Fate and Destiny

by Claire Collins

  “You said no more dark holes.” Her voice a shaky whisper, she didn’t move.

  “I know. I’m sorry. But this is the only way out. It will only be a couple of minutes and I will be with you the whole time.” He ran his fingers over the tendril of hair hanging in her face, brushing it back. Finally, she swung her legs around and slid into the hole with him, quickly dropping to the earth.

  In the dark, crawling across the hard ground, Andrew prayed no snakes used this area for their winter hibernation. The door should only be a few feet in front of him. His hands played along the floor over his head every few inches, finally closing on the leather strap used to pull the door open. He was dismayed to find the strap and the door over his head warm. Sitting up so his feet were flat on the ground, he squatted, knees bent, hands on the door over his head. Using his back and legs, he pushed against the door with all of his strength. And almost launched himself right out of the crawl space as the door easily flew open, slamming quietly into the rapidly melting pile of snow. Embers and ash drifted over them as the wall above the door burned.

  Andrew stood, quickly emerging and reaching back to pull Destiny free from the tomb under the cabin. The heat from the wall singed the air. Most of the back of the cabin scorched, pockets of flame still lingering in places as the fire raced along the top edge, the heat competing with the ice and snow. The structure was weakening fast. The tortured logs popped and cracked as the weight of the roof leaned into the wall. Andrew urged the numb form of Destiny to the trees directly behind the cabin.

  Safely in the confines of the forest, hidden from view in case Charles decided to inspect his arson handiwork, Andrew placed his hands on Destiny’s shoulders, pushing her down to sit on a tree stump.

  “Listen to me, Destiny. Stay here. If you hear anything, shoot first and ask questions later. I’ll whistle like when I’m calling Shadow if it’s me. Otherwise, shoot.”

  She didn’t move, but she heard him. He kissed her lips and she kissed him back, but the blank look didn’t leave her. Charles’ voice echoed through the trees here like a strange wood creature singing, but Andrew could not make out the words. Regretfully, he left her sitting there, rifle across her lap, staring into the trees in front of her, the wind blowing the hair around her face.

  Skirting the edge of the trees, carefully hidden from view even when the moon filtered through the clouds rolling across the night sky, Andrew made his way around the clearing where the cabin burned, the gun weighing heavily in his hand. He didn’t want to stumble across Charles unexpectedly and give the lunatic the upper hand. The back of the cabin now completely engulfed, fire found its way along the side of the kitchen, seeking nourishment to feed its ravenous appetite. Except for the smoke rising to meet the clouds, the front of the cabin appeared unscathed. Andrew noted the broken window where Destiny sat on guard only a few minutes earlier.

  As Andrew made his way through the trees, Charles’ voice became louder, leading Andrew directly to him. Blocking out the foul language as Charles became frustrated no one had visibly abandoned the building, Andrew concentrated on listening for the direction of the noise. He was close, but as Andrew was ready to set the sights of the gun squarely on Charles’ forehead, the perverse warbling stopped. Peering around a thick tree trunk, expecting to see the man watching the cabin, Andrew froze, gun raised. Charles was not there.

  A twig snapped to Andrew’s left. Too late, he spun around, gun raised too low as he came face to face with Charles. The assailant’s gun pointed directly between Andrew’s eyes. Heart stopping, eyes closing, Andrew waited for the gunshot that would be the last thing he heard in this lifetime. Thoughts of Destiny flowed through his mind first, quickly followed by his family and friends, Shadow, his father. The love of so many people. He would die knowing they would all mourn him. He had regrets, but he would do it all again for Destiny.

  A lifetime passed by in a few seconds and Andrew cautiously opened his eyes. The gun pointed at him shook uncontrollably in the hand of the madman staring at Andrew with fear. Close up, even in the dark, Charles had the look of a man under the influence of too many mood-changing chemicals. The dark rings set deep in the shallow pale face around the wild eyes spoke of someone who hadn’t slept in days. His breath reeked. His skin hung loose across the bone structure. But the eyes were the worst, less than human. An animalistic quality controlled the man in front of Andrew.

  “You’re dead. I killed you.” The words contained a reverent hush as Charles stared at Andrew. “I’m so sorry, Dad. It was an accident.”

