2100: The Lord is Good

CW: Racially offensive language

Tobby Kamati was excited to arrive at Meadowcreek Township. Today, he and his team leader, Deng Wei, were trekking into the interior of Cherokee-Ozark territory in North America to locate at least one of the rumored villages. Their goal was to learn what had survived and emerged since the war and how much of the Gospel was still retained. Tobby had prepared in multiple locations in Africa for over two years to join this mission and today would be his first step into the great unknown.

Wei was already at the mission homestead when Tobby arrived. The packages holding the radiation therapies sat neatly on a table against the side wall. Wei gained access for the mission with these, and he trusted they would provide the physical hope to match the spiritual hope for the villagers in the Cherokee-Ozark interior. He believed the treatments, based on discoveries shortly before the war broke out, were the miracle that saved the Chinese population from the fallout in the western part of the country. Wei was eager to bring hope and healing to these people.

Wei paused his preparations and greeted Tobby. “I will be ready to go soon. Do you need anything more?”

“No.” Tobby set down his pack. “I have enough in here for a few days. If we are longer, we will survive. The land here has recovered well.”

“The fallout was not too bad in this region,” commented Wei, “and the people came here to live off the land. The natives are resourceful and can grow food, even in harsh conditions. Still, little of this continent was spared.” He cinched a rope on his pack. “But the Lord is good. He will guide our steps.”

“Yes, the Lord is good,” repeated Tobby.

The mission homestead smelled of eggs and bacon, which was easier to find here than back home. Tobby’s stomach ached and drove him to seek out the source. Wei continued preparing their supplies for the journey.

After breakfast and praying, Tobby and Wei strapped on their packs, left the homestead and followed a trail into the woods. Wei had some old paper maps of the former States. Cellular service was recently rebuilt but was still intermittent. The massive reduction in global population meant services and expertise were spread thinly. The Internet was still struggling to propagate again, and maps of the area were not updated with all the disruptive changes. They hoped to find a guide.

The air of the Ozark woodland was still. Tobby felt relaxed by the clean aroma. The temperature was cold but not like what it had to have been in the aftermath of the war. The fallout, although lighter than other areas, still inflicted damage, and then the nuclear winter had covered this region for nearly a decade. Tales told that many of the conifer trees succumbed, replaced later by more broadleaf trees. Some of the endangered bat species had not survived. Wei pointed out a flock of birds flying overhead, and Tobby was hopeful that, even though the forest had experienced great loss, much had survived.

For the first hour, Tobby jumped at every noise. He was not accustomed to traveling through a dense forest. Even though the woodland creatures were few and skittish, some were bigger than he expected, like the lone black bear scrounging for food that roared when they startled it but scurried away. Tobby had heard such large animals had not survived, but evidently, some had. Wei stayed calm and encouraged Tobby as they continued on the narrowing path.

Several hours into their trek, they encountered an old man living alone in the forest. Tobby immediately discerned something unsavory, in addition to his dirty, unkempt hair, and the grime and scarring on various parts of his body. Despite the chill, he wore only soiled shorts made of animal skin. One of his eyes was milky white, and the other watched them wildly. Wei held out an arm across Tobby to bar him from stepping closer.

“I know why you have come, Chinaman and Negro,” crowed the man. “You are not welcome here.”

Wei took a step closer but kept Tobby behind him. “We have come to share good news and to encourage the people living in these woodlands. Please let us tend to you. We have medicine that will help.”

“I know what I need, and it’s not you or your good news,” spewed the man. He stepped closer and raised one arm high. “Go before I call on the gods to cleanse the land of you.”

Tobby smelled burning wood and a pungent sour scent, as if a grapefruit were charring. He bowed his head and prayed.

Wei spoke clearly and commanded, “In the name of Jesus, come out of him and disturb him no more.”

Tobby heard a gurgling noise and raised his head to see the man clutching his throat. With a convulsive gasp, the man coughed and crumpled to the ground. Wei knelt and examined him. The man lay still but was breathing lightly.

“That is strange,” said Tobby. “I heard about possession but not seen it. Is he one of the Cherokees?”

“No, I do not believe so. Ancient Cherokee beliefs were more about balance. They would not call on gods for anything, and certainly not to harm anyone. This is a White man, and those scars might be from radiation burns.”

“Do you think he survived a blast?”

“No, more likely he was caught in the fallout as a young child,” Wei explained. “I believe we will find a village nearby. They probably cared for this man and kept a watch over him.”

