The Aging: A Novel

by Jack Hunt

  “Well if I do, he has a funny way of showing it.”

  “It’s not for him to show it.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying we aren’t guaranteed x number of years so what time you have left, show them how much you care.”

  “I’m trying.”

  “I know but...” She tapped her ear. “Listen. Listen to him. Trust him. He’s come this far without you, hasn’t he?”

  He smiled and nodded.

  “Now how about you tell me about a good time you remember. A moment when he was younger, a memory so vivid it feels like yesterday. Something good.”

  She clenched her teeth as a wave of pain rolled over her.

  “Um. Well…” He looked down and thought about it. The first time he took Josh fishing. The pride he felt seeing him reel one in. Ryan smiled as he retold the events of that day. Ella’s eyes closed and opened as she grew more tired due to the loss of blood. As he was finishing, Ryan looked up and she was gone.

  “Ella?”

  No response.

  His stomach sank.

  Ryan got up and looked around for something to cover her body. He found a tarp out back and lowered it over her. He stood there for a moment longer thinking about the risk she’d taken to help Lily. She was the best example of humanity in a world that was falling apart.

  He lowered his head and said a silent prayer.

  “Godspeed.”

  Ryan stepped out of the store and pressed his back against the wall, bringing a hand to his face as the emotion crawled up into his throat. He covered his eyes, blinking hard. As he removed his hand, he saw Josh staring at him from inside the truck, concerned.

  He sniffed hard and blew out his cheeks and wiped one of his eyes.

  Her death came far quicker than he expected.

  Everything was moving faster than he expected. Like the sands of time slipping through an hourglass, reminding him of what lay ahead, and the risk that could snatch any one of them from this world.

  Chapter Eighteen

  As the truck rumbled along the highway, the atmosphere in the cab was somber. Ryan pulled his shoulders back and rolled his head around, to work out the tension in his neck and back. They hadn’t spoken a word to each other in several hours. He’d been unable to put the image of Ella out of his mind. He kept circling back to the moment they walked in. He played out the what-ifs. It was hard not to feel responsible for her death.

  “Do you want me to take a turn driving?” Josh asked.

  “It’s okay. I’m good for now.”

  “Just saying, if you get tired. I’m here.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  He wasn’t opposed to him taking over. He’d seen the way he handled the truck back at Tommy’s. But after everything that had happened, he was struggling to let go of what little he could control.

  Lily had fallen asleep to the vibration of the truck. Her head was in Josh’s lap, her legs curled up on the passenger seat.

  “You did offer her a gun,” Josh added as if trying to find sense in the tragedy. He nodded but wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say to that.

  “It happened so fast,” Josh said. “One second she was beside me, the next wrestling on the ground with that dog. I would have shot it sooner but it kept moving.”

  “You’re not to blame.”

  “I just wish I could have reacted sooner.”

  Ryan had been chewing over the threat of animals. It hadn’t even entered his mind until today. They’d have to be more vigilant. With so many now running stray and eating whatever they could find, they were another potential carrier of the pathogen. A thought dawned on him. Had it started in animals? Elizabeth often talked about medicine, new trials, and how companies would test out viruses on animals first before creating a cure.

  “Do you mind me asking about the girl?” Josh asked.

  “What?”

  “The accusation. The articles didn’t go into great detail. I mean, you don’t need to if you don’t want to.”

  “It was a long time ago.”

  Ten years to be exact.

  He hadn’t given much thought to her since his charges were cleared because so much of his energy before that was consumed by lawyers, court, and accusations. It had upended his family, destroyed his career, and ruined his reputation. Media outlets widely published his name and face, adding more fuel to the flames. His passport had been revoked. His work had put him on paid leave and he was no longer able to help at his local church. It had a ripple effect that spread far and wide beyond what he imagined it would. He thought he would be treated fairly but from day one he was seen as guilty by everyone around him, and his lawyers had the difficult task of proving his innocence.

  Naturally, it didn’t take long for anxiety and depression to kick in and for him to suffer panic attacks when he left his home to do simple things like grocery shopping.

  In many ways, it was akin to having someone drop a bomb on his house. In the aftermath, he was left to pick through the pieces of what remained, alone, with an entire circle of friends, family, and community watching with accusing eyes.

  For a while Elizabeth was supportive. She didn’t believe it. Not for one minute.

  That soon changed as she came under the microscope and those around her made it seem like she was covering up for him. And it really came to a head when other parents no longer invited Josh to birthday parties.

  The accusation against him was tainting them too.

  That’s why he couldn’t fault her decision to leave, as Elizabeth was human after all. She could only handle so much and the case was dragged out over several years.

  Within weeks of being cleared of charges, he’d moved away from the town. It wasn’t just to escape those who saw him out, it was to put distance between them so he could find a reason to go on.

  And go on he did, finding solace in a bottle as he struggled to deal with life. Then, his drinking only got worse when it came to fighting for his right to see Josh.

  After all was said and done, he had very little energy left to fight. He also didn’t expect to have to explain the situation to Josh later as Elizabeth had done a great job of shielding him from it all.

