The Banished One

Chapter 7: A Brighter Future

The stranger did not oppose the officer's as they flooded into the house and began shouting orders at him. He willingly knelt onto the floor and placed his hands behind his head, the knife still in his abdomen. Soon he was detained and strapped to a stretcher, awaiting the officer's order to remove him to the hospital while in police custody.

Parker and Jaycee remained in Jaycee's room after having been attended to by the paramedics and as the police sorted out the massacre that had happened on the floor below. They had told Parker that the two of them would need to make a statement, but many hours had passed, and Jaycee was asleep on her bed, cuddled in next to her older brother. Since talking to the officers he had been spaced out, on the verge of going into shock. He could not help but worry that he and his sister would be separated and placed into different foster homes. A new sound of a vehicle pulling up to the house carried up to him, but it sounded different from the emergency vehicles, which is what had drawn his attention. He could hear voices discussing something but was unable to make out what they were saying.

A moment later, the sound of someone walking up the steps could be heard as the stairs creaked under the person's feet. Parker watched the door as a large, well-dressed figure stepped into view. His suit was form fitting and he was clean shaven with a short military styled haircut. The man knocked lightly on the frame of the open door before stepping inside.

"I am sorry about the evening you are having; my name is Agent Arbolest and I work for the AEIOU," the man said earnestly. Parker started to stir, about to wake Jaycee, thinking the man wanted to speak to them both. "No, no need to wake her."

"Are you here to interview us?" Parker asked flatly.

"No, that will not be necessary," he said with a slight smile. "I have informed the officers and investigators downstairs that there will be no reason to both you two with such things."

"Why?" Parker asked, confusion spreading across his face.

"The man that entered your home this evening and committed multiple horrible acts is very honest, it is against his moral code to lie," the man told him.

Parker stared at him, "How do you know that? Who is he?"

"Unfortunately, he used to work for my agency, but decided his life was better suited for following a different path."

"He said he was here to serve justice," Parker stated. "He saved our lives." There was silence for a moment. "If I don't give a report, then they will not know that he is the reason my sister and I are still alive."

The well-dressed man shook his head, "He would be upset if you had to go through what happened tonight again. He has confessed and is going to give a full report of what happened, as well as lead the detectives toward evidence against the men who died here tonight."

"How is he going to survive?" Parker asked, suddenly thinking of the wounds the man received that evening.

"That was nothing," Agent Arbolest stated. "He has endured much worse."

"I don't understand how he took so much damage and kept going," Parker told the agent.

The Agent stared at the boy for a moment, clearly deciding on how much he should tell him. "He could have easily handled those five men, without ever being touched, but he believes he needs to be punished for his transgressions. It is part of the code he lives by. He will go to jail and serve his time until he feels the calling to go out and do his Lord's bidding."

"Is his Lord Kolanire?" Parker asked. "The man said his name while talking to my father," he continued when the Agent stared at him curiously.

"Ah, yes, that would be the one," Agent Arbolest said calmly. "He did not feel he could do his Lord's bidding while under my agency, so now he does so without support."

"He is a hero," Parker stated firmly.

Agent Arbolest laughed, "He would disagree." He then smiled at the boy, "but I would have to agree. It is unfortunate, but there are a large amount of evil people in our world, and he has taken it upon himself to push back on the darkness and protect those that cannot defend themselves."

"What is to become of my sister and I?" Parker asked, stroking his sister's hair with his bandaged hand as she slept.

"I am glad you asked, that is the main reason I came up here," the Agent said happily. "I contacted a nearby family, the Turner's. I believe you are already familiar with them, and they would be happy to take the two of you in."

"Really?" Parker asked, "Both of us?"

"They did lay out some ground rules for the arrangement to work," he told Parker, a more serious tone in his voice. Parker looked nervous for a moment. "They wish you to return to school, no more cutting class in order to make money. Mr. Turner will still allow you to work the farm with him, but he will be depositing all your earnings into an account until you turn eighteen. He stated that your education is non-negotiable."

Parker was stunned, he could not believe that he and Jaycee would get to remain together. "When will we go there? Will we have to go to a holding location?"

"You will soon be taken to the hospital to get checked out," Agent Arbolest told him. "You will need to have your hand looked at, and I believe you may have broken ribs." The Agent stood, reaching inside his jacket and pulling out what looked like a business card, but all that was on it was a phone number. "If you ever need anything, give this number a call, they will be able to help you." He gave a slight nod and disappeared out the door.

Parker was speechless, his hand still held out in front of him grasping the card. After everything that had happened, their futures were brighter than ever. Nothing would ever be the same.