In Real Life

by Elisabeth Warner

  Nelle sighs with a glimmer of wonder in her eyes. “I’ve never been there myself, but the Bible describes it as a place with no crying or pain. That’s when our slate is really wiped clean, and everything we’ve ever done can be forgiven.”

  “I’ like a life without crying or pain,” I say. “Maybe this isn’t going to be so bad.”

  “Oh, Lin. I’ve heard that it’s beautiful. Think about it. In the Bible, Jesus is called the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Don’t you think He’d have a palace, with streets made of gold and jewels?”

  “Ooh, that sounds beautiful.”

  “It is, Lin. You’re going to love it.” Nelle tears up. “I’m just going to miss you.”

  I take her hand. “I’m going to miss you too.”

  As we sit in the silence, I wish there was another way to go through with this. Why did Don lead me back to the Community just to die? And how does it affect the plan that God has for me?

  The purpose I felt I had for the Community is to serve people, especially in the medical profession. How am I serving people by having my friends killed and getting myself killed?

  My feet are like lead as I follow Nelle into the kitchen. A crowd has formed outside my cabin, with Spark at the center of the circle. Nelle, Tee, and I share a light breakfast of granola bars and green tea before it’s time to go outside.

  “Isn’t there anything we can do?” June asks. “You didn’t make it this far just to die on a freakin’ pole.”

  “Especially if we have to play a part in it,” Tee says.

  “Wait, I thought you weren’t going to throw a stone at her,” Nelle replies.

  “Do we have a choice? I’m not ready to die and leave my baby here alone.”

  “But if we all stand up against him, maybe he’ll change his mind,” June offers.

  My mind is mush as I listen to them talk about me like I’m not in the room. They’re talking about my fate, and whether my life is as important as theirs. Of course, if I was in their position, I wouldn’t know what to do either. I wouldn’t die for any one of them, but I would try my best to keep them alive.

  As we leave the cabin, murmurs of confusion tickle the air as Spark stands proudly in front of the crowd. “Good morning to my wonderful Community. You might be wondering why I asked you all here this morning. Well, it’s because we have some accountability to take care of. Lin has broken several rules in the Community, and we must deal with her accordingly.”

  The crowd meets me with angry stares, and my throat grows incredibly dry. I wish I’d had a cup of tea before my last day on this Earth. Then again, if I’m going to be at a palace, I’ll probably have my thirst quenched soon enough.

  Spark clears his throat. “Murder technically isn’t against the rule, but Lin has broken all the other rules. She missed several meals. She spent extensive time alone with Ace, a member of the opposite sex. And worst of all, she left the Community and brought back a dog.”

  As murmurs wave through the group, I’m thankful that there’s no heavy food in my stomach, or I wouldn’t be able to hold onto it.

  Nelle grabs my hand and squeezes it, which only tightens the knot in my abdomen.

  “So, we as a Community will have our first cleansing ceremony. Each of you takes turns throwing stones at her until she dies. It may last several hours while the fugitive dies a slow and painful death. From what I know about the medical implications of death by stoning, it’s not a pretty sight.”

  He walks up to me and smiles. “Lin, do you have anything you’d like to say to defend yourself?”

  I smile back and swallow the spasm in my throat. “I just want to explain myself before you all take turns throwing stones at me. I saved Tee’s son from him as he had a scalpel over his newborn head. Before I pushed the kill switch on Susan, Spark held a gun to my head, and Susan asked me to kill her to protect me. I left the Community because I didn’t want to die, and I came back because…” Can I talk about my hacker now? “I didn’t know where I was.” I bite my lip. “And I’d like to remind you all of the work I did at the clinic. If I meant any of you harm, you would’ve known it by now.”

  Spark raises his eyebrows and grins smugly. “Well, thank you for those kind words, Lin. We’ll let the people decide whether you live or die at the pole.”

  As we walk to the brook, Nelle grabs my hand. “We’re with you forever,” she says with tears in her eyes. “To the very end.”

  I clear my throat and look at my friends. “Ladies, before I go, I want to thank you for all that you’ve done for me. I didn’t know I needed friends like you until I came here. You’ve shown me truly how to live, and for that I’m incredibly thankful.”

  June wipes her eyes and wraps her arms around me. “You’re one of the most caring people I’ve ever known.”

  “You’ve been such a great friend to me and my son,” Tee says.

  “You’ve been a great friend to all of us,” Nelle agrees. “I don’t know how we’re going to move on without you.”

  “Well, let’s pray that you won’t have to go on without me.”

  The walk to the lake is slow as we take each step with caution. Each step brings me closer to death. Every second is on the clock, and I’m a few ticks away from breathing my last breath.

