by Coralee June
As if on cue, loud music and cheering filled the gardens, and people crowded towards the entrance to catch a glimpse of Cavil’s arrival. The scene before us was like a bucket of ice on my arousal, and it seemed to make Kemper turn serious as well.
“Well, I guess it’s time,” I said.
“I guess so,” they both replied.
With Huxley leading, we elbowed our way through the crowd towards Cavil and his entourage.
Despite the ridiculous heels Dominique paired with my long, black dress, I still couldn’t see over everyone’s head. The cheers were loud and all consuming, but I distinctly heard Huxley’s gasp as the crowds went silent.
“What’s happening?” I asked before booing erupted.
“How did he even…” Kemper trailed off.
I shook both of their arms, forcing them out of their confused stares until they were looking at me.
“Cavil has Linda Stonewell and Emperor Lackley with him,” Hux finally explained before tapping on his watch.
We looked up just as Cavil, Linda and Lackley went on stage. It wasn’t until then that I realized what truly was going on. There, in a black dress and messy hair, was Linda Stonewell. Her mouth was in a grim line but still covered in her signature plum lipstick. It was too far away to see, but I guessed that her hands were shaking. Lackley was tied up with metal cuffs and looked worse than the last time I saw him. His long, white hair was ratty and full of dirt. His face had various bruises and cuts, and he was hunched over, as if compensating for pain.
A man wearing a black hood and holding an electric sword joined them on stage, and the crowd went silent once again. Everyone seemed to lean forward, as if straining to hear what Cavil would say.
“Hello people of Ethros!” he roared proudly. A man carrying a microphone handed it to Cavil before scurrying off stage.
“I left here with a purpose. I left intending to find the scientist that created X and bring them to justice! But sometimes destiny draws us in different directions.” The crowd cheered and hands were thrown up in the air, as if worshipping him. Cavil was working the crowd, and I was appalled by how easily his people were influenced.
“For years, Lackley has monopolized the vaccine while hiding in his ivory tower. And now, today, I will make him suffer.”
I watched as a silent tear fell down Linda’s face. She looked so vulnerable beneath the bright lights on Cavil’s stage.
“Linda Stonewell was gracious enough to share his location in exchange for her son’s life! And I, your gracious leader, agreed to her arrangement.” Cavil swiftly kicked Lackley in the gut and everyone roared with laughter as he fell forward. The hooded man then pulled Lackley by the hair, forcing him to stand tall again.
People around us were shoved to the side as two guards guided Josiah up to the stage. When they passed us, Josiah’s face brightened at the sight of me, and I felt his fingers brush along my thigh as the guards pushed by. When they got him on stage, Linda immediately rushed to hug him, and I watched as he returned her affection with gentle distance while scanning the crowd for me. They both moved to the side as Lackley continued.
“Oh! How the mighty have fallen!” Cavil screamed. “I’m sure there is no use listing the crimes against Emperor Lackley, for we have all been victims of his for far too long. We are all indebted to the Black family for outing his crimes and to the Stonewell family for letting us know his location.” Cavil grabbed Linda’s hand and she went stiff, her posture so tight that she seemed two inches taller. “In accordance with our laws, Emperor Lackley is allowed one final request.”
The crowd hissed and began shouting. However, Cavil raised his right palm up calmly, as if a benevolent martyr cursed by circumstance. “The law is the law,” he said.
The man next to me smelled like alcohol and fumbled closer, but Huxley shoved him back.
“Is my favorite little Walker here? Ashleigh?” Cavil asked and soon, everyone turned around, searching for the person Cavil called out for—me.
A guard waltzed up to us, and I felt Huxley’s hand grip me tighter. The crowd began pushing and shoving. Two men pulled at Huxley, and when I looked for Kemper, I saw that he was nowhere in sight. Did he disappear? Webb grabbed my arm and pulled me away from Huxley just as Blan punched Huxley in the face. I let out a scream, trying to pull away, but Huxley had already begun swinging back.
“Please stop, I don’t want blood to get everywhere.” Cavil’s voice boomed into the microphone as the crowd laughed.
