We Don't Need These Happy Endings.
Chapter 5
Frank sat for hours, mourning his wife and sobbing violently. Her body lay in his lap, and her skin was already pale and cool. Occasionally his sobs would falter as he gasped for breath or when his throat closed up in pain. His head throbbed, and the muscles in his stomach and chest were as sore as if he’d just done hundreds of sit-ups. Everytime he wasn’t crying he would again hear the voices in the back of his head. ‘it’s not too late’ they told him. Go! Save them while you still can! But he would shake his head as if forcing the voices from his mind. However this time was different, and he knew he had to give in.
He stood up, lifting Jamia’s body. He carried her to a cluster of bushes at the far edge of the parking lot and lay her down, covering her with branches. “I’ll be back” he whispered. He brushed away the hair that had fallen in front of her pale, still face, and bent down to kiss her lips gently. They were frozen, which brought on another fresh waves of sobs. “I promise.” He said quietly between the tears, and stood up again.
He started walking through the parking lot, trying every car, in attempts to find one that wasn’t locked. After being yelled at by one woman, and apologetically saying “Sorry! I thought it was my car!” and nearly setting off three alarms, he finally found a silver Honda that someone had left unlocked. ‘Ah, one of the few advantages of growing up in Jersey.’ he thought as he easily hotwired the car and drove away.
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“I’m tired.” Alicia said out loud to the brown cat asleep in her lap. Everyone in the van was sleeping except for her, as she was the one driving. “Mikey!” She exclaimed, poking the ball of fur on her knees. This produced a loud hiss from the ‘cat’, and a small yelp from her as she woke him up and he dug his claws into her legs. “Get me something with caffeine?” she asked him. “I’m about to pass out.” Mikey let out a meow of discontempt, but leapt from her lap to her shoulder, then off to the back of the bus. Moments later she felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned to see Mikey, back in human form, handing her a can of soda. She took it, pressed it open, and put it in the cup holder.
“Want me to take over, hun?” Mikey suggested. Alicia shook her head.
“Nah.” She replied. “I’ll be fine for another hour or two.” Mikey nodded, and before she knew it, Alicia again had a brown cat curled up in her lap.
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A few hours later, everyone in the van awoke. But not calmly, pleasantly, or gradually. The van had swerved, screeching, to the side of the road, finally stopping with its right tires in the ditch next to the pavement*. The origin was the accident was a speeding car which had passed, and then stopped in front of the van without warning. A few members of the vanload shouted during the almost-crash, and others stayed still, all white and their hearts beating violently.
A dark figure jumped out of the car, and to everyone’s horror, over to their van.
“LOCK THE DOORS!” Bob yelled, and Alicia did so quickly, her heart racing.
“Guys! Open up!” The figure yelled, banging on the van door. This just made everyone back further away from the side where the person was, even more terrified. “It’s me! Frank!” he continued, and suddenly everyone leapt into action.
“Oh, shit, Frankie!” Ray exclaimed, and everyone seemed to dive for the “unlock” button at the same time. Gerard beat them all to it, and opened the door for his friend.
“You have to get out of here!” Frank yelled as he burst into the van. Gerard closed the door again, his face a cross between bewildered and confused. “She knows we’re going this way, she knows our whole plan.” He explained. “She told me she knew, she hurt me… she laughed.” Frank had decided that he wasn’t going to tell them the whole truth. Everyone nodded but the alarm in their faces was apparent.
Gerard looked around the van, and then sat on the seat near Frank. “Frankie… I have to tell you something…” He bit his lip, and then continued. “Jamia… she… she went out to find you…” he whispered, his voice and face both heavy with sadness and dismay. “I’m so sorry… we didn’t want to let her… she just… went…”
Frank nodded. “Yeah, I know.” He answered quietly. “I was there when Daeva killed her.” He answered. “I stayed with her for ages… or I would have gotten here sooner.”
There was a deathly silence in the van, except for a loud gasp from Alicia. She curled up nest to Frank on the seat, and laid her head on his shoulder, pulling him into a comforting hug.
