The Aftermath

The fire kindled and crackled at the woods that we were in. Trees and foliage surrounded us. The mood was beyond somber as the night hours dragged on. I leaned into Alex’s chest. Cece and Kyle were cuddled near each other across from the fire. Ryant and Max sat near their father. My father was near Ashley keeping her company and Rodney was off talking to his scientist.

“I wish I had my guitar.” Alex murmured. His voice vibrated against my head and I breathed in deeply.

“What’s going to happen, Alex? How are we going to get to D.C. in a month with all this stuff happening?”

The orange of the fire moved up to the dark sky and illuminated the dark green of the tree’s leaves.

“He’s obviously got a plan.” His arm stretched around my front, wrapping around my abdomen and pulling me in solidly. “All those people burning showed it.”

My mind thought back of the multitude of things going on at the moment: all the sounds in the forest, the crackle of the fire, and the various movements meaning anything.

“I think I’ll go and talk to Ryant.” I pulled from Alex’s grasp softly as I saw Ryant walk away to his tent. My innocent sneakers moved against the forest floor as I walked ahead, past the bit of foliage towards our cluster of tents.

“Jasmine…” Cece’s hand came out of nowhere and reached for me. I turned to her, seeing the sadness in her eyes as the fire illuminated from behind her. “Tell Ryant I’m sorry, okay?”

“Why?” I shook my head.

“Because I know how badly he wanted this, this new life for everyone.”

It surprised me immensely how much she cared in that moment, how concerned she was, and I felt like crying.

“We all wanted it, Cece, but it’s over, okay?”

She nodded and I turned from her, making my final stride to the tents. I heard her footsteps walk back towards the fire as I unzipped the line to Ryant’s tent. There in the tent he just sat, warm tears sliding down his cheeks like bullets. I’d never seen him cry so much. Never.

“Ryant…” I kneeled down near him once again and pulled him. “Please stop crying.”

“It’s never gonna get better.” His voice shuddered. “They’ll just keep on dying and dying and I have to fix it all because of him. He ruined everything.”

His scolding tears slapped onto my shirt. He wiped the snot from his nose and stared to me, red eyed with the tears still flowing.

“It’s all his fault.”

“Ryant, that’s not true.”

“Then, what is?” He pressed desperately. “Who the hell is he to decide?”

I just looked back to him, too frozen for answers, too stuck solid to give him what he wanted, which was the truth. None of us knew the truth and to go begging for it was suicide. It killed the soul and right now, he had a fate plastered upon his head.

“Become The Cure”

And I could feel it radiating from him. He wanted to fight it, run screaming and punching from that fate. He wanted to shove Rodney aside and tell him it wasn’t his choice, that he wasn’t the hand of God.

“What if he lets all of you die just to get me and Max there? What happens then? What reason will I even have to live?”

“I don’t know.” I answered simply. “I don’t know, Ryant.”

The fabric of tent moved and a hand reached to pull the tent’s fabric door aside. It was Rodney himself coming in.

“Oh God.” Ryant groaned, covering his face with his hands. “Why don’t you stay the hell away from me?”

Rodney’s blue eyes looked over us, hands shoved in his pockets. “Look I know you’re upset with me, but-“

Ryant’s face flew from my hands, shouting as he did so. “Did you hear what I just fucking said?! Stay the hell away from me!”

“But, I know this is hard and I-I just wanted to tell you-“

Ryant shot up from his seated position. “Tell me what! Tell me you understand! That you’re sorry?! Fuck you, Rodney! You killed your father!”

“To save you.” Rodney spat back. “And it’s about time you start living up to your father’s legacy.”

Ryant laughed. “Legacy, huh? And what exactly about that would you know, having a fugitive for an uncle and all? You seem pretty shitty on judgment these days, right?”

Rodney just simply glared back at Ryant.

“And what if I told you myself that I wasn’t going to go through with this plan of yours, hm?” Ryant plagued. “What happens to your uncle’s little mission, then?”

“Ryant,...” I stood and tried to bargain.

“Stay out of this.” He stuck his hand out and never let his gaze off of Rodney’s. “The next time you think of letting anyone other than me or my brother get hurt, I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you do. You don’t mess with my family and my friends. Understand?”

Rodney’s jaw clenched and Ryant tilted his head the slightest bit.

“Are you deaf or did I ask you a question?”

“I understand.” Rodney said back stubbornly.

Ryant smiled then. “Good. Now get out of my tent. I actually want to sleep tonight.”

Rodney’s lips pinned shut before his eyes glanced to me for the shortest moment. Then, his legs tottered their way out the tent.

“You know that you’re absolutely crazy, right?” I said to him.

“Why?” Ryant asked back blankly.

“Because you’re playing with fire, you may want to protect all of us, but you can’t put the entire human race at risk. It’s stupid.”

“Why not?”

I walked over to him, standing right in front in him. “Ryant, do you hear yourself? You’re letting all of this make you go crazy. You can’t make those kind of threats.”

“And why not? At least I’ll be in control then? Or do you not want me to make my own choices?”

“That’s not what I’m saying.” I battled. “But, you can’t go around making crazy assumptions you can’t keep, Ryant. You just can’t.”

The dark and quiet of the large tent surrounded us, gaping into the forest night air. We stood there before each other, both of our wits and directions changing.

“Who says I can’t keep that promise? You?”

I looked hard back at Ryant, nearly whispering my next words. “But, I know you better than anyone and I know you wouldn’t do that…”

“Then, apparently you don’t know me.” He unzipped the tent’s flap fully and stepped aside. “I need to get some sleep. Good night.”

As I stepped out the tent of my best friend and into the night air I tried to wonder what the hell was happening to my best friend?

What the hell was happening to any of us?