“Don’t do this.” Tina said sternly. “You don’t know what they’ll do to you.”
Adela ignored her and headed down the aisle whilst embracing her little sister still. The rest of her supporters and followed in her wake.
“Stop! Please! All of you! You don’t know these kind of people like we do!” Tina continued to try and persuade them all.
“Give it up, T…” Erica folded her arms and shook her head, “She’s right. We can’t stop them. If they want to go on a suicide mission, let them.”
Tina became disheartened.
As the church began to clear, they noticed somebody sitting in corner of the farthest pew back on the right. Erica squinted to fixate on the figure. Then, she quickly realised who it was: Annabelle.
Gwen felt glued to where she stood.
“Help him!”
“Leave him!”
As her conscience fought, she wished that she had a third opinion to act as a tiebreaker.
And sure enough, her hand was then grabbed once again. Startled, she turned around, and was greeted by another familiar face.
“Come with me, buddy!” Her old friend Andy spoke calmly to her.
Then, the two of them ran away from the commotion. They went through the trees, past the bushes, and ran and ran and ran. Gwen began to smile as she fled, her feeling of freedom once again returning to her.
Gwen stood at the very edge of the cliff and gawked at the deep blue ocean ahead of her. Her lungs were refreshed by the salty sea air, and her soul was healed by the feeling of freedom.
“They’re both right.” Andy began. “Annabelle wants to do good, and Elliot wants to do certainty. You can’t blame them for having these conflicts.”
But this advice was of no reassurance whatsoever, as Gwen replied with, “It’s not that… It’s just, it’s all my fault. I fled from the group; I was elsewhere in Europe when they needed me most.”
Andy put his hand on her shoulder, prompting her to turn and face him.
“And you as well… You needed me, and I wasn’t there.” Her mouth jittered as a tear formed.
“Come on now, Gwen.” Andy smiled. “That was years ago now. Annabelle did it to protect you, and you forgave her; you want redemption, that is how you’ll find it.”
Gwen squinted as she wiped away her tear. “I don’t understand.”
Still, Andy smiled. “Annabelle and Elliot are a lot more alike than they realise. When she mercy-killed me, she performed an act of pragmatism; a trait of Elliot’s. When Elliot allowed Sonia to live, he performed an act of forgiveness; a trait of Annabelle’s. You see, they branch out into each other’s virtues, and that’s what brings them together.”
Gwen looked back to the forest she had run out from, now hoping that her children would catch her up.
“You’re special, Gwen. To everyone. But to no one more than those two. You’re the third and final piece to the puzzle. You’re the balance between them, and by being away for so long, you gave them a chance to realise that… They need you, Gwen, but for a time, they needed for you to not be around. But that time ended. You went back, you made peace with the past, and you saved their souls.”
Once again, Gwen looked back over to the forest, desperate for her children to join in on this tender moment.
“The reason why you can’t find redemption, Gwen, is because you already have it. You want to know where you’ll find it? You’ll find it in the past, and now, now that you’ve made peace with it, you can go back there.” Andy wiped the next tear away from Gwen’s cheek for her.
Gwen closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her mouth still jittering from emotion. Now, she knew what she had to do.
Tina watched Annabelle from the other end of the pew.
“You gonna be okay?” Erica whispered to her.
She nodded, “I’ll talk to her. You just make sure Adela and Oliver know what exactly they’re getting into.”
“Got it.” She smiled. “Oh, one more thing…” She quickly kissed her lips before hurrying out of the church again.
It took several seconds for Tina’s love-induced grin to fade away before she could move across the pew to console her friend.
“I’m fine.” Annabelle answered before the question could even be asked.
“No, you’re not.” Tina said carefully and caringly. “And that’s okay. You don’t have to be fine.”
“I do… They’re both going to need me.” Annabelle said boldly as she attempted to smile, but quickly frowned in solitude. “Taking care of Elliot for the past year has been… Challenging, to say the least. He’s my brother, my best friend, and I love him, but… He’s hard work.”
“Yeah, he’s a pain the arse sometimes.” Tina joshed, prompting them both to laugh.
“But that’s okay, because I know he will always love me a thousand times more than I could ever love him. That’s not because I love him less, it’s because his emotions are just far stronger than mine.” Annabelle explained. “And because of that, taking care of him every single day isn’t a chore, it’s a leisure… Whatever injury mum now has though, I’m going to have to take care of her as well.”
Tina looked away awkwardly, feeling more negative about Gwen.
“I need to be strong for both of them now. I can see for Elliot and run for mum. I won’t ever give up on either of them.” Annabelle nodded, reassuring herself.
“Erica and I will be more than happy to help; you guys are our family too. Ever since London.” Tina nudged her gently. “I mean that. We will always be here for you, for Gwen, for Elliot, whatever you need.”
Annabelle smiled and nodded thankfully. “They’ll be back soon…”
Gwen ran back to through the forest to the open space. Both of her children was still standing there, as though they had waited for her to return.
“Mum?” They both asked unanimously.
Gwen nodded and smiled. Then, she passed the two of them and straight over to the tree which Vincent was slumped up against.
