After Death

Chapter 19 (Death to the lying Delinquent)

Chapter 19: Death to the lying Delinquent

Ethan Warren

Estimated, July 2024

About 26 months after outbreak

California, The Circus

Season 3

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I called the first town meeting in my entire life that day. Thomas had told me I was allowed to do that when we first started our entanglement but even if I wasn't allowed I would have done it anyways. He didn't try to stop me as the people flooded the streets, he even ordered Emilio to get a chair for me to stand on.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'm afraid your dear "King" has been keeping something from you all," I heard the crowd gasp and their attention turned to Thomas. He left with guilt plastered on his face but unlike him, I didn't feel guilty at all.

"I'm sure you all know of the man whose wife he killed," I heard the crowd whisper to itself, "the man's not dead and if I could take a wild guess, he's pretty angry about it." I heard them start to get restless, I think they would have tried to kill Thomas if he had been there.

"Kill him!"

"He has to die!"

"Kill the lying Ringmaster!"

I didn't agree with their chants. I didn't like the man but I didn't want him dead. I looked to the curtains that lead into The Big Top. Thomas and I shared a look as he peeked through. He looked like he was about to cry and I didn't blame him, he may have lied but his kingdom betrayed him.

I ended the town meeting, unable to hear more. They wanted me to be the one to do it, the one to put the blade into his heart.

I wasn't going to do that though, not unless I really had to. All I wanted to prove to Thomas was that he needed to work with us equally if this was going to work. I expected that his community wouldn't be too happy about this but I never thought it would lead to death threats.

I wasn't going to apologize to Thomas, this is what he deserved and he knew that. This would be the start of us stopping whoever this man was and it was better that the people knew before a war started.

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Rudolph Alinksy

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I didn't expect that day to go that way. I tried to talk to Thomas but he wasn't taking any visitors. The townspeople even began to turn on me because I respected him. One of them grabbed Airianna and without a second to think, I stabbed him in the arm. This was getting out of hand, Thomas and Ethan were nowhere to be seen to get it under control. Most of us stayed locked inside our homes as the riots continued. We wanted nothing to do with the fighting, we just wanted it to stop.

Steve stayed with Airi, Juna, and I. He was unable to get to his own house when it all started. I gave him one of my knives that I had kept without permission. I know he didn't want to kill anyone but it was good to have it at least. We had no idea when this would end if it even would and we needed to be ready in case it got worse.

They burned shit in the center of town. I watch them bring the fire to The Big Top with the torches they carried. I knew where they were going and I knew I couldn't let them get there. I grabbed the gun I kept under my mattress and shot them all before they could make it there. I didn't want to but I had to. We had priorities now and we had to know what those were.

Airianna held my hand as I stared at their bodies as they bleed out in the streets. I don't regret what I did but I still wish it hadn't come to that. I deserved what Aiden was getting but it would never come to me because I never had the strength to tell the story.

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Leah Souixer

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I saw Rudi kill those people. They were going to do bad shit, he did it with a reason. He chose to take a few lives to save many and I tried to honor him for that. He's never talked about his massacre so I never brought it up. I don't even know if he knows I know. I tried to get to mine or Dallen's house before the shit really started hitting the fan but I wasn't able to. I was trapped in the streets with the rioters. It was dark out now, they didn't recognize who I was, they tried to get me to join in but I just ran. I tried my best not to run into anyone or hurt them in any way. These people weren't like the people we've come to associate with bad people, they were just angry. This was a bad way to show it though.

Finally, I managed to make it to Khai and Evelyn's house. They let me in without a second thought. I stayed the night with them until the crowd calmed down the next morning.