Innocence Lost (14 page)

              There was still snow on the ground but its time was nearing an end. The bone-chilling cold had left and in its place came warmer days and only slightly freezing cold nights. Alec watched as Beverly and a few others went into the hen house to pick out some eggs for breakfast. His stomach growled in anticipation.

              The winter had not been as harsh as it had been the last two years but it had still been a challenge. Every night everyone had food on their table and warmth in their homes and for that Alec was grateful. They had lost April to sickness but everyone else had made it through. During the winter months, when weather allowed, Freddie went to Centralia to see how they doing and to see if there was anything to trade. The town had made it through but had not been as lucky as them. There had been a hunting accident that took the life of one of their younger ones, and the sicknesses hit them much harder. All and all they ended the winter with eleven less souls than when it started. In order for the settlement and for Centralia to thrive they were going to have to find trading partners outside of their safe zone.

A gunshot knocked him out of his thoughts. For a moment he stood there trying to register what it was he heard but the scream that followed helped him connect the dots. It was hard to pinpoint where the gunshot came from but the accompanying shouts originated by the trailers on the east side of the settlement.

As he rounded the corner he came upon Jack laying on the ground. For a second he could almost convince himself Jack had merely fallen down, but when the man turned over his hands were covering his lower stomach and blood was seeping between his fingers. Pain was evident on the old man’s face. He glanced at Alec and then focused on something else. Alec squatted down next to him.

“Alec, run.” he said.

Alec followed Jack’s gaze and settled on Clive. The man was about half the size he had been when he had left their settlement. The man’s clothes were torn and dirty and hung off him like someone had tried to dress a skeleton. Dirt covered his face and was caked into the man’s beard. The white of Clive’s eyes were evident and he glanced around like a crazed animal waiting to strike out. Nearly lost in this mess of a man was Trevor’s daughter Jamie. Clive was holding the young girl in a headlock with his left hand as he swung around a pistol in his right.

Clive’s eyes met Alec and recognition dawned on the man’s face and he gave him a sneer.

“I told you, this is the only law you need,” he gestured towards the gun in his hand. “I helped build this place and I’ll burn it to the ground if I need to.”

Alec stood up slowly and held his hands in the air. “Clive, put the gun down. You’re mad at me you don’t want to hurt Jamie”

The girl let out a scream as Clive jerked her to the side and tightened his grip on her.

“You all think you are better than me, even her.” Clive glanced around searching for something. “Where is Trevor? Where is the hero? He thinks it’s a fair fight sneaking up behind someone and hitting them? I’ll show him a fair fight.”

Tears streaked down Jamie’s face and Alec was aware of Jack laying near him slowly bleeding to death. From the corner of his eye he could see movement but couldn’t tell if it was someone coming to help or just people trying to get to safety.

“Clive, take me. Let Jamie go and take me hostage. You know that Jamie never judged you, she never did anything to you, and it’s me and Trevor you’re mad at.”

Clive glanced around again only this time he seemed confused. His forehead scrunched up and it looked like he was mumbling something to himself. Finally he shook his head violently and pointed the gun at Jamie’s head.

Alec’s stomach dropped: he was going to kill her. “No,” he said forcefully. “You’re problem is with me. This is my kingdom and these are my laws. You are nothing to me, just another peasant I order around to do my bidding.”

The confusion on Clive’s face increased but the gun dropped slightly.

“You were right about me, I think I’m better than you and I’ve told everyone here to act like they’re better than you. They have to listen to me because I’m their king. You were the only one that wouldn’t listen to me and that is why I kicked you out.”

Confusion began to be replaced with anger and then Clive turned the gun on Alec.

“These people didn’t hate you, Jamie sure as hell didn’t hate you. They have just been following my orders. If they didn’t then I would kick them out just like I kicked you out.”

Clive let Jamie go and for a moment, the girl just stood there, unsure of what to do, but within seconds she came to her senses and ran off. It was just Alec, Clive and the gun.

Clive took a step toward Alec. “You acted like you were different but you were the reason people hated me.” It sounded like a mix between a statement and a question.

Alec merely nodded his head.

“I’m going to destroy your kingdom.”

Trevor stepped into view behind Clive with a shovel in hand. All he needed was a few seconds but the look on Clive’s face didn’t look like he was going to give Alec that long.

“Do you want the truth Clive?” Alec asked.

Clive shook his head no and tightened his grip on the gun. “I already know the truth.”

