Red Flood by Nocomus Columbus So Good We're Already Asking For More...

Grand Falls of the Little Colorado River is courtesy http://www.tripadvisor.com

“Where are we?” Moses asked.                        

“The Badlands,” his father replied.                   

Even though he was just a child, Moses knew about The Badlands.   Everyone knew about them.   Moses’ teacher taught about The Great War, and what happened when it ended.   

After the Rebel terrorist’s treacherous victory at The Battle of Flagstaff, the U.S. government relinquished control of the southwest giving complete autonomy to the resistance forces in return for a cease-fire.   New borders were created.   Both parties agreed to designate a vast piece of land that served as a demilitarized border, meaning neither the U.S. nor the rebels could occupy the territory.   Not long after the cease-fire, that piece of deserted land got a name.   Moses had heard The Badlands was lawless, inhabited by drug smugglers and armed gangs.   Even worse, were stories about The Raiders, who attacked villages along the border in the middle of the night killing everyone, doing terrible things with their victim’s bodies.   Thinking about it made him shutter. 

~~~

Red Flood

By Nocomus Columbus

Columbus begins his latest offering with an intriguing prologue... A couple, out in the Wilderness, have just welcomed a son. But there is someone outside and the father is forced to leave the mother alone... 

So he can escape, taking their son to safety. He then leaves him with his own mother and moves on to support the Rebels--the only group now  working against the government.

I have found that in reading Columbus, you will need to delve into his words and envision what he's presenting. Perhaps you are not always successful when it moves deep into his story thoughts, but he works hard to make sure we interpret what he has to say. Nocomus has created many diverse shorts that will take you through a gamut of emotion--always emotion...

This is a first of what another reviewer said could be an apocalyptic novel--maybe. I am always intrigued by all of the different stories that can be labeled under this genre and how many people actually think about that time. Interestingly, the topic has never struck me as important, even if I enjoy watching and reading about others' thoughts. My own experience with the Y2k projections, for instance, seemed just silly, but meant a lot of work, LOL...

While the Prologue entices, the way the book ends is even more thought-provoking: 

The End of Innocence...

Prophetically perhaps, the boy is named Moses and we watch a little as he goes to school, then joins a ball team. One day, however, Moses noticed a strange man there seeming to watch him. And when he got up to bat and knocked it out of the field, the strange man came and asked who had taught him to hit like that. Fortunately, his grandmother was there that day, as she always was, and hurried to get Moses and leave...

But when next Moses came home from school, he found his grandmother, near death. She whispered his final instructions and said that his father would be there to take him with him. Moses had thought both of his parents were dead and, although his grandmother had been dark-skinned, he was still somewhat surprised when his father, too, was dark-skinned... They didn't take time to discuss anything though and were soon on their way, with another man driving. Moses was forced to hide in the back of the truck, but then, when they thought their followers had gone, he poked his head up and was seen in the side window!

They escaped but with the loss of their driver and truck, so they started walking, Alwan, Moses' father had fought against the Rebels, but that was exactly where they were headed now--hopefully so Moses would be safe. He was different in a way that even Moses didn't realize... Alwan had been shot, and although Moses surprisingly helped his take the bullet out, he was still weak and could not afford to sleep while they traveled.

During their trip, Moses had asked to learn about living like his father had--finding fresh water, learning to track...
having time to bond... Luckily they found an old cabin in the woods and were able to have a roof over their heads for the night. Soon Alwan left to tried to find food, warning Moses to keep hidden until he returned...

But the time was moving slowly and when he heard noises, it wasn't his father...

No wonder readers are requesting more! This could turn into a novella or novel, easily, if that's where Columbus is heading... I, too, am looking forward to seeing what happens!

Moses was beginning to worry.  He went through every star he knew,  and then he did it again.  His father had been gone much longer than normal.  The night was unusually cold, and the fire was starting to die.    Moses covered himself with the blanket.   “Where is he?” Moses wondered.   He looked around, but it was too dark for him  to see anything outside the light of the fire.   

So he sat, and decided to count stars again.   “Ugh,” Moses said aloud.   The boy heard a noise from behind.   

He looked over his shoulder.  The noise got louder.   It was the sound of someone walking.  “Dad?” Moses asked.   

       “Daddy’s home!” a strange voice called back.    Moses jumped up and turned around.    He tripped, nearly falling into the fire.   The footsteps he had heard didn’t belong to one man.    It was three men that he had heard walking. 

       The strangers stood next to each other  on the edge of the campfire’s light.  

                       ~~~  

I'm curious to see how much more this story will run... The author has taken some major steps to fill in on scene, characterization, dialogue, etc... It could be a move forward for this young author I've been watching from the beginning...Go Nocomus! Keep up the solid work, get some help on your proofreading, but...just keep writing!

GABixlerReviews             

Biography

I was born in the home of The King, raised in the Northern part of Clinton's state. I fought a war in Eve's garden and as of right now, I live under a large, metal arch. My profession has me working for The Man, but my passion is to write, however painful it is to read. Thank you for your time