  The rest of the clan is waiting for us at the lake. Before I can process the situation, Blair and Kev grab my flailing arms and legs and tie the limbs together. Once they mount me to a pole, Kev wraps another piece of rope around my mouth, so I can’t speak.

  I bite on the rope with all the strength I have in my jaw, releasing all the fear. My eyes dart around at the people I once called my friends, all of whom are now ready to kill me with the stones at their feet.

  I refuse to look at Tee, Nelle, and June. I know they all said that they’d stand up for me, but at some point, they must conform to the Community. I can’t hold that against them. But knowing what they just told me a few minutes ago, about how good of a friend I was to them, makes it much harder to believe that they’d throw stones at me.

  Spark clears his throat and begins to pace back and forth, staring up at me each time he passes me. I want to kick him every time he’s within reach, but my feet are tightly gripped to the pole.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, you are here to help cleanse the Community of a sad excuse for a human. Lin has done extensive damage to our people, and we must make her pay for it.”

  Several people cheer him, and I’m thankful when I don’t hear my friends agreeing with him.

  “Now, to be fair, we always provide a way for the fugitive to experience a taste of grace.” Grace. Getting what I don’t deserve. “We will hold a vote to determine who wants to keep her alive. If the vote is unanimous, we don’t have to kill her, but if even one person votes against her, she will be stoned immediately.”

  I have a chance to live. My heart pounds wildly in my chest. But will everyone vote for me to stay alive?

  Nelle steps up first. “I believe we should keep her alive. She’s a good friend, and she helped all of us at the clinic at some point. My vote is for her to live.”

  Thank you, Nelle.

  Tee is next. “I also vote that Lin should live. When I had Ben, she stayed by my side until the delivery was over. She’s also helped me keep him safe and healthy as he’s grown.”

  She pokes his little belly and says, “What do you think, Ben? Should we keep her alive?”

  Ben clicks his tongue and coos.

  Tee gasps. “Oh, my goodness! I was not expecting that.”

  Her statement brings tears to my eyes. He agrees that I should live.

  June raises her hand. “I also vote that we should let Lin live. In my old life, I was irrelevant, and Lin was the first friend that I truly had. I opened up to her and felt comfortable sharing my life with her.”

  I nod as best as I could with the rope in my mouth, wishing I could tell June that I feel the same way about her.

  The couple that talked about me judgmentally when I f
irst arrived are the next to speak. “We vote to keep her alive, too. She was so sweet to us at the clinic when we had the flu. You should know what a good worker she is, Spark. After all, she was under your care.”

  “Duly noted,” Spark says flatly. “Anyone else?”

  Blair clears her throat as mine fills with acid. “Lin deserves to live. I’ve never seen her do anything wrong.”

  I smile as wide as I can, Spark’s ears turning bright red. “Kev?”

  My heart pounds as I await his answer. If he says yes, he could keep me alive.

  “Yes, I also believe she should live. Sure, we might have had our suspicions of one another, but she turned out to be nice. Plus, I think she’s kinda cute.”

  As he smiles flirtatiously at me, I look away, trying not to gag.

  “So, that’s it,” Nelle says. “It’s a unanimous vote. We can take her off the pole.” I breathe a sigh of relief and make eye contact with everyone in the Community, thankful for believing in me.

  Nelle approaches me, but Spark holds out his hand. “Not so fast. I still have to vote.” He brings his finger to his chin and smiles slyly. “I think she should die. There. We don’t have a unanimous vote. It’s time to throw stones at her now.”

  Chapter Sixty-Five

  My stomach is in knots. Can he do that?

  “Here’s how this is going to work,” Spark says amid the groans of the Community members. “Each one of you will take turns throwing one stone at her at a time. If we manage to kill her in the first round, we don’t have to throw any more stones. Got it?”

  No one answers him.

  “I said, got it?”

  “Spark, there has to be another way,” June groans. “We all agree that she should live. Why do you want her dead so badly?”

  “Yeah, why do you get the final say?” Kev agrees.

  Spark smirks slyly again. “Oh, you don’t agree with my leadership? You must forget that I have authority around here. Let this be a reminder to you.”

  With one motion, he pulls a gun out of his pocket and points it into the air, pulling the trigger. The ripple of a gunshot flying into the sky sends violent chills down my spine, as shrieks of horror emerge from the crowds.

  “Now, ask me again why you shouldn’t listen to me, and you’ll end up in the brook.”

  Hope does not disappoint. Hope does not disappoint. It’s the only thing I can recite that can calm my racing heart. Even minutes from death, God has a plan. I just don’t see it yet, but maybe after I’m dead, my friends will realize His plans for their lives.

  Spark waves the gun around again. If one of you doesn’t agree to throw the first stone, I’ll start picking people.”