Trevor came down with the shovel on Clive’s head just as Alec dove to the side. The gun went off and Alec’s ears were filled with the gunshot. On the ground he waited to feel the pain, he waited to feel where the bullet connected but his ears cleared and he still didn’t feel anything. When he opened his eyes Margie was there next to him and Trevor was standing over the downed Clive.

“Are you ok?” she asked.

Alec didn’t answer instead he rolled over and turned to Jack.

The man was still lying there but he was gone.

The breeze flowed gently through the hidden meadow, giving off the soft sounds of the leaves swaying with their passing. Alec sat on the ground, staring ahead at the two things he had been avoiding since he had come back, or more accurately the two things he had avoided since they happened. Part of him didn’t remember digging the graves that sat in front of him. He remembered Freddie and Whitford doing the bulk of the work of digging the graves, but he couldn’t remember if he helped with that. The clearest memory he had of the time was placing their bodies in the ground. They had both been covered up so their faces weren’t visible and Alec remembered trying to register the fact that these two people who had been such a big part in his life were gone. That he would never see their face again or hear their voice, or feel their warmth. Even now he could not wrap his mind around that reality.

The sites had changed after he left. There were now wooden crosses with Grant’s and Joseph’s name on it. There were flowers planted near them and the entire area was cleared out. When Alec left and even when he returned but was unable to come to the site, Jack had taken care of it. He had been there and had given the place the attention it deserved. But now the man was gone.

Jack had been a part of his family. Every person that lived on the same ground where his loved ones rested were his family. His father and Joseph had been taken from him, and he had lost Ally and Ben. He had to take care of the people that were here and build a place where Ally and Ben would be safe if he was ever able to find them. In order to do that he was going to have to make tough choices.

Alec got up and walked through the meadow towards the house. Waiting there was Trevor. The man’s eyes were red and worry lines were evident on his face.

“You don’t have to do this, you shouldn’t do this.”

Alec kept walking and Trevor matched him stride for stride.

“Alec do you hear me? This will change you, this will change this place.”

Alec finally stopped and met his gaze. He could see the struggle in Trevor’s face. This was a man who would always do the good thing because he was convinced it was the right thing. He wasn’t able to make the hard choice.

“We voted.” was all Alec said.

Trevor opened his mouth to say something else but Alec had already begun walking away towards the basement of the house.

The council had taken another vote. Trevor voted again to banish Clive. Freddie and Malcolm voted to kill him. Jack had not been there to tie it up this time but Alec could have. He didn’t. If he had made the tough choice the first time, then Jack would still be there. Jack may have been disappointed by his decision then, he may even have been mad at him, but he would have been alive.

In the basement, Clive sat on his knees, tied up. The skeleton of a man had his head down and looked defeated. Freddie stood over him with a gun in hand. He met Alec’s eyes calmly.

“I can do this.”

“I know you can,” Alec said. “But I should. This is my home, Jack was my friend and I made the choice that got us here.”

Freddie just stood there in silence.

“Bring him out back.”

Freddie put his arm under Clive’s armpit and easily lifted the man up and walked him out through the garage. Clive didn’t lift his head up, he didn’t say anything.

Outside many of the others stood outside their homes watching. Some of their faces showed anger, some pity, while others were nothing more than blank masks hiding the emotions that swirled within them.

They walked out far away from the settlement and into a heavy wooded area where the trees would block what was about to happen. Freddie dropped Clive to the ground where the man fell to his knees and began to cry.

Freddie once again turned to Alec who waved him away. “I’ll be right over here” he said instead and walked over to the edge of the woods.

Alec walked around to the front of Clive. The broken man raised his head and looked at him. Tears poured from his eyes and snot ran from his noise.

“I…..I don’t know why.”

The world had gone black and everything that Alec had known had been destroyed or taken away from him. Years ago, it felt more like decades now, he had been just another kid. His father had not been there for him but the same could be said for a lot of families. Then his mother had died, he had thought the world had ended then, but then it actually had. Joseph was taken away, his father was taken away, Ally had been stolen from him, and Ben had left. Alec was different now, whether he wanted to be or not.

“I….I think I might be sick.” Clive said through sobs.

“Yes, you are.” Alec said kindly. There had never been any doubt about that.

“I…didn’t……I’m sorry.”

Alec raised the gun and pointed it at the man. To protect the ones he loved, he had to be able to make the hard decisions.

“So am I.” Alec said

And then he pulled the trigger.

About The Author

T.A. Williams is the author of the
After The Event Series
(
After The Event
,
The Remnants, and Innocence Lost
). He lives in middle-America, USA with his wife and son.

http://www.TheTAWilliams.com