“You haven't seen the act then. When they come to your group, they play nice, but they don't mean it. They're going to take you over by force, but they hide it. They make you think you need them. Then they just walk in.” Xavier took a deep breath. “Is that not what they did to your group?”
“Never seen these people before. Don't know anything about them.”
“How can that be? Aren't they all over the place?”
“Not where I'm from.”
“Seriously, who are you? You said it yourself that you have nothing to lose. I've told you a lot. A lot more than I probably should have.”
The prisoner descended into a silence that grew from seconds into minutes. What was this guy hiding? He already said he had nothing to lose. Out with it! “Whenever you're ready.”
“I'm tired.”
“Whatever.” Xavier gave up. It’s been a long day for him. I’ll let him sleep for now, but later, he has some questions to answer. Xavier's head hit the pillow, and he closed his eyes.
“Something doesn't feel right about them.”
“What do you think they want, Dad?”
“I'm not really sure yet. It’s hard to know. There's a difference in what people say and what they mean.”
“What are they saying?”
“I can't tell you everything, but mostly they're offering protection for food and supplies. And, they want to station some of their men here to use the school as an outpost.”
“That sounds like a pretty good deal, right?”
“Sounds good, yeah, but you just never know.”
“What do you mean?”
“Have you ever heard of the Trojan War?”
“The Trojan Horse thing?”
“Yeah, do you know the story?”
“Not really.”
“It's a tale from Greek Mythology. There was a battle between the Greeks and Trojans. They were at a standstill. The Greeks wanted the city of Troy, but the Trojans wouldn’t give up. So the Greeks came up with a way to trick the Trojans into letting them in.
“The Greeks constructed a large wooden horse to give to them as a gift—something to show them they wanted peace. The Trojans accepted the gift, but things aren't always as they seem. The humongous wooden horse was filled with Greek soldiers who snuck out that night and quickly took control of the city walls. They let the remainder of the army in, ultimately, taking over the city.”
“So they’re the Greeks?”
“Maybe.”
“You don't trust them, huh?”
“I’m not sure yet. I need more information. We've built a great thing here, and people have come to take it before. No one has succeeded. The great thing about defending is that you only have to hold your ground. You don't have to conquer. I fear that this group is the conquering type. I feel like they want peace, but only on their terms. If you won't give that to them, then they'll take the peace.”
“They haven't attacked us yet. Maybe they just want peace. No fake gifts. Just cooperation.”
“I don't know, Xavier. I just don't know.”
Xavier opened his eyes. Dad knew. He just knew. He’s always right. Dad... You have to make it back. We need you. I need you.
He pressed his chest against the edge of the cot and patted along the floor searching for food. Not asleep long enough for a meal. Slowly, he shifted to the foot of his cot—half asleep—the handcuff scraping along the frame as he reached for the bucket.
“Awake? Good.” An eagerness in the prisoner’s voice. The silence may have already begun to wear down his nerves.
The bucket began to fill. “Did you sleep at all?”
“Maybe a little bit. Weren’t kidding about this place. Really lose yourself in the dark here.”
“How long was I out?” Xavier asked, as he finished with the bucket and pushed it from his cot.
“Wouldn’t guess too long after me. Guards woke me up. Two of them came through and went out a door down here. Didn’t come back.”
“Did they say anything? Leave anything?”
“Weren’t down here for us. Whispered back and forth, but couldn’t tell what they were saying. All I could make out was a loud choking noise.” The prisoner imitated the Guard, forcing out a disgusting rasp that caused Xavier to cringe. “Then the other one laughed all loud, and they walked out.”
Xavier rubbed along his jaw. There was nothing to say. The reality of his demise was beginning to take focus. There would be no denying it any longer. The picture was becoming clear—two prisoners awaiting their deaths, talked about by others as if they were already gone. This was the end.
“We’re going to die aren’t we?” Tears formed in the corners of Xavier's eye. He wiped them with his fingers, but more began to pool. A silent cry.
“Your friend, what'd he think while he was down here? He know?”
“He never saw it coming. Sam was unconscious when he died.”
“Sam...” The prisoner's voice trailed off as if he were thinking of someone he knew.
“He didn’t even know he was down here,” Xavier said. “Probably never had another thought after he was hit. Killed for no reason.” Xavier ran a hand through his hair, grabbing hold of a bit before letting go. “He was a good guy. He did a lot around here. Him and Grant were unstoppable.”
“Name’s David.” No hesitation in the prisoner’s voice. Xavier almost startled by the statement. It came from nowhere. “Figure since we’re both about to go we may as well know each other, right?”
Xavier couldn't argue with the well-placed point. “Xavier. I work maintenance here.” He scoffed and corrected himself, “I did maintenance here.”
“Was a scavenger with a group in the Nor—” David coughed. “Was a scavenger.”
“Where?”
“Sorry.” Obviously, he was upset with himself for even coming that close to letting it go. “Can't say.”
“Who would I tell?”