  Without hesitation, Blair speaks up. “I’ll do it.”

  I roll my eyes. Of course. Spark’s little pet.

  “Oh, good. Thank you, Blair, for volunteering to go first.”

  She closes her eyes, and I smile through my rope. I see what she’s doing. Her arm swings toward me, but because she can’t see me, the stone flies past me and into the water. “Oh, sorry about that! I couldn’t—”

  Before she explains herself, Spark points the gun at her leg and pulls the trigger. In less than a second, she’s on the ground with a bullet in her shin.

  Spark points his gun in a line again. “If anyone wants to try any funny business, now’s your chance, but keep in mind that you will suffer the same consequences as your friend here.”

  My arms tremble as I watch Blair writhe in pain, putting pressure on her leg with her hand to stop the bleeding. The others don’t want to make a move for fear of getting shot themselves.

  “Now, let me ask you again. Who would like to go first?” Spark’s eyes have fire in them as he grimaces at the Community members, my friends, his minions.

  Finally, the woman who’s part of the couple steps forward. “I’ll do it.”

  My mouth grows dry. Yes, she will do it. She has no personal connection to me. I may have been there when she had the flu, but I didn’t take care of her. Blair did.

  “Thank you, Bria. By all means, take your shot.”

  Without missing an opportunity, she winds herself up for the pitch and throws the stone straight into my stomach, like a literal punch to the gut. That was only the first rock, and I’m already in excruciating pain. How many of these will cause me to lose consciousness?

  The husband steps up and throws his stone in the same spot where his wife did before Spark even has to ask him. The pain is so unbearable, I want to grab my stomach, but my hands are tied.

  In Heaven, there’s no more pain. That’s my focus now. In a few moments, I won’t feel any more pain. I’ll be free. I’ll be with Dad, and even with God Himself. Knowing that I’ll be among familiar faces puts my mind at ease.

  My eyes close as the next few stones hit me in the abdomen, leg, and chest. I know my friends will be hitting me soon, and I can’t bear to look at them. I can’t judge them. They’re trying to keep themselves alive. I pray that they can stop him after this is all over.

  Suddenly, the stones stop flying toward me. I open my eyes and scan my surroundings, wondering why I don’t feel pain. Am I in Heaven yet?

  No, but everyone is staring up at the sky. I try to tilt my head up, but the rope tied around my mouth prevents my head from moving.

  Spark points his gun at the sky. As his attention is focused upward, Nelle and June ram into him, throwing him into the lake. Even though I can’t see behind me, they don’t come back, so I assume that he brought them with him.

  God, please protect them.

  The three of them splash into the brook with a sploosh. Thankfully, my friends know how to swim.

  Kev walks toward me and removes the ties on my arms and legs with a pocketknife. “What’s going on?” I ask him, but it sounds muffled with the rope around my mouth.

  “Hold on. Let me get that for you.” He slides the pocketknife upward and sets me free, and as I tilt my neck toward the sky, I feel a breeze sweeping along my neck. My bun is on the ground, and all that’s left of my hair is a short stub.

  “What did you do?” I ask, running my fingers through my hair and straightening it into a bob.

  “I just saved your life.” He says defensively. “Sorry about your hair.”

  “Well, thank you.”

  Tee comes up behind me and wraps her arms around me. “Lin, this is great. We’re going to get you out of here.”

  I choke up as Ben extends his arms for me to hold him. “What happened to Nelle and June?”

  She shrugs. “They got uncomfortable. Just like God wanted them to.”

  I smile. Hope didn’t disappoint me. It sprung my friends into action, letting them take part in the new adventure that the Community is about to face.

  “What is everyone looking at?” I ask sweetly to Ben, my new buddy that helped save my life. When I crane my neck at the sky, I notice a helicopter coming into view. “Who is that?”

  Tee shakes her head. “I don’t know.”

  “What if it’s the Liberty party?” I wave my free hand. “Everyone, get to safety. There’s an underground garden where you can hide. Just lift the bed in my cabin and open the door down the stairs. You should be safe there.”

  I pass Ben back to his mother. “You need to get him out of here,” I say.

  “I don’t want to leave you.” She wraps her arms around me. “I didn’t throw a stone at you. I couldn’t do it.”

  “Thank you, Tee. I wouldn’t hold it against you if you had done it.”

  The helicopter hovers over us, the wind whipping what little hair I have left. “Tee, you need to go. I’ll be fine.”

  I wait until everyone else is out of sight. Nelle and June still haven’t come up from the lake. Are they all right?

  Before I can jump in after them, the helicopter lands in front of me. My eyes widen in shock as the door opens and Sage lowers the sunglasses away from her eyes.

  “Get in.”

  ;

  Elisabeth Warner, In Real Life