehead to the weathered wood and took a moment. Then he turned back to the group.

     "We will set up our camp here. Where it all started." Joseph didn't look at Eden when he spoke, but his words were intended for her.

     "I'm going to go hunting, we need food sooner rather than later." Jacob spoke up and Joseph nodded.

     Jacob set down his bag and unloaded his rifle and ammunition.

"I'll come with you." Eden said, finally breaking her silence. Jacob looked up at her and nodded, handing her a couple bullets for her own rifle. She slipped the bullets into her rifle and slid it onto her shoulder.

"We'll head north and see what we can hunt. We'll be back before sundown." Jacob said and Joseph nodded.

"Stay vigilant." Joseph warned.

"Always." Jacob spoke sternly, familiarly.

Jacob put his backpack on his shoulders and held his rifle in his hands. He nodded to the woods and began walking, Eden followed behind.

John watched intently as the pair walked into the woods and out of sight.

"Something on your mind, John?" Joseph questioned as John didn't try to look busy.

"How can you be sure they'll return?" John asked pointedly.

"Jacob will return, he knows where he belongs." Joseph replied assuredly. Unlike his past sharp, confident self, his words seemed a bit more concentrated now. Like he was more careful with his thought processes after so long in the bunker.

     Jacob and Eden walked in silence for over an hour. Both of them watching the woods intently.

     Jacob had no idea why Eden was so silent, he had never felt more disconnected from her, even before the bunker. They had just been laying in bed together that morning, why was she so distant and cold?

     Eden didn't know why she wasn't talking, she just kept her eyes on her surroundings, trying to avoid Jacob's eyes. She didn't know why she was avoiding his gaze, but usually it's because she doesn't want him to know what she's thinking.

     They walked along a small river. The sun was much higher in the sky now, casting dark shadows across the stream and their faces. Jacob noticed how Eden had been shifting her rifle on her shoulder a lot, maybe it was too heavy for her?

     "Let's take a break here for a minute." Jacob said and Eden nodded and stopped. They sat down next to the river, a few feet apart. Eden pulled her rifle off of her shoulder and rested it against a rock next to her.

     She stretched and rubbed her shoulder. It had been a long time since she had carried a rifle like that, she didn't want to admit it but she was already feeling fatigued.

     Jacob couldn't stand the silence anymore. "What's going on in your head?" He asked and for the first time in over an hour Eden looked at him.

     She met his gaze and instantly noticed how soft it was. She didn't know why, but she was expecting a dark stare. Maybe it was just seeing Jacob out in nature again, but he didn't look nearly as scary as she was anticipating.

     "Me?"

     "You're the only one I'm out here with." Jacob stated and Eden let out a sigh. That was kind of stupid.

     "I don't...I'm not sure." Eden admitted but Jacob didn't seem satisfied.

"Just talk to me then." He said and looked forward, finally taking his eyes off of her. Maybe he knew it would help. He moved towards her by a few inches, maybe a foot.

Eden sat in silence for a moment. Putting her thoughts into words was harder than she thought it would be, especially because of how confused she was in her head.

"It's just that...I thought of this day so many times. I played through scenario after scenario. When all I could think of was leaving the bunker, this is what I focused on. Now that it's here..."

"It feels kind of like a dream." Jacob answered for her.

"Yeah. Like a weird dream. I don't understand what I'm supposed to do or where I'm supposed to go. I have nothing to go off of. No idea who lived or what's even still here." Emotion crept into Eden's voice no matter how she fought to keep it out. "For the first time in who knows how long, I get to make a decision about what I do."

"It's freeing." Jacob said, trying to see what kind of response he'll get.

"I'm scared." Eden admitted, looking over at Jacob. This time by her own will.

Jacob looked at her. He really looked at her. He took into account every curve on her face, every jagged edge of the scars on her face. He saw the scared girl that was finally able to show herself to him.

"Don't be. You don't have to fight this alone." Jacob said sternly, reaching forward and grabbed her hand in his own.

5 and a Half Months Ago

Eden held Jacob up, her arms wrapped around him as he cried into her shoulder. "You don't have to fight this alone, Jacob. I'm here." Eden reassured him as she rubbed his back.

    
Return to Present

     Jacob held Eden's hand and pulled her towards himself. He used his hand to guide her arm around him and pulled her into his chest, one hand on her back the other on the back of her head.

     Eden wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in Jacob's chest. She let out a shuddered breath and squeezed tighter into him.

     "What am I going to do?" Eden asked breathlessly.

     "We'll figure it out." Jacob said and rubbed her back. "It ain't over till it's over."

     That was oddly comforting to hear from Jacob. Eden wasn't accustomed to Jacob's softer side, even after all these years of knowing him. Each kind word washed over her as they held each other close.