“T-thank, t-thank you… For c-coming b-back.” He tried to smile at her, but the blood surging from his throat halted him.
“Don’t speak. Bite down on this.” She grabbed a stick from the ground and quickly wiped it with her jacket. Then, she put it up to his mouth.
Though confused, Vincent complied, and rested his teeth on the bark.
“You can’t be serious!” Elliot protested.
“Thank you, mum.” Annabelle gainsaid.
“This will only hurt for a second.” Gwen mumbled to Vincent. Then, she pulled out her knife, and gently slid it into his heart.
Immediately, Vincent winced, and the stick rolled out of his mouth. But he had bled out so much that the stab killed him almost instantaneously.
Elliot smiled sadistically.
Annabelle looked shocked.
Gwen swayed momentarily before quickly regaining her breath and standing up. There was an ominous look on her face.
But then, as she slowly turned around, this ominous look evolved into a smile.
“It was too late already.” Gwen informed them. “The damage was done. If I’d have left him, it could’ve taken hours for him to die. This way, his death was far less painful.”
Elliot and Annabelle stopped for a minute. Rather than rebutting and arguing, they too began to smile.
Gwen looked to Elliot first, “He can’t hurt Olivia again.” Then, she looked to Annabelle, “He’s not suffering. Nobody deserves to die painfully.”
Then, the three of them all rushed into a family hug.
“I love you two so very much.” Gwen told them as she embraced them tightly.
“We love you too.” Annabelle answered, looking up at her mother.
Then, an applause resonated out from the forest.
The three of them slipped out of the embrace and then all turned to face the direction of the noise; Andy walked towards them, also with a smile.
“You did it, Gwen.” He confirmed to her. “You found
it… You made peace with the past here. You satisfied both Elliot’s certainty as well as Annabelle’s humility.”
Elliot and Annabelle stepped back.
Andy stopped just in front of his friend. “You saved their souls, and now you saved your own as well.” He held out his hand to her, “It’s time to go, Gwen…”
On some level, she was already aware that this moment was coming. She took a deep breath, and then looked over at Elliot one last time, “Stay strong.”
“I will.” He bowed to his mother respectfully.
Then, Gwen turned to look at Annabelle one last time, “Stay Annie.”
Annabelle too bowed respectfully, but she did not say anything in affirmation.
Letting out a deep sigh, Gwen faced forwards to Andy, “Well then, I believe we have some catching up to do, don’t we?” She reached out her hand to meet with his, as the two of them looked into each other’s eyes.
“We do indeed, old friend.” Andy mumbled.
Then, Gwen slowly closed her eyes, but didn’t let her large grin drop for even one second.
Everything was quiet in the operating room. But then, suddenly:
“Andy!” Gwen awoke rather dramatically and cried out.
“Mum! Mum!” Elliot tried his best to keep her stable. “Calm down, mum. It’s me! It’s Elliot!”
Her breathing quickly regulated again. She rubbed her eyes and relaxed her neck. “But Andy said…”
“Um…” He didn’t know how to respond; had Gwen just had a dream? Or had she perhaps lost some of her memory?
The door swung open as Marianne rushed into the room. “What’s happening?” She asked before noticing that Gwen was awake and that she was reaching up to her stepson’s shoulder. “Oh my god!” She exclaimed in surprise. “Emile! Get in here! The woman’s awake!”
“I took Andy’s hand. He was taking me away… Am I alive?” Gwen was confused by the symbolism of her dream.
“Yes.” Elliot laughed, “You’re alive. You’re here.”
“W-what happened? Jaxon… Alek! Where’s Alek?” She remembered her final moments before they had passed out.
Elliot stuttered, “Is he still over there?” He addressed Marianne.
“Yes.” She affirmed. “He’s not awake yet. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting either of them to make it.”
Elliot overlooked this assumption.
Still, Gwen was in complete disbelief, “I’m alive…”
Chapter 5: Followers
The situation back at the town had turned completely chaotic.
“Just stop this!” Erica pursued Adela, who was still guiding her younger sister by her side.
“Get lost, Erica!” Adela yelled back without turning around.
The two continued to bicker as they went from one extreme of the town to the other.
“At least leave Tia here!” Erica tried to reason.
Adela scoffed at this suggestion, “And why would I do that when the whole point of this trip is to protect her?”
“You’re putting her in danger!” Erica clenched her fists. “They could be anyone, these people. They may kill you without a second thought. Has the experience with J.V. taught you nothing?”
“Oh, it taught me something alright.” Now, Adela stood her ground and spun around. “It taught me that this so-called ‘community’ you’re trying to build here is just an illusion of safety.”
Erica squinted, “What the hell are you even talking about?”
“You act like you care about people, but it’s all a façade.” She shook her head in disgust. “When J.V. came, you gave Annabelle up without a fight.”
She didn’t know how to respond, “I love that girl. I tried my best to find another way, but J.V. would’ve had us all killed if I did not comply. Can’t you understand that?”
“Oh, I see!” She laughed sarcastically, “You did it to ‘protect’ us, then?”
Erica was fearful of what point was trying to be made here, but nodded silently, nonetheless.