Soon, I was set on top of the stage for everyone to see. Josiah walked forward to greet me, but Linda grasped his arm, holding him firmly by her side.
Cavil addressed the crowd again. “When Lackley told me his last request, I couldn’t believe that we both had experienced trouble at the hands of the same Walker.” I looked to Lackley, who despite being on the executioner's block, seemed oddly pleased. Again, Josiah tried to walk towards me but didn’t get far without Linda whispering frantically in his ear.
“He wants to kill the Walker that ruined his life, and I’m not one to turn down a dying man’s last wish,” Cavil said, the crowd sharing in his laughter. I could feel the blood lust rolling off of the energetic crowd in waves, slapping me against the cheek with their ruthlessness.
Webb pushed me closer to Lackley, and I fell to my knees at his feet. Blood dripped from his lips onto my hair as he spoke. “I might not be able to kill the Black family or Josiah, but I can kill you—and I think it’ll hurt them more in the long run,” Lackley coughed out with a cackle.
The hooded man approached and time seemed to slow as Lackley continued.
“You’re a pretty little thing. I’m a bit disappointed that it had to end this way. I knew when I saw you at the Stonewell’s that you were just another expendable Walker. A puppet on a string. You were running on borrowed time anyway. And your death makes my end a bit more manageable.”
Josiah broke free from his mother’s tight grip and ran to me, wrapping me in his protective arms before the hooded man could end my life. For a brief moment, I felt like a little girl again, surrounded by Josiah’s protectiveness. Loved and cherished. Gasps from the crowd were drowned out by the thudding of our hearts, and I clung to the comfort he offered while willing him to leave. All this time, I expected him to be the one to die, and yet it was always supposed to be me.
“Ash, I love you so much,” he murmured into my hair as the crowd began to scream out in protest. I felt Josiah’s shoulder get jerked back, but his arms wrapped around me again. It was strange how we’d come full circle. My earliest memories involved Josiah, and now my last ones would, too.
I heard Lackley’s light laughter, and again, someone tried to pull Josiah away. He said, “Remember me.” Then Josiah finally released me just to whirl around and punch the executioner in the face. Linda’s shrill screams echoed off the wooden stage as the crowd laughed. Cavil applauded before taking a sip of wine.
“Looks like we have a show!” he exclaimed into the mic.
I scurried on all fours, away from the chaos, but my dress got caught under my knee, making me slip. Josiah dodged a kick and made his way closer to Lackley as I turned around and scooted backwards, towards the edge of the stage. Josiah’s punches were harsh and precise. Each jab, despite his injuries, hit its intended target. It was strange seeing him this way. He truly was Lackley’s assassin.
The hooded man picked up his electric blade, then spun it around his fingers, making the onlookers go wild with amusement. Josiah stepped closer to Lackley until his back bumped into the frail old man’s chest. Seeing them so close together, I saw the resemblance. Father and son.
The executioner raised his blade, preparing to strike, just as the lights cut. Blood curdling screams filled the space, and the stage began to shake as the crowd pushed against it. The humming sound of the electric sword sliced through the air, and when it connected with flesh, the stench of hot, burning skin hit my nose. Josiah!
A hand gripped mine, and I was su
ddenly being pulled through the dark. Linda Stonewell’s voice was the only distinct sound I could make out.
“Leave her here!” she exclaimed.
We passed by a flickering lantern, and I realized that it was Josiah pulling me across Cavil’s garden, with his mother in tow.
“Where are we going?” I asked. Josiah weaved between the members of the crowd, and I was surprised by his agility, despite the days of torture he endured. We paused behind a building, and the three of us pressed our backs against the stucco wall while catching our breaths.
“I don’t know, I saw one of the Dormas Leaders in the crowd, but lost him when we fled. Lackley is dead, the executioner got him when the lights cut,” Josiah rushed out. Mistress Stonewell let out a gasp before covering her mouth. He looked side to side while his hand still clutched mine.
I searched my memory for clues for where we should go. I had a general understanding of where the signal station was, but couldn’t know for sure. I was about to open my mouth and suggest heading back to the lab when an arm snaked around my middle and yanked me backwards.
