The Journey to Duskwood

Chapter 9

  Three days. That's how long has passed since I got back to Duskwood. I haven't been able to eat hardly anything or sleep more than a couple of hours each night. Jessy has taken it upon herself to move me from the motel into her apartment for the rest of my stay, which I've extended for a while. She has mentioned several times how worried she is about me. She makes me eat and rest, and I appreciate her concern.

  I have been mostly robotic, sitting most of the day, my mind in a constant state of anxiety and fear. I have not heard from Jake, regardless of my many attempts to contact him. I even tried to reach out to Director Lansing, but that failed. My efforts to hear from Jake have gone seemingly unnoticed. I just hope that he is okay.

  Now, I sit here watching Jessy move about her kitchen. Her apartment is cute; it matches her style well. She looks at me sadly. I feel bad that I've put this on her, though she claims I'm not burdening her at all. It's nice to have a good friend through all of this, because I'm not sure I could handle it alone.

  Today is another sad day, but for a different reason.

  Richy's funeral is this morning.

  It is not something that anyone is looking forward to.

  Jessy motions for us to leave. The service is being held at the church a few minutes away. We would walk, but the weather does not look promising. Typical.

Why is it always gray outside during funerals?

  There are not very many people at the church. Honestly, I wasn't sure how many people I expected to see. Rumors spread like a wildfire throughout Duskwood about what happened. Some people were somewhat understanding, but many others reacted quite harshly. His parents are the talk of the town, the garage has lost a lot of business, and practically half of Duskwood has shunned his family. It's really unfortunate.

  We go inside the church. The architecture is beautiful, and I would appreciate it more if it weren't for the depressing reason we were here. I see everyone in the group sitting towards the front, except Dan. My eyes scan through the pews and I find him sitting in the second to last pew, alone. Part of me wonders if he wasn't initially planning on coming. I know he is angry at what Richy did. He doesn't look at Jessy and me, though I know he's seen us.

  We make our way to the front where the others are. I see Hannah in person for the first time. We share a brief moment of eye contact and I give her a sad smile. She is sitting between Thomas and Lilly, who both look distraught.

  The service doesn't last very long. The priest gives a small sermon about how we should be hopeful because Richy is in a better place now, a couple of people say a few words. It isn't much. Throughout the service, Jessy held onto my hand for dear life. My heart is broken for her. I wrap my arm around her shoulder and pull her close.

  Once the service ends, we go outside. There isn't going to be a burial. But I do overhear some people mention going to Richy's parents house to drop off a meal.

  We are all standing around, unsure of what to do now. I see Dan wheel up beside me, looking angrier than ever. No one says anything. I clear my throat in an attempt to ease some of the tension, but it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Finally, Thomas speaks up, "To make an already shitty day worse, Hannah received a letter in the mail this morning." We all look to Hannah who looks back with tears in her eyes.

"I have been summoned for a trial," she says in a hoarse whisper. "I could be facing serious fines and possible jail time for everything that happened when..." her voice fades out. I hear Lilly and Jessy gasp. Dan just scoffs, which earns him a glare from Lilly.