by D. K. Wall
“Exactly.” Harold stopped stirring his drink and set the straw on the counter. He picked up the glass and stared at it. “That’s why you’ve earned my vote for the first time ever.”
“But—”
“Don’t worry, Sheriff. I’ve done my time. I can vote again.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Harold laughed. “I’ve always said what we need in Miller County is a sheriff who has both compassion and toughness. In my life, I’ve certainly needed both. You’ve always had the toughness, and as much as you might think I hate you, I actually admire that part. I deserved to be arrested and punished.” He sipped his drink. “But the compassion? That was lacking. You always seemed too worried about playing to the law-and-order crowd’s votes. But now, I think maybe this whole mess might just make you a better sheriff for it.”
David shrugged. “Even if you’re right, that law-and-order crowd outvotes everyone here in Miller County.”
Harold stood and threw some cash on the bar. “Maybe so. But you’ll never know unless you run. I’m thinking some of that law-and-order crowd has their own issues to deal with. In the privacy of the voting booth, they might give you a chance.”
David listened to the bar door squeak open and closed behind him. He stared at the drinks on the bar, running his hand over them. To have another drink or not. To run for reelection or not.
Odds were good that he would lose the election. He deserved to. But he used to love law enforcement because it meant seeking out the truth, protecting the innocent, and punishing the guilty. Maybe he needed to get back to seeking truth and stop worrying so much about votes.
“You’re right, Harold,” he mumbled. “I’ll never know unless I run.”
He pushed back the stool, opened his wallet, and threw money in front of the full glasses. Sammy, arms still crossed, nodded as the sheriff walked out the door.
64
I’m lying in bed with Trigger’s head resting on my bare chest, his warm breath pushing across my skin. The bruises continue to fade, but the scars will remain forever.
Connor is across the room, snuggled under his blankets, the rhythm of his breathing telling me he is deeply asleep.
The room is dark. Only a few shadows from outside dance across the walls. He offers every night to leave a light on in case I’m afraid of the dark, but I assure him that darkness doesn’t scare me at all. It’s familiar in an almost comforting way. What lurked in the dark back there terrorized me, but it no longer lives.
No more pretending. No lies. I am who I am, and they accept me for it anyway. We don’t talk a lot about it, but we don’t have any more secrets.
Instead, we talk about their jobs and how hard they work and how much money they take out for taxes and insurance and how so little is left over to pay the bills. Despite that, they like what they do and are eager to work. I offer to get a job and help, but they say I need to focus on me first.
I’ll be going to counseling a couple of days a week. The other days, I’ll be tutored by teachers at the school and will work toward getting my GED. School doesn’t make sense for me since I missed so much, but they are confident they can get me caught up so I can get my diploma.
The weirdest discussion of all is that I don’t exist, at least not legally. I have no birth certificate or any records at all. The courts will solve that and make me legal, but I have to decide what name to use. Heather assured me I can use Theo McGregor if I want—it’s the name that has always belonged to me—but the sheriff suggested I might want to use something else. I can have a new name to go with my new family.
When we discussed it, Connor opened his mouth to say something, but I kicked him under the table. I knew what he wanted to say because we talked about it at night, but Heather wasn’t ready for that yet.
I want it to be her idea. And if she doesn’t get there, that’s okay too. I won’t ask. But I hope she will.
I’ve only had one brother in my life, the boy I spent years of darkness with. I wish he had been able to escape with me, because he was the best friend I ever had. And I think his brother will end up the second-best friend I’ve ever had, and he will end up like a brother too.
It’s funny. Back there, names never meant a whole lot. We barely even acknowledged our real ones. But out here, names are important. Names are for remembering. Names are for honoring.
Brothers should have the same last name. I hope someday that will be true.
Get Alone Together Free!
A simple pebble trickles down a hill, a hint of the disaster about to plummet to the highway below. A heroic decision saves lives, but forever alters the path of young Nathan Thomas. Alone Together takes you back, before The Lottery, before the football game against Roosevelt High, and tells you how Nathan came to live in the Mills’ house.
Sign up for my newsletter—a monthly update plus the occasional short story—and I will send you the short story absolutely free.
You can unsubscribe at any time and keep the short story without further obligation.
For more information, visit the link below:
dkwall.com/subscribe/
Acknowledgments
About 4 a.m. one wintry morning, a coyote loped along the side of Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge, unperturbed by my passing car. His gait was purposeful and intent.
Where was he going? Where had he come from? Where was his pack?
I gripped the steering wheel and focused on the dark road, worried I would round a bend and discover a rockslide covering the lane. It happens more than you want to know in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
That chance encounter evolved in my mind to form the opening chapters of Jaxon With An X—a child, equally focused, stumbling through the snow.
Where was he going? Where had he come from? Where was his pack?
I can’t explain the creative process any better than that.
The publishing process, however, is much clearer thanks to an amazing team who helps me cross the finish line.
Once again, I had the pleasure of working with Lynn McNamee’s Red Adept Editing team as we took Jaxon from drafts to book.
Content Editor Angie Lovell’s probing and thought-provoking questions shaped the characters and tightened the story. She gets the pleasure of asking me why a character does what he or she does.
Line Editor Kate Birdsall and Proofreader Kristina Baker have the unenviable task of challenging sentence structure and my somewhat creative uses of commas.
The cover artwork is the creation of the incredibly talented Glendon Haddix of Streetlight Graphics. His ability to capture the loneliness and journey facing young Jaxon astounds me.
My head cheerleader Todd Fulbright asks me every day how my stories are coming together and is my sounding board for thoughts. When I get stuck, we can bounce the ideas around until he helps me see the path forward. He’s already seen the outline for my next book and asks me daily how it’s coming.
And finally, dear reader, I thank you as well. I appreciate the emails and notes, the subscribers to my newsletter, the commenters on my stories, and the friends on social media. Your encouragement and kind words motivate me everyday to sit down and write more words.
* * *
D.K. Wall
About the Author
D.K. Wall has spent his entire life in Tennessee and the Carolinas, from the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains high above Maggie Valley to the industrial towns of Gastonia and Hickory and the cities of Charlotte and Nashville. His love for the region comes through in his writing and photography.
He is married and shares his home on the salt marsh of Murrells Inlet with a family of rescued Siberian Huskies known as The Thundering Herd. With their never-ending help, he is hard at work on his next novel.
For more information and to enjoy his short stories and photographs, please visit the author’s website:
dkwall.com
Also by D. K. Wall
Every small town has its s
ecrets.
This one could tear his world apart.
Still haunted by a deadly accident that severed his closest friendships, Nathan Thomas hopes his bad luck is well behind him. He is grateful for a loving family, a steady factory job in a town where work is scarce, and close friendships.
But a fresh betrayal and a shocking revelation strains his marriage to its breaking point, threatening to take everything he loves away, including his twelve-year-old son.
As he fights for his family, Nathan is forced to confront his devastating youth for answers. Will accepting the crushing realities of his past let him secure a possible future?
The Lottery is a heartfelt novel set in a quiet Appalachian town. If you like relatable characters, true-to-life hardships, and unforgettable drama, then you’ll love D. K. Wall’s captivating debut novel.
Follow D.K. Wall on Social Media