I fell to the ground, hitting my head on the brick road. Stars danced across my vision as a shadowed face appeared in front of me.
“Hello there, didn’t think I’d let you get away, did you?” Blan’s voice said, and I let out a scream of terror.
Two hands gripped my elbows and yanked me to a standing position. Blan wrapped his pudgy fingers around my neck, and I heard Josiah cry out, “NO!"
I kicked and shifted my body weight, trying to get out of his grip, but failed. My lungs began to burst while I struggled. As I was on the verge of passing out, all I could see was Blan’s crooked, white teeth reflecting in the moonlight. A loud crunch sounded, and Blan released me. I fell to the ground, scraping my knees on the brick. I coughed and gasped for air. When my vision cleared, I saw Josiah sitting on Blan’s chest, bashing his head in with a large rock while Mistress Stonewell stood horrified off to the side.
“Josiah, stop!” she screamed, all while he continued to brutally destroy Blan’s skull. People ran by us, too confused and scared to intervene, and when Josiah finally stopped, he stood dripping in blood.
“I told you I’d kill you when I got out,” Josiah said before spitting on the maimed corpse in front of us. I was thankful for the darkness, because I’m not sure I could have handled the graphic nature of what Josiah just did. He truly was a murderer.
“Ash, are you okay?” Josiah asked before taking a step closer out of the shadows of the building. Blood covered his face and hair. I couldn't breathe. And when his tongue snaked out to taste the blood droplet that had gathered on his lip, I realized that this was Lackley’s version of Josiah. We each were shown a side of him, and now that I’d seen his darkness, I wasn’t sure the light was bright enough to overshadow it. And yet, he saved me. Josiah bridged those two halves of himself because, despite our end, he loved me.
“What happened to you, Josiah? This isn’t you,” Linda said while scooting farther away from the stream of blood pooling by her feet, like a river of guilt.
Josiah slowly turned back around to face her before answering.
“You’re what happened. You let Lackley make me this way,” Josiah bit out. He wiped his hands on the sides of his pants before looking around. Running footsteps drew my attention back towards the stage, but it was too late. Within a split second he was already there.
Webb charged Josiah.
It was a simple ending. Anticlimactic. There was no struggle. Just a surprise kiss from fate and fury. Webb had the executioner’s blade and pierced it through Josiah’s chest. I watched as Jo staggered and fell. I clenched my eyes shut, and when I opened them again, he was still there, dying on the ground, all while Linda screamed.
Time slowed. Three heartbeats was all it took before I realized that this was real. Josiah looked down at his chest before turning to look at me. I couldn't move. Couldn’t scream. My heart was racing as our eyes connected. His unconditional love was evident in that moment, it flickered in and out between life and death.
I wanted there to be blood. I hoped that the gore would make it feel more real, but Webb’s hot blade cauterized his blood vessels, making the kill clean and quick. Linda’s screams were louder than the scurrying crowd. Louder than Webb’s laughter. The commotion grew until there was so much noise that I couldn’t hear anything at all. Nothing except a whisper on the wind. A light kiss blown my way, reminding me of my first love.“You look like a princess, Ash.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
I closed my eyes again, hoping the scene before me would disappear, but this time when I opened them, Webb was only a couple inches from my face. “I’m going to enjoy this,” he said before picking up the electric blade again.
I kicked my legs out, trying to inflict pain on him however I could, but my movements were weak. From the corner of my eye, I saw Linda kneeling beside Josiah and sobbing over his body. If Webb killed me, it would be the last thing I ever saw.
“Ready to die?” Webb asked while drawing back his arm and aiming the blade at my heart.
When you meet the end, you stop worrying about the pain and the unknown.
“Bring it!” I screamed before spitting at his feet. If I was dying, I’d die on my own terms.
I didn’t close my eyes either. I wanted to accept my fate, like a true Dormas woman. But before I could feel the cutting pain of his blade in my chest, a light flashed in front of me before he burst into dust. It got in my eyes, my mouth. It covered my skin and legs. I felt the gritty death in my hair, and I shuffled backwards to escape getting Webb’s remains in my lungs.