  Charles dissolved into hysterical crying, the gun in his hand not dropping, but waving wildly in Andrew’s face.

  “It’s all that girl’s fault. Why didn’t you love me as much as you loved her? It was my birthright to have everything! I was your son. I deserved it!”

  Anger quickly replaced the sadness. The gun steadied, rage rolled over Charles.

  Startled, Andrew flinched as the walls of the cabin out of his line of vision gave way, the roof crashing to the ground. He could not see it, afraid to take his eyes from Charles and break the spell, reminding Charles of who he really was.

  Glee transformed Charles yet again into a large, dangerous child.

  “Ah! Did you see that dad? I killed that bitch and her lover too! I burned them up in there. They didn’t get out! Isn’t that great? Now we can go back home and put all of this behind us. With her out of the way, I won’t have to share you with anyone. I think I will have to lock you up in the basement of my house though. I have everything now and you can’t take it back. You’re alive, but no one else needs to know. This is so perfect! So much better than I ever planned! The bitch is dead! Lenny and Doug will take the blame for your death and you aren’t dead!”

  The hysterical laughter suddenly stopped as Charles studied Andrew, the only thing between them the gun held firmly in Charles’ white knuckled death grip.

  “Wait. Dad, you look different. Did you cut your hair or something?”

  Andrew stiffened. Lucidity was returning to Charles. At any time, he could snap back to reality. He had to do something and fast.

  “Of course not Charles. I am the same as I have always been. I think we need to have a talk. I love you. I always have. You are my only son. No one could replace you. I’ll go home with you and no one will ever know I’m there. You can have all of the money. It’s just what you wanted.”

  Andrew spoke softly, matching his tone to the voice of his own father. The similarities to the sounds emerging from his mouth and the memories of his father caused a chill to race down his spine. Relief visibly swept over Charles as he delved deeper into the fantasy created in his mind.

  “Oh Dad, that’s all I wanted to hear.”

  The gun dropped, and Andrew found himself wrapped tightly in the embrace of a crazy man before he could pull his own gun up and put Charles out of his misery.

  Trying to wriggle the gun into the right angle to fire and remove himself before Charles had a chance to fire back, Andrew moved slowly, not wanting to startle the insane man.

  A whistle split the air. A perfect imitation of Andrew’s whistle for Shadow. At that very moment, a gunshot fired from close range deafened him. Closing his eyes, bracing, Andrew didn’t feel any pain, or life ebbing away. The only thing he felt was the bony body of the drug addict lurching away from him. The arms embracing him suddenly relaxing their hold, freeing him as Charles flew to the side, landing in a heap. Red immediately staining the trampled white snow from the hole in Charles’ temple.

  Unable to take his eyes from the lifeless body, Andrew was almost comatose, shaken by the events of the last few seconds. Sirens echoed through the trees surrounding him. The fire crackled and popped behind him. From his left, a whistle. Same as before, only much softer, gentler. His eyes drifted that direction, entranced as the army of sirens grew louder. Snow. Rocks. Trees. A figure standing two feet from him. Long warm brown hair, green eyes, a rifle held confidently, the barrel pointed harmlessly t
o the sky.

  Epilogue

  Sunday, February 23

  “They’re here!”

  A chorus of excited, screaming children bounced through Betsy Miller’s kitchen.

  “Okay, okay, okay! I’m coming! Let’s go greet them.”

  Most of the town converged on Betsy’s house to share in the excitement. A parade of Betsy’s family members and friends streamed out of the house, forming a mob around the Jeep parked in the driveway.

  “Let them get out of the car. Billy! Back up! Let her open the door. Grandma coming through. Out of the way.”

  Sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, cousins and grandchildren stepped aside for the matriarch of the family to make her way through the crowd to be the first at the passenger side door. A tall, lovely woman stepped out. A bandage on her head. Various cuts and bruises marking her face but healing nicely. She was beautiful in Betsy’s eyes. She wrapped her arms around the younger woman. Her own daughter waited at the driver’s door to embrace the son she almost lost to a madman.

  “Destiny. Welcome to the family, honey. I’m so glad you’re here. Andrew already passed around the news that you accepted his proposal. A spring wedding at the lake will be wonderful.”