Holding each other. If you had told Eden's past self that she would be finding comfort in the arms of Jacob Seed she never would've believed you. And yet, here she was. Listening to the rhythmic sound of Jacob's heartbeat.

She was expecting him to pull away eventually. Decide that enough was enough and they needed to get back to hunting for food. But he didn't.

Jacob just stayed there. Eyes scanning the area around them while he held Eden against him. Thoughts began creeping into his head. Dark thoughts. Strange thoughts. She seemed so fragile in his arms, too fragile. None of them were in good shape, but something seemed off with Eden. For some reason he didn't want to let go, almost like it was the only chance he would get.

He didn't understand why he was getting thoughts like that. Must be a symptom of his PTSD trying to pull one over on him. He tried to push those thoughts back and out of the way. Not now. He thought.

Eden was the one to separate them. She carefully pulled out of the embrace, not looking up at Jacob. "We should get back to hunting-" Jacob interrupted her by gently lifting her chin. Forcing her to meet his eyes.

She looked like a deer caught in headlights. Eyes wide, quickly darting across his face as if she were taking in all of the little details.

All that time in the bunker had aged Jacob, not a lot but it wore heavy on him. Yet in the outside world, with real light touching his face, surrounded by green trees, he was so handsome. His mysterious eyes spoke to Eden, they were gentle hidden behind an outer layer of intensity.

"You'll hold me but you won't look me in the eye." Jacob said, not necessarily a question. He brushed his thumb across the scar reaching from her nose to her cheek. He remembered the day she got that scar. He remembered many of her scars.

He leaned forward and Eden shut her eyes. She was waiting for him to kiss her. She didn't know if she was happy or scared, or what she was feeling.

She felt a soft kiss press against her forehead, Jacob's beard tickled her. The kiss lingered even after Jacob pulled back.

"It's your time to figure out what to do. You must be strong, and you must be brave. But you don't have to be alone." Jacob stood up and reached his hand down to Eden.

She was shellshocked. Breathlessly looking up at Jacob, mind running a hundred miles a minute. It took her a moment to grab his hand and let him pull her to her feet.

He picked up his rifle and hers, putting them both on his shoulders as if to say; I've got you.

He started walking down the river, letting her follow behind him. They continued through the woods, a different silence settled between them now.

Eden didn't feel as nervous, but she was still confused. She was still so torn in her mind, she didn't know what to do other than focus on the hunt.

Jacob and Eden came out of the woods standing in front of a road. The asphalt had begun breaking down on the edges of the road, large cracks went through the road from frost and so long without maintenance. Flowers had seeded themselves in the cracks and began growing and blooming.

"It's amazing that-" Eden began to remark about how nature recovers but Jacob put his hand up to signal to shush. He pulled Eden's rifle off his shoulder and crept back into the wood line, handing Eden her rifle as he did so. She stayed behind him but got ready.

He readied his own rifle and looked down the sight.

BANG!

John was poking at a small fire he had lit. He watched the small stick he was using as a fire poker catch on fire. He held it up and watched the flame slowly envelop the skinny stick.

Suddenly a deer dropped next to him.

"Jesus Christ!" John scrambled to his feet to get away from the deer. Jacob and Eden were standing behind him, the deer on the ground at their feet. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" John snapped and Jacob fought back a grin.

"I didn't think we were being that quiet." He remarked, sharing an 'innocent' glance with Eden, who wasn't doing as well as he was at fighting back her amusement.

John looked at the two of them, halfway between mad and pouting.

"Where is Joseph?" Jacob asked and John nodded towards the old church. "I'm going to go talk with him." Jacob said and started walking to the church.

Eden looked at John and the deer. "Have you ever processed a deer?" She asked and he fought back his disgust.

"I am plenty adequate." He stated and pulled a knife out of his holster. He bent down to start processing the deer and Eden didn't have anything better to do, so she knelt down too.

A minute of silence went by as John and Eden worked.

"I hope you don't plan on abandoning us." John said without a hint of positivity. "What will my poor brother do without his favorite project?" He asked and paused for the first time to look at Eden, intently.

Their eye contact held a certain underlying disdain for one another.

"I'm sure you're conflicted. You're out, you're free. But you don't know if you have any old buddies to run to. Even if they made it this long...who's to say they would want to take you back in? You're tainted goods to them now, whether you like it or not. You're one of us." John spoke matter of factly.

Eden had almost forgot about John's mind-manipulation tactics. He sure did know what to say to get under someone's skin.

Eden couldn't think of a witty comeback so she just stared into John's eyes for a longer, angrier second before getting back to focusing on the deer at hand. John seemed unfazed, as always.

Jacob stepped into the church through the one remaining door. He saw Joseph sitting in one of the pews, looking up at the altar. He could tell that Joseph was in the middle of something, some sort of thought process, so he stood behind the last pew.