Huxley, my savior, wrapped his arms around me as I shook. “Don’t fall apart on me now, little Walker. We have to go,” he said in a stern voice while yanking me up. Blood rushed to my head, and I swayed on my feet. My racing pulse ticked with sharp pain and Huxley threw his hands out to steady me.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I feel dizzy.”
Huxley waited for a moment as I reoriented myself, but when I shook away the confusion, and he tried to pull me again, I dug my heels in.
“Wait,” I argued.
“We don’t have time. The signal is only off for a little longer!” Huxley exclaimed. I felt his hands wrap around my waist, and I shoved myself back before he could pull me to him.
“We have to save her,” I explained before nodding towards Mistress Stonewell. We both turned and watched as she cradled Josiah in her arms, rocking back and forth. Her sobs broke me, but it was strange to see her maternal compassion.
Dead. Josiah was dead.
I knew the grief would one day feel like a punch to the gut, but I shook away the thoughts. I had to survive for just a little bit longer.
“Mistress, come on. Josiah would want you to survive,” I called out. Huxley looked like he wanted to leave her there, but he waited patiently.
Linda continued to rock, and I moved closer to her, trying to approach things mindlessly. If I accepted that my oldest friend was the person she was grieving over, I could do this.
“Mistress,” I began while straightening my shoulders. “Pick your ass up off this floor and follow me right now. I need you to shut off your emotions for fifteen minutes, then I promise you can lose control.”
Linda Stonewell looked up at me as more tears fell. She seemed to experience a variety of emotions as she processed my words. Shock at my outburst. Sadness. Fear. Distress.
Then determination. She placed a tender kiss on his forehead before rising and walking towards Huxley. They both stared at me as I allowed a millisecond of agony before letting go.
“Goodbye, my friend. I’m glad you gave me the good parts of yourself,” I whispered.
I clutched my head and ran towards Huxley.
Saying those words made it all more real. The levee in my mind broke, and I was left with debilitating sadness.
“He’s really gone,” I whispered as we started running. All th
e while, my head pounded.
The dark night just seemed to match my despair. I knew something wasn't right with my head, but I couldn't bridge the gap between my grief and my awareness. More screaming followed us. I couldn't decide if it was from me, the crowd, or if it was my mind recreating Mistress Stonewell's screams from when…
Josiah was dead.
Strong arms wrapped themselves around me, picking me up. We bounced, dodged, and sprinted through downtown Ethros. This wasn't supposed to be how it happened.
"Ash, love, you’re swaying. It’s hard to carry you. Please. Fight through this," Huxley's voice was strong, like a lighthouse in the storm of my grief and confusion.
The air smelled of decay. I tried to swallow, but the dust coating my tongue was too dry. The humid, salty wind clung to my face, mixing with my tears.
Huxley set me down, and I stumbled. My legs felt foreign to me. "Where are we going?" I managed to choke out before bending over and throwing up. Stomach acid burned my throat, and I tried swallow to ease the pain. “I’m sorry, I’m trying to focus. I don’t feel well. I hit my head…” I slurred.
Huxley threaded his fingers through mine. Before continuing our run to safety, I ditched my shoes. My feet connected with sand as he yanked me along. We sunk as we ran, my dress became a tangled web of fabric, stopping me from getting to safety.
"What about Jules?" I asked. My mind was in a fog. I wanted to scream.
"Josiah..." I began. Linda Stonewell let out a shrill moan that sounded like pure, guttural grief and guilt.
"Keep moving, Ash," Huxley said.
"Cyler? Where is Cyler? Kemper?" I called out.
In the distance was a brightly lit transport, illuminated by a glowing green fire.
"Right there, Ash. We're going right there," Huxley explained. He was out of breath from tugging me through the sinking sand.
"Ash?!" I heard a yell. Kemper?
"We're here!" Huxley replied. My free hand connected with the warm exterior of the metal transport. The door opened, and I was shoved inside. It was bright, and I threw my hands up to block my face, and cringed as my head throbbed with more pain. A small, tired voice said, "Are you okay?" I looked down at a boy about three years old.