Bob went to the front of the van and turned it around, after driving it out of the ditch. “I’m gonna go the same way we were coming from, but on a parallel, longer road.” He informed the others. There was no protest, only silence, so he started driving where he said he would.
For the rest of the day, a heavy silence filled the van, as nobody spoke or moved at all.
He stood up, lifting Jamia’s body. He carried her to a cluster of bushes at the far edge of the parking lot and lay her down, covering her with branches. “I’ll be back” he whispered. He brushed away the hair that had fallen in front of her pale, still face, and bent down to kiss her lips gently. They were frozen, which brought on another fresh waves of sobs. “I promise.” He said quietly between the tears, and stood up again.
He started walking through the parking lot, trying every car, in attempts to find one that wasn’t locked. After being yelled at by one woman, and apologetically saying “Sorry! I thought it was my car!” and nearly setting off three alarms, he finally found a silver Honda that someone had left unlocked. ‘Ah, one of the few advantages of growing up in Jersey.’ he thought as he easily hotwired the car and drove away.
-------------
“I’m tired.” Alicia said out loud to the brown cat asleep in her lap. Everyone in the van was sleeping except for her, as she was the one driving. “Mikey!” She exclaimed, poking the ball of fur on her knees. This produced a loud hiss from the ‘cat’, and a small yelp from her as she woke him up and he dug his claws into her legs. “Get me something with caffeine?” she asked him. “I’m about to pass out.” Mikey let out a meow of discontempt, but leapt from her lap to her shoulder, then off to the back of the bus. Moments later she felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned to see Mikey, back in human form, handing her a can of soda. She took it, pressed it open, and put it in the cup holder.
“Want me to take over, hun?” Mikey suggested. Alicia shook her head.
“Nah.” She replied. “I’ll be fine for another hour or two.” Mikey nodded, and before she knew it, Alicia again had a brown cat curled up in her lap.
-------------
A few hours later, everyone in the van awoke. But not calmly, pleasantly, or gradually. The van had swerved, screeching, to the side of the road, finally stopping with its right tires in the ditch next to the pavement*. The origin was the accident was a speeding car which had passed, and then stopped in front of the van without warning. A few members of the vanload shouted during the almost-crash, and others stayed still, all white and their hearts beating violently.
A dark figure jumped out of the car, and to everyone’s horror, over to their van.
“LOCK THE DOORS!” Bob yelled, and Alicia did so quickly, her heart racing.
“Guys! Open up!” The figure yelled, banging on the van door. This just made everyone back further away from the side where the person was, even more terrified. “It’s me! Frank!” he continued, and suddenly everyone leapt into action.
“Oh, shit, Frankie!” Ray exclaimed, and everyone seemed to dive for the “unlock” button at the same time. Gerard beat them all to it, and opened the door for his friend.
“You have to get out of here!” Frank yelled as he burst into the van. Gerard closed the door again, his face a cross between bewildered and confused. “She knows we’re going this way, she knows our whole plan.” He explained. “She told me she knew, she hurt me… she laughed.” Frank had decided that he wasn’t going to tell them the whole truth. Everyone nodded but the alarm in their faces was apparent.
Gerard looked around the van, and then sat on the seat near Frank. “Frankie… I have to tell you something…” He bit his lip, and then continued. “Jamia… she… she went out to find you…” he whispered, his voice and face both heavy with sadness and dismay. “I’m so sorry… we didn’t want to let her… she just… went…”
Frank nodded. “Yeah, I know.” He answered quietly. “I was there when Daeva killed her.” He answered. “I stayed with her for ages… or I would have gotten here sooner.”
There was a deathly silence in the van, except for a loud gasp from Alicia. She curled up nest to Frank on the seat, and laid her head on his shoulder, pulling him into a comforting hug.
Bob went to the front of the van and turned it around, after driving it out of the ditch. “I’m gonna go the same way we were coming from, but on a parallel, longer road.” He informed the others. There was no protest, only silence, so he started driving where he said he would.
For the rest of the day, a heavy silence filled the van, as nobody spoke or moved at all.