The Way Back (Book 2): The Way Back, Part II

by Giancioppo, Danny

  Nobody said a word, and still, nobody moved, as Luke made his way closer to Abraham with heavy steps, as he watched in a twisted, almost satisfied sort of horror as Luke approached.

  Luke grabbed the knife from Abraham’s limp hand, and immediately shoved it into his neck. He pushed as hard as he could, sending blood all over the floor beneath him, twisted it vertically, and ran it down Abraham’s chest. Once Abraham fell onto his back, Luke lay on top of him, beating his face in with his fists, and screaming all the while. As he screamed, the Goliaths still continued to scream with him, but made no other movements than to look at Abraham, just as Luke did.

  Luke dug into Abraham’s face with his hands until he couldn’t feel them anymore, and what was once his face, now looked like nothing more than a puddle. Then, when he stopped, Luke stood, and stared up at the Goliath’s, who still looked down at him.

  “COME ON!” Luke screamed at them. “COME ON! JUST FUCKING DO IT! DO IT!”

  They gazed down at him, and soon after, their many eyes faded from the intense blue-hue, and they simply turned, and moved off, without another thought.

  Luke looked down at Jonah and what remained of his soldiers, and they all looked back at Luke in utter horror. All except for Jonah, who just shut his eyes, and woefully dipped his head down.

  Eventually, one of the men raised his gun at Luke, but Jonah looked up, and quickly called it off.

  “No!” he yelled sternly, trying already to catch his pained and weary breath. “No…No more!”

  “Jonah, didn’t you see what just happened!?” the man protested. “I… what in God’s name did just happen!?” Jonah shook his head slowly, and looked at the man, and said:

  “When a good man is cheated, even demons must run for safe-haven.”

  Then, he turned his horse around, grabbing Abraham’s horse by the reins, and moved off. His remaining soldiers soon thereafter following in a cautious and hesitant manner, all of them still nervously looking back at Luke, who simply watched them leave.

  Not long after, only the six men, Snow, and a dying Nolan remained. Luke fell to the ground, and gripped at his heart. It felt like it was going to burst apart. His eyes went back to their normal, silver hue, and drained tears. Slowly, he crawled his way over to Nolan, who was still hanging onto life, and fell onto his back by his brother’s side.

  Nolan coughed up a large amount of blood, and was gripping at his chest in pain, but he still let out a small scoff.

  “I think… he got me… in… the lung. Missed the heart…” he uttered.

  “Nolan…” Luke sobbed, his bravado completely washed away, and his speaking unbearably shaky and pained. “W...Why d-did you d-do t…that…?”

  “I… had to… you deserved better… I just… had to…” Nolan said. “Now… I don’t have to leave Lily… my f-family… I’ll be with them again…”

  The others all circled around Luke and Nolan, dropping to the ground, and equally bawling their eyes out. Nobody was sure what to say, and Snow just crawled onto Nolan’s chest, wrapping herself up in his arms and crying into him.

  “We…We need to apply pressure…!” Adam shakily thought out loud. “We need to… we need to…!”

  “A-Are there bandages in…in the van!?” Cody shouted at Derrick, who spacely shook his head.

  “We don’t… We don’t have anything…” Derrick said softly, dipping his head down low.

  Everyone– aside from Luke and Nolan– looked around at each other nervously, searching for some kind of solution. Nolan simply raised his hand lightly, trying to wave off their efforts, and regain their attention.

  The fire crackled and popped behind them, as the house fell apart one wooden board at a time. The snow had no power over its wrath. They didn’t care. They didn’t even look at the house; it simply illuminated their shaking, woeful bodies.

  “I remember…remember Foxtale…” Nolan said. “Friday n-nights at Adam’s… P-Parties at… Cody’s.”

  “Fourth of July fairs, and fireworks shows…” Jeremy added softly.

  “The smell of the beach and the waves as we all sat and ate food…” Chris said through tears.

  “School days, where we’d all eat together in the caf…” Derrick said.

  “Christmas, New Year’s, Halloween… always sp-spent together…” Adam muttered through stuttered breath.

  “Getting lunch everyday together during the summer…” Cody remembered.

  “Talking about being each other’s best men…” Luke sobbed still. “The godfathers to our first children… Hav…Having a life where we always stuck together.”

  Everyone sat again for a moment, not sure how to continue with their mournful proceedings.

  “I… I would’ve married her… Lily.” Nolan croaked out. “Seeing her smile, and dance, and laugh… If I ever had the chance… I would’ve… God, I would’ve…” he cried harder, as his breathing became more and more pained and rampant.

  Luke broke down further still, and sat up, pulling Nolan over and holding him in his arms. He cradled him as best he could, and watched as the breath coming from his mouth slowly began to fade away.