Xavier closed his eyes, dumbfounded that he had actually uttered those words—foolish. Of course something like that could be used as a way out. A simple way to avoid what seemed to be the inevitable. It had been done to him. Rupert used knowledge of the letter to help his own situation. Why would Xavier not do the same?
David was right to be careful. Neither of them owed the other a thing. No trust. No goodwill built between the two. If his group was worth taking, if what they had built was valuable, then the Second Alliance would be on their doorstep in an instant. He was right to protect it. David's loyalty was refreshing.
“Can't let you know that. Even if I did fully trust you, I couldn't. Can't have them coming after my friends... my family.”
“You still have family…” Xavier said under his breath, “they must be worried sick.” My dad has no idea what’s happening.
The thought of his dad returning empty-handed, unable to find his wife, and then finding out about his son—it would crush him. The guilt he would feel. I begged for him to let me come. Too dangerous? Now look at me.
“I get it,” Xavier said. “I wish I'd been more careful with information.”
“What you mean?”
“I…” Xavier started. What could it hurt to let him know?
Xavier could let him know the circumstances of his own imprisonment. If David was with the Second Alliance, he already knew the details. There was nothing new he would share with this acquaintance cellmate. Only the location of the letter mattered anymore, and he wouldn't let that go—not for anything. Haverty would have made peace with Xavier by now if it was coming at all.
“I found a letter that shows what they do to people. It told everything. Showed they killed our people. That they manipulated us. They wanted us to agree to have them here—to have them protect us. But we didn’t know it was them that we needed protection from.
“I hid the letter and told another guy about it. I thought he’d help me because of what they did to Sam.”
“Sam’s the guy over there?”
“Yeah,”
Xavier continued. “The other guy turned me in. That’s why I’m here. I hate these people. Before any of this happened, my dad knew there was more to them—more to what they wanted. And with the letter, everyone can know. That’s what they’re afraid of. They don’t want it to get out. But… I wouldn’t give it to them. I’ll never let them know.”
“What good is the letter if it’s hiding?”
“I’m hoping someone will find it and take up the cause.”
“How they going to do that?”
Xavier shrugged his shoulders out of habit. The darkness concealed it. Even his smile went unnoticed as he thought of Matt and Jenny. “Someone will if they really want to.”
“Take some luck, don't you think?” David asked.
Luck… “You really believe in that? Even as we sit down here waiting to die?”
“World can be strange like that. Luck’s the only explanation I have for when things turn out crazy. Bad or good, it's there.”
“A friend of mine talks like that. I’ve never really thought much of it,” Xavier said.
“Say luck hit and got you out of this. What would you do?”
“Find my parents,” Xavier said it without hesitation. The thought of them gave instant comfort. He sighed. “Just my parents. My dad would know what to do. He always does.”
A long silence came from the other side of the room. Xavier let it happen, allowing David to reflect on his own situation. There was nothing to do but reflect. Think of what could have been done differently. A curse of time—the constant reflection of where you went wrong—sometimes foolishly imagining the world on a separate timeline where nothing bad happened. So many forks in the road. How many times had Xavier taken the wrong way? Could he even pinpoint one particular decision or action that cuffed him to this cot? Life was just one large chain reaction. No one’s fault. Life was just that way.
David broke the silence, “We get out of here, you can come with me. Take you home, then we find your parents.”
“I appreciate that, but I have no idea where they are or if they’re even alive anymore.” Xavier lowered his head. “We were talking about luck. Not much of a real chance I find them or that we get out of here. All I can hope is that someone, someday, will figure this out and crush the Second Alliance.”
“Second Alliance?”
“That’s what they call themselves.”
“Why?”
“I have no idea.”
“You think they’ll find my people.”
“It’s possible,” Xavier said, “if they keep pushing further out like this, I would think so.”
The back door from the basement opened. Quick footsteps. Several sets. “Time's up!” The words were loud and harsh. The light blinded Xavier as he blinked rapidly through the chaos. Four Guards or so it seemed. A tangle of arms, hands—each worked frantically to uncuff the two but maintain control of them to prevent any escape.
Xavier looked to David, expressions of horror flashing through the melee as David fought back, screaming, “Fight! Fight! Fi—” A hand. He bit down upon it, and the Guard screamed in response. “Fight!”
Xavier reared his head back and drove it forward into a Guard’s face. The nose exploded with redness as Xavier's forehead smashed through it. The Guard howled with pain, falling forward onto the cot. The weight of Xavier and the Guard broke it free from the wall.
Xavier tried to get up but was still secured to the cot which lay under the injured Guard. He pushed at him—an exercise in futility—the man simply weighed too much. Another Guard moved over him, pinning him to the ground. All Xavier could do was work his head from side to side yelling obscenities at the Guards, cheering David on.
The Guard's stance slipped, and Xavier saw the opportunity. His foot met squarely with the crotch of the man standing over him. He too filled the room with shouts of pain, falling over to his side, struggling to compose himself. “Get them!” Xavier screamed. David was still fighting with one of them. The other turned to Xavier and struck him in the head—his body went limp.