  Although he didn’t have visiting rights, he was allowed to phone but after a while, Elizabeth had said it was probably best he didn’t. Not until he got back on track. Until he got a handle on his drinking problem.

  He agreed.

  It took time. He eventually did overcome his demons, but by then it was too late.

  “Her name was Natasha. She was a student of mine from high school. She asked to take one of my private classes. I wish I’d never started them. I was teaching music at the local high school in the day but offering additional one-on-one lessons at our home a few evenings a week. Piano.”

  His thoughts went back to her. The conversations they had. Natasha opening up about her struggles at home and school. “The offenses of sexual abuse were supposed to have taken place over two years.”

  “When mom was around?”

  “Yes. I mean, for the most part, she was at the house but there were times when she stepped out to be with friends. That point was brought up. When I was arrested and heard the charges, I was blindsided. I didn’t want to believe it at first. Not this girl.” He shook his head.

  Even thinking about it put a bad taste in his mouth and a knot in his stomach. “I’d been teaching at the high school for almost ten years, and offering private lessons for close to four without fault, and then I get one person with an ulterior motive accusing me and it essentially made those years mean nothing. After that, the community shunned me and your mom.”

  “So that’s why she left you?”

  Ryan nodded. “And I get it. I don’t blame her one bit. Anyone in her position would have buckled under the strain. I know I did. It destroyed us emotionally. I ended up losing my job and then it just spiraled down from there.”

  “So how did your lawyer manage to
disprove it? As it seems it would have been her word against yours.”

  Ryan sighed. “From what I recall it was a matter of credibility, inconsistencies, and her version of the events. A point that was made clear was that Natasha had continued to come out and take lessons for almost two years in the time she claimed the assaults occurred.”

  “Yeah, that’s odd. I mean, no one would put themselves deliberately in that position when it was outside of school hours, right?”

  “Exactly. Anyway, my lawyer was able to prove I didn’t do it. The judge didn’t believe her.”

  “It might have been different today with the Me Too movement and cancel culture,” Josh said.

  “Maybe,” he said. “Look, I believe these things happen to people. I truly do. And I think every one of them should be taken seriously, however, in this case, I didn’t do it.”

  Josh nodded. “Did everyone not believe you?”

  “No. I had colleagues and lots of private students who vouched for me, but when these things happen, even the best of people will want to distance themselves from something like this. It doesn’t look good on them, right?”

  Josh glanced at him. “The articles didn’t say why she accused you.”

  “She never said why. They never found out.”

  “But you have an idea?”

  Ryan exhaled hard. “That’s a question I’ve chewed over and over.” He stared off into the distance as they sailed past one farm after another. “If I had to take a wild stab, I would say it was her home life. You know, students used to open up about what they were going through. I mean, somewhat. Some of them did. Not all had it good. She didn’t have a good home life. Her parents weren’t around much and when they were, they ignored her and basically treated her like a child. I think she resented that.”

  “Right.”

  Ryan noticed the way Josh replied but let it slide. “Who knows, maybe she did it to get her parents’ attention as believe me, she had their full attention after that. But again, I’m just speculating.”

  “And yet you were left to deal with the aftermath.”

  “Not just me. Your mom. Even you.”

  “I don’t remember much about those early years.”

  “That’s probably best.”

  “But I do remember a few things.”

  Ryan smiled. “Really?”

  “I mean, somewhat. It’s a little hazy but yeah, I think. I mean sometimes I question my memories.”

  “You and me both, kid.”

  As they journeyed on and night fell like a dark blanket over the land, Josh fell asleep. With only his thoughts to keep him occupied, and pondering the conversation he’d had earlier, Ryan thought back to that time, that last night before Elizabeth left the home.

  It had reached a boiling point.

  Nothing he said made her feel any better.

  They were at the table one evening, eating. Josh had been with his grandmother for the past week while he’d been dealing with lawyers. “I was at the store today,” Elizabeth said, picking at her salad.

  Ryan looked up at her and took a swig from a bottle of beer. Beer that he’d have on occasion but would eventually own him. “Yeah?”

  “I bumped into Helen Ethridge. You remember her?”

  “Somewhat.”

  “You know what she said?”

  He clenched his eyes tight, knowing where this was going. He knew because they’d had multiple conversations just like that over the past month. Each one was worse than the last. Each time, Elizabeth revealed her frustration, her embarrassment.

  “I think I can guess.”

  He chewed and looked at her, waiting for the CliffsNotes.

  “I can’t do this anymore, Ryan,” she said, setting her fork down.

  “Elizabeth. When the truth comes out, everything will go back to the way it was.”

  She scoffed. “No, it won’t. You don’t bounce back from this. It’s like a stain that you can’t remove. And it’s not just on you, it’s on me, it’s on Josh. You know how many parents don’t want him coming to their kids’ birthday parties because of this?”

  She got up and scraped food from her plate into the garbage. Elizabeth collected her glass of wine and leaned back against the kitchen counter. “I was reading about another case like this. It got dragged out for years, Ryan. Years. We’ve only been at this a month and it feels like a year. People look at me differently. They treat Josh differently. Like we’re covering up some dirty secret of yours.”