After about one more mile, Tobby and Wei reached a clearing that opened wide and held a variety of simple wooden structures. One section had rows of tilled land, and a few people were working there. Tobby inhaled deeply and welcomed the scent of fresh earth. Before they could see more, a man stepped from behind a tree in front of them, holding a bow with an arrow nocked and aimed at them. A couple people in the field saw what was transpiring, dropped their tools, and ran off.

The man fixed one eye on them and kept the bowstring tight. “You’re not from around here. What brings you to these parts?”

Tobby froze and watched. Wei took one step forward and raised his empty arms in front of him.

“We are here peacefully,” Wei said. “We are simply exploring this region to learn and to see where we can help.”

“Are you Chinese?” asked the man.

Tobby realized that everyone he could see was White, except for one man watching the people tilling the land. He appeared darker than the others and stood tall and commanding. Tobby noticed when that man spoke, people around him moved position or changed tasks. He had sharper features, a handsome face, and long, dark hair woven into two braids, one down each side of his head.

Wei answered, “I am of Chinese descent, although what you may remember of China is no more.”

“But you’re Chinese?” the man asked again, still taut as the bowstring.

“My grandparents were Chinese, and my parents started out in China, but I was not born in China,” explained Wei. “Much has changed since—-”

Tobby interrupted as he noticed the man pull the bowstring back further. “Please, we do not know what you know, but we are not your enemy. We come here as representatives of the one true God and His son, Jesus Christ.”

At hearing this, the man relaxed. “You’re Christians then?”

“Yes,” said Tobby, and Wei nodded.

At that moment, another of the darker men approached with two White people, a man and a woman, the two who had hurriedly left the field. The White man and woman were speaking excitedly, but the darker man, who was like the darker man leading in the field, walked slowly and with an air of confidence. His long hair was gray, his skin was wrinkled, and he had scars on both cheeks. It suddenly occurred to Tobby that these darker men were likely Cherokees.

The man with the bow lowered it and waited for the older man and the other two to stop by his side. “These two appeared out of the forest. They claim to be Christian explorers.”

The older, darker man inclined his head toward them and then spoke. “I suspect you come from the outside world, and I don’t mean on the other side of the forest. You have the look of those who come from another part of the world altogether.”

Wei replied, “Yes, we traveled to this land from our countries, but I do not know if the names of those countries would have any meaning to you.”

“We have kept some communication up with the outer world, but it has been some time since any from there have ventured in here.”

Tobby spoke up. “We came to share good news with you.”

“Patience, Tobby,” Wei reprimanded with a smile. “Let us meet these people first and share stories to learn about each other.”

The darker man nodded. “You may call me Takatoka. I am an elder of our community. How may we address you?”

Wei indicated himself. “My name is Wei, and my family name is Deng.” Wei motioned to Tobby and shared his name.

Takatoka pivoted and gestured with his arm back in the direction from which he had come. “Would you care to join me at my home? My wife will prepare us some food, and we can sit and talk there.”

Tobby followed Wei and Takatoka. The man with the bow remained on guard. The two others went back to the field. Tobby saw a few heads rise as they walked along, but the other darker man spoke, and they were soon back to work.

Once they were settled in the house with a small plate of deliciously fresh corn, Wei spoke up first. “Thank you for your hospitality. We heard people lived in these woods, but we were not certain what we would find.”

Takatoka spoke with a relaxed and measured tone. “In the early years after the war, you would not have found it to be so hospitable. The people here were scared and confused and dying. They were in survival mode, and small groups began banding together to look out for common interests.”

“I heard similar things happened in my country as well,” Tobby interjected, “once the world order collapsed. People were starving everywhere. We joined with other countries with South Africa. They were stronger and had better resources and were able to stop the dying.”

Takatoka continued, “We stepped in to help because we heard many had fled to these woods and rivers thinking they could find shelter and food, but so many were dying from radiation exposure, and those who remained had lost the skills to survive in the treacherous conditions. They had left behind lives of much greater ease. My people had retained much of the knowledge they needed. We tried to share it, but it became clear that we would need to care for them.”

Wei hummed and nodded. “Ah, that is why they look to you as leaders.”

“Yes,” agreed Takatoka. “Most of the older generation who lived through the war have died. Most of who you will find here now are their offspring, but they are afraid to leave and are happy with their lives here. We are encouraging the younger generation to set out, leave the woods, and explore the lands beyond, but that is a hard charge for most.”