“It's time Xavier. I've arranged for you to work with Grant. He's a good man. He'll keep watch over you and make sure you learn a good trade.”
“I barely know him.”
“It'll be fine. Just listen to him. He won't lead you astray.”
“Let me come with you, that way we know I'll be fine. And that way, I can help you find her.”
“You'll be safe here. Just trust me. Outside the walls is too dangerous.”
“If it's so dangerous, then having me with you only makes it safer.”
“I couldn't deal with something happening to you. I'd be without you and your mother then. I can’t have that. You’ll be safer here.”
“But if something happens to you, then I'll be without both of you. There's nothing you can say that will change how I feel.”
“Xavier, damn it, this isn't something I want to do without you. It just has to be this way. I'm not risking you too. I'll be back. It won't take long.”
“How can you say that? We don't even know where she is.”
“I know where to start, and from there… I'll find her and bring her back.”
“You know that sounds crazy.”
“Xavier, stop. I need you to keep a watch over River's Edge for me. With you around, people will remember me and what I made this place to be. It won't escape them. It's your duty to keep people to their promises. Remind people that we built this place to be greater than what exists outside of it. You understand?”
“Dad. I need to—”
“Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Then make sure it's done. Don't let anyone forget their promise.”
“Okay.”
“Mind Grant too. He'll teach you a lot. Maybe you'll be able to teach me a thing or two when I get back.”
“You won't be gone long enough, right?”
“Yeah. Right.”
“I love you, Dad.”
“I love you.”
Xavier woke in a daze, his head throbbing—the blurred lines of his surroundings began to sharpen. As he came to, one of the Guards noticed and shifted his attention back to him.
All he could do was watch as the Guard crept forward. He pulled weakly at the cuff. Damn! Still stunned while lying against the broken cot, he could do nothing but submit. He could offer no defense. Xavier looked on as David was carried out, a hood wrapped around his face. “David! No! Please, no!” Xavier tried to stand but couldn’t. His head wobbled, but a firm hand steadied it. He felt the cloth in between his teeth, and the light became dull, filtered by a black hood. The shrieks of both prisoners vanished, replaced by muted cries.
Close:
Despite the noose closed around his neck, the young man fought, twisting his legs, begging for freedom through muffled cries—excited words from beneath the black hood.
“We’ll let you go soon enough.” The Guard smiled. “No need to hurry, kid.”
He continued to struggle, causing the scaffolding to jolt forward beneath their feet. One of the Guards stumbled, his elbow dropped, allowing the prisoner to take this moment to wiggle an arm free. He fell to the decking—the rope snatched his head backward. His body convulsed through a coughing fit, only relieved by the Guard scooping him back up and into position.
“Can’t wait, huh?”
They tightened their grip as dulled screams escaped from inside the hood.
“Xavier Finch!” The crowd turned toward a man that appeared behind them. “You have been sentenced to death for the crime of treason. The evidence presented was noted during a private trial. The witness statements presented alongside the physical evidence were overwhelmingly substantiated in your guilty finding. May your death prove as a warning to others who may stray from the cause. Our mission is strong and righteous, and those who wish it harm will perish as well.” The man nodded as he finished.
“So long, kid.” The Guards swung the boy forward.
A collecti
ve gasp let out from the deflated crowd as he swung forward. The length of the rope jerked him just above the ground. The taut recoil brought him back and forth as he flailed about trying to catch upon anything. He struggled, fought what little more that he could.
A few pushed through the crowd. Several pled to have him cut down, but it was too late. The air had escaped him, and his body came to rest, swaying slightly beneath the tiers of the scaffolding.
The crowd’s cries for true justice were silenced by the firing of a rifle. That single shot—the hushing of anger, hostility, and dissent. They lowered their eyes. For everyone that stood in the courtyard now knew that the agreement was broken. That their world was something different. Peace had come at a cost.
…
“Haverty, sir, we searched the entire school and the grounds.”
“And?”
“Nothing. We did another head count just to be sure.”
“And?”
“They’re all still missing—a Matthew Swanson, Jenny Fischer, and Marshall Grant. They were last seen at dinner, but nothing since dusk.”
“How’d they get out?”
“It appears they snuck out through the back. Guards found some footprints leading through the mud toward the river. We think they snuck under the wall.”
“How’d y’all let them get away with that?”
“It looks like they were digging for quite some time.”
“And nobody saw them?”
“I’ll figure out what went wrong.”
“At least tell me Thomas went after them.”
“His crew is on it.”
“I want them found. Don’t care if it’s alive or not!”
“Yes, sir.”
Thank you for reading Days Since… Xavier: Day 853. I sincerely hope that you enjoyed the story and will keep an eye out for Days Since… Jenny: Day 986
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Almawt Virus Series (Book 2): Days Since...Xavier [Day 853] Page 17