  Wrapped snugly in the older woman’s arms, Destiny could not speak. A family. An enormous, wonderful, warm, loving family, all of them accepting her as if she had been born to them.

  The embrace broke as Destiny was bumped from behind when Shadow made his exit from the car. He looked like a pirate dog with the bandana-like bandage draped roguishly over the corner of his head. The bullet wound was deep but had not penetrated his thick skull. Stitches reattached the ear although it would flop slightly askew for the rest of his life.

  Emerging from the Jeep after the dog, Doug turned beet red as Betsy embraced him just as thoroughly as she embraced Destiny.

  “Young man, you are so brave for everything you did. Matt and Doreen told me all about it.”

  Although embarrassed by the show of emotion, Doug stood tall and proud, grinning at Destiny over Betsy’s head. Stepping back and looking up so she could see Doug, she brought her small hand up to pat his cheek.

  “And don’t you worry son, we will all be here to help you when you testify against Lenny for all of those charges they brought against him. Helping in the kidnapping was bad enough, but what he did to those poor girls was awful.”

  She leaned in like she planned to whisper although she had to speak loudly to be heard over the noise of the well-wishers.

  “Prostitution and drugs are awful things. That poor girl with the baby. They’re going to charge him with murdering her? Really?”

  Doug nodded confidently.

  “Yes Ma’am. I told Matt everything I knew and he said the cops would check into what I said. Matt told me that the Vegas cops figured out that Lenny and Charles killed her to keep her quiet about what they were doing.”

  Doug grinned as Nancy found her way through the crowd to stand next to him, her arm slipping around his waist. Betsy smiled at the joy shining from both of them.

  “Mom. I’m fine. I’ve told you over and over. Matt’s told you. The doctor told you. I’m really fine. No. I’m better than fine. I’m absolutely wonderful.”

  Destiny turned to see Andrew watching her over his mother’s head as she hugged him yet again. His arm around her shoulder, Andrew walked his mother around the car so she could pour her love over Destiny again. After that round of hugging, Matt took his turn embracing Destiny, Doreen quickly following suit, chattering the whole time. Destiny lost count and track of who hugged her. Andrew kept one arm on her the entire time until his grandmother finally called everyone off, steering them all to the house for dinner.

  The talk around the table retold the story repeatedly. Matt raced to save Andrew and Destiny, only to discover Charles already dead when he got there. Doreen and Doug sitting in the Bronco, watching as a flurry of police activity surrounded the scene. All charges against Destiny were dropped once the Vegas authorities received Sammy’s acquired information and became aware of Charles showing up on Millers Mountain. Listening to the story being told again, Andrew and Destiny drifted into their own little world. Andrew leaned over to speak in her ear so she could hear him over the din of the people filling the house.

  “I hope you like California.”

  Giggling, she talked into his ear.

  “It will do for now, but I want to live here. In the cabin.”

  Andrew was surprised. He hadn’t thought of living in the cabin as a home. He put his lips back to her ear.“It’s too small. We would be crawling all over each other all the time. You would get tired of me. We could live in Vegas. You are responsible for a casino now. You don’t want to be there?”

  She shook her head.

  “Nope. Here is where we both belong. There is nothing for me in Vegas. Management runs the casino very well. I trust them. Besides. I’m wealthy now. We can live anywhere we want to. You don’t have to go to work. You can do something else that would make your grandfather proud. Although I’m positive he would be proud of you no matter what you did.”

  Confused, Andrew drew her ear again.

  “What else can I do? Following in my grandfathers footsteps is the only thing I have ever done.”

  Destiny graced him with a brilliant smile. Her eyes shining, matching the love that welled within him also.

  “We will live here and build onto the cabin. Make it bigger and fill it with children who will continue the legacy of all of your family. There is nothing more important in this world than that.”

  Andrew kissed her, drawing cheers from the house full of people. Sitting back in her chair, Andrew’s arm securely around her shoulders, Destiny listened to the endless noise of the large family and smiled. All of the tragedies in her life had led her to this time and place. Finally, after so much heartbreak, fate smiled upon her, revealing her destiny.

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