  He set his cutlery down. “I’m sorry. I get it.”

  “No, you don’t. I love you, Ryan. I believe you didn’t do it.”

  “Do you? Because I’m not feeling that support.”

  “What do you expect me to say?”

  “I don’t expect you to say anything. Just be there with me. Isn’t that why we married, to be there for each other?”

  His words hung out to dry.

  “This isn’t going away, Ryan, and it’s only getting worse. I’m thinking of heading to my parents' for a while. I have some vacation time that’s owed to me. It’s just to take a break from the town and…”

  “I understand.”

  He should have known then where it would lead. A few weeks turned into several months, and heated conversations on the phone only ended one way, with her in tears and him listening to a disconnected tone.

  Chapter Nineteen

  July 8

  It was two in the morning on the day following Ella’s death. The journey so far had been a series of stops and starts. What should have taken only a few hours was much longer. Blockades, detours and multiple attempts by those seeking their vehicle or to kill them had forced him to opt for a less direct route and weave all over rural Louisiana. With every passing hour, the fuel in the gas tank got lower and Ryan’s stress level increased.

  Lily remained asleep, only waking a few times to ask if they were there yet.

  Josh had bundled up his jacket and was using it as a pillow against the passenger window.

  In a landscape that had succumbed to a virus that spread rapidly, he imagined it was only a matter of time before their luck ran out.

  However, stopping was no longer a question but a must.

  They were somewhere west of Robert, Louisiana, just off Highway 190 when he veered off to the side of the road. The truck bumped over uneven ground that cut through a heavily wooded area that he believed took them into a farmer’s field.

  It didn’t.

  At the end of the long stretch was a two-story white clapboard farmhouse, and off to the right a huge red barn. There was a tractor nearby. No cars out front. The lights were off in the house.

  Most of the homes along that road were spread out a good distance from each other, which in his mind meant there was less chance of them running into anyone. As Ryan swerved around to head out, because he figured someone was home, the headlights of the truck lit up the front of the house. He noticed the front door was wide open.

  No one in their right mind would do that.

  He stopped, and let the truck idle as he stared at the home. He honked on his horn a few times. If anyone was sleeping, a light might come on or the owner might come out. There was no movement. Josh stirred, rubbing his eyes. “Where are we?”

  “Just outside the town of Robert.”

  Josh looked around. “I thought you said we weren’t stopping for a while.”

  “You’ve been asleep for two hours, Josh. We’re running on fumes and there is no gas left in the canisters.”

  Josh sat up in his seat and looked out. “Looks sketchy to me.”

  “Everywhere is like that. I’m going to take a look.”

  “Can’t we just find another place?”

  “They’ll all be the same.”

  “So we find a farmer’s field. It has to be safer than this.” He looked at Lily as she stirred.

  Rubbing her eyes she said, “Are we there yet?”

  “We’re somewhere,” Josh said, pushing out of t
he vehicle and expecting a large dog to come barreling out of the darkness. On one side of them was a large cornfield, on the other two sides, forest. The property was several acres. The house, modest in size.

  “Stay with Lily,” Ryan said.

  “Don’t you need someone to watch your back?”

  “I need you to watch her back, okay?”

  Ryan turned on the light attached to his handgun as he approached the house. The beam spread wide, making it easy to see so he wasn’t locked into tunnel vision. It was a Surefire XH35 with 1000 lumen, offering more than enough illumination.

  He eyed the ground, the railings up to the porch, and the door.

  There was no blood which was a good sign. The door didn’t look as if it had been kicked in. The wooden frame was still intact as were the windows. Still, that didn’t mean it wasn’t a trap. They’d seen a few homes along the way offering people sanctuary for the night. They didn’t stay. Anyone with a lick of sense knew that no one would offer that if they didn’t have some hidden agenda.

  Standing in the doorway, he peered into the darkness, shining the light over the hardwood floors. At the far end was a kitchen. He began thinking of the numerous things that could have led to the occupants abandoning their home, or worse — that could go wrong if they were still here. Using his fist, he banged on the door then listened. “Hello!?”

  No movement.

  No floorboards creaking.

  He eyed Josh one last time over his shoulder. He made a gesture to him to turn off the headlights. They blinked out, cloaking him in darkness. The last thing he wanted was to have anyone in the vicinity drawn up from the road to the house by the sight of bright headlights.

  Ryan slowly went into the home, calling out to the occupants.

  “Anyone here?”

  He could have stayed silent but he didn’t want to spook anyone.

  “If you can hear me. Make yourself known. We’re not here to harm anyone. Just need some gas, and a… place to… lay down for the night,” he said, trailing off. Immediately off to his right was a small living room, across from that a dining area. The décor looked modern. It was clean. Nothing was damaged. Certainly, if someone had broken in, they were the tidiest home invaders in Louisiana. He quickly swept through each room on the lower level before heading upstairs. He glanced at family photos on the walls. His heart hammered in his chest, expecting someone to get the jump on him, but if there was anyone there, they weren’t coming out.