  “B…Brothers… Always…” Nolan said, gazing at the others as best he could. They all nodded gently, and then he stared up into Luke’s eyes. “Always…”

  As Nolan slowly died in his arms, Luke could do nothing more than hold him tightly, and rain tears down upon his body. When Luke knew he was gone, he screamed again– though he never let go.

  He didn’t last long after that, and shortly after, Luke lost consciousness, his brother now laid lifeless above him.

  Later

  “My brother was unlike anyone you’d ever known,” Jeremy said. “He was the most emotional guy in the world, but when we were kids, he acted like everything was a joke. And they were good jokes, too. He could make you laugh over just about anything, but when you tried to talk to him about something real, he just kept on joking.”

  The crowd before him smiled gently, and patiently waited for him to continue.

  “And, after the world turned, he…he was even better. That emotions finally came out, at long last,” Jeremy continued. “He cared so much, about everyone he knew. He always wanted to keep the peace… even though he could easily have taken on any one of us. And…And when he had to, he’d make the hard calls. The ones that none of us c-could… ”

  Jeremy choked up, and glanced over at the guys. Chris just smiled at him, and Adam gave him a subtle head nod to go on.

  “Most of you never really knew him… that’s your loss,” he said, “because Nolan Scanton was, without question, one of the greatest sons, friends, and brothers that you could have ever asked for. And for the first time, the world really is a darker place, because now… he’s not in it.” Jeremy paused, and collected his breath. “But… he is still with us. He’s still a part of who we are… who I am… and thank God for that, because we’re so much better for it. Thank you.”

  Jeremy moved off the podium and back down to his seat next to Cody and Derrick. Cyrus went back up and said some words to close off the ceremony, but none of the guys were really listening, and he knew that. Eventually, once everyone left the common, he just walked over and greeted them again.

  “That was a good speech,” he said. “By all of you, really. I’ll be sure to have some kind of memorial added in his name in a weeks time, tops.”

  “Thanks Cy, really,” Adam said. “It means a lot.”

  “Of course,” Cyrus said. “You guys have always been a part of my people; hell your story is a fan favorite among most of the residents.” The guys all passed off small laughs, and Cyrus grimaced a little.

  “So, are you ever going to tell me what happened to Luke?” he asked. The guys shrugged.

  “How about you tell us when you decided to play pirate first, then we’ll talk,” Cody said, pointing to his own right eye. Cyrus just rubbed his patch and the scar that ran beneath it. He grinned a little, as did the others.

&nbs
p; “Honestly Cyrus, we’re not sure,” Chris said. “Before we even left Maine, he just… left.”

  “But without a word? Without telling you where he was going? Just him?” Cyrus pressed.

  “Snow wanted to go with him, but…” Cody shook his head. “He wouldn’t let her.”

  “She back at the guest house?” Cyrus asked, looking all around. The guys just nodded. She couldn’t bear to make it to the service. They didn’t want to push it.

  “I don’t think Luke even knows where he’s going,” Jeremy said.

  “Well it’s only been a week or so, he can’t have gone far without any kind of transportation,” Cyrus thought aloud. “You want my people spread out? I could probably even get a group or two to head up there, see what they can see?”

  “No, you shouldn’t,” Derrick said. “Luke’s… He’s gone.”

  The others solemnly nodded. Cyrus could tell from their facial expressions alone that they were heartbroken, but they knew Derrick was right. And that was heartbreaking to him in and of itself.

  “Well, he’s at least getting a memorial too, then,” Cyrus decided. “Like hell that man isn’t going to be recognized for his life. Hell all of you did more for us the two years you were here than most people have since.”

  “We’re just hard working, I guess,” Adam said. “It’s easy when you’ve got a family to work for.”

  “I suppose it is,” Cyrus agreed. They sat quietly for another few moments, and Cyrus recalled he had only one more thing to press. “Are you sure you don’t want an actual grave made for Nolan?”

  “No, it’s fine,” Cody said. “Don’t worry about it. Thank you, though.”

  “Alright, if you say so. I’ll give you guys some time to yourselves. You know where to find me if you need me,” Cyrus said, waving them off, and walking away from the common.

  It was kind, Cyrus’s affection. It was like a home away from home; though now it looked like it would just be home. And of the five of their seven group that remained, they were all okay with that, but they knew that beyond anything this place could give, any monument made to Nolan– whether by Cyrus or anyone else– didn’t really matter, because they had already buried him in the one place that did.

  Back at the ashes, in Maine, where the vacation house in Lovell once stood, there was a clear section of land, where three crosses lay. One read: “Zack - 428 Days.” Another: “Emily & Lily - 179 Days.” And now, next to them, a new gravestone sat, with a new grave beneath it. It read: “Nolan - 2010 Days. A Beloved Son, Boyfriend, & Brother. ‘Brothers, Always.’”