     "When you went hunting, what did you find?" Joseph asked without turning around.

     "A deer, a pretty good sized one." Jacob responded, but he knew that wasn't the answer Joseph was looking for.

     "That's not all you found, was it?" Joseph asked as he stood up. He turned around and walked over to Jacob. "This world...it's healed so much in such a short time. The grass, the trees, even the animals. They're healing." He seemed to be trying to conceal something. Relief? Pride?

     "It's not the same world we once knew." Jacob admitted and Joseph stopped right in front of him.

     "Do you know what this means, Jacob?" Joseph placed his hands on Jacob's shoulders. "It means I was right."

     Joseph's hands squeezed against Jacob's shoulders. He was happy, truly. He looked in his brothers eyes and Jacob could see how much relief was swelling inside Joseph's mind.

     "You always knew what's best." Jacob said and Joseph took a breath, almost resetting his 'righteousness'. He took his hands off of Jacob's shoulders.

     "We have a lot of work to do. We need to rebuild, a better version of our original plan. We need to give our followers a place to call home." Joseph said.

     "A new Eden's Gate." Jacob stated but Joseph shook his head.

     "The struggle is behind us, brother. We've reached the garden. Now we must make our home within it. Our New Eden." Joseph explained and Jacob nodded.

     "Tomorrow we will scout for a better place. This place served its purpose, just as it was supposed to. Now we need somewhere more private, somewhere we can be at peace. That is what we need." Joseph said and started walking towards the door. He stopped just even with Jacob and looked over at his brother.

     "We will create a place no one can take from us. A home." He said with hope in his voice. Joseph looked away from Jacob and walked out of the church.

     Jacob looked down at his feet. "Home." He mumbled to himself. Then he turned and left the church behind Joseph.

The small fire John had started had been stoked to a fire large enough to cook pieces of the deer meat Jacob and Eden hunted. The meat was held up with sticks over the bare flame, it was the best looking meal any of them had had in literal years.

John was practically drooling staring at the meat. He had already set his sights on the biggest hunk of meat.

Eden couldn't say she was much better. Her stomach had been growling for God knows how long. After so long of canned foods from the bunker, fresh caught venison was a 5 star meal.

"Is it done?" John asked impatiently.

"Give it another minute." Jacob said and John seemed annoyed as Jacob poked the meat chunk he had been eyeing.

"Now it should be good." Jacob said and John didn't waste a moment.

Eden picked up a piece of meat and blew on it. The scent of cooked meat delighted her senses, but she didn't want to seem too obsessed so she played it down.

They all got their meat and started eating as the sun set behind them. No one exchanged words, they just sat in blissful silence as they enjoyed their first real meal in a very long time.

After their meal, they decided to sleep by the fire. It was their first night outdoors. They made beds with some sleeping bags they had found in the bunker, some blankets, and using their bags as pillows.

Jacob and Eden laid next to each other, but with a good few feet between them. After a long day, Eden was ready to fall right to sleep, but she wanted to see the stars again so she stayed up later than everyone else.

Jacob could tell that Eden wasn't asleep yet because of her breathing. He looked over at her and saw she was looking straight up at the sky. He decided to do the same and was amazed by what he saw.

Above them, green lights ebbed and flowed.

"The Northern Lights." Eden broke the silence. "I always wanted to see them." She mumbled in amazement.

"You got your wish." Jacob said and Eden sighed.

"Looks like I did." She said and rolled over, finally trying to get some sleep.

Jacob watched her for some time. He waited until it seemed like she had fallen asleep and looked back up at the sky. It really was breath taking. He didn't understand why they were shining here now, but it sure was an incredible view.

Slowly but surely, Jacob fell asleep last.

     Morning came with a thick fog. Dew drops coated everything around them, making the dirt damp and the smoking remnants of the fire sizzle.

     Jacob woke up and sat up. He took a deep breath in, the fog felt cool on his skin, it was almost soothing. He scratched the back of his neck and looked around at the others.

     Joseph and John were still asleep, they didn't seem bothered by the dew. Then he looked back to where Eden was laying.

     Her sleeping arrangements were gone.

     Jacob looked around to see if she was nearby. Maybe she packed up her things already? But why? Jacob got out of his blanket and stood up.

     Jacob's movement woke Joseph and John up.

     "What's wrong, Jacob?" Joseph asked, a bit tired but noticing his brothers agitation.

     "Eden isn't here." Jacob stated. Still looking around.

     "Maybe she's off using the bathroom or something." John mumbled and rolled over under his blanket.

     Jacob threw a look at John but kept scanning the area.

     "I'm sure she'll be back, Jacob. The fog will clear soon. I doubt she'll be lost." Joseph reassured Jacob, but he didn't seem affected by Joseph's words. He balled his fist at his side out of stress.

     Where is she?