By Opposing, End Them

Chapter VIII

     We drove due west for several days, driving over hills, valleys, rocks, and every terrain imaginable. Eventually the foliage began to thin and sand replaced the dirt. I knew we were getting close.

     On the evening of our seventh day of travel, we stopped and made camp as we had the nights before. We ate our dinners silently, gathered around a communal campfire. As before, we then rolled out our sleeping bags and tucked in for the night.

     On this night, however, I could not sleep. I tossed and turned in my bag, but I was so overcome with worry that I could not find rest. Eventually I gave up and slipped out of my bag. I donned my hat and coat and walked a little ways out from the camp. I could see the glowing embers of our fire from where I was. I stopped and gazed into the night sky, my mind fraught with anxiety.

     Suddenly I heard soft footsteps behind me. I turned around and saw Aurelia walking up to me. She said nothing as she approached.

     "Are you all right, Jack?" she asked as she came to my side. I turned away from her and looked back into the sky.

     "I... I don't know," I eventually said. She drew a little closer.

     "What's wrong?" she asked quietly.

     "Nothing," I lied. Terribly. Aurelia sighed.

     "It's all right, Jack. You can tell me."

     I faltered for a while, debating within myself. Eventually I decided to let her in on my worries. I turned to her.

     "Before I came here, I was a detective. A private investigator, and a pretty good one at that. But then I was asked to track down a murderer, a serial killer that was loose in the city. I tried my best, hunting down every clue of his whereabouts and actions." I stopped and closed my eyes, trying to keep myself from sobbing. Aurelia came still closer.

     "I tracked him down to an apartment building at the edge of town. I led the charge to the apartment- 14B. But... it was too late. As the police were about to force open the door, we heard gunshots. A machine gun. We bashed open the door and stormed inside. In the back room, we saw the victims. A family of three: a father, a mother, and their daughter. All of them dead, lying in pools of their own blood. There was an open window, the curtains fluttering in the breeze. I ran to the window, where I saw a dark figure climbing up the back fence. It was the murderer. I pointed him out and we pursued him, but he evaded us. We never caught the murderer. The police and the media blamed me for everything. I was disgraced, reviled... hated. I even hated myself. They were just short of putting a price on my head when I was brought here."

     I could see tears running down Aurelia's cheeks. She slowly put her arms around me.

     "It's all right, Jack," she whispered. "It's all in the past."

     I pulled away from her. "No, it's not," I said. "Not for me."

     I turned away from her, beginning to cry myself. Aurelia turned me back around to face her.

     "Jack," she said, "no one here cares.  What's done is done. It doesn't matter anymore."

     "Yes, it does," I responded, a little too forcefully. Aurelia took a step back, worry showing in her eyes. I stepped towards her, calming myself down.

     "I can't bear to let anyone else down like I did that family," I said. "For my own sake. I came with you, hoping to find redemption for myself. To make up for what I had done. But now... I don't know. I just don't know." I bowed my head, tears falling from my eyes. Aurelia placed a hand under my chin and lifted my head.