“Have any left and returned?” asked Tobby. “Maybe they could provide encouragement.”

“We took a few to our lands to the west, and they were able to encourage others when they returned, but still, many are not willing to venture out yet.”

“We met an older man not far from here on his own in the woods,” said Wei. “He was under demonic influence, and the Lord freed him, but he will need help. I have medicine that can help anyone still suffering from radiation sickness.”

Takatoka’s eyebrows rose. “I believe you speak of old Jasper. That is good to hear.” He called out for his wife and shared the news with her. “She will see that someone goes to aid him and bring him back to the community here.”

“Do you see that often here?” Tobby asked.

“Among some of the very old who lived through the destruction and suffered terribly. We tried to provide healing and counsel where we could, but often by that time, it was too late.”

Tobby shook his head in sorrow. “It was probably terrible to live through the bombs and everything that followed.”

“What do you know of the outside world?” asked Wei.

“I was a small child when the war broke out, but our lands were spared direct attacks. Most of our people lived underground for some time until some of our leaders let us know it was safe to come above ground again. To me, it felt like a long time, but I learned it was only a few weeks. After that we lived through the years of cold and bad growing seasons. I understand many people around the world starved to death during those years, but our people managed to work together and survive. As I said, we still remember the old ways and had already learned to adjust to new and unfamiliar lands and so knew how to grow some food in harsh conditions. We lost few of our people and were able to share with the people here in the forest. Eventually, some of our people ventured out to see how other parts of the country were doing, and that connected us with others who were building services and government again, but the effort has been slow. I heard that this country, what used to be the United States, lost around 90% of its people. Many died immediately in the blasts, and many others did not survive the fallout. Those who did were not prepared for the life of extreme privation that came with the years of bad harvests.”

Tobby felt the horror of it all. “The rest of the world did not do much better. I heard more people died than predicted, close to 7 billion. Those of us who were not bombed and who did not experience the fallout still had to deal with the years of famine and the breakdown of all the world’s systems.”

“Actually, New Zealand fared well,” said Wei, “and much of the southern hemisphere--Australia, the southern countries in South America and Africa. The western part of China survived better than the rest of the country, but Europe and the Middle East are now mostly uninhabitable, and large groups of people in Asia and Africa starved. India used to have many people, but I believe almost all who lived there perished. The battles between them and Pakistan were particularly brutal as were those between Isreal and the rest of the Middle East. The people still in those lands have reorganized into smaller states and kingdoms, except the Jews who are in a new diaspora to the east and south.”

“So, most of the world is starting over?”

Tobby nodded. “Yes, it is like a big reset for most of the world. The South African Confederation and Australia and New Zealand are leading the way. The task is big.”

Takatoka gazed at Wei. “What of China?”

“China split into smaller regions, too,” explained Wei. “The eastern seaboard was hit badly and is still recovering, but a new port on the East Sea is operating south of the ruins of what was once Shanghai.” Wei paused and breathed hard. “I am from Aletai, a country that now holds what were once northwestern China, western Mongolia, southern Russia, and eastern Kazakhstan. It is a land of desert and plains between great mountain ranges that has grown in population since the war. It is also a region that has turned to Christ.” He smiled and continued, “After the devastation from the war, many of the Christians who survived made a name for themselves by their unwavering service. Shortly before the war, China discovered a therapy that greatly reduces radiation sickness. The war was devastating, but God prepared us for these times. It was Christians, who came out of hiding and who risked radiation poisoning themselves, who brought these therapies to many who were suffering. Because of this, those government administrations that were left looked more favorably on Christians and removed many of the restrictions from earlier years.”

Takatoka nodded and smiled, “The Christian God has given us all the strength to survive these times.”

“So, you follow Jesus here, too,” Tobby exclaimed.

“Yes, we have been on that path for many years,” Takatoka shared, “long before the war. The Lord prepared us also for these times.”

“And the people in this community?” asked Wei.

Takatoka leaned back and sighed. “In their own way. I believe they have let fear guide them too much, but I understand. I have hope for their later generations.”

Wei nodded. “We came on mission to see if we needed to share the good news in these woods. It sounds like it is still intact here.”

“It is,” agreed Takatoka. “The Lord has been good.”

“The Lord has been good,” repeated Tobby with a sad but hopeful and grateful heart.