Then, Adela took a step into her personal space, and gritted her teeth. “Naiser would beg to differ. Klara would beg to differ. Andre would beg to differ.”
“Alright!” Erica looked away from her shamefully. “I get it, you think that it was all for nothing. But yesterday, we bit back, and took them all down.”
“At what cost?” She continued to berate her. “People died, Erica. This community is a complete lie. You threw Annabelle under the bus to save yourself. Who’s next, then? Would you give me up if…? No, wait, would you give Tia up if it came to it?” Adela was trying to expose Erica’s morality using her own twelve-year-old sister.
Erica looked into her eyes sternly but said nothing.
“And that is why we’re leaving.” Adela pointed her bony finger at Erica’s eyes. “Soldiers have honour. Something which you clearly lack. They may actually try to protect us if anything goes wrong.”
“…You’re not taking her.” Erica warned her calmly. “She’s a child.”
Adela matched Erica’s face with an equally aggressive expression. “Tia,” she mumbled to her sister without breaking from Erica’s glare, “Go and catch up with Oliver. See if he needs help. Now.”
Tia nodded and ran along.
“Tell me what to do with my sister one more time… I dare you.” Adela shoved her.
Erica maintained her calm. “I’ve seen it before.”
“Oh really?” She shoved Erica a second time. “What did you see then? Come on! I’m itching to hear it!”
“…She’s not going with you. That’s final.” She was holding back tears now.
“Go on then! Again! Say it again!” Adela shoved her a third time, this one being far more forceful.
“I’ve dealt with a corrupt militia before… They had children in their ranks doing their dirty work.” She referred to the incident in France at the airfield from many years ago in the apocalypse. “Well, a child.” It killed her to remember how when she first met Zach, he was a little boy being trained into evil by a corrupt rising power.
“And what happened to that child then, hey? What happened to them?” Adela kept on pushing her luck. “Did that militia take care of him? Was he living?”
Erica shook her head and turned her nose up at Adela. “Cut this shit out, right now.”
“That’s your final warning.” Adela mumbled, and then swung at her with a fist.
Erica stumbled backwards but was able to stay standing. She felt the impact on her cheek with her hand and then finally unleashed the anger harboured within.
“Come on!” Adela swung at her second time.
Before the punch landed however, Erica tackled her onto the ground. “Fuck you!” She raised her fists and then repeatedly battered Adela’s face.
“Get off!” She tried to push Erica off of her, but the wrath of a mother with nothing to lose was undefeatable.
“I lost Zach… I lost Cora… I will not stand back and watch as another child is--”
Oliver pulled Erica off of her. “Leave her alone!”
“You’re not taking her!” Erica attempted reaching for her knife, but Oliver twisted her arm before she could do so.
“Stop it!” Tia burst into tears. “Sis! Do something!” She begged Adela, who merely stood there, watching as Erica struggled in Oliver’s grip. “Ade! Please!”
Adela spat blood out of her mouth and onto the floor. She looked back up at Erica angrily, “Ironic… You say the army are the bad ones but look at everything you alone have done in the past minute.”
Erica continued to resist, wincing at the pain of her twisted arm.
“Whatever happened to your kids, or your siblings, whoever it was… It doesn’t automatically give you rights over my kin.” She marched towards her. “Do you understand? This is happening, and you’re not stopping it.”
But Erica refused to concede, “No…” She threw her head back at Oliver, causing his nose to break.
“Agh!” He cried out in pai
n. Catching him off guard, Erica shook his arms off of her. Then, she ran at Adela.
Panicked, Adela ran back at her, causing them both to stumble and roll towards the brick wall between them and the river.
“Adela! Adela!” Tia continued to cry as she watched helplessly.
Erica scrambled to her feet before Adela. Instantly, she tackled her against the short wall.
“For the last time! Tia stays here.” Erica reiterated, pinning Adela down with her arm.
“C-crazy bi-itch.” Adela remarked and spat in her face.
Now, Erica was in complete overdrive. She reached down for her knife with her twisted arm, but such a quick movement caused her to wince in pain.
Feeling as though there were no other choice, Adela lifted her legs up, causing them both to teeter on the wall.
“Sis! No!” Tia reached out, as Erica and Adela both tumbled over the wall and down into the river beneath.
Both ladies popped back up above the water, gasping for air.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Erica raged at Adela.
“Me?” Adela retorted, “You were the one who threw us over the wall!”
Rather than feeding into this blame game, Erica simply swam back to the wall and hoisted herself up over it. She held her hand out to assist Adela back up as well.
But Adela merely laughed, “No thanks.” She used her own strength to tumble back over the ledge.
For several moments, there was quiet. Erica and Adela both manged to regulate their breathing again.
…But the peace did not last for long.
From across the horizon, there was a deep, booming whirring sound echoing out.
“What’s that?” Tia asked, her eyebrows dipped in curiosity.
Gradually, all of the residents came crawling out of the buildings they were in, as their attention was directed towards the sun.
“Look!” A woman called out, covering her eyes with one hand, and pointing outwards with the other.
Erica turned around to see what everyone was looking at, “…I don’t believe it.” She was completely awestruck by what she was witnessing.
Human Nature (Book 4): Human Nature IV Page 4